Gibbon and Christianity

Gibbon had a sardonic sense of humor, and a bad attitude about religion - at least in its Roman guise. His work has countless examples of this. Here is one I read today. Gibbon is talking about Theodoric the Goth, king of Italy. He was an Arian Christian, that is, an heretic according to the Roman Orthodox. He went to considerable pains trying to recouncile his Catholic subjects to rule by an Arian king and army.

Even the religious toleration that Theodoric had the glory of introducing into the Christian world, was painful and offensive to the orthodox zeal of the Italians. They respected the armed heresy of the Goths; but their pious rage was safely pointed against the rich and defenceless Jews, who had formed their establishments in Naples, Rome, Ravenna, Milan, and Genoa, for the benefit of trade, and under the sanction of the laws. Their persons were insulted, their effects were pillaged, and their synagogues were burnt by the mad populace of Ravenna and Rome, inflamed, as it should seem, by the most frivolous or extravagant pretences. The government which could neglect, would have deserved such an outrage. A legal enquiry was instantly directed; and as the authors of the tumult had escaped in the crowd, the whole community was condemned to repair the damage; and the obstinate bigots who refused their contributions, were whipped through the streets by the hand of the executioner. This simple act of justice exasperated the discontent of the Catholics, who applauded the merit and patience of these holy confessors; three
hundred pulpits deplored the persecution of the church. [Decline and Fall, chap xxxix, p 549]