"This is an extremely interesting, stimulating and very useful book. Gaddis has succeeded in drawing together a wide geographic and chronological range of materials to give a nuanced and comprehensive picture. Though a prevalent theme in the ancient authors that has been studied on occasion, Christian violence has had to wait until now for a systematic treatment."—Susanna Elm, author of Virgins of God: The Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity
"Gaddis tackles head on the darker side of familiar victories-the heroism and courage of martyrs, the toleration and expansion of Christianity, the cultivation and influence of holiness-and does so with verve and a breadth of reference and learning. His book provides not only a rounded picture of the late Roman Christian empire but also bases for reflection on contemporary issues."—Philip Rousseau, author of The Early Christian Centuries