ar by the law of
Christ. This fusion was the work of St. Paul, also called the Apostle
to the Gentiles.

The religion of Christ spread very slowly, as he himself had
announced: "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard-seed ...
which is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among herbs ... and the birds of the air lodge under its
branches."

=The Church.=--In every city where Christians were found they
assembled to pray together, to sing the praises of God, and to
celebrate the mystery of the Lord's Supper. Their meeting was called
Ecclesia (assembly). Usually the Christians of the same assembly
regarded themselves as brothers; they contributed of their property to
support the widows, the poor, and the sick. The most eminent directed
the community and celebrated the religious ceremonies. These were the
Priests (their name signifies "elders"). Others were charged with the
administration of the goods of the community, and were called Deacons
(servants). Besides these officers, there was in each city a supreme
head--the Bishop (overseer).

Later the functions of the church became so exacting that the body of
Christians was divided into two classes of people: the clergy, who
were the officials of the community; the rest, the faithful, who were
termed the laity.

Each city had its independent church; thus they spoke of the church of
Antioch, of Corinth, of Rome; and yet they all formed but one church,
the church of Christ, in which all were united in one faith. The
universal or Catholic faith was regarded as the only correct body of
belief; all conflicting opinions (the heresies) were condemned as
errors.

=The Sacred Books.=--The sacred scripture of the Jews, the Old
Testament, remained sacred for the Christians, but they had other
sacred books which the church had brought into one structure (the New
Testament). The four Gospels recount the life of Christ and the "good
news" of salvation which he brought. The Acts of the Apostles
describes how the gospel was disseminated in the world. The Epistles
are the letters addressed by the apostles to the Christians of the
first century. The Apocalypse (Revelation) is the revelation made
through St. John to the seven churches of Asia. Many other
pseudo-sacred books were current among the Christians, but the church
has rejected all of these, and has termed them apocryphal.

=The Persecutions.=--The Christian religion was persecuted from its