A word to the few readers into whose hands this volume may come, may not be amiss. It is not a history of the Christian Church through the first two centuries, but simply what it purports to be, a chapter out of that history. Neither does it deal with the many contrasts between the Christianity of the New Testament and that of the following centuries, but only with the type of piety or the Christian character as set forth by St. Paul, and as it presents itself in the next centuries. This contrast in the minds of young and earnest students of 'church history excites surprise, and is a source, oftentimes, of much confusion and perplexity. It is to bring this problem to the full light, describe it, and, if possible, give some explanation as to its causes, that this work was written. The task was also undertaken with the hope that some one better qualified than the present writer might engage in a more thorough and exhaustive investigation of this most interesting phase in the history of the Early Church.