Robin Lane Fox
Author of The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian
About the Author
Robin Lane Fox is a university reader in ancient history and an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford. The author of The Classical World and Alexander the Great, Fox lives in Oxford, England.
Image credit: Robin James Lane Fox at Financial Times 125th Anniversary Party, London, in June 2013
Works by Robin Lane Fox
Brill's Companion to Ancient Macedon (Brill's Companions in Classical Studies Brill's Companions i) (2011) — Editor — 11 copies
Pagans and Christians: Volume III 3 copies
Pagans and Christians: Volume II 3 copies
Pagans and Christians: Volume I 3 copies
Associated Works
The Oxford History of Greece & the Hellenistic World (1986) — Contributor, some editions — 664 copies
Responses to Oliver Stone's Alexander: Film, History, and Cultural Studies (2010) — Contributor — 21 copies
Alternatives to Athens: Varieties of Political Organization and Community in Ancient Greece (2001) — Contributor — 19 copies
Persian Responses: Political and Cultural Interaction Within the Achaemenid Empire (2007) — Contributor — 8 copies
Philosopher and Society in Late Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Peter Brown (2005) — Contributor — 6 copies
East and West in the World Empire of Alexander: Essays in Honour of Brian Bosworth (2015) — Contributor — 4 copies
Ritual, Finance, Politics: Athenian Democratic Accounts presented to David Lewis (1994) — Contributor — 4 copies
Crux : essays in Greek history presented to G.E.M. de Ste. Croix on his 75th birthday (1985) — Contributor — 4 copies
Portraits: Biographical Representation in the Greek and Latin Literature of the Roman Empire (1997) — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Lane-Fox, Robin James
- Birthdate
- 1946-10-05
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Places of residence
- Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
- Education
- University of Oxford (Magdalen College)
Eton College, Eton, Berkshire, England, UK - Occupations
- historian
lecturer
tutor
historical advisor
gardening writer - Organizations
- University of Oxford (Reader in Ancient History)
University of Oxford (Fellow, New College)
BBC - Awards and honors
- Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
Emeritus Fellow, New College, University of Oxford
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Wolfson History Prize (2016)
Members
Discussions
Pagans and Christians in Ancient History (November 2012)
sibyx and ronincats tackle Pagans and Christians in 75 Books Challenge for 2011 (January 2012)
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 20
- Also by
- 19
- Members
- 6,477
- Popularity
- #3,794
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 83
- ISBNs
- 136
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 12
I’ve read other reviews of Lane Fox’s book and several of them refer to his dry style and the sloggish nature of the book. I wholeheartedly disagree. I found The Oxford History of the Biblical World to be more dry because of its more formal style. No breaking of the fourth wall there. Lane Fox not only speaks directly to his dear reader, he throws in little bits of dry English humor that bring you up from the slog to laugh a bit. My favorite is this: “There were ancient prophesies of a future king, the ‘stem of Jesse’, chosen by the Lord: many of the most explicit texts about him had been invented under foreign domination during the years of exile in Babylon. Ideas of this future super-star had multiplied freely…”
In writing The Unauthorized Version, Lane Fox, an atheist, set out to explain for himself and others what he meant when he once told a friend, “I believe in the Bible but not in God.” He starts by considering a question. “In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Pilate, ‘To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hearest my voice.’ ‘What is truth?’ asks Pilate and does not receive a reply.” (pp 13)
Lane Fox then explains what he intends to achieve with his book: “I intend to take Pilate’s question and turn it back on the Bible itself. First, I will explore the view that the Bible’s very nature and origin give it a coherence which answers Pilate’s question. Then I will explore its narrative to see if there is a level at which it corresponds to fact.” (pp 14)
I won’t give away Lane Fox’s plot. You’ll have to read the book if you want to learn what he concludes. I will say, however, that there’s a fascinating plot twist in his final conclusion that is moving whether you’re a believer or not.… (more)