Did Christians Really Destroy the Classical World? Rebuttal to the Darkening Age by Spencer McDaniel

The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages

In this episode Spencer McDaniel from the Tales of Times Forgotten Blog joins us for a rebuttal of sorts aimed towards a controversial work by Catherine Nixey titled "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World."

We begin with Spencer explaining how his religious and educational background differs from Nixey’s and how this might be influencing this perspective.

Spencer continues with where, on a general level, they disagree with Nixey’s framing.

We explore if it’s true that early Christians did try to destroy certain kinds of writings and, if so, what kinds of writings did they target?

I ask why, if Christian attempts at censorship were so limited and generally unsuccessful, so many writings from antiquity have been lost?

We discuss if it’s true that early Christians did, in some cases, destroy works of Greek and Roman art?

We then approach the Christian desecration and destruction of "Pagan" temples.... did it happed? If so, to what extent?

Lastly I ask a question involving a subject that the history world is obsessed with and that is if it’s true that Christians deliberately destroyed the Library of Alexandria? The answer is a definite no, but Spencer will gladly and thoroughly explain why.

For those not familiar with this subject "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World," is a book published in 2018 by Catherine Nixey. In the work itself, she argues that early Christians deliberately destroyed classical Greek and Roman cultures including art, sources, architecture and in some cases mass murder and caused the Dark Ages. It enjoyed popular publishing success (I myself own a copy and I did enjoy it but I acknowledge certain issues) but it has received major criticism from certain religious communities and many historians in general.

To support our guest, check out these links below!

Website : https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpenceMcDaniel

Original article titled : What Was the Conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity Really Like?

https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/04/11/what-was-the-conversion-of-the-roman-empire-to-christianity-really-like/

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