Published in 2023
7 hours and 22 minutes
Kate Cooper is a prize-winning historian with a gift for discovering the hidden stories of every-day life in the ancient world.
Kate’s early books were written for a scholarly audience, but with Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women she offers a fresh view of early Christianity for the general reader, wrapped up in what Standpoint called a ‘pacy tale of heroines.’
Kate lives in Oxford, England with her husband, two daughters, and two small terriers who believe they are St Bernards.
What is this book about?
The powerful and surprising story of the four remarkable women who changed Augustine’s life – and history – forever.
While many know of St Augustine and the Confessions, few know of the women whose hopes and dreams shaped his early life: his mother, Monnica of Thagaste; his lover; his fiancée; and Justina, the troubled empress of ancient Rome. Drawing upon their depictions in the Confessions, Historian Kate Cooper skilfully reconstructs their lives against the backdrop of the late Roman Empire to paint a vivid portrait of the turbulent society they and Augustine moved through. She shows how despite their often precarious position, these women tried in their different ways to influence the world around them and argues that Augustine did not end his engagement because he was called by God, but because he considered the potential marriage to be an unforgiveable betrayal of his lover.
Vividly written and drawing on extensive new research, Queens of a Fallen World is essential listening for those looking for a new understanding not only of Augustine, but also of the women who shaped his life with consequences that were to change Christianity for centuries to come.
