Page:The age of Justinian and Theodora (Volume 1).djvu/306

 denominations, more or less obscure and impotent, need not be more particularly alluded to in this place.

Nothing in this age accelerated the social descent towards barbarism so much as the illusion that bliss in a future state was most positively assured to those Christians who denied themselves every natural gratification whilst on earth. By the end of the fourth century the passion for the mortification of the flesh had risen to such a height that almost one half of the population of the Empire, male and female, had abandoned civilized life and devoted themselves to celibacy and ascetic practices. By choice, and even by legal prescrip-*

The whole title against heretics contains sixty-six laws, a monument of Christian bigotry and intolerance. The novelty of the Christian doctrines and the constant dissensions of ecclesiastics as to the proper mode of apprehending them, caused all classes to be infected with a mania for drawing theological distinctions, ex. gr., "If you require some small change, the person you address will begin to argue about 'begotten and unbegotten'; should you ask the price of bread you will hear that the Father is greater and the Son inferior; or in reply to an inquiry whether your bath is prepared, the attendant will define for your benefit that the Son was made out of nothing"; Gregory Nys., Orat. De Deitate, etc., 2 (in Migne, i, 557). Yet sometimes a prelate would assume a jocular tone in the pulpit when speaking on these grave questions. Thus Eudoxius, Bishop of CP., began his discourse one day with the assertion, "The Father is impious, but the Son is pious." The congregation seemed awe-struck, but he at once continued, "Be not alarmed; the Son is pious because he worships the Father, but the Father worships no one"; Socrates, ii, 43. Marrast has devised some scenes to bring out the absurd way in which theological hair-splitting disturbed every-*day social relations at this period; op. cit., p. 89.]*
 * [Footnote: against them; Cod. Theod., XVI, v, 3, 18, 40, 43, 59; cf. Cod., I, v.