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Excerpt from Universalism, the Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years: With Authorities and Extracts The purpose of this book is to present some of the evidence of the prevalence in the early centuries of the Christian church, of the doctrine of the final holiness of all mankind. The author has endeavored to give the language of the early Christians, rather than to paraphrase their words, or state their sentiments in his own language. He has also somewhat copiously quoted the statements of modern scholars, historians and critics, of all shades of opinion, instead of condensing them with his own pen. The large number of extracts which this course necessitates gives his pages a somewhat mosaic appearance, but he has preferred to sacrifice mere literary form to what seems larger utility. He has aimed to present irrefragable proofs that the doctrine of Universal Salvation was the prevalent sentiment of the primitive Christian church. He believes his investigation has been somewhat thorough, for he has endeavored to consult not only all the fathers themselves, but the most distinguished modern writers who have considered the subject. The first form of his manuscript contained a thousand copious notes, with citations of original Greek and Latin, but such an array was thought by judicious friends too formidable to attract the average reader, as well as too voluminous, and he has therefore retained only a fraction of the notes he had prepared. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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In his history of the early Christian church, John Wesley Hanson advances the view that Universalism - the belief that all humankind will ascend to heaven - was the initial, accepted doctrine of Christianity. A methodically argued and superbly written treatise which cites various pieces of evidence written and artistic, this book presents the various creeds of early Christianity in a manner vivid and engaging. The author for instance demonstrates how notions such as endless punishment were a later addition in deep contrast with the earlier Gnostic era teachings. The first centuries of the Christian church were filled with transition and change. The earliest Bible and saint-written texts were in Greek; it was only after the conversion of Emperor Constantine that Christians - liberated from Rome's persecutions - began to write their texts in Latin. This linguistic change alone was, according to Hanlon, the root of great upheaval. Hanson believed that the early Christian beliefs were dramatically altered when the Roman Empire was assimilated. Chiefly he cites the subsequent efforts of the Latin speaking Saint Augustine, resulting in a change of the official holy language from Greek to Latin, and thus alterations to the early doctrines. The stricter and more foreboding tone of the Latin changed Christianity; over subsequent years, adherents of Universalism - and many other beliefs deemed heretical - were subject to persecutions. Noting that Latin theologians would take to burning earlier texts with which they disagreed, Hanson argues that the interpretation of the crucifixion of Christ was also altered. He examines in depth the essential and eternal triumph of Christ's death upon the cross; this thesis therefore doubles as a superb study of sacrifice in the Christian lore. Hanson's core belief is that Christianity began as a simpler, kinder and joyous religion which closely followed and quoted the Gospels. This was a popular idea among scholars of the 19th century, and was and is to an extent agreed upon by various Protestant denominations. It is Hanson's work however that systematically and compellingly organizes, presents and argues the case for Universalism as a tenet cast away.
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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.