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Burning of Rome

Alfred John Church

The Rev. Alfred J. Church, who has made a good reputation by his stories of life in the Biblical and classic world, adds to his laurels by a fresh volume entitled 'The Burning of Rome.'. It is a story of the days of Nero, and shows how the Christians and pagans lived and thought, and how the new religion gradually displaced the old in the minds and hearts of converts. The basis of the narrative is the historical writing of Tacitus, and Mr. Church's ambition seems to lie in close adherence to the probabilities. He has studied minutely the letters of Paul the Apostle, and seeks wherever practicable to link together the names of persons in the Epistles to places and incidents in Roman history. Epicharis, the chief character, is somewhat idealized. The story is moderately exciting, and may be recommended to Sunday-school libraries, and to all who would know how the Christians lived in the days when there was civilization but no Christian church edifices. - Summary by The Critic, 1891