Christianity and the Secular

By: Robert A. Markus

Narrated by: Gordon Greenhill

Robert A. Markus examines the place of the secular in Christianity, locating the origins of the concept in the New Testament and early Christianity and describing its emergence as a problem for Christianity following the recognition of Christianity as an established religion, then the officially enforced religion, of the Roman Empire.

Markus focuses especially on the new conditions engendered by the Christianization of the Roman Empire. He argues that when the autonomy of the secular realm came under threat in the Christianized Roman Empire after Constantine, Christians were forced to confront the problem of adjusting themselves to the culture and society of the new regime.

Markus traces the eclipse of this idea at the end of antiquity and during the Christian Middle Ages, concluding with its rehabilitation by Pope John XXIII and the second Vatican Council. Of interest to scholars of religion, theology, and patristics, Markus's genealogy of an authentic Christian concept of the secular is sure to generate widespread discussion.

©2006 University of Notre Dame (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A fascinating and informative survey of Christian history and the pervasive influence of Christianity on secular society." ( Library Bookwatch)

"A historically grounded, theologically sophisticated defense of the proper autonomy of secular public life, its autonomy from religious control, and its place as a legitimate sphere for Christian activity." ( Theology Digest)