The premises of Catholicism Doctrinal diversities of the Apostolical Fathers CHAPTER IV.--THE ATTEMPTS OF THE GNOSTICS TO CREATE AN APOSTOLIC DOGMATIC, AND A CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY; OR THE ACUTE SECULARISING OF CHRISTIANITY (1) The conditions for the rise of Gnosticism. (2) The nature of Gnosticism (3) History of Gnosticism and the forms in which it appeared (4) The most important Gnostic doctrines CHAPTER V.--THE ATTEMPT OF MARCION TO SET ASIDE THE OLD TESTAMENT FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY, TO PURIFY THE TRADITION AND REFORM CHRISTENDOM ON THE BASIS OF THE PAULINE GOSPEL Characterisation of Marcion's attempt (1) His estimate of the Old Testament and the god of the Jews (2) The God of the Gospel (3) The relation of the two Gods according to Marcion. The Gnostic woof in Marcion's Christianity (4) The Christology (5) Eschatology and Ethics (6) Criticism of the Christian tradition, the Marcionite Church Remarks CHAPTER VI.--THE CHRISTIANITY OF JEWISH CHRISTIANS, DEFINITION OF THE NOTION JEWISH CHRISTIANITY (1) General conditions for the development of Jewish Christianity (2) Jewish Christianity and the Catholic Church, insignificance of Jewish Christianity, "Judaising" in Catholicism Alleged documents of Jewish Christianity (Apocalypse of John, Acts of the Apostles, Epistle to the Hebrews, Hegesippus) History of Jewish Christianity The witness of Justin The witness of Celsus The witness of Irenaeus and Origen The witness of Eusebius and Jerome The Gnostic Jewish Christianity The Elkesaites and Ebionites of Epiphanius Estimate of the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions and Homilies, their want of significance for the question as to the genesis of Catholicism and its doctrine APPENDICES. I. On the different notions of Pre-existence. II. On Liturgies and the genesis of Dogma. III. On Neoplatonism Literature I PROLEGOMENA TO THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA. II THE PRESUPPOSITIONS OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA. CHAPTER I PROLEGOMENA TO THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HISTORY OF DOGMA. Sec. 1. _The Idea and Task of the History of Dogma_. 1. The History of Dogma is a discipline of general Church History, which has for its object the dogmas of the Church. These dogmas are the doctrines of the Christian faith logically formulated and expressed for scientific and apologetic purposes, the contents of which are a knowledge of God, of the world, and of the provisions made by God for man's salvation. The Christian Churches teach them as the truths revealed in Holy Scripture, the acknowledgment of which is the condition of the salvation which religion promises. But as the adherents of the Christian religion had not these dogmas from the beginning, so far, at least, as they form a connected system, the business of the history of dogma is, in the first place, to ascertain the origin of Dogmas (of Dogma), and then secondly, to describe their development (their variations).