Edward Gibbon on the Christian's role in the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
The article is dedicated to examination of the question the Christianity and the crisis of the Roman Empire in Gibbons view. The detailed analysis of the Decline and Fall Christian chapters allows putting forward the idea of Christianity controversial role in the process of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. As he think, Christianity from the one hand facilitated to acceleration of the fall of the Roman Empire, but from the another hand one weakened it swiftness and softened the fierce manners of the barbarian conquerors. Scientific novelty of the article is in the revising of widespread opinion in historiography: Gibbon considered the spreading of the Christianity one of the direct causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. Scientific significance of the research is in the opportunity of using it theoretical conclusions and facts for the studying historical thought of the Enlightenment, making lecture courses and special courses on the historiography of Enlightenment at the historical faculties of the OmSU and OmSPU.