362 ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE 



monsters like Nero, but under such virtuous sovereigns 

 as Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. In 202 A.D., 

 Severus instituted a persecution which lasted about ten 

 years. A short but very severe and universal persecution 

 also took place under Decius,* which was renewed by 

 Valerian, 257 A.D. In 303, Diocletian ordered all the 

 sacred buildings and books of the Christians to be 

 destroyed, and his persecution was one of the most 

 severe of all ; but it was the last. 



The exceedingly rapid spread of Christianity through 

 the empire is largely to be accounted for by the pre- 

 paration unconsciously made for it in pious minds by 

 that fermentation of religion and philosophy at Home, 

 which took place during the first two centuries of our 

 era, as has above been briefly indicated. The changes 

 which thus prepared the way for Christianity were : (i) 

 the revival of Roman religion under Augustus ; (2) its 

 progress up to and beyond the time of the Antonines ; 



(3) the inculcation of benevolence and philanthropy ; 



(4) the anxiety as to the state of the soul after death, 

 and the fears of such infernal punishments as were 

 depicted by Virgil ; (5) the increasing tendency towards 

 monotheism ; and (6) the sacerdotalism introduced with 

 the advent of Pagan religions from the East. 



To the wants thus indicated, Christianity marvellously 

 responded, and the good tendencies previously developed 

 were by it greatly intensified. The old system, without 

 Christianity, could never have adequately responded to 

 the needs and aspirations of the men of those days, and 

 for the following reasons: (i) however strong or wide- 

 spread might have been the tendency amongst the Pagans 

 to attain to a conception of the unity of God, it was 

 impossible for them, while maintaining their polytheistic 



* See ante, p. 352. 



