Ramsay MacMullen Quotes & Sayings

It is a very good exercise, at least from a historian's point of view, to imagine oneself a devout pagan while reading various Christian writings. — Ramsay MacMullen

Last, we may suppose that it gave pleasure both to relate and to hear wonderful stories, because such is human nature; and the pleasure can be increased, at least till the point of incredulity is reached, by exaggerating the wonderful. So some real happening at the base of an account may be reconstructed by shrinking the account down to the physically possible. — Ramsay MacMullen

...god contradicts his own perfection if he can be reached, touched, disturbed, or in any way changed from it by anything in this material world below. — Ramsay MacMullen

Anyone who asserted wrong teachings, anyone serving the devil or his demons, earned instead an equally remarkable antagonism. In their official high meetings together, Christians thus could not keep their own disagreements within the bounds of civil language; their continual quarrels required the intervention of the civil authorities; and all this was well known and noted by friends and foes alike. — Ramsay MacMullen

All Gaza's temples are torn down and burned and the city is cleansed of every belief but the Christian faith. The most stubborn opponents, faute de mieux, are tied up, marched away to the provincial capital, severely tortured, and all killed mala morte, 'a great number.' — Ramsay MacMullen

More Christians died for their faith at the hands of fellow Christians
than had died before in all the persecutions. — Ramsay MacMullen

Simplicity could only have been bought at a great price in accuracy. — Ramsay MacMullen