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Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World
Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World | Catherine Nixey
32 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 31 to read
A bold new history of the rise of Christianity, showing how its radical followers ravaged vast swathes of classical culture, plunging the world into an era of dogma and intellectual darkness "Searingly passionate...Nixey writes up a storm. Each sentence is rich, textured, evocative, felt...[A] ballista-bolt of a book." --New York Times Book Review In Harran, the locals refused to convert. They were dismembered, their limbs hung along the town's main street. In Alexandria, zealots pulled the elderly philosopher-mathematician Hypatia from her chariot and flayed her to death with shards of broken pottery. Not long before, their fellow Christians had invaded the city's greatest temple and razed it--smashing its world-famous statues and destroying all that was left of Alexandria's Great Library. Today, we refer to Christianity's conquest of the West as a "triumph." But this victory entailed an orgy of destruction in which Jesus's followers attacked and suppressed classical culture, helping to pitch Western civilization into a thousand-year-long decline. Just one percent of Latin literature would survive the purge; countless antiquities, artworks, and ancient traditions were lost forever. As Catherine Nixey reveals, evidence of early Christians' campaign of terror has been hiding in plain sight: in the palimpsests and shattered statues proudly displayed in churches and museums the world over. In The Darkening Age, Nixey resurrects this lost history, offering a wrenching account of the rise of Christianity and its terrible cost.
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GingerAntics
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Martyr or evangelical revival circuit faith healer. Just saying. My last read (God is Not Great) has me wanting to watch the documentary “Marjoe” now.
#TheDarkeningAge #CatherineNixey

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GingerAntics
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I think there are American lawmakers that would recreate this law, and a surprising number of citizens that would support it, if they were smart enough to word it in a way that kept it constitutional. Religious freedom has NEVER been a Christian idea.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #christianity #religiousfreedom #freedomofspeech #freedomofthought #angryandreligious #christiansarewhatswronghere #christiandestructionoftheclassicalworld

GingerAntics Notice, you can find a christian school in every flavour, you can find a classical school, but you can never find a christian classical school. Gee, I wonder why? 4mo
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shanaqui
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey

This makes for depressing reading, but it's very readable... if that makes sense.

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GingerAntics
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#7days7books that had an impact on me. A two for one deal, because... (no explanations allowed, just read them and you‘ll figure it out).
#CatherineNixey #TheDarkeningAge #StephenGreenblatt #TheSwerve

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Oblomov26
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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Pickpick

Well I cannot say this was an enjoyable read, but it was interesting. A book about the destruction of the classical world by a triumphant Christianity in the 4th-6th century AD. Ninety percent of classical writing was lost, great works of arts destroyed or defaced and ways of living which did not pass judgment were persecuted. I found myself mourning that knowledge which has been lost and how close the early Christians reflect modern extremists.

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Oblomov26
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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The more things change ...

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LauraJ
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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Hmm, I wonder if my boss would buy this excuse. 🤔

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LauraJ
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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Have cabin fever from being sick and had to get out for a bit, but don‘t want to expose people to the 🦠
Starting a third book because the other two are too heavy to lug around. This one‘s for my book club.

Leftcoastzen You are making me miss the southland.😀 5y
LauraJ @Leftcoastzen Guess you can‘t see the quarter inch of grit on the table! 😺 5y
Leftcoastzen 😂😂😂😂Expected 5y
47 likes3 comments
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iread2much
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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Pickpick

Offers some interesting history, but meander & author put in a lot of descriptive extra that I don‘t like. The “triumph” of the new and radically intolerant religion and the joyfully savaging of those who are different from themselves is well documented. As is their perverse satisfaction in their own self harm and the systematic destruction of ppl, art, & knowledge. A terrifying reflection on what is currently happening in the world 3/5 stars

Leftcoastzen 🐶❤️ 5y
iread2much @Leftcoastzen 😄👍🏽🥰 5y
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lyradora
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This has been on my To Read list for quite a while. A couple finally showed up at my local used bookstore. 😊 #usedbookstoresareawesome #classics

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GingerAntics
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Pickpick

5🌟
Just imagine what western society sacrificed - physical and mental health, healthy relationships, healthy sexuality - all for the sake of a philosophy.
After reading this book, I now understand why so many Christians fear history, and how so many Christians actively choose ignorance to their own religious heritage. The history, the facts, the truth is not pretty. It is reminiscent of other regions‘ extremists we now refer to terrorists.

