In recent years, there has been a growing tendency in academic and scientific circles to overlook or minimize Christianity’s contributions to the development of Western civilization. This trend extends even to the field of history itself. That’s why encountering historian and podcast host Tom Holland is such a refreshing experience. Although he is not the actor who plays Spider-Man, this Englishman is a superhero of a different sort—reviving interest in ancient history for a modern audience.
Together with fellow historian Dominic Sandbrook, Holland co-hosts the widely popular podcast The Rest is History. (Sandbrook, notably, went viral for his bold prediction on The Rest is Politics that the 2025 U.S. Presidential Election would be a landslide for Donald Trump, whilst the other political commentators were predicting the contrary.) Holland is known for his expertise in the classical world, particularly the Roman Empire, but with Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (London: Little Brown Group, 2019), he ventures into the story of Christianity—and he does so with brilliance.
Historian Tom Holland (left) with his podcast co-host, historian Dominc Sandbrook
Christianity as a Revolution of Values
Unlike conventional ecclesiastical history books, Dominion does not merely recount dates and doctrines. Instead, Holland presents Christianity as a revolution of ideas—a profound transformation in how we understand morality, human dignity, justice, and power. His narrative begins not in Bethlehem or Nazareth but in Athens and Jerusalem, showing readers a Greco-Roman world so alien to our own that it feels almost mythological.
In ancient Athens, gods were arbitrary and morally questionable; Zeus could be both king and predator. Paganism, for all its philosophical achievements, was a world of power and fate. In contrast, the Jewish world introduced a moral, covenantal God, who demanded ethical behavior and justice. Into this moral crucible, Christianity was born, and it began to transform the world from the inside out.
The End of Paganism and Rise of Christian Ethics
Holland brilliantly argues that many of our modern assumptions—human rights, care for the oppressed, equality of all people, even the concept of the “poor” as a moral category—are fundamentally Christian innovations. If a Roman citizen were transported into our world today, they would be baffled: why do we pity the weak? Why is humility a virtue? Why are religious leaders speaking of justice for the poor? These ideas were foreign, even scandalous, to the ancient world.
The Greco-Roman moral code saw strength as virtue. Yet Christianity introduced the paradoxical image of a crucified God—a religion founded not on might, but on mercy. Paul of Tarsus, a former Pharisee, extended the Gospel to the Gentiles, declaring that in Christ there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. A new covenant was born, not based on ethnicity or law, but on grace and faith.
Persecution, Triumph, and the Birth of Christendom
Early Christians faced immense persecution, especially once Christianity distinguished itself from Judaism. Refusing to worship the emperor or offer sacrifices to the gods made them political threats. Ironically, some of the most brutal persecutions came not from the worst emperors, but from revered ones like Tiberius and Marcus Aurelius.
Despite this, Christianity spread rapidly. By the 4th century, the majority of the Roman Empire had become Christian. Constantine’s Edict of Milan (313 AD) legalized the faith, and under Theodosius I, Christianity became the Empire’s official religion. Pagan temples were emptied, and a new worldview began to govern not just individual consciences, but empires.
Even when Julian the Apostate attempted to revive paganism, he did so using Christian values. He wrote to pagan priests urging them to care for the poor and sick—a notion entirely absent from ancient pagan religion but central to the Christian ethic of charity.
The Gregorian Reform: Separating Sacred and Secular
According to Holland, the second Christian revolution came in the Middle Ages, particularly during the Gregorian Reform of the 11th century. Led by Pope Gregory VII, the reform aimed to purify the clergy and free the Church from secular interference. This movement laid the groundwork for the separation of Church and State, an idea that would later define modern democracies.
The Two Swords Theory—which delineated spiritual authority (the Church) from temporal authority (the monarchy)—was groundbreaking. The notion that moral and religious authority did not depend on imperial approval challenged the entire structure of medieval power. The Church, especially Rome, emerged victorious in this struggle, setting the stage for a new form of governance in Christendom.
The Protestant Reformation: The Third Revolution
Holland identifies the Protestant Reformation as the third major revolution sparked by Christianity. Initiated by the Augustinian monk Martin Luther, the Reformation sought to strip Christianity of what reformers saw as its worldly and corrupt elements. Luther’s insistence on sola scriptura (Scripture alone) and sola fide (faith alone) fractured Western Christianity but also democratized faith. No longer was salvation mediated solely by priests or popes—it was personal, immediate, and scripturally grounded.
This religious upheaval contributed to the rise of individual conscience, modern democracy, and eventually, secular liberalism. Ironically, even the atheistic humanism of today owes a debt to Christianity’s ethical and philosophical legacy. Concepts such as equality, human rights, and the value of every individual life—now taken for granted—are deeply rooted in the Christian worldview.
Final Thoughts: Why Dominion Matters Today
In Dominion, Tom Holland demonstrates that we are all—believers and non-believers alike—living in a world profoundly shaped by Christianity. Its values, once revolutionary, have become the very foundation of the modern West. From universal human dignity to the notion of moral progress, Holland argues that these ideas are not secular inventions but Christian inheritances.
Whether you are religious or not, Dominion is a powerful, thought-provoking read. It challenges modern arrogance, reminding us that the world we inhabit—where humility is a virtue, the weak are worth defending, and love is greater than power—would have been incomprehensible to the ancient world.Holland writes not as a theologian, but as a historian who has come to see that the moral architecture of the West was built on the unlikely story of a crucified Jew. And in recovering this story, Dominion offers us not just a history lesson, but a deeper understanding of the Christian revolution that changed the world.
