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ǂThe ǂclosing of the Western mind : ǂthe ǂraise of faith and the fall of reason by Freeman, Charles is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

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From Publishers Weekly Freeman repeats an oft-told tale of the rise of Christianity and the supposed demise of philosophy in a book that is fascinating, frustrating and flawed. He contends that as the Christian faith developed in the first four centuries it gradually triumphed over the reigning Hellenistic and Roman philosophies. Christianity's power culminated when Constantine declared it the official state religion in 312. Freeman points to Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, as the figure who showed Constantine that the bishopric could wield power over the state. From then until the Middle Ages, Freeman argues, the church ruled triumphant, successfully squelching any challenges to its religious and political authority. Yet Freeman (The Greek Achievement) fails to show that faith became totally dominant over reason. First, he asserts that Paul of Tarsus, whom many think of as the founder of Christianity, condemned the Hellenistic philosophy of his time. Freeman is wrong about this, for the rhetorical style and the social context of Paul's letters show just how dependent he was on the philosophy around him. Second, Freeman glosses over the tremendous influence of Clement of Alexandria'

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Author

Freeman, Charles

Publisher

Vintage Books

Published

2002

Language

EN

ISBN

9781400033805

Category

history

Subjects

Fiction, World History, Religion

Rating

4.04 / 5 (1,481 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14