bordered on the monastic.

_The Contact of Christianity with Social Life_.--The most striking
contrast to be observed in comparing the state of the world with
Christianity is the novelty of its teachings. No doctrine like the
fatherhood of God had hitherto been taught in the European world.
Plato reached, in his philosophy, a conception of a universal creator
and father of all, but his doctrine was influenced by dualism. There
was no conception of the fatherly care which Christians supposed God to
exercise over all of his creatures. It also taught the brotherhood of
man, that all people of every nation are brethren, with a common
father, a doctrine that had never been forcibly advanced before. The
Jehovah of the Jews watched over their especial affairs and was
considered in no sense the God of the Gentiles. For how could Jehovah
favor Jews and also their enemies at the same time? So, too, for the
Greek and the barbarian, the Roman and the Teuton, the jurisdiction of
deities was limited by national boundaries, or, in case of family
worship, by the tribe, for the household god belonged only to a limited
number of worshippers. A common brotherhood of all men on a basis of
religious equality of right and privilege was decidedly new.

Christianity taught of the nature and punishment of sin. This, too,
was unknown to the degenerate days of the Roman life. To sin against
the Creator and Father was new in their conception, and to consider
such as worthy of punishment was also beyond their philosophy.
Christianity clearly pointed out what sin is, and asserted boldly that
there is a just retribution to all lawbreakers. It taught of
righteousness and justice, and that acts were to be performed because
they were right. Individuals were to be treated justly by their
fellows, regardless of birth or position. And finally, making marriage
a {272} divine institution, Christianity introduced a pure moral code
in the home.

While a few philosophers, following after Plato, conjectured respecting
the immortality of the soul, Christianity was the first religious
system to teach eternal life as a fundamental doctrine. Coupled with
this was the doctrine of the future judgment, at which man should give
an account of his actions on this side of the grave. This was a new
doctrine to the people of the world.

The Christians introduced a new phase of social life by making their
practice agree with their profession. It had been t