Chapter VI: Book II

THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN IN THE EARLY
DAYS OF THE FAITH

INTRODUCTORY 101

I

NUMBERS OF CHRISTIANS IN THE EARLY DAYS

Certain reasons to which the rapid acceptance of
Christianity was owing--The great numbers of the early
converts is borne witness to by pagan authors, such as
Tacitus and Pliny, and by Christian contemporary writers
such as Clement of Rome, Hermas, Irenæus, and others--The
testimony of the Roman catacombs described in detail in
Fourth Book is also referred to 102

II

THE ASSEMBLIES OF CHRISTIANS

These “assemblies” constituted a powerful factor in the
acceptance and organization of the religion of Jesus--Their
high importance is recognized by the great teachers of
the first days--Quotations from these are given 107

III

OF WHOM THESE PRIMITIVE “ASSEMBLIES” WERE COMPOSED

Information respecting these early meetings of Believers
is supplied by leading Christian teachers--Quotations from
these are given 110

IV

WHAT WAS TAUGHT AND DONE IN THESE “ASSEMBLIES”

A general picture of one of them by Justin Martyr--(_A_)
Dogmatic teaching given in these meetings--(_B_)
Almsgiving--Is shown to be an inescapable duty--Is pressed
home by early masters of Christianity on the faithful--All
offerings made were, however, purely voluntary--No communism
was ever taught or hinted at in the early Church--(_C_)
Special dogmatic instruction respecting the value of
almsgiving was given by some early teachers--Several of these
instructions are given here--(_D_) Apart from this somewhat
strange dogmatic teaching on the value of almsgiving, the
general duty of almsgiving was most strongly impressed on the
faithful--Passages emphasizing this from very early writers
are here quoted--(_E_) Special recipients of these alms are
particularized; amongst these, in the first place, widows and
orphans, and the sick, appear--(_F_) These alms in some cases
were not to be confined to the Household of Faith--(_G_)
Hospitality to strangers is enjoined--References here are
given from several prominent early teachers--Help to prisoners
for the Name’s sake enjoined--Assistance to be given to poorer
Churches is recommended--(_H_) Burial expenses for the dead
among the poorer brethren are to be partly defrayed from the
“alms” contributed at the assemblies, partly from private
sources--Lactantius, in his summary of Christian duties,
dwells markedly on this duty--Important witness of the Roman
catacombs here 113

V

THE SLAVE IN EARLY CHRISTIAN LIFE

Position in Christian society--How the slave was regarded
in the “assemblies”--Paulinus of Nola quoted on the general
Christian estimate of a slave--How this novel view of the
slave was looked on by pagans 134

A general summary of the effect which all this teaching
current in the primitive “assemblies” had on the policy
and work of the Church in subsequent ages 137

VI

DIFFICULTIES IN ORDINARY LIFE AMONG THE EARLY CHRISTIANS

Difficulties in common life for the Christian who
endeavoured to carry out the precepts and teaching given
in the “assemblies” are sketched--In family life--In
trades--In the amusements of the people--In civil
employments--In the army--In matters of education--A
general summary of such difficulties is quoted from De
Broglie (_l’Église et l’Empire_) 140

VII

THE ASCETIC AND THE MORE PRACTICAL SCHOOLS OF TEACHING

Two schools of teaching, showing how these difficulties
were to be met, evidently existed in the early Church--(_A_)
_The school of Rigourists_--Tertullian is a good example of
a teacher of this school--Effect of this school on
artisans--On popular amusements--On soldiers of the
Legions--On slaves--On family life--From this stern school
came the majority of the martyrs--(_B_) _The gentler and
more practical school_--exemplified in such writings as the
Dialogue of Minucius Felix and in writings of Clement of
Alexandria, etc.--Results of the teaching of the _gentler
school_--Art was still possible among Christians, although
permeated with heathen symbols--The Christian might still
continue to live in the Imperial court--might remain in the
civil service--in the army, etc.--Examples for such
allowances found in Old Testament writings--(_C_) The
_Rigourist_ school again dwelt on--Its great influence on
the pagan empire--The final victory of Christianity was
largely owing to the popular impression of the life and
conduct of followers of this school--This impression was
voiced by fourth century writers such as Prudentius and
Paulinus of Nola, and is shown in the work of Pope Damasus
in the catacombs 144

VIII

WHAT THE RELIGION OF JESUS OFFERED IN RETURN FOR THIS HARD
LIFE TO RIGOURISTS, AND IN A SLIGHTLY LESS DEGREE TO ALL
FOLLOWERS OF THE SECOND SCHOOL

(_A_) Freedom from ever-present fear of death--S. Paul,
Ignatius, and especially epitaphs in the Roman catacombs
are referred to here--(_B_) New terminology
for death, burial, etc., used--(_C_) The ever-present
consciousness of forgiveness of sins--(_D_) Hope of
immediate bliss after death--The power of the revelation
of S. John in early Christian life--(_E_) Was
Christian life in the early centuries after all a dreary
existence, as the pagans considered it? 153

BOOK III

THE INNER LIFE OF THE CHURCH