Paul Allard

Paul Allard (b. Rouen 15 September1841-1916) was a French archaeologist, historian and jurist.

He was admitted to the bar and practised law for a short time in his native city, where he became a judge of the civil court. His literary and his historical tastes induced him to abandon his profession and devote himself to the history of the Catholic Church in its first four centuries.

He contributed frequently to the "Revue des Questions Historiques", of which he became editor in 1904, and to various other publications. In 1874 he translated James Spencer Northcote and W. R. Brownlow's "Roma Sotterranea", making many additions and annotations to it.

An intimate acquaintance with Giovanni Battista De Rossi and his own studies along various lines, led him to undertake a history of the persecutions suffered by the Christians at the hand of the Roman authorities. Paul Allard, was,the editor of the Bullettino , such as Martigny editor .He edited the French edition of "Roma Sotterranea", and Alexander de Richemont, were all closely united to De Rossi by the interests of their common work. The work was planned on very broad lines. He had a minute knowledge of Christian archaeology, especially in regard to the Roman Catacombs; he had studied the condition of the Christian slaves, and had a thorough acquaintance with epigraphy and the administrative and constitutional history of Rome. Above all he was well acquainted with the history and spirit of Roman law, and was competent to pronounce judgment on the delicate legal questions involved in the history of the relations between the Christian Church and the Roman State during the era of the persecutions.

His conclusions

His conclusions have not been generally accepted. The main idea of Allard's "History of the Persecutions" is that the Christians were unjustly treated by the Roman authorities. He will not admit that there was any incompatibility between the spread of Christianity and the permanence of the Roman Empire, though the acceptance of Christianity by the people necessarily implied the final eradication of the old Roman cults and superstitions. The action of the Roman authorities he regards as ill-advised and brutal. Their treatment of the Christians arose from no reasons of statesmanship or adherence to traditional policy, but was based entirely on low and unworthy motives.

The causes of the persecutions he finds in the blind hatred of the Roman authorities against this "third race", in fanaticism, popular fury, or, as in the case of Maximus and Decius, very largely in private spleen.

Criticisms

If fault can be found with the work of Allard, it is that he appears too ready to accept as contemporary historical sources mere legends and traditions. He followed the example of Edmond Le Blant in thinking that most legends and "Acta Martyrum" contained some kernel of truth. He is not sufficiently radical in his criticism of the "Acta" and of other documents, e.g. the "De Mortibus Persecutorum" of Lactantius, all the assertions of which he seems to accept as testimony of the first order.POV-assertion|1st|December 31 2006| . He leans too strongly to the side of conservatism, and the value of his work is spoiled by his reluctance to deal unsparingly with dubious and spurious Acta and Passiones: for example the account of the death of St. Irenaeus, the story of Symphorosa, etc.POV-assertion|2nd|December 31 2006|

These remarks, however, do not apply to his work on Julian the Apostate, in which he shows more discrimination in the use of his hagiographical material; it is consequently the most valuable of his writings.

Works

His principal works are

*"Rome souterraine" (Paris, 1874)
*"Les esclaves Chrétiens depuis les premiers temps de L'Eglise jusqu'a la fin de la domination romaine en occident", (Paris, 1876)
*"L'art païen sous les empereurs chrétiens" (Paris, 1879)
*"Histoire des persécutions pendant les deux premiers siècles" (2d ed., Paris, 1892)
*"Histoire des persecutions pendant la premiere moitié du troisième siecle" (Paris, 1881)
*"La persecution de Diocletien et le triomphe de l'Eglise" (2 vols., Paris, 1890)
*"Le Christianisme et l'empire romain" (Paris, 1896)
*"Etudes d'histoire et d'archeologie" (Paris, 1898)
*"St. Basile" ("ibid", 1899)
*"Julien l'apostat", 2 vols. ("ibid", 1900).