The author of The Triumph of Christianity comes to DC on Sun., Feb. 11th, at 1PM.
In just 400 years, Christianity grew from a handful of mainly illiterate believers into a rapidly spreading global religion with some thirty million converts. Among those converted was Constantine, whose support has been seen as a pivotal factor in Christianity’s growth. Ehrman, professor of religious studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the author or editor of more than thirty books on Christianity, poses a different scenario. Noting that we don’t know what Constantine converted from, he points out that Christianity erased the pagan cultures it replaced. In a masterful synthesis of history and biblical scholarship, he argues that Christianity spread by “everyday social networks [and] word of mouth,” not one influential role model, and he shows how the new religion’s emphasis on the church as family, on compassion for the less fortunate, and its promise of an afterlife would have appealed to citizens of the late Roman Empire.
This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
At Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC. Click here for info.
