What will I learn about: how ancient Persian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish belief systems formed the cultural and philosophical foundation necessary for Christianity to emerge?

Discover how ancient Persian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish belief systems formed the cultural and philosophical foundation necessary for Christianity to emerge.

What will I learn about: how the Apostle Paul combined Jewish morality, Greek philosophy, and the Stoic concept of conscience to build a doctrine of universal love and redemption?

Understand how the Apostle Paul combined Jewish morality, Greek philosophy, and the Stoic concept of conscience to build a doctrine of universal love and redemption.

What will I learn about: Learn why early Christians' willingness to endure gruesome torture without fear scandalized Roman society and upended traditional views on strength and resolve?

Learn why early Christians' willingness to endure gruesome torture without fear scandalized Roman society and upended traditional views on strength and resolve.

What will I learn about: how the ancient scholar Origen synthesized Jewish scriptures with Greek thought to enshrine the Old Testament and establish the concept of the Holy Trinity?

Find out how the ancient scholar Origen synthesized Jewish scriptures with Greek thought to enshrine the Old Testament and establish the concept of the Holy Trinity.

What will I learn about: See how Emperor Constantine's conversion fused Christian theology with Roman bureaucracy and transformed the previously scorned idea of charity into early social welfare systems?

See how Emperor Constantine's conversion fused Christian theology with Roman bureaucracy and transformed the previously scorned idea of charity into early social welfare systems.

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Dominion

How the Christian Revolution Remade the World

Tom Holland

★ 4.2 / 5(110 ratings)

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Religion & Spirituality History

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that our modern ideas of equality and compassion are actually radical inventions that would have seemed completely alien to the ancient Greeks and Romans?
💡Have you ever wondered why even the most secular Westerners are still thinking and acting like Christians, whether they realize it or not?
💡Are you curious about how a gruesome instrument of Roman torture became the unlikely catalyst for the most successful cultural revolution in human history?

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Key Takeaways from Dominion

✓Discover how ancient Persian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish belief systems formed the cultural and philosophical foundation necessary for Christianity to emerge.
✓Understand how the Apostle Paul combined Jewish morality, Greek philosophy, and the Stoic concept of conscience to build a doctrine of universal love and redemption.
✓Learn why early Christians' willingness to endure gruesome torture without fear scandalized Roman society and upended traditional views on strength and resolve.
✓Find out how the ancient scholar Origen synthesized Jewish scriptures with Greek thought to enshrine the Old Testament and establish the concept of the Holy Trinity.
✓See how Emperor Constantine's conversion fused Christian theology with Roman bureaucracy and transformed the previously scorned idea of charity into early social welfare systems.

Learning Tools

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Mind Map

Dominion

Antiquity & Origins+

Roman Integration+

Medieval Consolidation+

Conquest & Reformation+

Enlightenment & Science+

Modernity's Challenges+

Enduring Legacy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10

According to the text, how did the ancient Persians justify the gruesome practice of crucifixion?

A. As a divine mandate for the king to dispense justice and punish those who chose darkness.
B. As a practical method to deter crime and rebellion in cosmopolitan cities.
C. As a religious sacrifice demanded by their pantheon of gods for successful harvests.
D. As an entertainment spectacle designed to appease the nobility and the military.

Question 2 of 10

What was a central argument of Paul's teachings that offered a radical new identity to early Christians?

A. That followers must strictly adhere to the Ten Commandments to avoid God's punishment.
B. That being born into the right family and studying Greek philosophy was essential for salvation.
C. That the son of God took on the nature of an enslaved person, showing that anyone could be redeemed.
D. That Christians should launch violent revolts against the Roman Emperor to establish a holy kingdom.

Question 3 of 10

How did wealthy Christians in the fourth century reconcile their riches with the selfless example of Christ?

A. They claimed that material wealth was an illusion that did not affect the purity of the soul.
B. They reasoned that their wealth was necessary to provide charity to the poor.
C. They argued that wealth was required to build grand cathedrals to honor God.
D. They believed that Jesus secretly amassed wealth during his lifetime to fund his ministry.

Question 4 of 10

What was the primary outcome of the Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine in 325 CE?

