Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries

“A mine of scholarly information. . . . This is an important contribution towards understanding the nature of the conversion of the pagan world to Christianity.”—W. H. C. Freud, Theology

The slaughter of animals for religious feasts, the tinkling of bells to ward off evil during holy rites, the custom of dancing in religious services—these and many other pagan practices persisted in the Christian church for hundreds of years after Constantine proclaimed Christianity the one official religi...