It is estimated that only a small fraction, less than 1 per cent, of ancient literature has survived to the present day. The role of Christian authorities in the active suppression and destruction of books in Late Antiquity has received surprisingly little sustained consideration by academics. In an approach that presents evidence for the role played by Christian institutions, writers and saints, this book analyses a broad range of literary and legal sources, some of which have hitherto been little studied. Paying special attention to the problem of which genres and book types were likely to...
It is estimated that only a small fraction, less than 1 per cent, of ancient literature has survived to the present day. The role of Christian authori...
Christianity's rejection, even obliteration, of books--so contrary to its own worldview--testifies both to the perilous nature of texts in transmission as well as to the enduring cultural and ideological power of the written word.--David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University
Christianity's rejection, even obliteration, of books--so contrary to its own worldview--testifies both to the perilous nature of texts in transmissio...
