INTRODUCTIONl1!' any great classical writers of the ancient world,like Seneca or Cicero, could come to life again,nothing surely would astonish them more than tLedescriptions they might read in our books of thestate of the world when they left it, of its moraldepravity, and the absence of all- religions ideas.One would gladly hear what they would say to itall; but, failing that, it only remains to enter asmuch as possible into their tone of thought, and topresent the case between Christianity and Paganismas they lllight do if they could now speak for themselves,and had at their command eighteen centuriesof Church history nnd all the writings of the }'athersand theologians.In ass'C.ming on theil' behalf and in their steadthis advocacy of a literature and philosophy, representinga civilisation to which we stiB owe themain and better element.s of our own, I havesimply endeavoured to put the case of pre-Christianl>aganism in its best and truest lTable of Contents CONTENTS; CHAPTER I; rAGA~ ~IONOTHEIS~[; PAGE; Monotheism IlOt confined to Judaea-Antiquity of th~ism in; Greece-Polytheism overthrowll by l'hilosophy-Theistic; phrases in common use among the Pagans-High attributes; of tIle Deity irr Pagall theology-The doctrine of plurality; in unity- Admission by Arnobius of extra - Christian; monoth,~ism - Hymn of AriRtides to Jupite' - Origeu's; failure to answer Celsus-Hi~ appeal to magic on behalf; of the Christians-His belief in the animate life of the; sun, moon, and stur:>-Theism as taught by Seneca and; Cicero -l'agan arguments for theism from desigll in; nature-Contrast between Hellenic and Hebraic theology; -High theological ideas of Celsus-Deductiolls from the; monotheism of the early Christians-'£l!ewor