CHRISTIANITY now illuminated the world with its clear light; but, dazzled by the divine brilliancy, everything in art, science and social life appeared at first dark, black, and hopeless. By degrees the minds of men began to grasp the newly proclaimed eternal law, through which alone the disturbed inner and outer, spiritual and material, moral and intellectual, static and dynamic forces of humanity were to attain a perfect balance. In time man became conscious of his nature, and emancipated his spirit in life and in art. He began to strive upwards, to detach himself from mere forms, however beautiful, if there was no meaning, no soul, no sense in them; he sought in everything the redeeming IDEA, without which no _modern_ work of art is possible. Thus, ancient art had to yield to different principles. We shall have in future to distinguish between artistic products of _reality_, _feeling_, and _intellect_, till we shall find ourselves obliged to seek for a combination of these elements in order to understand modern art. CHAPTER XI. EARLY CHRISTIAN ART. Historically and philosophically, from the point of view of whatever religious denomination; in the eyes of the devout believer, as well as in the eyes of the sceptic; by the thinker, and by the mere automaton of blood, flesh and bones; it must be admitted, that the two most important events in the history of humanity were the foundation of Christianity, and the great migration of the Northern people. The one was a _spiritual_ movement, the other thoroughly _material_.