The Synoptic Problem and Acts--Inspiration--Communism--Messianic
doctrine--The Christ--The Son of Man--The Son of God . . . . . 36

CHAPTER III

ANTIOCH

The spread of Christianity--Damascus--The Hellenist
missionaries--Paul's visit to Jerusalem--The source-criticism
of Acts--The traditions of Jerusalem and Antioch . . . . . . . 57

CHAPTER IV

CORINTH

Christianity as a Graeco-Oriental cult--Salvation--The
reasons for the victory of Christianity--Jesus as an historic
person--The personality of Jesus--The Fatherhood of
God--Baptism--Immortality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

{x}

CHAPTER V

ROME AND EPHESUS

Paul's contribution--Adoptionism--Roman
documents--Romans--Hebrews--1 Peter--1 Clement--Hermas--Baptism
and repentance--Pre-existent Christology--The later Epistles--The
Fourth Gospel--The doctrine of the Logos--Justin
Martyr--Origen--Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

APPENDIX

The Interpretation of _The Shepherd of Hermas_. By F. S.
Mackenzie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

ADDITIONAL NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

{1}

I

GALILEE

At first sight the historian of religions appears to be faced by a
number of clearly distinguished entities, to each of which he feels
justified in giving the name of a separate religion; but on further
consideration it becomes obvious that each one of these entities has
been in a condition of flux throughout its history. Each began as a
combination or synthesis of older forms of thought with comparatively
little new in its composition; each ended by disintegrating into many
elements, of which the worst disappeared, while the best were taken up
into new life in some new religion. The movement was more marked at
some times than at others, and the differentiation of the various
religions depends chiefly on the recognition of these moments of more
rapid change. But the process never really stopped; from beginning to
end new elements were constantly absorbed and old elements dropped.
For religion lives through the death of religions.

Nothing illustrates this so well as the history of Christianity, for no
religion is so well-known. The {2} facts are plainly visible, and
would be plainly seen by all, were it not for the general tendency of
ecclesiastical schol