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of the Church becomes more apparent； and more and more its Scheme of Salvation through Christ takes the character of a rather sordid and huckstering bargain by which Man gets the better of God by persuading the latter to sacrifice his own Son for the redemption of the world！ With the exception of a few episodes like the formation during the Middle Ages of the noble brotherhoods and sisterhoods of Frairs and Nuns； dedicated to the help and healing of suffering humanity； and the appearance of a few real lovers of mankind （and the animals） like St。 Francis（and these manifestations can hardly be claimed by the Church； which pretty consistently opposed them）it may be said that after about the fourth century the real spirit and light of early Christian enthusiasm died away。 The incursions of barbarian tribes from the North and East； and later of Moors and Arabs from the South； familiarized the European peoples with the ideas of bloodshed and violence； gross and material conceptions of life were in the ascendant； and a romantic and aspiring Christianity gave place to a worldly and vulgar Churchianity。
＇1＇ When travelling in India I found that the Gnanis or Wise Men there quite commonly maintained that Jesus （judging from his teaching） must have been initiated at some time in the esoteric doctrines of the Vedanta。
I have in these two or three pages dealt onlyand that very brieflywith the entry of the pagan doctrine of the Savior into the Christian field； showing its transformation there and how Christianity could not well escape having a doctrine of a Savior； or avoid giving a color of its own to that doctrine。 To follow out the same course with other doctrines； like those which I have mentioned above； would obviously be an endless taskwhich must be left to each student or reader to pursue according to his opportunity and capacity。 It is clear anyhow； that all these elements of the pagan religionspouring down into the vast reservoir； or rather whirlpool； of the Roman Empire； and mixing among all these numerous brotherhoods； societies； collegia； mystery…clubs； and groups which were at that time looking out intently for some new revelation or inspiration did more or less automatically act and react upon each other； and by the general conditions prevailing were modified； till they ultimately combined and took united shape in the movement which we call Christianity； but which onlyas I have saidnarrowly escaped being called Mithraismso nearly related and closely allied were these cults with each other。
At this point it will naturally be asked： 〃And where in this scheme of the Genesis of Christianity is the chief figure and accredited leader of the movementnamely Jesus Christ himselffor to all appearance in the account here given of the matter he is practically non…existent or a negligible quantity？〃 And the question is a very pertinent one； and very difficult to answer。 〃Where is the founder of the Religion？〃or to put it in another form： 〃Is it necessary to suppose a human and visible Founder at all？〃 A few years ago such a mere question would have been accounted rank blasphemy； and would only if passed overhave been ignored on account of its supposed absurdity。 To…day； however； owing to the enormous amount of work which has been done of late on the subject of Christian origins； the question takes on quite a different complexion。 And from Strauss onwards a growingly influential and learned body of critics is inclined to regard the whole story of the Gospels as LEGENDARY。 Arthur Drews； for instance； a professor at Karlsruhe； in his celebrated book The Christ…Myth；＇1＇ places David F。 Strauss as first in the myth fieldthough he allows that Dupuis in L'origine de tous les cultes （1795） had given the clue to the whole idea。 He then mentions Bruno Bauer （1877） as contending that Jesus was a pure invention of Mark's； and John M。 Robertson as having in his Christianity and Mythology （1900） given the first thoroughly reasoned exposition of the legendary theory； also Emilio Bossi in Italy； who wrote Jesu Christo non e mai esistito； and similar authors in Holland； Poland； and other countries； including W。 Benjamin Smith； the American author of The Pre…christian Jesus （1906）； and P。 Jensen in Das Gilgamesch Epos in den Welt…literatur （1906）； who makes the Jesus…story a variant of the Babylonian epic； 2000 B。C。 A pretty strong list！＇2＇ 〃But；〃 continues Drews； 〃ordinary historians still ignore all this。〃 Finally； he dismisses Jesus as 〃a figure swimming obscurely in the mists of tradition。〃 Nevertheless I need hardly remark that； large and learned as the body of opinion here represented is； a still larger （but less learned） body fights desperately for the actual HISTORICITY of Jesus； and some even still for the old view of him as a quite unique and miraculous revelation of Godhood on earth。
＇1＇ Die Christus…mythe： verbesserte und erweitezte Ausgabe； Jena； 1910。
＇2＇ To which we may also add Schweitzer's Quest of the historical Jesus （1910）。
At first； no doubt； the LEGENDARY theory seems a little TOO far…fetched。 There is a fashion in all these things； and it MAY be that there is a fashion even here。 But when you reflect how rapidly legends grow up even in these days of exact Science and an omniscient Press； how the figure of Shakespeare； dead only 300 years； is almost completely lost in the mist of Time； and even the authenticity of his works has become a subject of controversy； when you find that William Tell； supposed to have lived some 300 years again before Shakespeare； and whose deeds in minutest detail have been recited and honored all over Europe； is almost certainly a pure invention； and never existed； when you rememberas mentioned earlier in this book＇1＇that it was more than five hundred years after the supposed birth of Jesus before any serious effort was made to establish the date of that birthand that then a purely mythical date was chosen： the 25th December； the day of the SUN'S new birth after the winter solstice； and the time of the supposed birth of Apollo； Bacchus； and the other Sungods； when； moreover； you think for a moment what the state of historical criticism must have been； and the general standard of credibility； 1；900 years ago； in a country like Syria； and among an ignorant population； where any story circulating from lip to lip was assured of credence if sufficiently marvelous or imaginative；why； then the legendary theory does not seem so improbable。 There is no doubt that after the destruction of Jerusalem （in A。D。 70）； little groups of believers in a redeeming 'Christ' were formed there and in other places； just as there had certainly existed； in the first century B。C。； groups of Gnostics； Therapeutae； Essenes and others whose teachings were very SIMILAR to the Christian； and there was now a demand from many of these groups for 'writings' and 'histories' which should hearten and confirm the young and growing Churches。 The Gospels and Epistles； of which there are still extant a great abundance； both apocryphal and canonical； met this demand； but how far their records of the person of Jesus of Nazareth are reliable history； or how far they are merely imaginative pictures of the kind of man the Saviour might