In five pages this paper provides a concise summary of these two important history chapters. There are no other sources listed.
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15 by unreservedly praising the Christian religion, "a pure and humble religion" that "gently insinuated itself into the minds of men" (p. 93). Gibbon then goes on to point out
that, unlike a theologian, a historian must seek out the "error and corruption" that is a natural ingredient in the history of a "weak and degenerate race of beings," i.e.
humanity (p. 93). The implied message is that if he makes any statements that seem critical of early Christianity, he is just doing his job. The first point that
he addresses is why Christianity spread so quickly. Gibbon attributes this to five factors. These are: 1) the inflexible, intolerant zeal of Christians; 2) the doctrine of eternal life; 3)
the miraculous powers ascribed to the primitive church; 4) the pure and austere morals of the Christians; and 5) the union and discipline of the Christian republic, which gradually formed
an "independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire" (p. 94). Following this, Gibbon discusses each point in turn. First of all , he traces the
intolerance of Christians toward other religious beliefs to Judeo tradition. In the ancient world, it was customary under Roman rule for all religious beliefs to be tolerated. Gibbons relates
that even hostile nations "embraced, or at least respected, each others superstition" (p. 94). However, the Jews were the only people who did not follow this practice. Gibbons purpose
in this section of the chapter is to connect Judaic tradition with Christian practice. His basic message is that Christianity is much better suited then Judaism for bring the truth
of the One God to the world. He states that Christianity "offered itself to the world, armed with the strength of Mosaic law, and delivery from the weight of its