{"title":"Tim Whitmarsh","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTim Whitmarsh\u003c\/strong\u003e offers insightful explorations into the ancient world, blending elements of \u003cem\u003ehistory\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ereligion\u003c\/em\u003e to illuminate the complexities of early belief systems and cultural transformations. His works invite readers to reconsider the roots of spirituality through rigorous scholarship and engaging narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the turbulent shifts of ancient Rome to the contested terrains of myth and faith, Whitmarsh's books provide a compelling journey into the forces that shaped human thought and society. Expect thoughtful analysis that connects past revolutions with enduring questions of identity and power.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"romes-age-of-revolution-by-tim-whitmarsh-9781847925350","title":"Rome's Age of Revolution","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe compelling, provocative account of how the Christian religion conquered the Roman Empire and how Rome in turn shaped Christianity—it's the story of how religion and politics combined to lay the foundations for the Western world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow did Christianity, starting out as a minor offshoot of Judaism, grow into an international faith that shaped the world as we know it? \u003cem\u003eRome's Age of Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e corrects the triumphalist narrative that the Christian message was so persuasive, and indeed superior, that people converted in huge numbers, abandoning their pagan beliefs, thereby turning a small persecuted sect into the state religion of the Roman Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTim Whitmarsh shows that Christianity would never have succeeded if it had not taken advantage of the infrastructure and culture of the Roman Empire; in turn, the new religion was indelibly shaped and transformed by Roman beliefs and ideas, especially those circulating in the Greek-speaking, or Hellenistic, eastern parts of the empire. This radical transformation, Tim argues, can only be described as a revolution. The consequences are with us to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47582726750444,"sku":"9781847925350","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781847925350-rome-s-age-of-revolution.jpg?v=1777437729"},{"product_id":"battling-the-gods-by-tim-whitmarsh-9780571279319","title":"Battling the Gods","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow new is atheism?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eBattling the Gods\u003c\/em\u003e, Tim Whitmarsh journeys into the ancient Mediterranean to recover the stories of those who first refused the divinities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLong before the Enlightenment sowed the seeds of disbelief in a deeply Christian Europe, atheism was a matter of serious public debate in the Greek world. But history is written by those who prevail, and the Age of Faith mostly suppressed the lively free-thinking voices of antiquity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTim Whitmarsh brings to life the fascinating ideas of Diagoras of Melos, perhaps the first self-professed atheist; Democritus, the first materialist; and Epicurus and his followers. He shows how the early Christians came to define themselves against atheism, and so suppress the philosophy of disbelief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBattling the Gods\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book on the origins of the secular values at the heart of the modern state. Authoritative and bold, provocative and humane, it reveals how atheism and doubt, far from being modern phenomena, have intrigued the human imagination for thousands of years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47595775590636,"sku":"9780571279319","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/674df22fe8fca9e61ee0c80c8d97bebc.jpg?v=1777937338"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/tim-whitmarsh.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}