Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/31

 I] INTRODUCTION 13 them. By that time Greek was no longer generally understood in Italy and the Latin-speaking provinces of the Empire, and many Greek Christian writings were translated into Latin, and usually were abridged or otherwise modified. Translations thus overcame the barrier of language. Other reasons were to keep early Latin as well as Greek Christian authors from being read in the Middle Ages, to wit, their antique tone, and because the circumstances under which they lived and wrote were different from any situation that the Middle Ages were to Experience or could understand. Non licet esse vos was substantially what the pagan govern- ment said to the Christians.^ What could a later time really know of this condition of the Church, illicit, legally unrecognized, forbidden to exist? So the Middle Ages, with all their cult of martyrs, did not read the writings of a time when there was need to defend Christianity before the pagan government or to justify it in the eyes of the pagan people. Another goodly part of these early writings was directed against pagan-Christian heresies (Gnosti- cism) of which the Middle Ages knew nothing. One notes with interest that Lactantius, who writes just 1 "You are not permitted to exist" (Tertulllan, Apologeticw). Tertullian's writings are so difficult, his use of words is so individ- ual, that the Middle Ages could hardly have understood him. But his phrases seared themselves into Latin Christendom in the third and fourth centuries, and passed into the language of dogma, and his writings were a store for later Apologists. He also was an influenco with the important poet Prudonttus (Ebort, Allge. Ota. der Lit. (Im MUtelalUn, 2d ed., I, pp. 51, 276, 287). Through these media he is indirectly influential in the later periods, when his works were no longer read.