Author: Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) - English historian and scholar who was inspired to write a history of Rome after a visit to the city in 1764; a member of the House of Commons from 1774-1783, where he was considered a nuisance; The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, is still considered to be a seminal work in the historiography of the Roman Empire
Biographical information from: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/egibbon.htm
Date/Context: Excerpted from volume 4 of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire published in London in 1788; Gibbon, influenced by Enlightened ideas, posited that the fall of the Empire could be attributed to the distractions of Christianity and moral decay
Summary: In The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon analyzed the influence of Christianity on the Roman Empire. He argues that the teachings of the Church undermined military allegiance and public spirit. According to Gibbon, the "tyranny" of the Church distracted emperors, commoners, and soldiers alike. Further,
Key Quotation: "If the decline of the Roman empire was hastened by the conversion of [the Emperor] Constantine, his victorious religion broke the violence of the fall, and mollified the ferocious temper of the conquerors."
Mrs. Friday, I don't know if a part of your summary was cut off...
ReplyDeleteIdentifying characteristics: With its explanatory and matter-of-fact tone, Gibbon clearly attributes the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of Christianity. His language and vocabulary stick out as it represents the time period in which he wrote in, yet he succeeds in capturing the emotions and reasoning of those alive during the reign of the Romans.
ReplyDeleteSome points to consider: I thought the author bio was very helpful, although I think the fact that tackling this subject was difficult for him due to little written sources should be included. Further, I appreciated the context since it gave a semblance of a thesis at the end, and I agree with the key quotation, although I think that the document's first sentence could also serve as a key quotation, since it includes the idea of an afterlife overshadowing the present life.
Thanks, Maria! I apologize for not finishing the summary. Further, he acknowledges that religion mediated the violence of the period.
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