? "Sayings of Jesus"

65 "Letters to the Seven Churches"
(Rev. 1-3) etc.

66 "Little Apocalypse"
(Mark 13)?

? Gospel of Mark (70+)
? Epistle of James

Gospel of Matthew (80+)
? Gospel of Luke (85+)
? I Peter? Jude

? Epistle to Hebrews
? Acts of Apostles (90+)
95 Apocalypse of John
? I Clement

? 1-2 Timothy, Titus
? 1-2-3 John

? Gospel of John (90-110)
115 Letters of Ignatius

117 Epistle of Polycarp

? "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles"
120 Quadratus' Apology
130 "Epistle of Barnabas"
135 "Shepherd" of Hermas
140 Aristides' Apology
? Epistle to Diognetus
? 2 Peter (about 150)
150 Tatian's "Oration"

150 Justin's Apology and Dialogue

FOREWORD

ALTHOUGH an independent work, the present volume forms a sequel to The Life and Times of Jesus, already published in this series. Together they provide an elementary outline of the rise of the Christian religion, from the birth, ministry, and passion of Jesus to the triumph of Christianity under Constantine. Their aim is to enable the pupil to realize vividly the historical facts and personalities, and to appreciate the chief factors in this immensely important development. This can only be accomplished if the pupil himself takes serious interest in the course, faithfully prepares the lessons, and goes over with notebook at his side the Study Topics assigned.

As with the earlier volume, the principles involved in teaching this course and suggested methods of treatment are discussed in the Teacher's Manual which is to accompany it.

CHAPTER I

THE ROMAN WORLD

THE world in which Christianity arose was almost entirely under the dominion of the Roman Empire. From about the middle of the third century before Christ, as a result of the wars with Carthage, the Roman rule had been gradually extended beyond the borders of Italy until the whole Mediterranean coast was under its control. At the death of the Emperor Augustus (14 A. D.) this vast empire, divided into provinces, stretched from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to the Euphrates River, the Arabian Desert, and the shores of the Red Sea on the east: and from the English Channel, the Rhine and the Danube Rivers and the Black Sea on the north to the Sahara Desert and the first cataract of the Nile on the south. The rest of the known world was made up of the uncivilized or savage tribes living north of the Rhine and the Danube, the nomads of the deserts south and east, the fierce and turbulent Parthians beyond the Euphrates, the independent kingdom of Armenia, and the remote and little-known lands of Ethiopia, India, and China. Thus the world in which Christianity arose the known and civilized world of the west-was almost completely under Roman dominion.

PHYSICAL FEATURES AND POPULATION

A glance at the map shows the empire divided throughout its length by the Mediterranean Sea, and divided throughout its breadth by both the Mediterranean and