Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism [Paperback]

Franz Cumont (Author), Grant Showerman (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

With an Introductory Essay by Grant Showerman

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Kessinger Publishing reprints over 1,500 similar titles all available through Amazon.com. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

About the Author:

"Franz-Valery-Marie Cumont (Aalst, Belgium, January 3, 1868 – Brussels, August 25, 1947) was a Belgian archaeologist and historian, a philologist and student of epigraphy, who brought these often isolated specialties to bear on the syncretic mystery religions of Late Antiquity, notably Mithraism. Cumont was a graduate of the University of Ghent (PhD, 1887). After receiving royal travelling fellowships, he undertook archaeology in Pontus and Armenia (published in 1906) and in Syria, but he is best known for his studies on the impact of Eastern mystery religions, particularly Mithraism, on the Roman Empire. Cumont's international credentials were brilliant, but his public circumspection was not enough. In 1910, Baron Edouard Descamps, the Catholic Minister of Sciences and Arts at the University of Ghent, refused to approve the faculty's unanimous recommendation of Cumont for the chair in Roman History, Cumont having been a professor there since 1906. There was a vigorous press campaign and student agitation in Cumont's favor, because the refusal was seen as blatant religious interference in the University's life. When another candidate was named, in 1912, Cumont resigned his positions at the University and at the Royal Museum in Brussels, left Belgium and henceforth divided his time between Paris and Rome.

He contributed to many standard encyclopedias, published voluminously and in 1922, under stressful political conditions, conducted digs on the shore of the Euphrates at the previously unknown site of Dura-Europos; he published his research there in 1926. He was a member of most of the European academies. In 1936 Franz Cumont was awarded the Francqui Prize on Human Sciences. In 1947, Franz Cumont donated his library and papers to the Academia Belgica in Rome, where they are accessible to researchers." (Quote from wikipedia.org) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592443737
• ISBN-13: 978-1592443734
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,119,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic!, April 3, 2000

By 

Linda A. Malcor (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism (Paperback)

Although this book was written in the early twentieth century, the information it provides is invaluable for any scholar of Roman religion. The text is a superb overview of the material that was available when Cumont wrote and provides an excellent starting point for any exploration into the influence of the Oriental cults on Roman paganism. Scholars of early Christianity will find the text particularly helpful in establishing the context in which the earliest Christian texts were written.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Edition Amazon Might Foist Off, December 11, 2010

By 

Chuck - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism (Forgotten Books) (Paperback)

I only get to provide one rating for this book, which is a problem because the book itself is very good--5 stars--but the edition which Amazon sent me is abysmal--one star. Perhaps unfairly I've chosen to rate it based on the edition, but it's such a bad edition that it gets in the way of the substance of the book. The book is put out by something called "Filiquarian Publishing". The "book" is more like a typed manuscript that has been bound at the local Kinko's: 8.5x11 pages, unformatted, light grey Courier type, something that's pretty hard on these middle-aged eyes. Actually it appears that it was printed by Amazon a couple of days after I made my order--according to the back page, it was "Made in USA, Lexington KY, 17 August 2010". When I received it I thought that this was unfortunate but unavoidable because it's an old book, maybe out of print, the only way to get a copy of it, etc. But now I see Amazon is offering a different edition by a different publisher (Forgotten Books) which may be a reprint; in any event the type looks better--provided Amazon actually sends that edition, because often the edition which is featured in "Look Inside" is not the one they'll send.

So buyer beware, not just for this book but others put out by Filiquarian, which I understand have the same issue: apparently they scan books and print the unformatted raw text rather than arrange for reprints. If it's absolutely the only way to get a book, fine, but shop around first.