People have been known to speak of the present as "the post-Christian age," implying that just as the faiths of the Graeco-Roman world, in which Christianity first appeared, gradually lost their vitality and appeal, so now Christianity has had its day and can be written off as no longer the dominant system of thought in western countries. Without of course accepting this view, many Christians must feel that their religion is on the defensive in a way in which it has not been for centuries and that vigorous effort is needed to reconquer lost ground and carry on the work.
Contemporary conditions do indeed offer a striking analogy to those of the first century. That was a time when traditional beliefs were breaking up and men were looking round to the various cults and philosophies of the day for comfort. The Apostle Paul found himself in contact with two streams of thought, both of which were opposed to the gospel he preached: the intellectualism of the Greeks and the religious orthodoxy of the Jews. We are told that when confronted by the former at Athens he was able to command the interest of his audience until he mentioned what seemed to them a supernatural event, the resurrection of Jesus, whereat "some mocked" (Acts 17:32), though others were willing to hear him further.
Among the Jews, whose religion was based on the Mosaic law, there were undoubtedly many devout persons of whom it might be said, as it was said of Simeon, that they were "waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). But though the consolation was at hand, the form of it offered by the teaching and career of Jesus, so different from what was expected of the promised deliverer, must have come as a shock even to them. Nor was it easy for those who first accepted Christianity to disentangle themselves from all the traditions of Judaism. They came, however, to realize, like the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, that "the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God" (7:19).
