to give political
offence. See Hippol. comm. in Daniel (Georgiades, p. 49, 51. [Greek:
noein opheilomen ta kata kairon sumbainonta kai eidotas siopan]), but
above all Constantine orat. ad s. coetum 19, on some verses of Virgil
which are interpreted in a Christian sense but that none of the rulers
in the capital might be able to accuse their author of violating the
laws of the state with his poetry or of destroying the traditional ideas
of the procedure about the gods he concealed the truth under a veil.
That holds good also of the Apocalyptists and the poets of the Christian
Sibylline sayings.]

[Footnote 201: The hope of the resurrection of the body (1 Clem. 26. 3
[Greek: anasteseis ten sarka mou tauten], Herm. Sim. V. 7. 2 [Greek:
blepe metote anabe epi ten kardian sou ten sarka sou tauten phtharten
einai]. Barn. 5. 6 f., 21. 1, 2 Clem. 9. 1 [Greek: kai me legeto tis
humon oti haute he sarx ou krinetai oude anistatai]. Polyc. Ep. 7. 2,
Justin Dial. 80, etc.) finds its place originally in the hope of a share
in the glorious kingdom of Christ. It therefore disappears or is
modified wherever that hope itself falls into the background. But it
finally asserted itself through out and became of independent importance
in a new structure of eschatologlcal expectations in which it attained
the significance of becoming the specific conviction of Christian faith.
With the hope of the resurrection of the body was originally connected
the hope of a happy life in easy blessedness under green trees in
magnificent fields with joyous feeding flocks and flying angels clothed
in white. One must read the Revelation of Peter the Shepherd or the Acts
of Perpetua and Felicitas in order to see how entirely the fancy of many
Christians and not merely of those who were uncultured dwelt in a
fairyland in which they caught sight now of the Ancient of days and now
of the Youthful Shepherd Christ. The most fearful delineations of the
torments of Hell formed the reverse side to this. We now know through
the Apocalypse of Peter, how old these delineations are.]

[Footnote 202: The perfect knowledge of the truth and eternal life are
connected in the closest way (see p. 144, note 1) because the Father of
truth is also Prince of life (see Diognet. 12: [Greek: oude gar zoe aneu
gnoseos oude gnosis asphales aneu zoes alethous dio plesion ekateron
pephyteutai], see also what follows). The classification is a Hellenic
one, which has certainly penetrated al