History of the Church

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH In this section of the article attention is specially directed to the activity of the Roman Catholic Church as an organized society in relation to the human society of the State.

Thus considered the subject is conveniently divided into five sections. 1. The period to 313, of open war. 2. The period from 313 to the middle of the 8th century, of uneasy alliance with the State encroaching on the Church. 3. The period from the 8th to the nth century. This is chaotic, and the relations of Church and State are variable, but generally the State as represented mainly by the petty nobles of Europe, has practical control.

4. The period from the r r th to the 16th century: during this there is again an alliance, but the Church is the dominant partner. Both the alliance and the dominance however weaken steadily.

5. The period down to our own time, mainly of rebellion of State against the Church, and of fluctuating alliances of the Church with different States.

A.

The First Period.—As space forbids detailed treatment we must carefully expound the principles to be used in judging facts elsewhere more fully disclosed. Christianity was always unique; like the Jews, Christians were theocratic ; but they were not confined to one nation. Pagans usually conceived of external religion as the business of the State. Thus the Jews were perse cuted because they would not admit this secular authority in religion. This refusal the Christians maintained ; they were ready "to honour the king," to obey the State in all secular matters, but religion was entirely outside secular control. Moreover they had none of the Jewish exclusiveness, but from the first were so active amongst the Gentiles that these very soon outnumbered the Jewish Christians. Thus the Christian Church was always a kingdom which refused authority in its own sphere to any other power, and was yet a kingdom that knew no boundaries. It was this that rendered inevitable conflict with pagan States, and diffi culties with Christian States.

In this period three achievements are of importance. First the Church freed herself from Jewish prejudices, which many of her first members showed, and which would have hampered her ex pansion. Then she established her own independence of secular control in religion. Finally she developed the fundamental organ isation inherent in her constitution as a true society, and neces sary for her mission to preach Christ's teaching and to supply to men those means of eternal salvation which Christ had instituted. To sum up and to repeat the principles without which Christian history cannot be understood : the business of the Church is to help men to be eternally saved ; this work is all-important, and in its performance of this supreme task the Church can recognise no earthly superior.

In the destruction of Jewish separatism the chief agents were the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul. Others co-operated, and,—for some force must be allowed to the tradition attesting this,—even preached in parts so remote that they were beyond the practical control of the central authority. But S. Peter was undoubtedly the leader who first realized that the Church was to include all peoples, and S. Paul was the most active preacher to the civilised pagans of the Greco-Roman world. Christ intended the society of His followers to be world-wide. But after Pentecost the Apostles at first confined their preaching to the Jews. St. Peter, however, received into the Church a Roman, Cornelius, and his household. Shortly afterwards St. Paul began his missions to the pagans, and met with fair success. The presence of this Gentile element led to a dispute on the obligatory force of the Jewish law. This dispute was settled against the Judaisers by a Council at Jerusalem in accordance with St. Peter's decision fully accepted by the others for whom St. James spoke.

This increased the hostility of the Jewish leaders. Their opposi tion led to the first contact between the Church and the State. At Thessalonica, for example, the Jews renewed against the Chris tians the accusation of their priests against Christ that His teach ing was treasonable because it recognised another king than Caesar. At first indeed the State took no action conceiving of the whole affair as merely a strife about some Jewish rites. But the Jews were in disfavour themselves, and gradually this dis favour was directed towards the Christians, to the pagans merely the outcasts of the outcast Jews. The first attack upon the Church was made to find scapegoats for the imperial misdeeds. But the persecution was renewed at intervals during the next three centuries. For convenience this almost persistent attack has been divided into ten persecutions, but actually there was one long struggle of varying degrees of bitterness. The test im posed upon Christians that they should worship the gods and the Emperor shows the true nature of the conflict. The pagan world could not allow the Christian "imperium in imperio." Christians on the other hand could not accept secular control of religion, and must either reject it unto death or cease to be members of the Christian society. Sometimes the imperial authorities tried to permit Christians to live unmolested, but always the persecution was renewed. Even under the most favourable Emperors, even under Gallienus (26o-27o) who recognised Christianity as a lawful religion, there were martyrs. Hence we can say that under the pagan Empire Christians knew little peace. As long as a tem poral ruler could claim authority over religion the Church would always be in danger.