Apart from these external matters, on the other hand, the outbreak of Gnosticism possibly rendered a real service to Christianity. To the simple chiliastic faith of Apostolic times, the Gnostics added the elements which transformed it into a world-religion, fitted to triumph over all the older creeds and worships; and their stealthy and in part secret opposition forced the Church to adopt the organization which has enabled her to survive in unimpaired strength to the present day. Jewish Christianity, the religion of the few pious and humble souls who thought they had nothing to do but to wait in prayer and hope for their Risen Lord, had proved itself unable to conquer the world, and its adherents under the name of Ebionites were already looked upon by the Gentile converts as heretics. Gnosticism, so long as it was unchecked, was a real danger to the Church, but without it Christendom would probably have broken up into hundreds of small independent communities, and would thus have dissipated the strength which she eventually found in unity. Threatened on the one hand by this danger, and on the other with the loss of popular favour which the attractions of Gnosticism made probable, the Church was forced to organize herself, to define her doctrines, to establish a regular and watchful hierarchy[684], and to strictly regulate the tendency to mystic speculation and arbitrary exegesis which she could not wholly suppress. Yet these measures could not come into operation without producing a reaction, the end of which we have yet to see. Footnote 459: The chapter on Marcion and his doctrines should perhaps in strict chronological order follow on here, as Marcion’s teaching was either contemporary with, or at most, but a few years later than, that of Valentinus. Cf. Salmon in _Dict. Christian Biog._ _s.v._ Marcion, Valentinus. But the earliest documents in the _Pistis Sophia_ are, as will be seen, possibly by Valentinus himself, and, as all of them are closely connected with his doctrine, it seemed a pity to postpone their consideration. Footnote 460: W. E. Crum, _Catalogue of the Coptic MS. in the Brit. Mus._, 1905, p. 173, n. 2, says that it was bought at the sale of Askew’s effects for £10. 10_s._ 0_d._, and that Askew himself bought it from a bookseller. Footnote 461: H. Hyvernat, _Album de Paléographie Copte_, Paris, 1888. Footnote 462: Matter, _Hist. du Gnost._ t. II. pp. 39-43, 347-348, and t. III. pp. 368-371. Footnote 463: See the present writer’s article “Some Heretic Gospels” in the _Scottish Review_ for July, 1893, where the MSS. treated of in this chapter and their divisions are described in detail. Schmidt, _Koptisch-gnostische Schriften_, Bd I. p. 14, speaks of this “Codex Askewianus” as “eine Miszellenhandschrift.” Footnote 464: Except where otherwise specified, subsequent references here to _Pistis Sophia_ (in Italics) are to the first 253 pages of the Coptic MS. only.