---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In discussing Barbarism and Christianity…"
description: "\"In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.\" — Edward Gibbon"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png"
---

#  In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually…

![“In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png)

> “In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.”

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Barbarism and Christianity reflect the broader collapse of Roman civilization.

**In simple terms:** Barbarism and Christianity illustrate Rome’s decline.

Key Takeaway

Study cultural shifts to understand societal collapse.

Themes

history religion civilization decline

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- educational curricula
- historical analysis
- public lectures

Key Concepts

cultural transformation political decay religious influence

Questions to Reflect On

- What other forces contributed to Rome’s fall?
- How does religious change affect empire stability?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on religion may overlook economic factors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Barbarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Fall of rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-of-rome/) [Rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome/)

## Related quotes

> [In the second century of the Christian era, the empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilized portion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-second-century-of-the-christian-era-the-empire-of-rome-2/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-second-century-of-the-christian-era-the-empire-of-rome/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [“Human experience always contains both pain and joy. One of the reasons we can be confident that Christianity is actually true is it allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-ordway/human-experience-always-contains-both-pain-and-joy-one-of-the-reasons/)

[Holly Ordway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-ordway/)

> [“I have witnessed the pleasant result of producing a human who faithfully claims to be a Christian, but who on some fundamental level does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/i-have-witnessed-the-pleasant-result-of-producing-a-human-who/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/we-are-settling-for-a-christianity-that-revolves-around-catering-to/)

[David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/)

> [“In fact, when we listen to the church today, at least in the West, we are often left with impression that Christianity actually has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-wells/in-fact-when-we-listen-to-the-church-today-at-least-in-the-west-we/)

[David F. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-wells/)

> [Christianity is actually "true Truth," as Francis Schaeffer used to put it. God really does exist, Heaven actually is real (along with Hell), Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/christianity-is-actually-true-truth-as-francis-schaeffer-used-to-put/)

[Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/)

> [Among the innumerable monuments of architecture constructed by the Romans, how many have escaped the notice of history, how few have resisted the ravages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/among-the-innumerable-monuments-of-architecture-constructed-by-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Yet the experience of four thousand years should enlarge our hopes, and diminish our apprehensions: we cannot determine to what height the human species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/yet-the-experience-of-four-thousand-years-should-enlarge-our-hopes/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [My fellow Americans: Last night when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that the troops of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/my-fellow-americans-last-night-when-i-spoke-with-you-about-the-fall/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [“When the Greeks were free they created a civilization advanced beyond anything else in the world. When Rome imposed its imperial rule all across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/when-the-greeks-were-free-they-created-a-civilization-advanced-beyond/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

> [“—so much more opportunity now." Her voice trails off. "Hurrah for women's lib, eh?" "The lib?" Impatiently she leans forward and tugs the serape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tiptree-jr/so-much-more-opportunity-now-her-voice-trails-off-hurrah-for-women-s/)

[James Tiptree Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tiptree-jr/)

> [I have a multivolume history of the world from the 19th century that begins with Noah's flood as though it's as historical a fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-have-a-multivolume-history-of-the-world-from-the-19th-century-that/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“But Christendom was not merely a community of warriors or even a community of the nobility. It was a civilization! Unfortunately, for generations everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/but-christendom-was-not-merely-a-community-of-warriors-or-even-a/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

## More by Edward Gibbon

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-heart-to-resolve-a-head-to-contrive-and-a-hand-to-execute/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [ \[In\] the national and religious conflict of the \[Byzantine and Saracen\] empires, peace was without confidence, and war without mercy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-the-national-and-religious-conflict-of-the-byzantine-and-saracen/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Instead of a perpetual and perfect measure of the divine will, the fragments of the Koran were produced at the discretion of Mahomet; each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-a-perpetual-and-perfect-measure-of-the-divine-will-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Constantinople was the principal seat and fortress of Arianism; and, in a long interval of forty years, the faith of the princes and prelates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/constantinople-was-the-principal-seat-and-fortress-of-arianism-and-in/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [It is the common calamity of old age to lose whatever might have rendered it desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/it-is-the-common-calamity-of-old-age-to-lose-whatever-might-have/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-a-man-were-called-to-fix-the-period-in-the-history-of-the-world/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [ \[Every\] hour of delay abates the fame and force of the invader, and multiplies the resources of defensive war. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/every-hour-of-delay-abates-the-fame-and-force-of-the-invader-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The progress of despotism tends to disappoint its own purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-progress-of-despotism-tends-to-disappoint-its-own-purpose/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [From the paths of blood (and such is the history of nations) I cannot refuse to turn aside to gather some flowers of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/from-the-paths-of-blood-and-such-is-the-history-of-nations-i-cannot/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [A nation of slaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of their master who, in the abuse of absolute power, does not proceed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-nation-of-slaves-is-always-prepared-to-applaud-the-clemency-of/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

[Explore all 399 Edward Gibbon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

## More Barbarism quotes

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Liberty is the condition of progress. Without Liberty, there remains only barbarism. Without Liberty, there can be no civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/liberty-is-the-condition-of-progress-without-liberty-there-remains/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/odd-don-t-you-think-i-have-seen-war-and-invasions-and-riots-i-have/)

[Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/)

> [Christianity has carried civilization along with it, whithersoever it has gone; and, as if to show that the latter does not depend on physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/christianity-has-carried-civilization-along-with-it-whithersoever-it/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

> [ \[Much\] as war attracts me and fascinates my mind with its tremendous situations, I feel more deeply every year . . . what vile… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/much-as-war-attracts-me-and-fascinates-my-mind-with-its-tremendous/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations. Man's capacity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/educational-exchange-can-turn-nations-into-people-contributing-as-no/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [Human history, like all great movements, was cyclical, and returned to the point of beginning. The idea of indefinite progress in a right line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/human-history-like-all-great-movements-was-cyclical-and-returned-to/)

[Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/)

> [You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilization from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchan/you-think-that-a-wall-as-solid-as-the-earth-separates-civilization/)

[John Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchan/)

> [Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/barbarism-is-the-absence-of-standards-to-which-appeal-can-be-made/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [“The language of sword is less powerful than the language of word, but most of the people understand the language of sword with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/the-language-of-sword-is-less-powerful-than-the-language-of-word-but/)

[Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/)

> [There is so much that must be done in a civilized barbarism like war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/there-is-so-much-that-must-be-done-in-a-civilized-barbarism-like-war/)

[Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/)

> [There is a barbarism in the American soul, and we must protect some of it by law. To root it out is to endanger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/there-is-a-barbarism-in-the-american-soul-and-we-must-protect-some-of/)

[Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/)

> [What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/what-we-now-want-is-closer-contact-and-better-understanding-between/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [“Magic begins in superstition, and ends in science. ... At every step the history of civilization teaches us how slight and superficial a structure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/magic-begins-in-superstition-and-ends-in-science-at-every-step-the/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [The creed of evil has been, since the beginnings of highly industrialized society, not only a precursor of barbarism but a mask of good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-creed-of-evil-has-been-since-the-beginnings-of-highly/)

[Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/)

[Browse all 238 Barbarism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Gibbon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity-i-have-actually-been/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Barbarism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity-i-have-actually-been/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity_148732.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.” — Edward Gibbon",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edward Gibbon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity-i-have-actually-been/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity-i-have-actually-been/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
