ertisset Gregorius quod ob corporeas delectationes
et voluptates, simplex et imperitum vulgus in simulacrorum cultus errore
permaneret--permisit eis, ut in memoriam et recordationem sanctorum
martyrum sese oblectarent, et in laetitiam effunderentur, quod successu
temporis aliquando futurum esset, ut sua sponte, ad honestiorem et
accuratiorem vitae rationem, transirent." (Mosheim, vol. i. cent. 2, p.
202.)

[410:4] "Non imperio ad fidem adducto, sed et imperii pompa ecclesiam
inficiente. Non ethnicis ad Christum conversis, sed et Christi religione
ad Ethnicae formam depravata." (Orat. Academ. De Variis Christ. Rel.
fatis.)

[411:1] Gibbon's Rome, vol. iii. p. 163.

[411:2] Quoted by Draper: Science and Religion, p. 48.

[411:3] See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 329.

[411:4] Justin: Apol. 1, ch. lix.

[411:5] Octavius, ch. xi.

[411:6] See Origen: Contra Celsus.

[412:1] Apol. 1, ch. xx, xii, xxii.

[412:2] See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 323.

[412:3] See Ibid. p. 324.

[412:4] On the Flesh of Christ, ch. v.

[413:1] See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 328.

[413:2] Matt. xix. 12.

[413:3] Deut. xxiii. 1.

[413:4] See Taylor's Diegesis, p. 339.

[413:5] See Middleton's Letters from Rome, p. 236; Mosheim, vol. i.
cent. 2, pt. 2, ch. 4.

[413:6] Eccl. Hist. vol. 1. p. 199.

[414:1] Prolegomena to Ancient History, pp. 416, 417.

[415:1] Tindal: Christianity as Old as the Creation.

[415:2] Manu's works were written during the _sixth_ century B. C. (see
Williams' Indian Wisdom, p. 215), and the Maha-bharata about the same
time.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

WHY CHRISTIANITY PROSPERED.

We now come to the question, Why did Christianity prosper, and why was
Jesus of Nazareth believed to be a divine incarnation and Saviour?

There were many causes for this, but as we can devote but one chapter to
the subject, we must necessarily treat it briefly.

For many centuries before the time of Christ Jesus there lived a sect of
religious monks known as _Essenes_, or _Therapeutae_;[419:1] _these
entirely disappeared from history shortly after the time assigned for
the crucifixion of Jesus_. There were thousands of them, and their
_monasteries_ were to be counted by the score. Many have asked the
question, "What became of them?" We now propose to show, 1. That they
were expecting the advent of an _Angel-Messiah_; 2. That they considered
Jesus of Nazareth to be _the_ Messiah; 3. That they came over to
Christianity in a body; and, 4