Caesar and Christ: The Story of Civilization, Volume 3

Will Durant was not a concise historian. He did not see the history of humanity as a series of scattered conquests of monarchs or states with stagnation and dullness in between great wars. Instead, he saw eras for what they were: epochs in which human beings lived their entire lives. History is the history of people, not the reigns of monarchs unless the reigns of said monarchs impact the lives of the people. Thus, he paints as comprehensive a story of history as is possible. One can't help but be awed by the depth of his knowledge. In Caesar and Christ, he traces the interweaving histories of Rome and Christianity. But this is not just a narrative on the expansion of Roman borders. It is the life of the people who lived in those times, and how the rise of empire altered the way people lived. Topics studied include: the Arts in all their forms; pottery, literature, sculpture family organization, marriage, leisure, societal organization Roman government, the constitution and its alterations both from internal pressures and external conflict Religion Philosophy It is my opinion, through my own studies, that anyone who has read any other book on the Roman Empire is an amateur. Only once you have read Durant with his fullness of scope, can one become an expert. Will Durant is not a concise historian. Instead. he breathes life into a once-dead era, and through the thoroughness and breadth of scope gives us a far more comprehensive view of an era in history than any chronicle of a military campaign can ever do.

This particular volume of Durant is actually better than the previous one of The Life of Greece. It is readable and therefore, in audio form, even more enjoyable for those interested in history as a history buff or as a teacher or historian. Because it was written prior to 1944, it leaves out scientific evidence as to Jesus' death on the cross and to my recollection does not mention the cloth of Oviedo. He is not nefarious to Christianity and does redeem himself on several occasions, and to paraphrase him, he states: "in the arena between Caesar and Christ ... Christ won". The volume starts out rather briskly as it quickly leads the audience to the assassination of Julius Caesar and mentions Julius Caesar as being the greatest person of antiquity. I highly recommend this volume. You may disagree from time to time with his assessments or views but overall, it provides valuable information.

Will Durant is an excellent historian, and he continues the fine work he has done here. Sometimes this history was too detailed. Roman politics was so complicated, and so much violence was violence going on all over the place! I sometimes had to fast-forward to get rid of the details.

Without a doubt, The Story of Civilization series of books should go down as one of the finest endeavors of human literature. It's not perfect, but if you were waiting for a perfect history book, it would never be written. The book's timespan covers roughly 800 BC to 300 AD and focuses on Rome and the early days of Christianity. And at over 700 pages, there's not a single dull or boring page. I've read books on Rome in the past, but history books sometimes tend to get to indepth or become unreadable. This was the first book for Rome that's ever made the things I've read over the years "click." The strength of the book is the storytelling. It's one thing to recite facts, but it's another to tell me about the people like Julius Caesar and give me an understanding as to why he chose some of the things he did. It humanized him for me. The latter part of the book focuses on the origins of Christianity, starting with Jesus and leading up to around 300 AD. I'm not a religious person, so I don't have that level of indoctrination regarding Christianity, but it did help me start to fill in the blanks and understand why Jesus had revolutionary beliefs, and how his Apostles and how the Church expanded while Rome collapsed under its own weight in the background. After this third book on the Story series, I've come to realize how amazing the Durants were, and how much work and brainpower it took to accomplish these books. It makes me realize that I wish I had discovered them years ago. I wish I could thank them for their work.

Will Durant is perhaps the most extraordinary historian who has ever attempted to record the march of history. He writes like a novelist and thinks like a philosopher. His "story of civilization" is rich with detail. One feels transported to the historical place and time.

A classic overview (like all of the books in this series) that both introduces the general themes of the era and engages the reader with individual profiles and illustrative events. The Durants always give us the best of both approaches--old fashioned, well informed narrative history contextualized in the complex system of signs that make up the culture under consideration. Beautiful history as always.

But still for me the core content of the rise and fall of Rome is relevant and there are parallels in current "empires". Interesting reasons given for the fall of Rome. But I am still learning...

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 found much to differ with the United States and Rome. The chapters on Christ and early Christianity were disappointing to me. I expected more of a history of the church but not much is covered here. This is also a very secular history, which I enjoyed because most books are told from a Christian point of view. I believe another volume in this series is called the Age of Faith, and that probably covers more ground. I do enjoy the writing style of Mr. Durant and look forward to reading all the volumes in this series. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Roman history and the early church. You do not have to read the previous books to enjoy them individually.