Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/396

 CHAPTER Xin THE RISE OF THE PAPACY Section 54. The Christian Church Besides the emperors at Constantinople and the various German kings, there grew up in Europe a line of rulers far more powerful than any of these, namely, the popes. We must now consider the Christian Church and see how the popes gained their great influence. We have already seen how marvelously the Christian com- munities founded by the apostles and their fellow missionaries multiplied until, by the middle of the third century, writers like St. Cyprian came to conceive of a " Catholic," or all-embracing, Church. We have seen how Emperor Constantine favored Christianity, and how his successors worked in the interest of the new religion ; how carefully the Theodosian Code safe- guarded the Church and the Christian clergy, and how harshly those were treated who ventured to hold another view of Christianity from that sanctioned by the government.^ 1 See above, section 49. 334