monly supposed, and one of which indelible
traces may be perceived in our day.

[Sidenote: Platonic Christianity.]

The third form, African or Platonic Christianity, arose in Alexandria.
Here was the focus of those fatal disputes respecting the Trinity, a
word which does not occur in the Holy Scriptures, and which, it appears,
had been first introduced by Theophilus, the Bishop of Antioch, the
seventh from the apostles. In the time of Hadrian, Christianity had
become diffused all over Egypt, and had found among the Platonizing
philosophers of the metropolis many converts. These men modified the
Gnostic idea to suit their own doctrines, asserting that the principle
from which the universe originated was something emitted from the
Supreme Mind, and capable of being drawn into it again, as they supposed
was the case with a ray and the sun. This ray, they affirmed, was
permanently attached to our Saviour, and hence he might be considered as
God. Thus, therefore, there were in his person three parts, a body, a
soul, and the logos; hence he was both God and man. But, as a ray is
inferior to the sun, it seemed to follow that the Christ must be
inferior to the Father.

[Sidenote: The Logos.]

In all this it is evident that there is something transcendental, and
the Platonizing Christians, following the habit of the Greek
philosophers, considered it as a mysterious doctrine; they spoke of it
as "meat for strong men," but the popular current doctrine was "milk for
babes." Justin Martyr, A.D. 132, who had been a Platonic philosopher,
believed that the divine ray, after it was attached to Christ, was never
withdrawn from him, and never separated from its source. He offers two
illustrations of his idea. As speech (logos), going forth from one man,
enters into another, conveying to him meaning, while the same meaning
remains in the person who speaks, thus the logos of the Father continues
unimpaired in himself, though imparted to the Christ; or, as from one
lamp another may be lighted without any loss of splendour, so the
divinity of the Father is transferred to the Son. This last illustration
subsequently became very popular, and was adopted into the Nicene Creed.
"God of God, Light of Light."

It is obvious that the intention of this reasoning was to preserve
intact, the doctrine of the unity of God, for the great body of
Christians were at this time monarchists, the word being used in its
theological acceptation.

[Sidenot