e: Permanence of Alexandrian ideas.]

Thus the Jewish and Gnostic forms both died out, but the African,
Platonic, or Alexandrian, was destined to be perpetuated. The manner in
which this occurred, can only be understood by a study of the political
history of the times. To such facts as are needful for the purpose, I
shall therefore with brevity allude.

[Sidenote: Spread of Christianity from Syria.]

[Sidenote: Modifications of organization become necessary.]

[Sidenote: Becomes antagonistic to Imperialism.]

[Sidenote: Persecution consolidates it.]

From its birthplace in Judea, Christianity advanced to the conquest of
the Roman world. In its primitive form it received an urgency from the
belief that the end of all things was close at hand, and that the earth
was on the point of being burnt up by fire. From the civil war it waged
in Judea, it emerged to enter on a war of invasion and foreign
annexation. In succession, Cyprus, Phrygia, Galatia, and all Asia Minor,
Greece, and Italy, were penetrated. The persecutions of Nero, incident
on the burning of Rome, did not for a moment retard its career; during
his reign it rapidly spread, and in every direction Petrine and Pauline,
or Judaizing and Hellenizing churches were springing up. The latter
gained the superiority, and the former passed away. The constitution of
the churches changed, the congregations gradually losing power, which
became concentrated in the bishop. By the end of the first century the
episcopal form was predominant, and the ecclesiastical organization so
imposing as to command the attention of the emperors, who now began to
discover the mistake that had hitherto been made in confounding the new
religion with Judaism. Their dislike to it, soon manifested in measures
of repression, was in consequence of the peculiar attitude it assumed.
As a body, the Christians not only kept aloof from all the amusements of
the times, avoiding theatres and public rejoicings, but in every respect
constituted themselves an empire within the empire. Such a state of
things was altogether inconsistent with the established government, and
its certain inconveniences and evils were not long in making themselves
felt. The triumphant march of Christianity was singularly facilitated by
free intercommunication over the Mediterranean, in consequence of that
sea being in the hands of one sovereign power. The Jewish and Greek
merchants afforded it a medium; their trading towns were