On the back of this book, one of its critics describes it as: “Lives of the Saints retold by Karl Ove Knausgaard.” My initial thought was: what?
Pliny discovers that the civic religion is in decline, the temples are empty, no one at the marketplace wants to buy meat that’s been sacrificed to the gods, and from what he’s gathered, the principal reason for this . . . is the success of a sect he’s never heard of before: the disciples of Christus. They get to together in secret. Pliny’s chief of staff thinks it’s to have group sex. . . . (Pliny) makes inquiries, sends someone, and the results of his investigations are disconcerting. When they get together, these people limit themselves to sharing a frugal meal, smiling, and singing hymns. So much mildness is worrying. Pliny would have preferred debauchery, but he has to face the facts: no one’s sleeping with anyone.
It’s amazing, really. The power of ideas to change the world is something really remarkable.
I also learnt a lot about other philosophies in competition with Christianity at that time. Enjoy this as a last snippet, which should make you think twice about our own capitalist world:
Whether Epicureans or Stoics, all the wise men taught that fortune is changing, unpredictable, and that we must be ready to lose all we have without a murmur. None of them, however, would have recommended or even entertained the idea of getting rid of it on purpose. They all considered what they called otium – that is, leisure and the free use of one’s time – to be an absolute condition of human accomplishment. Seneca, one of Paul’s most famous contemporaries, says something quite nice on that topic: if by some mischance he were reduced to working for a living, no big deal; he’d just kill himself.
After reading this book, I realised I’ve read another book by this same author: THE ADVERSARY. Memoir? History? No, it’s a straightforward piece of true crime. This author is truly kooky. It gives me hope for the world of publishing.
i will love to share my testimony to you all the people in world. My name is Clara James form new York i got married to my husband about 2 year ago we start having problems at home like we stop sleeping on the same bed,fighting about little things he always comes home late at night,drinking too much and sleeping with other women out side i have never love any man in my life except him. he is the father of my child and i don't want to loose him because we have worked so hard together to become what we are and have today .few month ago he now decided to live me and the kid,being a single mother can be hard sometimes and so i have nobody to turn to and i was heart broken.i called my mom and explain every thing to her,my mother told me about PRIEST WISDOM how he helped her solve the problem between her and my dad i was surprise about it because they have been without each other for three and a half years and it was like a miracle how they came back to each other. i was directed to priest wisdom and i explain everything to him,so he promise me not to worry that he will cast a spell and make things come back to how we where so much in love again and that it was another female spirit that was controlling my husband he told me that my problem will be solved within 2 days if i believe i said OK So he cast a spell for me and after two days my love came back asking me to forgive him i Am so happy now. so that why i decided to share my experience with every body that have such problem contact priest wisdom the great spell caster on his email Id: supernaturalspell1@gmail.com or whatsapp him +2348124644470 or you can read more of him on supernaturalspell1.blogspot.com/
i will love to share my testimony to you all the people in world. My name is Clara James form new York i got married to my husband about 2 year ago we start having problems at home like we stop sleeping on the same bed,fighting about little things he always comes home late at night,drinking too much and sleeping with other women out side i have never love any man in my life except him. he is the father of my child and i don't want to loose him because we have worked so hard together to become what we are and have today .few month ago he now decided to live me and the kid,being a single mother can be hard sometimes and so i have nobody to turn to and i was heart broken.i called my mom and explain every thing to her,my mother told me about PRIEST WISDOM how he helped her solve the problem between her and my dad i was surprise about it because they have been without each other for three and a half years and it was like a miracle how they came back to each other. i was directed to priest wisdom and i explain everything to him,so he promise me not to worry that he will cast a spell and make things come back to how we where so much in love again and that it was another female spirit that was controlling my husband he told me that my problem will be solved within 2 days if i believe i said OK So he cast a spell for me and after two days my love came back asking me to forgive him i Am so happy now. so that why i decided to share my experience with every body that have such problem contact priest wisdom the great spell caster on his email Id: supernaturalspell1@gmail.com or whatsapp him +2348124644470 or you can read more of him on supernaturalspell1.blogspot.com/