File:The early days of Christianity (1922) (14579505767).jpg

Identifier: earlydaysofchrist00gran (find matches)
Title: The early days of Christianity
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Grant, Frederick C. (Frederick Clifton), 1891-1974
Subjects: Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
Publisher: New York, Cincinnati, The Abingdon press
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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interests came first, and any movement which sug-gested a divided loyalty, or set mens minds uponanother world than this, or required allegiance to someunknown spiritual potentate, naturally appeared to bedangerous and to deserve stamping out at all costs. The Thundering Legion.—There is a story of one ofthe legions in Marcus time, the Twelfth, known as theThundering Legion, which legend has made into awonderful miracle. Li a battle with the savage Germansand Sarmatians the soldiers were nearly overcome withthirst. The Christians in the army prayed to Christ intheir extremity and a heavy storm broke. The soldierscaught the water in their upturned shields, drank, andsprang forward to pursue their foes, already in flightfrom the violent lightning and thunder. A relief on theAntonine column still shows the scene, though the rain-fall is credited to Jupiter Pluvius, the Rain-giver. Paganhistorians, on the other hand, assert that an Egyptiansoothsayer produced the storm by magic. But the
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rtit. NEW rjR<PUBLIC LIBRARY AMTOn, LKNOXTILDfiN FOUNDATIONS TWO CENTURIES OF GROWTH 271 Christians believed, for many centuries, that it was thedivine response to the prayers of Christians in the legion,which it may indeed have been; and the story is knownas the Legend of the Thundering Legion. At the veryleast it indicates that Christianity had spread into thearmy, even into the Twelfth Legion, usually stationedin Cappadocia, but then engaged on the Danube orRhine. Tertullians words, We have filled . . . yourvery camp, were true. The Roman army became firstone of the widest fields and then one of the mosteffective agencies for the spread of Christianity. Later emperors.—There were worse emperors afterthe Antonines; yet for twenty years after Marcus theChristians enjoyed peace. No fresh persecutions werebegun, and the old animosity was in the way of dyingout. Then followed under Septimius Severus a renewedeffort to crush out the unauthorized guilds, and alongwith them the Christ

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