minds, and tended to fit them to become teachers of all men in whatever
station. Probably none of the apostles were under thirty. They were men
who had become settled in a life work. John, the youngest, was most
susceptible to spiritual teaching, and at length developed this nature so
fully that his spirit left his body in vision.[52] Painter expresses well
the method of instruction followed by Christ. He says: “He observes the
order of nature, and seeks only a gradual development,—‘first the blade,
then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.’ With His disciples,
He insists chiefly upon the _practical_ and _fundamental_ truths of
religion, _building_, as it were, a substantial framework in the
beginning, which the Holy Spirit was to conduct afterward to a harmonious
and beautiful completion.”[53]
[Sidenote: Visible results of His teaching]
It was thus that all the truths we call doctrines were taught. The lesson
on the resurrection was at the tomb of Lazarus; the one on Sabbath
observance was in the synagogue, healing the withered hand, or bidding
the dumb to speak. “One finds in His program,” says a French writer,
“neither literary studies nor course of theology. And yet, strange as
it may seem, when the moment of action arrives, the disciples—those
unlettered fishermen—have become orators that move the multitudes and
confound the doctors; profound thinkers that have sounded the Scriptures
and the human heart; writers that give to the world immortal books in a
language not their mother tongue.” If the worth of a system of education
is to be judged by results, the world must hold its peace when looking
upon the work of Christ. Astonishment will again take hold of men when
Christians return to His methods. Of His reference to nature we have no
need to write, for His parables are the wonder of the ages, and take
a unique position in the literature of all times. Christ was not, as
many other teachers, a writer of books. His writing was on the hearts
of men. He spoke, and the vibratory waves set in motion have continued
until to-day, and still beat upon our hearts. The soul of the spiritually
minded hears, and men to-day become pupils of the Man of Nazareth as
verily as did Peter, James, and John.
[Sidenote: Indications of a completed course]
A student was ready to go forth from Christ’s teachings to open the truth
to others only when he could say, “Lo, now speakest Thou plainly.... Now
we are sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man
should ask Thee. By this we believe that Thou camest forth from God.”[54]
With the multitudes He did a work similar to that with the disciples; but
because they were coming and going, He could not do the same thorough
work. His teaching, however, was _always practical_, and the farmer went
to his field a better man, seeing God in the growing grain; the fisherman
returned to his nets with the thought ringing in his mind that he should
be a fisher of men; the mother returned to her home recognizing her
children as younger members of God’s family, and with a strong desire
to teach as He taught. The tendency always in all His teaching was to
arouse thought, to awaken soul-longings, and cause hearts to beat with
a new life fed from above. Standing between heaven and earth of the
musical scale, His life vibrated in unison with those higher notes of
the universes circling round His Father’s throne, and with His human arm
He encircled the world, imparting to beings here the same life, striving
always to bring them into tune with the Infinite. “I, if I be lifted up,”
He said, “will draw all men unto Me.”
IX
EDUCATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH
[Sidenote: The church to teach all nations]
“I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Sanctify [teach] them through Thy truth.”[55]
As He lifted His eyes to heaven in those moments of quiet, just before
entering Gethsemane, these words fell from the lips of the Son of man.
Looking upon the little company of men clustering around Him, He saw in
them the nucleus of the church which was to be called by His name, and
His heart yearned for that body of Christians. Many and fierce would be
their struggles; for He had breathed into the hearts of men a system of
instruction which, because it was truth, would awaken all the bitterness
of the enemy of truth; and the new system must be able to resist all
the darts which human minds, swayed by the prince of evil, could hurl.
_Divine philosophy must meet and vanquish human philosophy_. That was
now the controversy, and it was left to a few weak men to start the work.
What power was in that Spirit of truth with which they were baptized!
His commission to this same company, as they watched Him recede from
earth on the day of His ascension, was, “Go ye therefore, and _teach_ all
nations.” They, the true Israel, were now to become teachers of nations.
Recognizing the difficulties to be met, He had, on another occasion,
said: “I send you forth as sheep among wolves: be ye therefore wise
as serpents, and simple as doves.” In no boasted philosophy, no
high-sounding words, but in _simplicity of truth, was to lie their
strength_. Of the works of the apostles and those who believed on Christ
through their teaching, we have this divine testimony, “I know thy works,
and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which
are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience,
and for my name’s sake hast labored and hast not fainted.”[56] It is
therefore evident that a great work was done, and that very speedily;
for again Inspiration describes it: “Behold a white horse: and he
that sat on him had a bow; ... and he went forth conquering, and to
conquer.”[57] Men, though admonished to be as harmless as doves, were
nevertheless, when teachers of truth, enabled to make themselves felt in
the world.
