About the Author

Selina O'Grady was a television producer for BBC1's moral documentary series Heart of the Matter, Channel 4's live open-ended chat show After Dark and was also a producer on Radio 4's history series Leviathan. She was a regular reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle, Literary Review and Tablet and the co-editor of two books: Great Spirits: The Fifty-Two Christians who Most Influenced their Millennium and A Deep But Dazzling Darkness, an anthology from Anglo-Saxon to modern times of the experience of belief and disbelief.

Reviews

"A wonderfully illuminating, prodigious tour de force of ecclesiastical anthropology." --Kirkus (starred review)"Selina O'Grady has written a powerful book on an immense subject. She writes with clarity and distinction and is a pleasure to read." --Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times, A History of Christianity and A History of the American People"Selina O' Grady's remarkable book brilliantly explains the origins of today's world by explaining the forces that set it in motion 2000 years ago...In a pellucidly clear and absorbing narrative O'Grady not only describes how religions were used by empires to bind new populations to them, but most fascinatingly of all explains how what she calls the 'tiny Jesus cult' managed to survive its inauspicious beginnings to become a world religion." --Rebecca Fraser, author of A People's History of Britain and Charlotte Bronte A Writer's Life"This vividly compelling account of how Christianity rose triumphant from the religious and civil tumults of its earliest days is a must read. With cinematographic force it brings that epoch so astonishingly and educatively to life that no-one should be allowed to lay claim to Christian or indeed any religious faith who has not read this book first, and meditated on its import. It lays the facts bare, unsparingly and with a sharp eye; and the facts speak very loudly for themselves." --A.C. Grayling, author of Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age and The Good Book: A Humanist Bible"In this remarkably interesting and vividly written book Selina O'Grady shows how four great empires of the Axial age - the Roman, Parthian, Kushan and Chinese - used religion, with its universal claims on human aspiration and destiny - to extend their power and legitimate their rule by creating compliant or "good" subjects under the expanding economic and social conditions...This is an important book - written from outside the perspective of belief - that helps to explain the enduring appeal of religion in our supposedly secular age." --Malise Ruthven, author of Islam in the World and The Divine Supermarket: Shopping for God in America

A wonderfully illuminating, prodigious tour de force of ecclesiastical anthropology. "Kirkus (starred review)" Selina O'Grady has written a powerful book on an immense subject. She writes with clarity and distinction and is a pleasure to read. "Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times, A History of Christianity and A History of the American People" Selina O' Grady's remarkable book brilliantly explains the origins of today's world by explaining the forces that set it in motion 2000 years ago In a pellucidly clear and absorbing narrative O'Grady not only describes how religions were used by empires to bind new populations to them, but most fascinatingly of all explains how what she calls the tiny Jesus cult' managed to survive its inauspicious beginnings to become a world religion. "Rebecca Fraser, author of A People's History of Britain and Charlotte Bronte: A Writer's Life" This vividly compelling account of how Christianity rose triumphant from the religious and civil tumults of its earliest days is a must read. With cinematographic force it brings that epoch so astonishingly and educatively to life that no-one should be allowed to lay claim to Christian or indeed any religious faith who has not read this book first, and meditated on its import. It lays the facts bare, unsparingly and with a sharp eye; and the facts speak very loudly for themselves. "A.C. Grayling, author of Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age and The Good Book: A Humanist Bible" In this remarkably interesting and vividly written book Selina O'Grady shows how four great empires of the Axial age - the Roman, Parthian, Kushan and Chinese - used religion, with its universal claims on human aspiration and destiny - to extend their power and legitimate their rule by creating compliant or "good" subjects under the expanding economic and social conditions This is an important book - written from outside the perspective of belief - that helps to explain the enduring appeal of religion in our supposedly secular age. "Malise Ruthven, author of Islam in the World and The Divine Supermarket: Shopping for God in America""

"A wonderfully illuminating, prodigious tour de force of ecclesiastical anthropology." "Kirkus" (starred review) "Selina O'Grady has written a powerful book on an immense subject. She writes with clarity and distinction and is a pleasure to read."--Paul Johnson, author of "Modern Times," "A History of Christianity" and "A History of the American People""
""Selina O' Grady's remarkable book brilliantly explains the origins of today's world by explaining the forces that set it in motion 2000 years ago...In a pellucidly clear and absorbing narrative O'Grady not only describes how religions were used by empires to bind new populations to them, but most fascinatingly of all explains how what she calls the 'tiny Jesus cult' managed to survive its inauspicious beginnings to become a world religion."-- Rebecca Fraser, author of "A People's History of Britain "and "Charlotte Bronte A Writer's Life"
"This vividly compelling account of how Christianity rose triumphant from the religious and civil tumults of its earliest days is a must read. With cinematographic force it brings that epoch so astonishingly and educatively to life that no-one should be allowed to lay claim to Christian or indeed any religious faith who has not read this book first, and meditated on its import. It lays the facts bare, unsparingly and with a sharp eye; and the facts speak very loudly for themselves."--A.C. Grayling, author of "Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age "and "The Good Book: A Humanist Bible""""
""In this remarkably interesting and vividly written book Selina O'Grady shows how four great empires of the Axial age - the Roman, Parthian, Kushan and Chinese - used religion, with its universal claims on human aspiration and destiny - to extend their power and legitimate their rule by creating compliant or "good" subjects under the expanding economic and social conditions...This is an important book - written from outside the perspective of belief - t

"Selina O'Grady has written a powerful book on an immense subject. She writes with clarity and distinction and is a pleasure to read."--Paul Johnson, author of "Modern Times", "A History of Christianity" and "A History of the American People
""Selina O' Grady's remarkable book brilliantly explains the origins of today's world by explaining the forces that set it in motion 2000 years ago...In a pellucidly clear and absorbing narrative O'Grady not only describes how religions were used by empires to bind new populations to them, but most fascinatingly of all explains how what she calls the 'tiny Jesus cult' managed to survive its inauspicious beginnings to become a world religion."-- Rebecca Fraser, author of "A People's History of Britain "and "Charlotte Bronte A Writer's Life"
"This vividly compelling account of how Christianity rose triumphant from the religious and civil tumults of its earliest days is a must read. With cinematographic force it brings that epoch so astonishingly and educatively to life that no-one should be allowed to lay claim to Christian or indeed any religious faith who has not read this book first, and meditated on its import. It lays the facts bare, unsparingly and with a sharp eye; and the facts speak very loudly for themselves."--A.C. Grayling, author of "Meditations for the Humanist: Ethics for a Secular Age "and "The Good Book: A Humanist Bible""
""In this remarkably interesting and vividly written book Selina O'Grady shows how four great empires of the Axial age - the Roman, Parthian, Kushan and Chinese - used religion, with its universal claims on human aspiration and destiny - to extend their power and legitimate their rule by creating compliant or "good" subjects under the expanding economic and social conditions...This is an important book - written from outside the perspective of belief - that helps to explain the enduring appeal of religion in our supposedly secular age."--Malise Ruthven, author of "Islam in the World