"A stimulating book which will deservedly attract a wide readership."—John Creed, Times Higher Education Supplement "A fascinating . . . account of early Christian thought. . . . Readable and exciting."—Robert McAfee Brown, New York Times Book Review "Wilken draws on a variety of sources to present 'pagan criticism' of Christianity from the beginning of the early second century to the late fourth century. . . . A fascinating book."—Publishers Weekly "A unique contribution to the subject in English. It is written with understanding, humanity, and wit and should be useful to students of history and religion at both the graduate and undergraduate levels."—Caroline T. Marshall, History: Review of New Books "The book is well written and very easy to read. It is designed for non-specialists rather than for scholars, though there are interesting quotations from little-known as well as from famous sources, which specialists in the field might on occasion find useful. . . . An ambitious undertaking."—Gerald Bray, Churchman "There are many perceptive insights in this modest book."—Averill Cameron, Heythrop Journal "Wilken's account of Julian's assault on Christianity, though relatively brief, is arguably the best available in English. . . . His sympathetic understanding of the main competitors of Christianity, coupled with his attention to the social and cultural environment, his good judgement, and the clarity of his style provide an object lesson to all students of the historical progress of the early Church."—Peter Garnsey