The  constant  tendency  with  young  students  of
philosophy,  is  to  conclude  that  the  hypotheses
which  they  espouse  with  so  much  enthusiasm  are
new  revelations  in  metaphysics  and  ethics  as  well
as  in  physical  science  —  compared  with  which  the
Christian  cultus  of  eighteen  centuries  is  now  effete
and  doomed.  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  know  that  so
far  from  these  speculations  having  risen  upon  the
ruins  of  Christianity,  Christianity  rose  upon  the
ruins  of  these  speculations  as,  in  modified  forms,
they  had  been  profoundly  elaborated  in  the  philos-
ophies of  Greece  and  Eome.  Lucretius  was  bom  a
century  before  the  Christian  era,  and  Democritus,
whose  disciple  he  became,  lived  earlier  still.  Kan-
ada,  the  atomist  philosopher  of  India,  lived  three  cen-
turies before  Democritus.  The  early  Christian  fa-
thers were  perfectly  familiar  with  the  theories  of
Lucretius.  We  are  indebted  to  Jerome  for  many
of  the  facts  which  we  possess  concerning  him.  Near-
ly all  the  great  leaders  of  the  church,  from  Origen
to  Ambrose,  had  studied  Greek  philosophy,  some
of  them  had  been  its  devotees  before  their  conversion
to  the  Christian  faith.  There  is  at  least  incident-
al evidence  that  the  Apostle  Paul  was  versed  in
the  current  philosophy  as  well  as  in  the  poetry  of
Greece.
These  great  men — great  in  natural  powers  and  in


300     ORIENTAL  RELIGIONS  AND  GHRI8TIANITT

philosophic  training — had  seen  just  what  the  specu-
lations of  Democritus,  Lucretius,  Zeno,  Socrates,
Plato,  and  Aristotle  could  do ;  they  had  indeed  un-
dermined the  low  superstitions  of  their  time,  but  they
had  proved  powerless  to  regenerate  society,  or  even
relieve  the  individual  pessimism  and  despair  of  men
like  Seneca,  Pliny,  or  Marcus  Aurelius.  Lucretius,
wholly  or  partially  insane,  died  by  his  own  hand.
