eastern portion embraces
Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and the east part of Asia Minor. A displacement
gradually arose in the course of the 3rd century. In the West the most
important centres are Ephesus, Smyrna, Corinth, and Rome, cities with a
Greek and Oriental population. Even in Carthage the original speech of
the Christian community was probably Greek.]

[Footnote 301: Rome was the first city in the Empire, Alexandria the
second. They were the metropolitan cities of the world (see the
inscription in Kaibel, No. 1561, p. 407: [Greek: threpse m' Alexandreia,
metoikon ethapse de Rhome, hai kosmou kai ges, o xene, metropoleis]).
This is reflected in the history of the Church; first Rome appears, then
Alexandria. The significance of the great towns for the history of dogma
and of the Church will be treated of in a future volume. Abercius of
Hieropolis, according to the common interpretation (inscription V. 7 f.)
designates Rome as "queen." This was a customary appellation; see
Eunap., vita Prohaer. p. 90: [Greek: he basileuousa Rhome].]

[Footnote 302: In this connection we need only keep in mind the
following summary of facts. Up to the end of the second century the
Alexandrian Church had none of the Catholic and apostolic standards, and
none of the corresponding institutions as found in the Roman Church; but
her writer, Clement, was also "as little acquainted with the West as
Homer." In the course of the first half of the 3rd century she received
those standards and institutions; but her writer, Origen, also travelled
to Rome himself in order to see "the very old" church and formed a
connection with Hippolytus; and her bishop Dionysius carried on a
correspondence with his Roman colleague, who also made common cause with
him. Similar particulars may also be ascertained with regard to the
Syrian Church.]

[Footnote 303: See the proofs in the two preceding chapters. Note also
that these elements have an inward connection. So long as one was
lacking, all were, and whenever one was present, all the others
immediately made their appearance.]

[Footnote 304: Ignatius already says that the Roman Christians are
[Greek: apodiulismenoi apo pantos allotrion chromatos] (Rom. inscr.); he
uses this expression of no others. Similar remarks are not quite rare at
a later period; see, for instance, the oft-repeated eulogy that no
heresy ever arose in Rome. At a time when this city had long employed
the standard of the apostolic rule of