The New York herald., 1879-12-01
LITER AZURE.
UhlhOrn'S Conflict Between Christianity
and PaganiSm.
SOME RECENT NOVELS.
Poetry, Sports, Prints. Acting and Ora
toy-Book Notes.

CHRIsTIANITYs CONFLICT WITH HEATHEN1sM.
DIR. Gerhard Uhlhorn. German Protestant
scholar and ecclesiastc whose titles in the latter
world include the rather solecistic OF Abbot Of
Loccum-a traditional and legal one. however, as
well as member Of the Supreme Consistory in Han
over, has written work on 1.-The Conflict of Chris
tianity with Heathenism,' OF which Scribners pub
lsh good translation. done by L. G. Smith and c.
j. H. Ropes. The author intends his book to be
two-edged sword. cutting at old paganism with one
edge and modern scepticism with the other. 1t is
history of the struggles of the early Church in the
Roman Empire. viewed in respect from the stand
point of those conclusions which distinctly Prot
estant. Aside from the disputed point to the in
ternal government of the early Church, on which
much is supposed to hang it is catholic enough in
tone and treatment to be accepted by Christians at
large clear. able and graphic picture of the war
waged by Christianity for nearly four centuries on
Roman paganism-a war in which the victims
were uniformly the side of the victors.
His opening chapter the religious condition OF
the heathen world IL not elaborate in its details
as that chapter in the recent voluminous work
of the Jesuit, Father Thebaud. entitled "The Gen.
tile World Confronting the Infant Church." sum-
marizes the position very clearly. Perhaps the
learned author strains for epigram when he
says "An abstract monotheism hovered more or less
distinctly poly ytheism." The sneers Of certain
writer's in Rome at the existing religion small
material out of which to make monotheistic phan-
tom. 1t certainly very indistinct. To the con.
fict in Rome ITSELF however. DR.. Uhlhorn speaks
most directly. There the final battle for the empire
Of the world had to be fought; but the growth Of
Christianity in the widely separated provinces was.
after all, the greatest factor in determining the
tory. The fortress had to capitulate when the in.
vestment was complete. The perfect simplicity of
the faith. its emphatic teaching in the name
and by the example OF Christ. was eagerly grasped
by the unsophsticated-that is, we may say it
plainly the ignorant-who now saw. as our author
keenly says. that 1.-The heathen deities neither
the authors Of the moral law its
emplars" The varying degrees of gravity
Of the prosecutions from Nero to Diocletian are
cleary indicated. the overdrawn pictures OF
medieval and modern commentators being through
out avoided. The Neronan persecution he describes.
with the best modern writers, as purely isolated
outburst Of polite rage but he shows that long
Christianity illegal the strict execution of the
law never possible, even when pious pagans like
Plny the younger anxiously sought its exact mean
ing, warlike emperors like Decius. laying all
qualms aside ordered its bloodiest fuflment. 1t is
the history Of penal legislation in matters Of faith
without exception. The author inclines fondly
toward belief in Consantine's vision Of the con-
quering cross. though he prudentialy enjoins
ton against accepting miracles outside the New
Testament. Here we are brought to the authors
standpoint again. We can only see plainly that he
would accept no modern miracles-Lourdes mira
cles, for instance-on any such evidence makes
him look fondly at the in the heavens But he
makes his strongest controversial point in setting
up the attacks of CELSIUS Christianity in the
ond century side by side with the destructive crit.
icism OF Renan and Strauss in the nineteenth. As
suming that the conversion Of the Roman Empire
completely answered CELSIUS. he leaves to
that all antagonists of Christianity to-day will be
and similarly answered. 1t is too much to leave
to inference. The example Of the martyrs is out
worn weapon against modern scepticism. which
readily admits their singleness and purity Of pur.
pose. and only asks. What then?