THE DOGMA OF EVOLUTION 



the Empire. The thoughtless sought relief in gross 

 materialism or tried to dull their apprehensions by 

 cultivating the mystical religions of the Orient. In 

 the ferment of the times, there appeared the new re- 

 ligion of Christianity which gradually permeated so- 

 ciety from below and brought to its allegiance those 

 who could find no satisfaction in life. Its power lay 

 in the emphasis it placed on the inner peace of mind 

 which comes from a virtuous and simple life, and in 

 the hope of immortality by a communion with the 

 miraculous divinity of Jesus. While the spread of 

 Christianity was undoubtedly to be the greatest fac- 

 tor in the regeneration of European civilization, it is 

 equally true that its success added a spirit of active 

 hostility to the indifference of Rome towards the in- 

 vestigation of natural phenomena and law. 



We may roughly trace the periods from the down- 

 fall of Greece to the renaissance of science. We first 

 note an interval of decline of scientific inquiry which 

 lasted for three centuries owing to the indifference of 

 Rome. Interest is limited to the cultivation of the 

 mathematical sciences in the school of Alexandria 

 which, besides a number of men of ability, produced 

 two of great originality and power — Hipparchus 

 (160-120 B.C.) in astronomy, and Hero (170-117 

 B.C.) in physics. 



Beginning with the second century after Christ, the 

 attitude towards science became increasingly influ- 



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