mechanical, or sacerdotal peculiarities. With
experimental knowledge, with inspired insight, with fullest
authority, he set forth conclusions agreeing with the wisest
philosophy and confirmatory of our noblest hopes, namely, that a
conscious immortality awaits the soul in the many mansions of the
Father's house, which it enters on leaving the body, and where its
experience will depend upon ethical and spiritual conditions. To
this simple and sublime doctrine announced by Jesus, so rational
and satisfactory, we believe for reasons already explained that
the apostles joined various additional and modifying notions,
Judaic and Gentile, such as the local descent of Christ into the
prison world of the dead, his mission there, his visible second
coming, a bodily resurrection, a universal scenic judgment, and
other kindred views. The sum of results thus reached the Fathers
developed in greater detail, distinguishing and emphasizing them,
and also still further corrupting them with some additional
conceptions and fancies, Greek and Oriental, speculative and
imaginative. The peculiar theological work of the apostles in
regard to this subject was the organizing of the Persian Jewish
doctrine of the Pharisees, with a Christian complement and
modifications, around the person of Christ, and fixing so near in
the immediate future the period when it was to be consummated that
it might be looked for at any time. The peculiar theological work
of the Fathers in regard to the doctrine thus formed by the
apostles was twofold. First, being disappointed of the expected
speedy second coming of Christ, they developed the intermediate
state of the dead more fully, and made it more prominent.
Secondly, in the course of the long and vehement controversies
which sprang up, they were led to complete and systematize their
theology, to define their terms, to explain and defend their
doctrines, comparing them together and attempting to harmonize
them with history, reason, and ethics, as well as with Scripture
and tradition. In this way the patristic mind became familiar with
many processes of thought, with many special details, and with
some general principles, quite foreign to the apostolic mind.
Meanwhile, defining and systematizing went on, loose notions
hardened into rigid dogmas, free thought was hampered by
authority, the scheme generally received assumed the title of
orthodox, anathematizing all who dared to dissent, and the
fundamental outli