The Open court (1897) (14779072661)

Identifier: opencourt11_1897caru (find matches)
Title: The Open court
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Carus, Paul, 1852-1919
Subjects: Religion
Publisher: Chicago : The Open Court Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: The Newberry Library
Digitizing Sponsor: CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois



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ia has come to be recognised as the official head ofthe entire Greek Church. Although Rome incorporated in its own institutions a greatnumber of the changes that the conversion of the Teutons wrought,the difference between Roman Christianity and Teuton Christianitybecame so great in the course of time that it led, in the sixteenthcentury, to that great schism which is known as the Reformation.The abuses and the misgovernment which prevailed in those daysin the church were the cause of the Reformation, but they were byno means the sole factor that led to the final and complete splitdividing the old church into two camps, the Teutonic Christianityrepresented by the English, the Germans, the Dutch, the Swedes,the Norwegians, and the Icelanders, and the Roman Christianity,embodying the Romance nations, and including the Celts of Ireland. The difference between these two kinds of Christianity liesdeeper than is generally supposed. The Roman Church had its THE RELIGION OF OUR ANCESTORS. 179
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Hel, the Goddess of the Nether World. (By Johannes Gehrts.) l8o THE OPEN COURT. counter reformation, and almost all the abuses of which Luthercomplained were abrogated, or at least changed, so as to show nolonger those features which made them objectionable; and yet thesplit between the two kinds of Christianity remains and will remainso long as the main differences of national character, of habits, andof ethics distinguish the adherents of both forms of religion. In order to appreciate the difference that obtains between Teu-ton and Roman Christianity, we must go back to the world-concep-tion of the ancestors of the Teutonic races, as it took shape intheir religion. There we find the character of the race in simpleand strong outlines. The religion of our forefathers is illustratedin its practical application in Tacituss account of the Germans,which is the most valuable information we have on the subject.^Their mythology is not as artistically finished as the mythology ofthe Greeks, b