CHRISTIANITY. Christianity is a name for the religion which was founded by Jesus Christ. At first it was regarded as an hereti cal sect of Judaism, and, in appearance, it was little more. Its Founder was a Jew who always spoke with respect of his ancestral religion, attended upon its worship and reverenced its sacred books. Its earliest adherents were Jews who were devotedly attached to the traditions and customs of their people, and who were far from supposing that in becoming disciples of Christ they were taking a step which would, at length, separate them from the religion of their fathers.
It is, indeed, a matter of dispute whether Jesus himself contemplated such a result. Some believe that he hoped to do the work of a re former and to induce the Jewish people to adopt his •religious ideals without separating himself or his disciples from the congregation of Israel. In view of all the circumstances this supposition seems improbable. The ritualism and traditional ism of late Judaism and the radical ethicism of Jesus were too diverse to admit of reconcilia tion. As he himself expressed it, his country men who were accustomed to the old wine of Jewish thought and custom would not straight way desire new, and his teaching was new wine which would not be confined in the old wine. skins of Judaism (Luke v, 37-39). Accordingly, the separation which Jesus' experience at the hands of his countrymen had betokened became more and more complete as time went on. The teaching of men who discerned and emphasized the contrast between Judaism and Christianity — especially that of the apostle Paul—the in tense missionary spirit of the early Christians and the downfall of the Jewish state in 70 were among the circumstances which completed the separation of the two forms of faith and started Christianity on its career as one of the great world religions.
In speaking of the religion of Christ, fwe must refer primarily to his own teaching, and that of his early disciples. This we may the more properly do since all Christians agree that for obtaining a knowledge of the principles of their religion recourse must be had to the writ ings of the New Testament as being, in some sense, formative. Despite the dif
ferences of opinion which have obtained in the Christian world, there are certain great, general convictions which Christians share in common and which may be said to underlie or constitute the claims of the Christian religion on its own behalf.
Chief among these claims is this, that the unique personality, teaching and influence of Jesus Christ give to him a supreme place among the 'religious teachers 01 the world. All Chris tians would assert the incomparable elevation and excellence of the morality which he taught and illustrated, and would maintain that the in fluence of his example upon the life of the world has been most salutary: They would agree that a revelation of God is to be seen in the person and lifework of Jesus, however widely they might differ as to the method, nature and scope• of that revelation. It is a general Christian conviction that the moral effects of Christianity in the world have been such, on the whole, as to constitute an evidence of its divine origin and character. These intro ductory considerations must now be further elaborated.
Christianity and Christ.—How did Christ become the Founder of a new religion? We, must answer: By the personal influence and inspiration which he exercised upon those who associated themselves with him. He did not_ adopt the methods of the political organizer. He created no party; led no uprising; elaborated no formal program. Other founders of re ligions have generally been the authors of elaborate books of rules and doctrines; less} wrote nothing. He was not an organizer or an aggressive leader of men. He advocated no revolution, except the moral revolution of the inner life. He moved quietly about along the highways and among the villages of Galilee and Judea, speaking to men about God and life and duty, and thus initiating a movement which has transformed the world.