... from the government; this resulted in a rise in barbarian influence and an increasingly corrupt army. These key themes have been widely researched by more recent historians, resulting in supporting and alternative theories surrounding the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon dedicated two chapters to the influence of Christianity on the decline and fall of the Empire, the damage, according to Gibbon, was obvious, "The clergy successfully preached the doctrines of patience and pusillanimity; the active virtues of society were discouraged; and the last remains of the military spirit were buried in the cloister; a large portion of public and private wealth was consecrated to the specious demands of charity and devotion; and the soldiers pay was lavished on [those] who could only plead the merits of abstinence and chastity"2. This theory has generated a lot of interest from more recent historians; J.B. Bury is a key example. ...

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