[Sidenote: A call from popular education]
To accept Christianity in those early days meant the withdrawal from
everything before cherished; it meant not only the separation from
heathenism in worship, or Babylon, but also _from heathenism in thought_
and education, or _Egypt_. It was a second exodus. Justin Martyr, a
Christian born near the close of the first century, is quoted by Painter,
as he describes the life of a follower of Christ: “We who once delighted
in lewdness now embrace chastity; we who once embraced magical arts, have
consecrated ourselves to the good and unbegotten God; we who loved above
all things the gain of money and possessions, now bring all that we have
into one common stock, and give a portion to everyone that needs; we who
once hated and killed one another, now pray for our enemies.”
With this spirit in the church we are not surprised to find that in the
words of Coleman, “_The tender solicitude of these early Christians
for the religious instruction of their children is one of their most
beautiful characteristics._ They taught them, even at the earliest dawn
of intelligence, the sacred names of God and the Saviour. They sought to
lead the infant minds of their children up to God, by familiar narratives
from Scripture, of Joseph, of young Samuel, of Josiah, and of the holy
child Jesus. The history of the patriarchs and prophets, apostles, and
men whose lives are narrated in the sacred volume, _were the nursery
tales_ with which they sought to form the tender minds of their children.
As the mind of the child expanded, the parents made it their sacred
duty and delightful task daily to exercise him in the recital of select
passages of scripture relating to the doctrines and duties of religion.
The Bible was the entertainment of the fireside. It _was the first, the
last, the only schoolbook almost, of the child_; and sacred psalmody, the
only song with which his infant cry was hushed as he was lulled to rest
on his mother’s arm. The sacred song and the rude melody of its music
were, from the earliest periods of Christian antiquity, an important
means of impressing the infant heart with sentiments of piety, and of
imbuing the susceptible minds of the young with the knowledge and the
faith of the Scriptures.”
[Sidenote: True education developed missionaries]
Painter writes: “The purpose of these early Christian parents, as of
the ancient Jews, was to train up their children in the fear of God.
In order that the children might be exposed as little as possible to
the corrupting influence of heathen associations, _their education was
conducted within the healthful precincts of home_. AS A RESULT, they grew
up without a taste for debasing pleasures; they acquired simple domestic
tastes; and when the time came, they took their place as consistent and
earnest workers in the church.”[58] These words make several facts very
prominent:—
_1._ _Christian education should begin in the home._
_2._ _Bible stories should be the basis for nursery tales and infant
songs._
_3._ _Christians should carry out the plan of education which the Jews
failed to obey, and which Christ revealed in a new light._
_4._ _The results of such Christian education in the home school will be
elevated characters and workers in the cause of God._
Would that it could be said of Christian mothers to-day, as a heathen
orator once exclaimed concerning those early followers of Christ, “What
wives these Christians have!”
[Sidenote: The duty of parents]
One of the early Fathers thus expresses the danger of children and youth
in the schools of the world, and shows the character of the education
needed: “Mothers ought to care for the bodies of their children, but it
is necessary also that they inspire their offspring with love for the
good and with fear toward God. And fathers will not limit themselves to
giving their children an earthly vocation, but will interest themselves
also in their heavenly calling.
“The most beautiful heritage that can be given children is to teach them
to govern their passions.... Let us have for our children the same fear
that we have for our houses, when servants go with a light into places
where there is inflammable material, as hay or straw. They should not
be permitted to go where the fire of impurity may be kindled in their
hearts, and do them an irreparable injury. A KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCRIPTURES
IS AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST THE UNREASONABLE INCLINATIONS OF YOUTH AND AGAINST
THE READING OF PAGAN AUTHORS, in which heroes, the slaves of every
passion, are lauded. _The lessons of the Bible are springs that water
the soul._ As our children are everywhere surrounded by bad examples,
the monastic schools [what would correspond to-day with church schools]
are the best for their education. _Bad habits once contracted, they can
not be got rid of._ This is the reason God conducted Israel into the
wilderness, ... that the vices of the Egyptians might be unlearned....
Now our children are surrounded by vice in our cities and are unable
there to resist bad examples.... _Let us take care of the souls of our
children_, that they may be formed for virtue, and not be degraded by
vice.”
This writer might well address a modern audience, for he recognizes
the influence of pagan authors, and states that the Bible alone can
counteract this influence; _he recognizes the worldly schools as Egypt_,
and says that Christians should take their children out; and finally
he recognizes the value of having schools located in the country, and
advises people to move out of the cities with their children.
