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Which chapters of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire discuss the rise of Christianity?
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Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon, oil painting by Henry Walton, 1774; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In his seminal work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon primarily addresses the rise of Christianity in chapters 15 and 16.1
These chapters were notable for their ironic tone and skeptical treatment of the faith, which sparked significant controversy and criticism during Gibbon's lifetime. While these two chapters contain his most famous analysis of the subject, Gibbon also explored the development of Christian theology and ecclesiastical structures in various later chapters as he traced the empire's ongoing transformation and eventual breakup.1