which he went was probably the northern portion
stretching up to the east of Syria, almost to Damascus itself. The
Apostle of the Gentiles may probably have revisited this country at a
later period; but, at any rate, we know that Christianity was firmly
established there early in the third century, and that Origen made two
several journeys thither between A.D. 220 and A.D. 248, to combat
heresies which troubled the Arabian Church. The Bishop of Bostra, or
Bozrah, was present at the Council of Antioch, A.D. 269. [Sidenote:
Nestorianism and Eutychianism in Arabia.] In the fifth century the
errors of Nestorius, and, a little later, of Eutyches, made great
inroads amongst {87} the Christians of Arabia, several even of the
Bishops being led away by them.

[Sidenote: St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew in India.]

There is an ancient tradition that St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew laid
the foundations of the CHURCH IN INDIA, but very little is known of its
early history. Pantaenus is said to have been sent as a missionary
from Alexandria to India towards the end of the second century, though
it is a matter in dispute whether by India in this case we are to
understand the country now known under that name, or Ethiopia, or
Arabia Felix.

There are still Christians in India who reverence St. Thomas as their
founder, and use a liturgy which goes by his name. Nestorianism spread
to India in the fifth century.

The Church is believed to have been planted in CHINA by St. Thomas and
St. Bartholomew, and the Chinese are mentioned by Arnobius in the
fourth century amongst those nations which had received the Gospel. It
does not seem, however, that Christianity existed for any length of
time in this country.

[1] See Chap. V.

[2] In speaking of the Greek Church of the present day, we usually
understand the whole body of orthodox Eastern Christians, and not
merely those dwelling in Greece itself.

{88}

CHAPTER VIII

The Inroads of Mahometanism

A.D. 609-A.D. 732

[Sidenote: Arianism prepares the way for Mahometanism.]

The various heresies, and especially the heresy of Arius, which had so
widely troubled the peace of the Eastern Church, though they were not
suffered by God's Mercy to cause a lasting schism, yet left behind them
a certain weakness resulting in the decay of many of the Churches of
the East, and finally in their overthrow by the false faith of the
impostor Mahomet. The present state of the Churc