GENERAL VIEW OF THE FIRST PERIOD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
=Literature.=--_Allies_, Peter's Rock in Mohammed's Flood; _Newman_,
Historical Essays.
This period covered the time from the birth of Christ till the
Reformation. It included the early centuries of struggling Christianity,
in which old customs had to be combated, and the new ideas, born with
the coming of the Savior, and propagated by him and his followers, were
slowly and surely to take possession of the world. These fifteen
centuries embrace those generally known in history as the "Dark Ages,"
during which progress was indeed slow. But when we remember the
obstacles which, as we have seen, were to be met, the prejudice to be
set aside, the great changes inaugurated, and the limited means at
command, we marvel at the great results attained. Let us now briefly
examine some of the factors that are prominent in Christian education
during its first period.
1. _The apostles and Church Fathers were foremost in all educational
matters._--These men were not simply spiritual leaders; they caught the
spirit of the Master, and sought to instruct the head as well as the
heart. They established schools and themselves became teachers, directed
educational movements, formed courses of study, and by fostering
education furthered the success and perpetuity of Christianity. Men like
Paul, Origen, Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Augustine did much good,
not only in building up the Church, but also in promoting education, the
chief handmaid of the Church. Indeed, all educational progress during
the early Christian centuries centers around the names of these men.
2. _The Church was the sponsor of the schools._--During this long period
the State had not yet assumed the obligation of educating her youth, and
we find only rare instances of the State taking any part in the training
of the young. No attempt at universal education was made, and none could
be made, for the Church could not furnish the means to do it;
consequently nearly all educational effort was directed to training the
priesthood and providing for the perpetuity of the Church. The Church
was the mother of the schools, and to her fostering care alone do we owe
their establishment and maintenance during this long period. Her
authority was supreme, and acknowledged by all temporal powers; hence
the subjects studied in the schools and the persons chosen to share the
benefits of education were such as would subserve the interests of the
Church.
3. _The monasteries rendered valuable service to education._--They were
long the centers of learning, being the only places where schools
existed. They were the repositories of valuable manuscripts, which were
copied with marvelous diligence and preserved for future generations.
The monasteries adopted courses of study which, however incomplete, were
efficiently carried out, and formed the basis of future courses. The
influence of the monasteries for many centuries was of great value to
learning.
4. _The crusades brought new life into education._--While the crusades
were primarily religious movements, they were also educational in their
results. They infused new life into the stagnant conditions of Europe.
They aroused the people to physical and mental, as well as religious,
activity. They led to the establishment of schools and universities.
5. _The Teutonic peoples became an important instrument of
progress._--Rome began to decline, and the Teutons of the north, whom
Rome had never been able to subjugate, became her conquerors. The Latin
race had served a noble purpose in the world's history, but now another,
perhaps stronger race, joined in the work of civilization. The physical
and intellectual vigor of the various branches of the Teutonic
family,--the German, the Anglo-Saxon, the Scandinavian,--which has won
for them leadership in evangelization, in commerce, in conquest, and in
educational enterprise, showed itself unmistakably during the period
under discussion. These peoples now joined with the Latin peoples in
assuming the ever increasing responsibilities of Christian civilization,
and the interests of education were greatly enhanced and furthered
through these combined influences.
These are the principal agencies to which were committed the most vital
interests of humanity during the first fifteen centuries of the
Christian era. We shall see that some grave errors were made, errors
that blocked the path of improvement sometimes for centuries; we shall
find that narrowness, bigotry, prejudice, and ignorance often hindered
the introduction of truth because it did not coincide with tradition; we
shall see how the Church assumed prerogatives that did not belong to
her, especially in the field of scientific research, and thereby delayed
human progress; nevertheless, we shall ever remain thankful to these
agencies for the encouragement they gave to education, and for whatever
good results they were instrumental in attaining.