[Sidenote: Church schools among early Christians]
Mosheim says: “There can be no doubt but that the children of Christians
were carefully trained up from their infancy, and were early put to
reading the sacred books and learning the principles of religion. For
this purpose _schools_ were erected everywhere from the beginning.”[59]
[Sidenote: Training schools for missionaries]
From these schools for children, we must distinguish those _seminaries_
of the early Christians, erected extensively in the larger cities, at
which adults, and especially _such as aspired to be public teachers_,
were instructed and educated in all branches of learning, both human and
divine. Such seminaries, in which young men devoted to the sacred office
were taught whatever was necessary to qualify them properly for it, the
apostles of Christ undoubtedly both set up themselves, and directed
others to set up.[60] St. John, at Ephesus, and Polycarp, at Smyrna,
established such schools. Among these seminaries, in subsequent times,
none was more celebrated than that at Alexandria; which is commonly
called a catechetic school.[61] In addition, then, to home and church
schools for children, the early Christian church established seminaries
for the education of workers. In reading the history of the times the
course of instruction is seen to adhere closely to the Scriptures, and to
draw a sharp distinction between the science of salvation and the Greek
and Oriental philosophy as taught in the pagan schools.
[Sidenote: Pagans feared Christian schools]
Christian education was often regarded as narrow and limited by those
who loved to study the mysteries of Greek wisdom; but as long as they
adhered to their simple studies, and made faith the basis of their work,
there was a power in the truths taught by the students of these schools,
which made the pagan world, with all its great men, tremble. It is an
interesting fact that as late as the fourth century, after the Christian
schools had lost much of their power through the mingling of pagan with
Christian methods, and the adoption of some of the pagan studies, they
were still regarded as the stronghold of Christianity. When Julian,
the apostate, began to reign, an attempt was made to revive paganism
throughout the Roman Empire. One of his first acts was to _close the
schools of the Christians_. “He contemptuously observes,” says Gibbon,
“that the men who exalt the merit of implicit faith are unfit to claim
or to enjoy the advantages of science; and he vainly contends that if
they refuse to adore the gods of Homer and Demosthenes, they ought to
content themselves with expounding Luke and Matthew in the church of the
Galileans.
[Sidenote: The public schools of Julian]
“In all the cities of the Roman world, the education of the youth was
intrusted to masters of grammar and rhetoric; who were _elected by the
magistrates, maintained at the public expense_, and distinguished by
many lucrative and honorable privileges.... As soon as the resignation
of the more obstinate teachers had established the unrivaled dominion of
the pagan sophists, Julian invited the rising generation to resort with
freedom to the _public schools_, in a just confidence that their tender
minds would receive the impressions of _literature and idolatry_. IF
THE GREATEST PART OF THE CHRISTIAN YOUTH SHOULD BE DETERRED BY THEIR OWN
SCRUPLES, OR BY THOSE OF THEIR PARENTS, FROM ACCEPTING THIS DANGEROUS
MODE OF INSTRUCTION, THEY MUST, AT THE SAME TIME, RELINQUISH THE BENEFITS
OF A LIBERAL EDUCATION. Julian had reason to expect that, in the space
of a few years, the church would relapse into its primeval simplicity,
and that the theologians, who possessed an adequate share of the learning
and eloquence of the age, would be succeeded by a generation of blind
and ignorant fanatics, incapable of defending the truth of their own
principles, or of exposing the various follies of polytheism.”[62]
Julian can not be counted as a fool; for, wishing to make the world
pagan, he proceeded to do so, (1) _By closing the Christian schools where
the “merit of implicit faith” was taught_; (2) _By compelling attendance
of the public schools, taught by pagan teachers_, and WHERE LITERATURE
AND IDOLATRY WERE COMBINED.
As Gibbon says, he had _just reason_ to expect that in the course of a
generation the Christians thus educated would lose their faith, cease
to oppose paganism, and sink into insignificance. If a pagan emperor
expected this in the fourth century, is it any wonder that Protestants
to-day, allowing their children to remain in the public schools
where precisely the same things are taught, in principle as Julian
had his public instructors teach, should lose power and cease to be
_Protestants_? From the words of Gibbon one would infer that in the
days of Julian there were parents who refused to send their children to
the public schools; some children who, “because of their own scruples,”
refused to attend; and some teachers who ceased to teach rather than
teach literature and idolatry in state schools.
[Sidenote: The seminary at Alexandria]
Special mention is made of the Alexandrian school, as it was located
in an Egyptian city to which flocked many noted pagan scholars. Sad as
it may be to do so, it is yet necessary to see how these schools, and
especially this one at Alexandria, lost their simplicity as they came
in contact with pagan scholars, and attempted to meet them on their own
grounds.
