How religious strife brought an end to Rome’s empire

The Ruin of the Roman Empire, By James J O’Donnell, Profile, €30

When its time came to fall , the Roman Empire - the greatest empire western civilisation has ever known - collapsed not so much in a blaze of glory, as in a slow faltering of the flame.

That is the impression James J O’Donnell leaves in this extensive account of the storied empire’s decline and demise.

O’Donnell has undertaken an ambitious ...