ianity.]

A very astute ecclesiastical historian, referring to the early
contaminations of Christianity, makes this remark: "A clear and
unpolluted fountain fed by secret channels with the dew of Heaven, when
it grows a large river, and takes a long and winding course, receives a
tincture from the various soils through which it passes."

Thus influenced by circumstances, the primitive modifications of
Christianity were three--Judaic Christianity, Gnostic Christianity,
African Christianity.

[Sidenote: Judaic Christianity.]

Of these, the first consisted of contaminations from Judaism, from which
true Christianity disentangled itself with extreme difficulty, at the
cost of dissensions among the Apostles themselves. From the purely
Hebrew point of view of the early disciples, who surrendered with
reluctance their expectation that the Saviour was the long-looked-for
temporal Messiah, the King of the Jews, under which name he suffered,
the faith gradually expanded, including successively proselytes of the
Gate, the surrounding Gentiles, and at last the whole world,
irrespective of nation, climate, or colour. With this truly imperial
extension, there came into view the essential doctrines on which it was
based. But Judaic Christianity, properly speaking, soon came to an
untimely end. It was unable to maintain itself against the powerful
apostolic influences in the bosom of the Church, and the violent
pressure exerted by the unbelieving Jews, who exhibited toward it an
inflexible hatred. Moreover, the rapid advance of the new doctrines
through Asia Minor and Greece offered a tempting field for enthusiasm.
The first preachers in the Roman empire were Jews; for the first years
circumcision and conformity to the law of Moses were insisted on; but
the first council determined that point, at Jerusalem, probably about
A.D. 49, in the negative. The organization of the Church, originally
modelled upon that of the Synagogue, was changed. In the beginning the
creed and the rites were simple; it was only necessary to profess belief
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and baptism marked the admission of the
convert into the community of the faithful. James, the brother of our
Lord, as might, from his relationship, be expected, occupied the
position of headship in the Church. The names of the bishops of the
church of Jerusalem, as given by Eusebius, succeed to James, the brother
of Christ, in the following order: Simeon, Justus, Zaccheus, Tobia