Review of Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

At 3,928 pages, this is the longest book I’ve ever read.

Writing elegantly, Gibbon records hundreds of stories that show through the rulers of the Roman empire, man’s inherent greed, ambition, and immorality while also presenting though much less frequently, remarkable virtue and providence. He writes from the bias of an 18^th century skeptic, but he washes his work with the veneer of objectivity pretending to be neutral. His chapters on Christianity have fascinating details written with a sneer.

Some, perhaps the majority, say that Gibbon attributes the fall of Rome to Christianity, but I saw the cause of the fall of Rome as clearly proved from his meticulous research to be the lack of men who have an enduring, moral fiber. It is not remarkable that the empire fell, but rather that it lasted so long. Its fall should thus be attributed to the after effects of the eating of the apple in the garden, and the deceitful hearts that have been passed down from father to son ever since. So his work fortifies our confidence in the Bible, rather than cracking Christianity’s foundation. Before the Roman empire, an unknown scribe recorded the history of the kings of Israel which showed the same lesson. We are looking for a kingdom which cannot be shaken because the King Himself ever lives.

During my time working through Gibbon’s work (which took the entire year), the same affection rose in me that I found from the histories of Herodotus, Josephus, and even the modern Wise-Bauer. History is a constant flow of men striving for power, most of whom are immediately forgotten, and whom I imagine lived with inner turmoil. Over all, the book was a sobering reminder that even the best, richest, most powerful men will be forgotten, and that their judgment is fickle and sometimes even ludicrous when seen in the light of time. It is best therefore, to have personal godliness, a gracious family, and some service to the church as my goals in life. I saw my life as very small, and my great ambition must be to be a stone in His Temple, a worker in His Field, a singer in His Choir, and a younger brother to His Son.