The Romans regarded the early Christians as a new sect of the Jews and called them “Nazarenes.” And, in fact, Christianity was born of Judaism; for Jesus, the founder, himself says (Matthew v. 17): “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” It is easy to understand how, being an offspring of Judaism, Christianity should adopt that method of disposing of the dead then prevalent among the Jews. At first, as Dean Stanley avers, the breach between the heathens and Christians was not an utter one. According to this great divine the early Christians inhumed in the same places as the heathens, and even painted and engraved upon the catacombs representations of the pagan gods. Later on the breach widened, however, and the Christians, as intimated above, were forced to bury their dead in seclusion. It is alleged by some eminent writers on theological subjects that in the beginning Christians were even cremated. Merivale, the historian, holds that letters inscribed on many of the Christian tombs in the catacombs imply that the early Christians sometimes burned their dead. Nevertheless, at the end of the fourth century Christians heard of burning with horror, and finally becoming inimical to the practice, although it was nowhere forbidden in the New Testament, made haste to abolish it in Europe. [Illustration: THE BLACK AND WHITE JASPER URN. (Barlow Collection.) ] At the time of Pope and Dryden a classical reaction set in, and now again may be seen in every churchyard the broken shaft, the inverted torches, and innumerable marble urns which “in pride of place” rest upon the monuments in our cemeteries. The phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” which occurs in almost every funeral sermon preached by modern clergymen, is but an allegory which was derived from the ancient custom of cineration. It is impossible to imagine ashes without the act of burning. The inscription “peace to his ashes” which so often is found, in black or golden letters, on the tombstones of the present time, preaches incineration in our burial-grounds. When the Romans embraced Christianity, it was transformed completely, and represented a strange commixture of rites partly of pagan and partly of Hebrew origin. The dalmatica of priests, utensils for celebrating mass, frankincense, etc., were derived from the Jews; whereas many other things, as for instance the worship of images, sprung from heathenism. The papal tiara has a remarkable resemblance to the historical conical cap of the Roman Pontifex Maximus; and to this day the Latin appellation of the Pope is identical with that of his pagan predecessor. The derivation of the crosier, the pastoral staff of the bishops, from the crook of the augurs is undeniable.