A. It officially declared the Roman Empire a secular state.
B. It mandated the forced conversion of all pagans within the empire.
C. It established the Pope as the ultimate political ruler of Western Europe.
D. It fused Christian theological beliefs with Roman administrative bureaucracy.

Question 5 of 10

How did Pope Gregory VII significantly alter the power dynamics of Europe during his papacy?

A. He dissolved the monasteries to distribute their wealth directly to the peasants.
B. He separated the Church from national governance, turning it into a pan-European superstate with ultimate moral authority.
C. He encouraged secular rulers to appoint their own bishops to strengthen local political alliances.
D. He abolished the practice of burning heretics to promote a new era of Christian charity.

Question 6 of 10

Why was the astronomer Galileo Galilei sentenced to house arrest by the Church?

A. He claimed that the Bible was entirely fabricated and scientifically inaccurate.
B. He tried to establish a new secular religion based on the worship of the cosmos.
C. He suggested that scripture did not have to be read literally when observing the universe.
D. He argued that the universe was not created by God, but by mathematical phenomena alone.

Question 7 of 10

What paradox does the text highlight regarding the French Revolution and human rights?

A. The revolutionaries claimed human rights were secular and eternal, despite these ideas having deep roots in Christian thought.
B. The revolutionaries fought for human rights but ultimately refused to abolish the monarchy.
C. The revolutionaries sought to spread Christianity, yet violently destroyed basilicas and statues of saints.
D. The revolutionaries believed human rights only applied to the aristocracy, ignoring the sans-culottes.

Question 8 of 10

How did Charles Darwin’s concept of 'survival of the fittest' challenge a central tenet of Christianity?

A. It proved that the universe was created in exactly seven days, contradicting natural theology.
B. It contradicted the Christian concepts of finding strength in weakness and the natural order of charity.
C. It suggested that humans were inherently sinful and biologically incapable of redemption.
D. It argued that only the wealthy industrialists were chosen by God for salvation.

Question 9 of 10

Why did Adolf Hitler eventually view Christianity as a challenge to his totalitarian mission?

A. He believed the Church was secretly funding the Allied forces.
B. He thought Christian compassion conflicted with the fulfillment of Germany's racial destiny.
C. He was a staunch supporter of the Enlightenment's secular human rights.
D. He believed that Christianity was too closely aligned with the ancient Roman Empire.

Question 10 of 10

According to the text, what do the Beatles' music, Martin Luther King Jr.'s activism, and Nelson Mandela's forgiveness all have in common?

A. They were all direct products of the Protestant Reformation.
B. They all rejected Western religious traditions in favor of secular Enlightenment philosophy.
C. They all utilized core Christian concepts, demonstrating the religion's enduring cultural relevance.
D. They were all inspired by the natural theology of the nineteenth century.

Dominion — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Persian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish thought created the world from which Christianity could emerge.
32 — Paul interpreted Jesus’s story as a counterpoint to a weakening Roman society.
43 — When the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, the religion adopted the trappings of bureaucracy.
54 — As Christianity consolidated power, Christians increasingly saw others as evil – and responded with growing violence.
65 — Under Gregory VII, the Papacy redefined itself as the supreme judge of morality.
76 — The fifteenth century brought fresh challenges to the Papacy – and the Vatican brutally crushed them at every turn.
87 — The rise of Protestantism sparked violence across the world, but also fostered a new intellectualism.
98 — In the eighteenth century, Europeans began using Christianity to define their values.
109 — At the turn of the twentieth century, the Christian faith stood on increasingly shaky ground.
1110 — Christian ideas still matter today.
1211 — Final summary

Dominion Summary & Overview

Dominion (2021) is a grandiose look at the impact Christianity has had on the development of the Western mind. From its roots in antiquity to the pop singles of the twentieth century, the story follows the dramatic development of Christian thought over three thousand years.

Who Should Listen to Dominion?

Lovers of broad-sweep history
Those looking for an insouciant take on European history
Anyone who thinks they know what Christianity is all about

About the Author: Tom Holland

Tom Holland is an award-winning historian and author. His book Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History in 2004, and Persian Fire won the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award in 2006.