[Sidenote: Alexandria adopts philosophy of Plato]
Mosheim says: “This philosophy [of Plato] was adopted by such of the
learned at Alexandria as wished to be accounted Christians, and _yet to
retain the name, garb, and the rank of philosophers_. In particular, all
those who in this century presided in the schools of the Christians at
Alexandria ... are said to have approved of it. These men were persuaded
that true philosophy, the great and most salutary gift of God, lay in
scattered fragments among all the sects of philosophers; and therefore
that it was the duty of every wise man, and especially of a Christian
teacher, to collect those fragments from all quarters, and to use them
for the defense of religion and the confutation of impiety.”[63]
[Sidenote: Result of adopting worldly methods]
The lesson so dear to Paul—that the gospel of Christ is the “power of God
unto salvation”—was lost sight of when these Christian teachers assumed
the philosopher’s garb, and used the philosopher’s vocabulary to confute
impiety. “I have somewhat against thee,” writes the divine historian of
this age, “because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and _do the first works_; or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his
place.”[64] The heaven-lit taper of Christian education in its purity
was beginning to grow dim. Its flame must have a constant supply of
truth, or, like the candle without oxygen, it burns low, and finally goes
out. Paul, writing to the Corinthians who were placed in circumstances
similar to those of the school at Alexandria, that is, pressed upon all
sides by pagan philosophy, said: “I came toward you with weakness and
fear and great timidity. And my thought and my statement was not clothed
in captivating philosophical reasons; but in demonstrated spirit and
power, so that your trust might not _be in human philosophy_, but in
divine power.... What we speak is not in an artificial discussion of a
human philosophy, but by spiritual teachings, comparing spiritualities
with the spiritual.”[65]
[Sidenote: Dialectics versus the Scriptures]
Again, “Dialectic,” or logic, was that science of which Aristotle, the
disciple of Plato, boasted as being the father. Says a writer of the
church after the decline was well begun, it “is the queen of arts and
sciences. _In it reason dwells_, and is manifested and developed. _It
is dialectic alone that can give knowledge and wisdom;_ it alone shows
WHAT AND WHENCE WE ARE, AND TEACHES US OUR DESTINY [human philosophy
and evolution]; through it we learn to know good and evil. And _how
necessary is it_ to a clergyman, in order that he may be able to meet and
vanquish heretics!” Men have more than once reverted to logic to vanquish
heretics, but it was only when the Spirit of truth was lacking.
[Sidenote: The educational question caused a division]
Error was rapidly creeping into the church, and it came principally
through these schools, as has already been seen. However, truth was not
abandoned for error without a struggle. Mosheim says: “The estimation
in which human learning should be held was a question on which the
Christians were about equally divided. For while many thought that the
literature and writings of the Greeks ought to receive attention, _there
were others who contended that true piety and religion were endangered
by such studies_.”[66] People then, as now, looked to the leaders in the
church for guidance; and it was hard, when these studies were popular,
for the conscientious to withdraw entirely to what the others called a
narrow, limited education. It often led to contention among members of
the same church, and often even parents and children failed to agree on
the subject.
[Sidenote: Wrong methods retained]
“But gradually,” continues Mosheim, “the _friends of philosophy and
literature acquired the ascendency_. To this issue Origen contributed
very much; for having early imbibed the principles of the NEW PLATONISM,
_he inauspiciously applied them to theology_, and earnestly recommended
them to the numerous youth who attended on his instruction. And the
greater the influence of this man, which quickly spread over the whole
Christian world, the more readily was his method of explaining the sacred
doctrines propagated.”
[Sidenote: Origin of the papacy]
The days when the papacy should be recognized as the beast of Revelation
13 were fast approaching. Such experiences in the history of education
in the Christian church show how rapidly the life of the Master, the
Spirit of truth, was giving place to the form of godliness which denied
the power thereof. One reading thus the pages of history can not fail to
see that the papacy _was formed in the minds of men_, WAS PROPAGATED
IN THE SCHOOLS, AND REALLY TOOK BIRTH IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM THEN
DEVELOPED. The political power, which was called upon to help the church,
simply carried out at the point of the sword those principles which
were developed in the schools. The two streams—paganism and apostate
Christianity—united; and in the mad current which flowed from their
confluence, men’s souls were lost forever.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION is the pure water of life, clear and sparkling, which
flows from the throne of God; but when mingled with the turbid waters of
the valley, it is lost sight of, and the current is evil. The part played
by Platonic philosophy can not be overlooked. The foundation had already
been laid in the third century for the scholasticism of the Middle Ages,
and that “noontide of the papacy which was the world’s moral midnight”
was fast approaching.
X
THE PAPACY—AN EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM
Previous chapters have revealed these facts: 1. That the Jewish nation
was set as a light to the world. This light was to shine by means of
education, and the Jews were to be teachers of the nations. 2. The
Jewish nation lost its position as leader in educational reform, and,
consequently, in all other particulars, because it departed from the
pure system of education delivered to the Fathers, and mingled with the
heathen, especially with the Greeks and the Egyptians.