A century of miracles : christians, pagans, jews, and the supernatural : 312-410

The fourth century of our common era began and ended with a miracle. Traditionally, in the year 312, the Roman emperor Constantine I experienced a Vision of the Cross that led him to convert to Christianity, and in 394 the emperor Theodosius I won a victory after praying for divine support. Other stories heralded the discovery of the True Cross by Constantine's mother, Helena, and the rise of a new kind of miracle-maker in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. Miracle also crept into the discourse and argument of this era, changing the criteria by which Romans awarded victory. According to a long-standing scholarly narrative, the changes during this century represent a decline from the high standards of Graeco-Roman culture and eventually contributed to the fall of the Roman empire. They plunged Christians and pagans into a "life-and-death" struggle that replaced the happy toleration of polytheism with a narrower and darker belief. The end of the Cold War and the rise of the field of Late Antiquity have led to greater appreciation for the variety of religious experience during this century. In A Century of Miracles , historian H. A. Drake explores the role miracle stories played in helping Christians, pagans, and Jews think about themselves and each other. These stories, he concludes, bolstered Christian belief that their god wanted the empire to be Christian. Most importantly, these stories help explain how, after a century of trumpeting the power of their god, Christians were able to deal with their failure to protect the city of Rome from sack by the barbarian army of the Gothic king Alaric in 410. Augustine's magnificent City of God eventually established a new theoretical basis for success, but in the meantime the popularity of miracle stories reassured the faithful--even when the miracles stopped. The fourth century of our common era began and ended with a miracle. Traditionally, in the year 312, the Roman emperor Constantine I experienced a Vision of the Cross that led him to convert to Christianity, and in 394 the emperor Theodosius I won a victory after praying for divine support. Other stories heralded the discovery of the True Cross by Constantine's mother, Helena, and the rise of a new kind of miracle-maker in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. Miracle also crept into the discourse and argument of this era, changing the criteria by which Romans awarded victory.According to a long-standing scholarly narrative, the changes during this century represent a decline from the high standards of Graeco-Roman culture and eventually contributed to the fall of the Roman empire. They plunged Christians and pagans into a "life-and-death" struggle that replaced the happy toleration of polytheism with a narrower and darker belief.The end of the Cold War and the rise of the field of Late Antiquity have led to greater appreciation for the variety of religious experience during this century. In __A Century of Miracles__, historian H. A. Drake explores the role miracle stories played in helping Christians, pagans, and Jews think about themselves and each other. These stories, he concludes, bolstered Christian belief that their god wanted the empire to be Christian.Most importantly, these stories help explain how, after a century of trumpeting the power of their god, Christians were able to deal with their failure to protect the city of Rome from sack by the barbarian army of the Gothic king Alaric in 410. Augustine's magnificent City of God eventually established a new theoretical basis for success, but in the meantime the popularity of miracle stories reassured the faithful--even when the miracles stopped. The fourth century of our common era began and ended with a miracle. Traditionally, in the year 312, the Roman emperor Constantine experienced a "vision of the Cross" that led him to convert to Christianity and to defeat his last rival to the imperial throne; and, in 394, a divine wind carried the emperor Theodosius to victory at the battle of the Frigidus River. Other stories heralded the discovery of the True Cross by Constantine's mother, Helena, and the rise of a new kind of miracle-maker in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. These miracle stories helped Christians understand the dizzying changes they experienced in the fourth century. Far more than the outdated narrative of a "life-and-death" struggle between Christians and pagans, they help us understand the darker turn Christianity took in subsequent ages. In A Century of Miracles , historian H. A. Drake explores the role miracle stories played in helping Christians, pagans, and Jews think about themselves and each other. These stories, he concludes, bolstered Christian belief that their god wanted the empire to be Christian. Most importantly, they help explain how, after a century of trumpeting the power of their god, Christians were able to deal with their failure to protect the city of Rome from a barbarian sack by the Gothic army of Alaric in 410. Augustine's magnificent City of God eventually established a new theoretical basis for success, but in the meantime the popularity of miracle stories reassured the faithful--even when the miracles came to an end. Thoroughly researched within a wide range of faiths and belief systems, A Century of Miracles provides an absorbing illumination of this complex, polytheistic, and decidedly mystical phenomenon. "Traditionally, in the year 312, the Roman emperor Constantine experienced a "vision of the Cross" that led him to convert to Christianity and to defeat his last rival to the imperial throne; and, in 394, a divine wind carried the emperor Theodosius to victory at the battle of the Frigidus River. Other stories heralded the discovery of the True Cross by Constantine's mother, Helena, and the rise of a new kind of miracle-maker in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. These miracle stories helped Christians understand the dizzying changes in their fortunes during the century. They also shed light on Christianity's conflict with other faiths and the darker turn it took in subsequent ages. In A Century of Miracles, historian H.A. Drake explores the role miracle stories played in helping Christians, pagans, and Jews think about themselves and each other. These stories, he concludes, bolstered Christian belief that their god wanted the empire to be Christian. Most importantly, they help explain how, after a century of trumpeting the power of their god, Christians were able to deal with their failure to protect the city of Rome from a barbarian sack by the Gothic army of Alaric in 410. Augustine's magnificent City of God eventually established a new theoretical basis for success, but in the meantime the popularity of miracle stories reassured the faithful -- even when the miracles came to an end. A Century of Miracles provides an absorbing illumination of the pivotal fourth century as seen through the prism of a complex and decidedly mystical phenomenon"--Jacket flaps Content: Cover A Century of Miracles Copyright Dedication Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Historians and the Miraculous 2. Theodosius's Miracle 3. Constantine's Miracle 4. Miracle Doctors 5. The Miracle of the Cross 6. Jews in Miracles 7. Miracle in the Desert 8. Miracles on Trial 9. Failed Miracles 10. Alaric, Augustine, and the End of a Century of Miracles 11. Epilogue: The Story of Titus Notes Primary Sources Bibliography Index The fourth century of our common era began and ended with a miracle: Constantine's famous Vision of the Cross at one end and Theodosius' victory bearing prayer at the other. In this book, historian H. A. Drake shows how miracles in this century forever altered the way Christians, pagans, and Jews understood themselves and each other.