d this
before) was tolerant through indifference. It allowed everybody to
seek salvation after his or her own fashion. But it insisted that the
different sects keep the peace among themselves and obey the wise rule
of "live and let live."

The Christian communities however, refused to practice any sort of
tolerance. They publicly declared that their God, and their God alone,
was the true ruler of Heaven and Earth, and that all other gods
were imposters. This seemed unfair to the other sects and the police
discouraged such utterances. The Christians persisted.

Soon there were further difficulties. The Christians refused to go
through the formalities of paying homage to the emperor. They refused
to appear when they were called upon to join the army. The Roman
magistrates threatened to punish them. The Christians answered that this
miserable world was only the ante-room to a very pleasant Heaven and
that they were more than willing to suffer death for their principles.
The Romans, puzzled by such conduct, sometimes killed the offenders, but
more often they did not. There was a certain amount of lynching during
the earliest years of the church, but this was the work of that part
of the mob which accused their meek Christian neighbours of every
conceivable crime, (such as slaughtering and eating babies, bringing
about sickness and pestilence, betraying the country in times of danger)
because it was a harmless sport and devoid of danger, as the Christians
refused to fight back.

Meanwhile, Rome continued to be invaded by the Barbarians and when her
armies failed, Christian missionaries went forth to preach their gospel
of peace to the wild Teutons. They were strong men without fear of
death. They spoke a language which left no doubt as to the future of
unrepentant sinners. The Teutons were deeply impressed. They still had a
deep respect for the wisdom of the ancient city of Rome. Those men were
Romans. They probably spoke the truth. Soon the Christian missionary
became a power in the savage regions of the Teutons and the Franks. Half
a dozen missionaries were as valuable as a whole regiment of soldiers.
The Emperors began to understand that the Christian might be of great
use to them. In some of the provinces they were given equal rights with
those who remained faithful to the old gods. The great change however
came during the last half of the fourth century.

Constantine, sometimes (Heaven knows why) called Constantine