Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

346 THE THIRD AGE OF THE MARTYR CHURCH.But let us trace the chronological sequencein history of that great institution, the real aswell as logical coherence of which has just beenset forth. The Church was a fact long before itstheory became the subject of reflection. It cameforth from the mind of the divine Architect andestablished itself among men through His power;and it is only when this was done that the creativethought according to which it grew could bedelineated.The fact, then, exactly agrees with the theory,and history here interprets dogma.It is during the great forty days that our Lordfounded the Primacy, when He made S. John andthe rest of the Apostles sheep of Peter's fold. Theperiod of thirty-eight years which follows is thecarrying into effect His design in the first stage.The Church grows around Peter. First in Jerusalemhe forms a mass of disciples ; then for acertain number of years at Antioch. In the secondyear of Claudius, the thirteenth after the Ascension,he lays the foundations of the Roman Church.In the sixtieth year of our era he sends forth, Mark to found the Christian society in Alexandria.Thus he takes possession of the threegreat cities of the empire, of east, west, and south.In the mean time the labours of S. Paul and theother Apostles, in conjunction with those of Peterand in subordination to them, plant the Christianroot in a great number of cities. As S. Paul toils