hristians also despised civic virtues, or made light of their
importance. In this they were greatly mistaken in their practical
service, for they could have wielded more power had they given more
attention to civic life. Like many good people of modern times, they
observed the corruption of government, and held themselves aloof from
it rather than to enter in and attempt to make it better. The result
of this indifference of the Christians was to make the Romans believe
that they were antagonistic to the best interests of the community.

The persecution of the Christians continued at intervals with greater
or less intensity for more than two centuries; the Christians were
early persecuted by the Jews, later by the Romans. In the first
century they were persecuted under Nero and Domitian, through personal
spite or selfish interests. After {275} this their persecution was
political; there was a desire to suppress a religion that was held to
be contrary to law. The persecution under Hadrian arose on account of
the supposition that the Christians were the cause of plagues and
troubles on account of their impiety. Among later emperors it became
customary to attribute to them any unusual occurrence or strange
phenomenon which was destructive of life or property.

Organized Christianity grew so strong that it came in direct contact
with the empire, and the latter had need of real apprehension, for the
conflict brought about by the divergence of belief suddenly
precipitated a great struggle within the empire. The strong and
growing power of the Christians was observed everywhere. It was no
insignificant opponent, and it attacked the imperial system at all
points.

Finally Constantine, who was a wise ruler as well as an astute
politician, saw that it would be good policy to recognize the church as
an important body in the empire and to turn this growing social force
to his own account. From this time on the church may be said to have
become a part of the imperial system, which greatly influenced its
subsequent history. While in a measure it brought an element of
strength into the social and political world, it rapidly undermined the
system of government, and was a potent force in the decline of the
empire by rendering obsolete many phases of the Roman government.

_The Wealth of the Church Accumulates_.--As Rome declined and new
governments arose, the church grew rapidly in the accumulation of
wealth, particularly