Early Christianity

are described by time-travellers to ancient Pompeii, Egypt, Syria,
and Asia Minor – and for such reasons, the book has drawn some
criticism. Nevertheless, it provides a daring, engaging, and
riotously entertaining entréeto the whole topic.
For those who might find Hopkins’ approach a little too
unorthodox, I would recommend something rather more straight-
forward, but no less readable. Robin Lane Fox’s Pagans and
Christians(1986) provides a detailed investigation of many of the
topics that I have covered in earlier chapters. For some, however,
Lane Fox might be too detailed and discursive (it is nearly 800
pages long!): this might be the case especially for students (and
particularly those with essay deadlines!) who want their material
served up to them concisely. There are many briefer introductions
available. Grant 1986 covers similar topics to Lane Fox in about
a quarter of the space, though with less subtlety and panache.
Among older accounts, Markus 1974 is still useful and illumi-
nating, and is illustrated besides. Two recent syntheses can be
recommended without hesitation. Rousseau 2002 provides a
survey of the topic into late antiquity, and it includes useful
chapter bibliographies and suggested starting points for further
reading. On the interface between Christianity and Roman society,
Clark 2004 is an outstanding treatment. Finally, for those who
seek to understand the rise of Christianity within the context of
Roman religious history, there can be no better place to begin
than chapters 6 (on religious diversity in the Roman empire) and
8.1 (on Constantine) in the first volume of Beard, North, and Price

1998. All told, Beard, North, and Price’s book represents a
      quantum leap in the quality and range of studies of Roman reli-
      gion; the second volume of source materials (archaeological and
      textual) is fully cross-referenced from the first.

Handbooks and works of reference

Not everyone can remember everything, and sometimes in the
course of studying a topic you will need to look up a name or
a basic account of a particular matter or event. Here is where

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