Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 667

Chap. Y]

§ 101.

THE PERKJD OF NAIVETY

643

was still so little understood that, with Clement and Origen, the victory was bought at the price and the influence of " the knowlof weakness of principle raises its head in heretical which called," so falsely edge of the Church already in pale very the entered teachings, decision in this strife had the therefore, If, this first period.

of this antithesis

;

been reached by a hand-to-hand combat of intellectual powers, there is no doubt but that Paganism would have carried the Evidently, therefore, the Church owes the different day. result to the fact that it soon began to manifest itself as an organizing power, which ethically judged the pagan world,

and

finally enlisted the political

power

in its ranks.

Hence

the severest trial was suffered at the hands of the INlanicheans, which is so impressive a phenomenon for the reason that in

an antipodal Church arrayed itself as a religiously organized power in opposition to the Church of Christ, and the false gnosis of Manicheanism assailed the Church with her own weapons. And this Manichean trouble assumed such wide proportions that for a time it seemed as though the Church were on the verge of being swallowed up alive. The flood of this church-like organized gnosis had forced its way from the heart of Asia to the most westerly parts of North this

Even Augustine

Africa.

felt

the after-pains of

it.

asked whether in this first period there was no manifestation of an impulse to apply oneself in a positive sense to that intellectual pursuit in which theology finds its appointed task, then be it said that this positive element If

it

is

soon presented itself; for ministers needed to be educated, preaching necessitated exegesis and fixing of ethical standards, the organization of its own power gave rise to the problem of Church government, and, after some time had passed, the need of a review of history became urgent of

itself.

But

for

no single moment did these positive

or where this studies rise above the primitive water-mark vain a show too made they Alexandria, at as case, the was ;

borrowed from pagan speculation, so that almost instinctively the Church perceived at once that this rich development promised more danger than gain. If it takes small of feathers

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