e only thing which was left to man.

Henceforth there is nothing between the personality and the infinite
God. A direct relation with Him must be established. Man was no
longer capable of himself becoming divine, in a greater or less
degree. He was simply man, standing in a direct but outward relation
to God. This brought quite a new note into the conception of the world
for those who knew the point of view held in the ancient Mysteries.
There were many people in this position during the first centuries of
Christianity. They knew the nature of the Mysteries. If they wished to
become Christians, they were obliged to come to an understanding with
the older conceptions. This brought them most difficult conflicts
within their souls. They sought in most various ways to effect a
settlement between the two tendencies in the conception of the world.
This conflict is reflected in the writings of early Christian times:
in those of heathens attracted by the sublimity of Christianity, as
well as in the writings of those Christians who found it hard to give
up the conceptions of the Mysteries. Slowly did Christianity grow out
of these Mysteries. On the one hand Christian convictions were
presented in the form of the Mystery truths, and on the other, the
Mystery wisdom was clothed in Christian words.

Clement of Alexandria (ob. 217 A.D.), a Christian writer whose
education had been pagan, is an instance of this, "God has not
forbidden us to rest from good deeds when keeping the sabbath. He
permits those who can grasp them to share in the divine mysteries and
in the sacred light. He has not revealed to the crowd what is not
suitable for them. He judged it fitting to reveal it only to a few,
who are able to grasp it and to work out in themselves the unspeakable
mystery which God confided to the Logos, not to the written word. And
God hath set some in the Church as apostles; and some prophets; and
some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ." Individual souls in those days sought by very different
paths to find the way from the ancient views to the Christian ones.
And the one who thought he was on the right path called others
heretics. In the meanwhile, the Church grew stronger and stronger as
an outward institution. The more power it gained, the more did the
path, recognised as the right one by the decisions of councils, take
t