Caesar and Christ

The Story of Civilization, Part III: Caesar and Christ (The Story of Civilization #3), Will Durant, Ariel Durant (Editor)تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1993 میلادیعنوان: تاریخ تمدن مجلد سوم قیصر و مسیح؛ نویسنده: ویل دورانت؛ آریل دورانت؛ مترجمها: حمید عنایت: کتابهای اوّل و دوّم ؛ پرویز داریوش: کتاب سوّم ؛ علی‌ اصغر سروش: کتابهای چهارم و پنج [...]

Having just read and loved Durant’s Life of Greece (I’d decided to skip the first volume on Asia), I jumped right into the next installment; but now, after finishing, my enthusiasm for this series has cooled a little. The quality of this volume is similarly high, so perhaps the only reason I am less excited about this one is that I’m used to Durant’s writing by now. But perhaps my gut is speaking truthfully, and this volume really is weaker.For me, Durant is at his worst when he is descr [...]

جلد اول فقطمورد قبول بودخوندنش حوصله سر بر هست زیادی به توصیفات تکراری پرداخته

Volume III, "Caesar and Christ," of Durant's Story of Civilization is, as were Volumes I and II, another impressive feat. Each volume suffers only, perhaps, from too much detail that can obscure his story and the lessons of history, although the mountain of information is good for those who want to dig into particular aspects of this historical period. Durant said once that the best prediction of the future is the past. That past, as this volume shows, is not pretty. "Caesar" is a history of Rom [...]

عشت الأشهر الثلاثة الماضية مع ملحمة من أعظم الملاحم الإنسانية في الفترة الواقعة مابين 500 ماقبل الميلاد وحتى 600 للميلاد تقريباً قامت الحضارة الرومانية في القرون العشرة هذه رويت قصة البشرية بأكملها وما يحدث الآن إن هو إلا بتكرار لها وإن تغير الممثلون تعرفت عن قرب على يوليوس � [...]

So much info packed into this book it's amazing, it gave me a completely new perspective on Rome, what Rome did and how it progresses through it's existence. Highly recommended for all.

None of Durant's books are an easy read. As one having a fairy extensive vocabulary, I am surprised about the number of times I needed to look up words. (e.g. pusillanimous = shy, timid, reserved)All of his work is written at graduate level, with the this, "Caesar and Christ", being the smallest of his offerings. (672 pages sans notes)I heartily endorse this book for those who love history. (If not, they would be better off with Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.)This work is very time absorbing, for [...]

Not much Christ in here - not much Caesar, either, in comparison to the whole sweep of Roman history. Durant covers Rome's thought, arts, politics, wars, and people from its early days as a subject of Latin Italy to the rise of Constantine in the third century. He does so in an earnest, humane, and often poetic voice. You will learn a ton here, and you will have fun learning it.Durant still has his problems. Though his Catholic intuition of fallen human nature restrains him from the fellow-trave [...]

I have completed another milestone in my autodidact study of history. Caesar and Christ, which I have been reading off and on for three years, is quite a bit more about Caesar and Rome than it is about Jesus Christ and the beginnings of Christianity but there is good reason for that.Early on in this volume on page 56 Durant lays out his thesis for the book: "The evolution of customs, morals, and ideas produced in one age the Stoic Cato, in a later age the Epicurean Nero, and at last transformed [...]

I purchased the Story of Civilization series from The Book of the Month Club, their come-on deal, while living at seminary in Manhattan. Twelve years later I finally got around to reading them, mostly as bedtime books over the course of several months. As a whole, the work is excellent, its weakest element being the first, and oldest, volume on "our Oriental heritage." Other than this, the rest of the series doesn't pretend to display anything but a western perspective.Caesar and Christ was, for [...]

Durant never fails to amaze me with his historical accounts and superb use of language.I wish he elaborated more on the invasion of Rome by thr Visgoths and the Vandals. Duranta argues that Zenobia was led in gold chains to Aurelian in Roma, while other historians claimed she commited suicide with dignity.

I bought his entire set at a used book sale, sans the last volume (which had not yet been read) and I'm making my way through them. I love Durant's style of writing, which is this wonderful combination of academic and witty. It's sometimes like being a cocktail party with a really smart professor of history who tells great stories, but is also full of amazing pithy bits of wisdom that you want to remember forever, or maybe even make a poster out of it. "Life’s final tragedy is unwilling contin [...]

Durant follows “The Life of Greece” with this history of ancient Rome. I am again struck that one man can write with such a combination of charm, enthusiasm, and erudition. He also has a sense of humor: the chapter titled “Roman Law” has an asterisk in the heading and a footnote that warns: “This chapter will be of no use to lawyers, and of no interest to others.”

The Durants were masters at compiling a very in-depth history of each period that they wrote about. I learn so much from their writing. Fantastic.

