How Roman Emperors used Christianity to enhance their power

Review of The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason by Charles Freeman

The title of this book made me fear it was a New Atheist screed that would blame everything on Christianity. This is a disservice. After long hesitating to pick it up, I was delighted to find a detailed and profound inquiry into one of the most significant periods in western history, i.e. how Christianity triumphed over previous religions and what it me…