John Francis Shean

About

Professor John F. Shean received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has taught at a number of institutions in the Midwest and the New York Metropolitan area, including the University of Michigan, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and the College of Staten Island. Dr. Shean’s research interests include Roman history, Greek and Byzantine history, and the history of Early Christianity. He has given numerous conference presentations and published articles that discuss the ways in which governments in antiquity used religion to bolster their legitimacy. In 2010 he published the book Soldiering for God: Christianity and the Roman Army (E.J. Brill), which describes the role played by the Roman army in the Christianization of the Roman world. He also appeared in the fifth episode of the History Channel documentary Secrets of Christianity. He recently published an article in the Journal of Religious Violence which discusses the destruction of the Serapeum in Alexandria in 391 CE.