Transcriber's Note:
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfullyaspossible, including some inconsistencies of hyphenation. Somechanges of spelling and punctuation have been made. They are listedat the end of the text.
The University of Chicago
THE TRANSFORMATION OFEARLY CHRISTIANITY FROMAN ESCHATOLOGICALTO A SOCIALIZEDMOVEMENT
A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTYOF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND LITERATUREIN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OFDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY IN THE GRADUATE DIVINITY SCHOOL
BY
LYFORD PATERSON EDWARDS
The Collegiate Press
GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY
MENASHA, WISCONSIN
1919
CONTENTS
| Chapter I. | Political Theories of the Early Christians | 1 |
| Chapter II. | The Early Church and Property Concepts | 24 |
| Chapter III. | The Early Church and the Populace | 50 |
| Chapter IV. | Chiliasm and Patriotism | 70 |
| Chapter V. | Chiliasm and Social Theory | 83 |
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CHAPTER I
THE POLITICAL THEORIES OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS
When Christianity came into the world it found a number of differentpolitical theories already in existence. These various conflictingconcepts; Hebrew, Greek and Roman, influenced Christianity in varyingdegrees and in varying degrees were influenced by Christianity.Christianity as such added no new ideas to the current stock ofpolitical notions. The Hebrew Christian retained his Jewish theory; asdid the Greek and the Roman in perhaps a less degree. The development ofthe Christian conception of the state, the Church, and history generallyis a process of elimination, selection, adaptation, and synthesis of thevarious elements of political theory current in contemporary Hebrew andpagan thought.
The characteristic modern separation of Church and State, the divorcebetween religion and government, existed as a matter of fact in earlyChristianity. But it was forced upon the Christians by the historicalsituation. As an idea it was foreign alike to Jews and Christians,Greeks and Romans. It was contrary to the whole body of contemporarypolitical theory. The union of Church and State in the Fourth century,which has been so deplored by many modern historians and moralists wasin reality perfectly inevitable. The social mind of the whole ancientworld made any other course impossible either to Christians or Pagansonce Christianity had developed to the point where it was the mostpowerful religious force in society.
The theocratic nature of Jewish thought and practice is generallyrecognized but the close connection of religion and government in thepagan educational system is not perhaps so much emphasized. To quotePollock: "It costs us something to realize the full importance ofphilosophy to the Greek or Roman citizen who ha