dea of the State,
to isolate the individual, to snap every moral tie between man and man,
to defeat a legitimate desire of the poor, the desire to press together
in a little corner of their own to keep one another warm. The
intolerable sadness inseparable from such a life seemed worse than
death." Associations, or clubs, in which a complete equality reigned
sprang up on every side in spite of the laws against combination.
Human relations of the most kindly and intimate sort were established
which sweetened life and made death less lonely. Now the Christian
communities were just such associations; while they added religious
emotions and hopes to the attractions of companionship. They were
social units of a humble and spontaneous type within the formal
structure of the Empire. They justified themselves in a human as well
as in a superhuman way. An adequate psychology of religion remains to
be written. Religion has always had its markedly social side.

Upon the foundation of this combined social and religious function, the
superstructure of the Church was erected, much as on the political
nature of man the Greek city-state arose. Creed and hierarchy were
{191} inevitable products whose appearance could have been predicted,
but they were expressive of a certain growing cumbersomeness and a
slowing up of the thought and action of the mass of the people.
Henceforth, one of their religious duties was to believe fanatically
what bishops and councils promulgated and to obey the advice of their
superiors in matters of conduct. In this way, Christianity became a
religion of authority. We must not over-idealize the early
Christians--a reading of Paul's epistles would help to guard us against
that tendency--but the spirit of the primitive congregations was,
beyond much doubt, nobler than that which characterized the mobs of
Alexandria and of Byzantium. A perusal of _Hypatia_, for example, is
very apt to sober one's enthusiasm. We must remember that the bars of
admission were lowered as Christianity became powerful and popular.
Selection, which is one of the most attractive features of a new
movement, no longer acted. It was at this period that Christianity
developed its _cult_ aspect. It became a religion of the imagination,
of the sensuous, as well as of the will and the intellect. Ancient art
and liturgy gave their contributions and Christianity moved from the
catacombs to the basilica and the cathedral.

As Churc