Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

I 82 THE FORMATION OF CHRISTENDOMflif ut this new reconciliation between p phand religion, by which it was attempted to resta t th d t d t d dliarmoD h t multip f heat dindicated in new pow had whichwas preparin t meet. Why did Epictet peakof man as b o Cf th of God Iin histure a dignity universal and indefeasible, whis P all grad f fictit k dpi; th b -' wh realises at dignity n iboveth peror h y proud f th r Whydid Plutarch and Dio bring forth again Plato's Demt "^^r -half concealed threcesses of philosophic thought " hard to find outd mpossib t describe to all " ? Why did tht ly invest him with 1 pt creat Pwisdom, and - dness, but further identify himth Ze f Greek myth I e yst fth St t t as w find it delineated inCicero, the universe had become a ci a kingdomdered with supreme wisdom and friendship towardman by the best of legislators and fathers, when soit pleased t to present, as in th hvmnCleanthes, th creat h r bstract reasoning,the terribl rm f necessit ow, wever thewd of Olympian deities, the peers of J who inth pop belief held over th an definedprimacy, appeared his obedient satellit in t he fer-t exaltation of his th which Plutarch nd Diocelebrated. Something more powerful than philosophyhad set the heathen worship on its defence, when philosophy,deserting its old ground, applied itself to buildup the temple and to justify the rite, and to defendthe gods to whom the temple was built and the rite