Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXIII "YOUR POETS HAVE SAID" At every point in the early history of Christianity we find that the relation to the Roman autocracy has to be taken into account as a factor in the problem. The Church and the Empire, the Imperial and the Christian "Salvation," stood over against one another. The Empire was striving to solve the same problems that the new religion was attacking. Its spirit, on the whole, setting aside some degenerate Emperors, was good. Its aims were noble. It sought to benefit the whole population of the world, and to raise the provincials and the outer people on the fringe of the Empire to the level of the Roman civilization. It was satisfied that Roman culture was perfect, that the civilized world was the Roman world, and that the best thing for every nation was that it should be initiated into the Roman culture, and brought into the Empire as soon as it was worthy of that privilege. In Christian opinion Rome knew not that it was wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked: it thought that it was rich and had need of nothing.1 Rome flattered herself that she sat a Queen; but her sins reached even unto heaven.2 Her culture was vicious at the heart. The religion that she created to strengthen and maintain the Imperial patriotism was the worship of Satan, sitting in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God:3 it deified the 1 Rev. m. 17. Rev. xvm. 7 and 5. Rev. 11. 13; 2 Thess. 11. 4. State and the Emperor as embodying the majesty of the State. Yet it is not enough to look at the Empire as painted by its enemy. We must look at it as it presented itself to the world. The Imperial " Salvation " was a great idea: it was a restraining power,1 averting anarchy and bestowing on the nations a...