Rohmann has richly and innovatively researched his topic. This is a book from which specialists will learn much, and yet it will be a fascinating tour for the general student of late antiquity and early Christian history. A tour de force of principled scholarship.
~David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University
Das Buch stellt als erste ausführliche Behandlung einer kaum gewürdigten Thematik einen wichtigen Beitrag dar…Es handelt sich um die erste systematische und umfassende Studie zu dieser Thematik und nicht nur gemessen daran hat Rohmann gute Arbeit geleistet.
~Raphael Brendel, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"Rohmann’s book does an excellent job of demonstrating that although a disproportionate amount of non-Christian written work was lost during late antiquity the reason for this loss was not the coercive book-burning advocated by popular lore. Although acknowledging that actual book-burning did occur Rohmann places the book-burning into context and provides a viable explanation for the significantly disproportionate loss of non-Christian materials through this period. The footnotes and bibliography provide valuable resources for the reader."
~Joseph Baumstarck, Jr., The Christian Librarian
"…Rohmann’s work is a well-researched academic study drawing upon an impressive number of sources, including Christian and pagan authors, as well as legal documents, both Roman and ecclesiastical…[It] will certainly be of interest not only to the scholars and students of late antiquity but also to a broader audience interested in the history of the written word."
~Evgenia Moiseeva, Review of Biblical Literature
This is a fascinating study. Rohmann has provided students of Christianity with one of the most engaging studies I have yet read. The topic is captivating and the development of the subject is meticulous and wise. This book is literally packed with important historical details which fill in the gaps about an early Christian practice which raises eyebrows among those who may not know the whence and why of book burning. It ought to be read by those with an interest in the intellectual history of the early Church and by those with a fondness for the peculiarities of some Christian practices
~Jim West, Reading Religion
this is a useful introduction to an interesting topic
~David Woods, Journal of Theological Studies
A detailed and wide-ranging study of the effects of Christianity on the survival of classical literature.
~Larry Hurtado Blog
At its best, his writing has the soft touch of an ethnographer. Indeed, this monograph enthralled me whenever Rohmann concentrated on reconstructing the social world of Late Roman censorship.
~Nathan J. Ristuccia, Fides Et Historia
It has been argued that only a very small fraction of ancient literature has survived, perhaps less than one per cent, while pointing fingers at Christians in the Late Antique period as the usual suspects. It is one thing to state but quite another to demonstrate. With a commanding knowledge of the sources, Dirk Rohmann undertakes a forensic investigation of the relationship between Christianity and book-burning specifically and censorship more generally.
~Thomas A. Fudge, Journal of Religious History
Aufgrund der Materialfülle ist das Buch lesenswert.
~Alexander Weiß, Historische Zeitschrift
This is a noteworthy and valuable book, particularly for its close attention to primary sources and their discussion of the reception of the classical heritage. It should be of interest to a wide range of scholars of the numerous ancient authors addressed in its pages.
~Éric Fournier, Augustinian Studies
