e of the new
religion, and a corresponding depreciation of its quality,--this was the
early stage of Christianity. It vanquished and destroyed the Greek-Roman
mythology, already half dead. Philosophy strove with it in vain,--there
was no real meeting-ground between the two systems. The final appeal of
the Stoic was to reason. The Christian theologians thought they
reasoned, but their argumentation was feeble save at one point. But that
was the vital point,--experience. Christianity, in its mixture of ardor,
credulity, and morality had somehow a power to give to common men and
women a nobility and gladness of living which Stoicism could not inspire
in them. So it was the worthier of the two antagonists that triumphed in
the strife.

Ideally, there ought to have been no strife. Christianity and ethical
philosophy ought to have worked side by side, until the religion of
Reason and the religion of Love understood each other and blended in one.
Destined they were to blend, but not for thousands of years. The new
religion brooked no rivalry and no rebellion. It swayed the world
despotically, but the beginning and secret of its power was that it had
captured the world's heart. Its best watchwords were Faith, Hope, Love.

In a word, civilized mankind, having outgrown the earlier nature-worship,
and having found the philosophic reason inadequate to provide a
satisfying way of life, accepted a new mythology, because it was inspired
by ideas which were powerful to guide, to inspire, and to console. For
many centuries we shall look in vain for any serious study of human life
except in conformity to the Christian mythology.

The Roman world was submerged by the invasion of the northern tribes.
There was a violent collision of peoples, manners, sentiments, usages; a
subversion of the luxurious, intelligent, refined, and effete
civilization; a rough infusion of barbaric vigor and barbaric ignorance.
The marvelous conflict, commingling, and emergence of a thousand years,
through which the classic society was replaced by the mediaeval society,
cannot even be summarized in these brief paragraphs. The point on which
our theme requires attention is that the religion of this period had its
form and substance in the Catholic church; and of this church the twin
aspects were an authoritative government administered by popes, councils,
bishops, and priests, and a conception of the supernatural world equally
definite and authori