GingerAntics It is amazingly reminiscent of what life is like for non-Christians in America today. Nixey does a wonderful job of bringing this moment in time into stark relief. Her personal antidotes at the beginning really help to paint the picture of her own process of learning these misunderstood, misrepresented, and downright lied about facts. 5y
GingerAntics If you‘re into the Medieval period, religious history in the West, or the Classical World, this book is a must read. Lovely. Readable. Approachable. Worth the time. At first I didn‘t really like this book. It felt like The Swerve and seemed to only rehash what I recently read in that book. 5y
GingerAntics After the initial introductory portion of the book, it took its own turn and focused entirely on Christianity‘s violent rise and it‘s persecution of anyone who was not, or would not become, Christian. If you‘ve ever read Stephen Greenblatt‘s The Swerve you know the structure of this book. It is very similar and yet completely different. The two books are almost like historical bookends that mirror each other. 5y
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GingerAntics The Darkening Age sets out to explain the rise of Christianity and the loss of everything linked to the Classical World. The Swerve talks about the rediscovery of the Classical World. Read both. You get the whole picture that way, and you come away with a strong sense of all that was lost and a great appreciation for the little bits we have left. 5y
GingerAntics I read them backwards in the chronological order of the periods they cover. I would recommend Nixey‘s book first, then Greenblatt‘s. 5y
LA1 Went looking for this immediately 👍🏽👍🏽 5y
blank Do I really wanna read another book that will make me hate religion even more? Yes. 5y
GingerAntics @laurenslibrary 🤣😂🤣 it‘s like a train wreck. You just can‘t look away. 5y
GingerAntics @LA1 I hope you enjoy it. 5y
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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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What a tragic ending, and loss, for every single person on this planet.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters

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GingerAntics
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This is interesting. I don‘t know if they purposely did this to give themselves deniability, or if it was just the way it happened. Nixey suggests it was on purpose because the term “Christian” was just too disturbing for them because of the actions perpetrated in its name.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters

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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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Weaponxgirl Omg! The imagery ! 5y
Weaponxgirl Yes I have a confession mr monk 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl I‘ve been very bad, mr monk. 5y
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GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl although she goes into similar but different detail about the violence inflicted upon monks by other monks so I doubt anyone was planning on confessing. 5y
Weaponxgirl Damn, now I feel bad. 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl these people were straight up TWISTED!!! Christianity invented the concept of sado-masochism and BDSM. No lie. Read Greenblatt and Nixey and find me evidence of something different, because I doubt there is any. 5y
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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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GingerAntics
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Weaponxgirl The hippo is back I see 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl suddenly I‘m singing “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!!!” 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl he. is. EVERYWHERE!!! 5y
Weaponxgirl Not very nice person at all. 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl horrendous person. Absolutely agree. A absolute pathological monster. 5y
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GingerAntics
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Everything has rules. Everything has a hierarchy.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #rules

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GingerAntics
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So little has changed since the Roman Empire.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #nothingreallychanges

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GingerAntics
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I will never look at St. Patrick‘s Day the same way again. It may be my favourite holiday for revelries, but this...wow.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #historyafterdark #strangeholidays

Weaponxgirl 😂😂😂😂 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl is it bad that I want to know if it‘s just the young men who reached puberty in the last year or if it was ALL men remembering that special moment once a year? 🤔 5y
Weaponxgirl With a faraway look they whisper “I remember when I became a man” 5y
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GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl RIGHT?! And then he goes off with his favourite people and has an orgie as an act of remembrance. 5y
Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics or maybe they try to recreate the scene at home? And is this something they were told about before? 5y
Weaponxgirl Was it a case of they heard that when they did this for the first time that it was something to be celebrated so after they first jacked off they went and got someone to show them the aftermath to prove that they were a man? 5y
Weaponxgirl Some poor mum was like well done now can you please clean this up? 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl 🤣😂🤣 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl may have looked it up... 😇 ... and it seems that at 14 or 15 they did this. Perhaps this was a later/slightly different practice or interpretation or this was the average age of puberty in boys at the time, so depending on when your birthday fell you were 14 or 15 and became a man with full citizenship and voting rights. 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl I like our holiday better. I can think of a few men I‘d like to celebrate Liberalia with. 5y
Weaponxgirl But what about the early bloomers?! I‘ve been jerking off for longer than the rest of these guys and I don‘t see why I had to wait for them to catch up 5y
Weaponxgirl I‘ll stop for now 😆 no more jokes from me for a while.... 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl that‘s why our holiday is better 5y
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GingerAntics
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Sorry folks, people were not cheering as Christianity came rolling into town. (That was the allied forces rolling through Europe after the fall of the Nazi regime. Very different.) A lot of people suffered by these people trying to force “salvation” into them. It‘s actually remarkably reminiscent of the Taliban and Isis. It‘s kind of scary, actually.
#catherinrnixey #thedarkeningage #religioishistory #whyhistorymatters #factsmatter

GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl this is an #unpopularopinion and I‘m probably going to take flack for it...I do not care...because this stuff is true. If you‘re going to be a Christian, at least be honest with yourself about the heritage you are adopting. Just saying. 5y
suzisteffen @GingerAntics I‘ve been dying to read this one! Exactly. 5y
GingerAntics @suzisteffen I‘m really enjoying it. I hope you get to read it soon. 5y
Weaponxgirl I think this applies to all of history. We need to stop looking at it through rose tinted glasses. Such as the British empire. We need to be honest about the awful things in the past that happened and how some of us have benefited from them. 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl I completely agree. 5y
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GingerAntics
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Wow, again, this hasn‘t changed a bit in 2,000 years. Christians still think everyone should be Christian and they actively go out to try and make the whole world Christian. If they want to worship a different way, it‘s looked down upon. It‘s sad, really. You do you, and leave it at that — is all I‘m saying.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters #classicalthinkers

Weaponxgirl This guy making the quotes sounds awesome 5y
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GingerAntics
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The main issues with Christianity have not changed in 2,000 years!
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters #classicalthinkers

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GingerAntics
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I don‘t have a problem with people being Christian. More power to you, really. What I do have a problem is this idea that Christians always have and always will be persecuted (especially here in America).
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters #truthmatters

@Weaponxgirl here we go

Weaponxgirl I‘m looking forward to the quotes, glad you liked the recommendation 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl there are SO many things I‘ve highlighted in each chapter that I‘m finding it hard to figure out which ones of them to actually post. I don‘t want to just post the whole freakin book. 5y
Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics lol, I both love and hate those books! You can‘t remember it all so you almost end up throwing it at people heads whilst screaming read it at people 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl 🤣😂🤣 5y
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GingerAntics
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Let the games begin with this little gem. I‘m going to read the intro and then I‘m off to bed for my long day at work tomorrow. I‘m excited to really dig into this one this weekend, though.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #thedarkages #history #europeanhistory #religioushistory #whyhistorymatters #christianityvsknowledge

AthenaWins Ooh. I have the paperback of this pre-ordered. Can't wait. 5y
Weaponxgirl This should be fun! 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl I have to admit to already having a few things highlighted. I don‘t want to bombard anyone with a bunch of quotes on this book, especially since some people are waiting to read it. Still, I love how innocent Christians like to play it that they‘re so persecuted and have always been the victims...this book starts with Christians as the aggressors and destroying other people‘s cultures. 5y
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Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics it‘s good to get the other side of history 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl right? This idea that history is written by the victors is definitely true. The stuff that has been repressed for 2K years and almost entirely lost by a supposedly “revolution of love” is just stunning. 5y
Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics it‘s in all aspects of it. How many women, LGBTQ people and people who aren‘t white have been written out their achievements?! Just a whisper in history now because the status quo was so important (edited) 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl right? It‘s amazing how many people tried so hard to blow the whistle on this system before being entirely eradicated from history. All we have left is refutations against them. Luckily some of these refutations cite to a fault so we have like 70% of what the original person said. 5y
GingerAntics @Weaponxgirl the foundations of Christianity are VIOLENT...so violent, the things you hear Christians saying everyday about Islam are just laughable. They‘re “totally different” though, they‘re “a peaceful religion.” 🙄 The BS is rampant. I wish people were allowed to see the truth. Then again, Christianity has been decimating any other type of knowledge by their own since the beginning. ... well, since the 3rd century. (edited) 5y
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laurieluna
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Downloaded the tagged book for 99p in the Kindle daily deals yesterday. Only read the introduction but it's hard hitting. It's a very loaded subject, but I am looking forward to reading the rest of this. 2 quotes from the beginning that are in startling contrast.

TrishB Sounds really interesting 👍🏻 5y
ravenlee @lyradora Do you know this book? 5y
lyradora @ravenlee: I remember hearing about it when it was released, but forgot to add it to my TBR list. Thanks for the reminder. 😊 5y
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Kobe83

Nyt notable book 2018

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review
BekaReid
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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Pickpick

This book tells the story of one of the largest (perhaps even the largest) destruction of art that human history has seen. It is a book about the tragedies behind the "triumph" of Christianity, and the original Roman meaning of the word triumph was not merely a victory but an annihilation - the total and utter subjugation of the loser.

BekaReid @Mindyrecycles it's a favorite! 😉 5y
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catiewithac
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Pickpick

This book feels like a history of today. Christian extremism destroys classical art; philosophy and science are dead. People who value reason, dissent, tolerance, the law are persecuted. The pyres of burning books is a nightmare for any lover of reading and wisdom. 🔥🌑

Itchyfeetreader Oh this looks interesting and my kind of a book 6y
REPollock You are the second reader person I e-know who has 👍 this. *adds to stack* 6y
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Oblomov26
The Darkening Age | Catherine Nixey
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It is the day before payday I had some slack in the budget and after hearing an interview with author I had to purchase

iread2much Can‘t wait to hear about this one! 6y
43 likes1 comment