The Rise of the Mediaeval Church / And Its Influence on the Civilization of Western Europe from the First to the Thirteenth Century

by Alexander Clarence Flick

(4) The Jews, scattered over the world,[48:3] befriended by Julius Cæsar, given legal status as a sect by Augustus, expelled in vain by Tiberius and Claudius, spread a knowledge of the living God over the whole Empire before Christ appeared. Synagogues were numerous, and many Gentiles became converts to monotheism.[48:4] These converts were the first to accept the teachings of Jesus, and in this way formed the nuclei of the Christian Church.

Thus Jerusalem the Holy City, Athens the city of culture, and Rome the city of power, combined to prepare the world so that the matchless ethical and religious

teaching of Jesus of Nazareth could capture the hearts and heads of men, replace the national religions, and become realised in the outward forms and inward beliefs of the Christian Church, which was soon to exercise a controlling power in the civilised world.

Sources

• A.—PRIMARY:
  • I.—JEWISH:
    • 1.—Old Testament.
    • 2.—Old Testament Apocrypha. Transl. by E. C. Bissell, N. Y., 1865-80.
    • 3.—Josephus (37-103 A.D.), Antiquities, and The Jewish War. Various eds. Whiston the standard.
    • 4.—Philo Judæus (20 B.C.-40 A.D.), Works. Transl. by C. D. Yonge. In Bohn, Lond., 1854-5. 4 vols.
    • 5.—The Talmud. Transl. by Bodkinson and revised by Wise, N. Y., 1896.
    • 6.—Lardner, Jewish and Heathen Testimonies. Works, vii., Lond., 1788.
  • II.—PAGAN:
    • 1.—Greek:
      • 1.—The classics. Bohn Lib. Excellent. Fine transl. by W. H. Appleton, Bost., 1893.
      • 2.—Polybius (204-122 B.C.), Histories. Transl. by E. S. Schuckburgh. 2 vols. Lond., 1889.
      • 3.—Strabo (62 B.C.-24 A.D.), Geography. Transl. by Falconer and Hamilton, Lond., 1890. 2 vols. Bohn Lib.
    • 2.—Latin:
      • 1.—Virgil (70-19 B.C.), Works. Bohn Lib., 1894; Morley Univ. Lib., 1884.
      • 2.—Horace (65-8 B.C.), Works. Transl. by Lonsdale and Lee, Lond., 1873. Best complete Eng. ed. is by Wickham. 2 vols. Oxf., 1887, 1892.
      • 3.—Livy (59 B.C.-17 A.D.), Works. Bohn Lib., 1850. Transl. by Stephenson, Lond., 1883-90.
      • 4.—Ovid (43 B.C.-17 A.D.), Works. Bohn Lib. Transl. by H. T. Riley, Lond., 1852.
      • 5.—Lucan (39-65 A.D.), Pharsalia. Transl. by H. T. Riley, Lond., 1853. Bohn Lib.
      • 6.—Seneca (3-65 A.D.), Works. Transl. by T. Lodge, Lond., 1620. Bohn Lib. has partial list.
      • 7.—Pliny (61-115 A.D.), Works. Transl. by Milmoth and Bosauquet, Lond., 1878.
      • 8.—Tacitus (54-119 A.D.), Works. Bohn Lib., 1848. 2 vols. Transl. by Church and Brodribb, Lond., 1877.
      • 9.—Juvenal (47-130 A.D.), Works. Bohn Lib. Transl. by Strong and Leeper, Lond., 1882.
      • 10.—Suetonius (75-160 A.D.), Lives of the Twelve Cæsars. Bohn Lib., 1855. Transl. by C. Whibley, Lond., 1899. 2 vols.
  • III.—CHRISTIAN:
    • 1.—New Testament. (27 canonical books).
    • 2.—New Testament Apocrypha. In Ante-Nic. Christ. Lib., vol. 16.
    • 3.—Justin Martyr (103-164 A.D.), Apologies. Ib., vol. ii., 1-84; Am. ed., vol. i.
    • 4.—Tertullian (104-216 A.D.), Apology. Ante-Nic. Christ. Lib., xi., 53-140. Several other transls.
    • 5.—Minicius Felix (?), Octavius. Ibid., xiii.
    • 6.—Eusebius (d. 340), The Evangelical Preparation. Transl. by H. Street, Lond., 1842.
    • 7.—St. Augustine (d. 430), The City of God. Nic. and Post-Nic. Fathers. Buf., 1886-90. ii., 16-621. Other transls.
• B.—SECONDARY:
  • I.—SPECIAL:
    • 1.—Breed, D. R., A History of the Preparation of the World for Christ. N. Y., 1893.
    • 2.—Döllinger, J. J. I., The Gentile and the Jew. Lond., 1862. 2 vols.
    • 3.—Fisher, G. P., Beginnings of Christianity. N. Y., 1877.
    • 4.—Hardwick, C., Christ and Other Masters. Lond., 1875. 2 vols.
    • 5.—Hausrath, A., History of the New Testament Times. Lond., 1895. 4 vols.
    • 6.—Maurice, F. D., Religions of the World. Lond. and Bost., 1854.
    • 7.—Pressensé, De E., Religions before Christ. Edinb., 1862.
    • 8.—Shahan, J. T., The Beginnings of Christianity. N. Y., 1904.
    • 9.—Trench, R. C., Christ the Desire of all Nations. Camb., 1846.
    • 10.—Uhlhorn, G., Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism. Lond., 1880.
    • 11.—Wernle, P., The Beginnings of Christianity. Lond., 1908. 2 vols.
  • II.—GENERAL:
    • Alzog, i., § 24-31. Backhouse, E., Early Ch. Hist., ch. 1. Baur, i., 1-43. Blunt, J. H., Key to Ch. Hist., ch. 1. Bouzique, i., Intr. Burton, E., Lects. on Eccles. Hist. (to 3d cent.). Catterille, H., Genesis of the Ch., ch. 1. Cheetham, ch. 1. Cox, H., First Cent. of Christianity, i., chs. 1-10. Darras, i., ch. 1. Döllinger, Hist. of the Ch., i., ch. 1, sec. 1-2. Duff, ch. 1-6. Farrar, F. W., Early Days of Christianity, bk. i., ch. 1. Fisher, pd. i., ch. 1. Gibbon, i.-ii. Gieseler, i., sec. 8-19. Gilmartin, i., sec. 2-3. Guericke, pp. 21-28. Hase, 13-23. Hurst, i., 61-87. Jackson, F. J. F., Hist. of the Christ. Ch. (to 461), ch. 2. Janes, L. G., A Study of Prim. Christ., chs. 1-2. Killen, ch. 1. Kurtz, i., sec. 6-12. Milman, Hist. of Christ. (to 4th cent.), ch. 1. Milner, i., cent. i. Moeller, i., 26-48. Mosheim, 11-30. Neander, i., 1-69. Robertson, bk. i., ch. 1. Schaff, i., ch. 1. Waddington, ch. 1.

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FOOTNOTES:

[40:1] Mommsen, v., chs. 11-12; Merivale, i., ch. 1; iv., ch. 39; Liddell, ii., ch. 71; Bury's Gibbon, i., chs. 1-3; Finlay, i., ch. 1.

[41:1] 1 Tim. ii., 2. Epictetus wrote: "Cæsar has promised us a profound peace; there are neither wars, nor battles, nor great robberies, nor piracy."—Dis., iii., 13.

[41:2] Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul. Lond., 1878. Bergier, Histoire des Grands Chemins de l'Empire Romain.