Pagan City and Christian Capital

Archival Summary & Scope

This book offers a compelling examination of Rome's profound transformation during the pivotal century between Constantine's arrival and Alaric's advance (c. 312-410 CE). Moving beyond simplistic narratives of religious conflict, it explores the city's Christianization through a multifaceted lens, analyzing imperial and papal building policies, the enduring ambivalence of the Roman festal calendar, and internal Christian debates over asceticism and authentic faith. Drawing on diverse analytical, literary, and legal evidence, the book reveals how Rome's landscape, civic life, and moral values were reshaped by complex, often paradoxical forces, thereby laying the foundation for the capital of medieval Christendom and charting the rise of Christianity amidst paganism's decline.