The Brothers Karamazovall the earth. For that we have the divine promise.’
He ceased speaking suddenly, as though checking him-
self. After listening attentively and respectfully Ivan went
on, addressing the elder with perfect composure and as be-
fore with ready cordiality:
‘The whole point of my article lies in the fact that during
the first three centuries Christianity only existed on earth
in the Church and was nothing but the Church. When the
pagan Roman Empire desired to become Christian, it inevi-
tably happened that, by becoming Christian, it included the
Church but remained a pagan State in very many of its de-
partments. In reality this was bound to happen. But Rome
as a State retained too much of the pagan civilisation and
culture, as, for example, in the very objects and fundamen-
tal principles of the State. The Christian Church entering
into the State could, of course, surrender no part of its fun-
damental principles — the rock on which it stands — and
could pursue no other aims than those which have been or-
dained and revealed by God Himself, and among them that
of drawing the whole world, and therefore the ancient pagan
State itself, into the Church. In that way (that is, with a view
to the future) it is not the Church that should seek a definite
position in the State, like ‘every social organisation,’ or as
‘an organisation of men for religious purposes’ (as my oppo-
nent calls the Church), but, on the contrary, every earthly
State should be, in the end, completely transformed into
the Church and should become nothing else but a Church,
rejecting every purpose incongruous with the aims of the
Church. All this will not degrade it in any way or take from