This engaging volume traces the development of the principal Western religions and their philosophical alternatives from the beginnings of Alexander the Great’s empire in 331 B.C.E. to the emergence of the Christian world in the fourth century C.E. Antonia Tripolitis examines the rise of the Hellenistic-Roman world and presents a comprehensive overview of its beliefs and practices, their sociopsychological and historical development, general patterns of thought, and the reasons for their success or failure. Her work examines Mithraism, Hellenistic Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism as well as the philosophies of Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Middle Platonism. It also includes a review of the principal mystery cults, Demeter at Eleusis, Dionysus, Isis, and Cybele or Magna Mater.
