This, therefore, has been the legacy of ancient Rome to Christianity:  firstly, the organization of the Latin Church; secondly, the scholastic theology, founded on notions of jurisprudence introduced into man’s relations to God.  In turn, Christianity has bestowed on Western Europe what the old Romans never knew,—­a religion of love and inspiration.  In place of the hard and cold Roman life, modern Europe has sentiment and heart united with thought and force.  With Roman strength it has joined a Christian tenderness, romance, and personal freedom.  Humanity now is greater than the social organization; the state, according to our view, is made for man, not man for the state.  We are outgrowing the hard and dry theology which we have inherited from Roman law through the scholastic teachers; but we shall not outgrow our inheritance from Rome of unity in the Church, definite thought in our theology, and society organized by law.

Chapter IX.

The Teutonic and Scandinavian Religion.

Sec. 1.  The Land and the Race. 
Sec. 2.  Idea of the Scandinavian Religion. 
Sec. 3.  The Eddas and their Contents. 
Sec. 4.  The Gods of Scandinavia. 
Sec. 5.  Resemblance of the Scandinavian Mythology to that of Zoroaster. 
Sec. 6.  Scandinavian Worship. 
Sec. 7.  Social Character, Maritime Discoveries, and Political Institutions
of the Scandinavians. 
Sec. 8.  Relation of this System to Christianity.

Sec. 1.  The Land and the Race.

The great Teutonic or German division of the Indo-European family entered Europe subsequently to the Keltic tribes, and before the Slavic immigration.  This people overspread and occupied a large part of Northern Central Europe, from which the attempts of the Romans to dispossess them proved futile.  Of their early history we know very little.  Bishop Percy contrasts their love of making records, as shown by the Runic inscriptions, with the Keltic law of secrecy.  The Druids forbade any communication of their mysteries by writing; but the German Scalds put all their belief into popular songs, and reverenced literature as a gift of the gods.  Yet we have received very little information concerning these tribes before the days of Caesar and Tacitus.  Caesar describes them as warlike, huge in stature; having reverence for women, who were their augurs and diviners; worshipping the Sun, the Moon, and Fire; having no regular priests, and paying little regard to sacrifices.  He says that they occupied their lives in hunting and war, devoting themselves from childhood to severe labors.  They reverenced chastity, and considered it as conducive to health and strength.  They were rather a pastoral than agricultural people; no one owning land, but each having it assigned to him temporarily.  The object of this provision was said to be to prevent accumulation of wealth and the loss of warlike habits.  They fought with cavalry supported by infantry.  In the time of Augustus all attempts at conquering Germany were relinquished, and war was maintained only in the hope of revenging the destruction of Varus and his three legions by the famous German chief Arminius, or Herrman[320].