Description: Who and what was pagan depended on the outlook of the observer, as Christopher Jones shows in this fresh and penetrating analysis. Treating paganism as a historical construct rather than a fixed entity, Between Pagan and Christian uncovers the fluid ideas, rituals, and beliefs that Christians and pagans shared in Late Antiquity.
Brief description: Christopher P. Jones is George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics and of History, Emeritus, at Harvard University.
Review Quotes: Between Pagan and Christian is a learned and lucid treatment of the persistence of paganism long after the sea-change of the fourth century that made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. While scholars of late antique religion will ruminate at length and with great profit on Jones' many insights, the clarity of his presentation and the vividness of his historical examples make this book especially appealing for use by advanced undergraduates...Between Pagan and Christian is a provocative contribution to the current debates about religious identity and its salience in the fourth century and beyond that deserves to be widely read by scholars and students of late ancient religious culture.--Scott G. Bruce "Bryn Mawr Classical Review" (7/1/2014 12:00:00 AM)