Synopses & Reviews
Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age traces the development of the principal Western religions and their philosophical counterparts from the beginnings of Alexander the Great's empire in 331 B.C.E. to the emergence of the Christian world in the fourth century C.E.
Antonia Tripolitis, a respected scholar of Late Antiquity, examines the rise of the Hellenistic-Roman world and presents a comprehensive overview of its beliefs and practices, their socio-psychological and historical development, and the reasons for their success or failure. Her work explores Mithraism, Hellenistic Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism as well as the philosophies of Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Middle Platonism. It also includes a review of the principal mystery cults, Demeter at Eleusis, Dionysus, Isis, and Cybele or Magna Mater.
Based on the most reliable, up-to-date research on the ancient world, this volume is valuable both as an introduction to ancient religion and as background to the study of early Christianity.