I spent a long time reading this book. Its kinda like a fruitcake, very rich, dense, and requires a certain appetite. Extremely detailed view of the roman empire.

I am in love with the verse and construct of Durant! How enchanting the history sounds under the touch of his pen. He proves that history is not only a description of motley of wars, conquest, killings and human destitute, but also beauty of life, art, literature, lifestyle and just a mere being. 8 books to go, 8 huge books, but I am full of passion and enthusiasm. You are my author Mr Durant!CHAPTER XXVBetween Pontus and the Caucasus rose the troubled mountains of Armenia, on whose crest, story [...]

it became one of my favorite books!too much information to go throughr me the best chapters and parts are the connection of east and westand rule of Egypt and Syria in the Empire.Ceaser's War, Judea under the Empire and the Christ.

I like the structure of the book because it gave me a sense for how this story began and developed, and I like how the histories of the individuals blend with the histories of the events. A great and interesting read.

Yus. Finally

One of the most in depth reviews of ancient Rome.

Tremendous historical overview with great clarity and depth. Amazing accomplishment

Caesar and Christ is the third volume of 11 in Durant's History of Western Civilization. The scope of the book is vast spanning from the founding of Rome in 753 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD. While the book is more than 750 pages long this is less than a page per year to describe a period of staggering social, cultural, and political change in which contemporaneous accounts are sparse and riddled with biases. For me, the measure of this volume is that Durant's account is accessibl [...]

Like Volume 2 on Greece, this work on the Roman Empire (despite the title, the addendum on the nascent years of Christianity is more than overwhelmed by the dominant impressions of its pagan predecessors and contemporaries) truly encompasses so much magnificent accomplishment as to render it incapable of simple description. From the early Etruscans through the days of the Republic of Sulla and Marius, passing to the civil wars of Caesar, Anthony and Pompey to the golden age of Augustus and then [...]

Caesar and Christ is the third volume of Will Durant's Story of Civilization series and the first volume of this series I've read. It's not necessarily an easy read. My volume stretches to about 700 pages of fairly tiny print. The title is a bit misleading, as easily 85% of the book is about Rome while only the last portion discusses Christ and how the Christian religion conquered Rome. Durant tends to focus on a single topic in each chapter and goes far beyond discussing the pivotal characters [...]

Last year was the Greek year :p this time it's the Roman Empire, The Republic.Although this was Caesar and Christ we spent almost all the time with the Romans, till we see Christ in the finale 5 chapters of the 30 chapters book.We begin from the origins of the Empire, the first steps in Italy :)Hannibal, the lion of CarthageThe Senate, the Imperators, the dictatorsWe see Spartacus his revolt and fall Pompey.Julius Caesar Veni, vidi, vici — “I came, I saw, I conquered.” the betrayal, but ag [...]

In third volume of what must be called a masterpiece, Will Durant tackles history of Rome from the time of early republic to the reign of Constantine. To do this in just over 700 pages in a coherent and readable manner is no small task, but the author manages to tackle that task quite effortlessly and with the literary grace one would expect after the first two volumes in 'History of civilization'.The book follows the pattern established in previous volumes. The author uses most of available spa [...]

A brilliant, but flawed look at Rome.Durant, in the epilogue of this book, sums up the sum of his prejudices. To him Rome was a 'manly' and stoic society that was damaged by letting itself to be diluted by the 'Barbarians' and the oriental blood. Basically he parrots so much regurgitated garbage of conservatism of the likes of Cato that to this day ails the Western world. Never mind that the same cultural diversity was the bloodline that supported the longevity of Rome through more than five cen [...]

Another big doorstopper from the Durants. Despite the title, it's mainly about the story of Rome, with the rise of Christianity something of a grace note which enters as the empire crumbles, rotted from within and looted from without. Durant notes that the central question historians always ask about Rome is why it fell, but in fact a better question might be how it lasted so long in the first place. He has the long view of history, seeing Spenglerian cycles of rise and fall, from Stoic beginnin [...]

Durant just keeps getting better as he works through history. This is the last volume I read when I was in high school, and I was surprised about how much stuck with me. But I didn't read it all then. This time I finished it. The part I found most interesting was the last section about the triumph of Christianity. The early development of the Catholic church is quite interesting. Although Durant was a Catholic he manages to give the reader a balanced view of the time. I particularly enjoyed his [...]

“The principle of democracy is freedom, the principle of war is discipline; each requires the absence of the other.”This is the Third Volume in Durant’s History of Civilization theory. I found it very interesting, especially about women in Rome and some of the strange leaders the people of Rome followed. I have heard the United States compared to Rome and warned that just like Rome we will fall because of not being able to see the corruption of the laws. That may all be true, but I also fo [...]