The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: . Kenney<|

The Cambridge History of Classical Literature: Volume 2, Latin Literature, Part 5, The Later PrincipateAuthor(s): E. J. Kenney, W. V. Clausen\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521273718, 978-0521273718\nSynopsis\nIn the two centuries covered by this volume, from about AD 250 to 450, the Roman Empire suffered a period of chaos followed by drastic administrative and military reorganization. Simultaneously Christianity emerged as a new religious force, to be first recognized by Constantine and then eventually to become the official religion of the Roman state. The old pagan culture continued to provide the basis for education and the staple literary diet of the leisured classes; but it now had perforce to coexist and indeed to compete with a new, specifically Christian-oriented literature. These and associated developments are reflected in the Latin books of the period. Of the traditional forms an.