After a while they began to meet the men and women who preached the words of Jesus. They found them very different from the average Roman priests. They were all dreadfully poor. They were kind to slaves and to animals. They did not try to gain riches, but gave away whatever they had. The example of their unselfish lives forced many Romans to forsake the old religion. They joined the small communities of Christians who met in the back rooms of private houses or somewhere in an open field, and the temples were deserted.
又过了不久，他们开始与宣传基督福音的男男女女们有了私下的接触，发现他们的为人处事与罗马的僧侣截然不同。他们个个衣衫槛楼、一贫如洗，对奴隶和动物友爱有加。他们从不试图聚敛财富，反倒倾其所有来帮助穷人和病人。他们无私利人的生活榜样触动了许多罗马人，使他们放弃了原有的信仰，加入基督徒组成的小社团 。他们在私人住宅的密室或露天田野的某处聚会，罗马的庙宇冷寂了。
This went on year after year and the number of Christians continued to increase. Presbyters or priests (the original Greek meant "elder") were elected to guard the interests of the small churches. A bishop was made the head of all the communities within a single province. Peter, who had followed Paul to Rome, was the first Bishop of Rome. In due time his successors (who were addressed as Father or Papa) came to be known as Popes.
一年年过去，传教工作一如既往，基督徒的人数在持续增加。他们推选神父或长老（"presbyters"，希腊语意为"老年人"）负责保护小社团 的利益。每一个行省的所有社团 还选出一位主教，作为这一地区的基督教首领。继保罗之后来罗马传教的彼得成为了第一任罗马主教。到某个时候，彼得的继任者（信徒亲切地称呼他"父亲"或"爸爸"）便开始被称为"教皇"了。
The church became a powerful institution within the Empire. The Christian doctrines appealed to those who despaired of this world. They also attracted many strong men who found it impossible to make a career under the Imperial government, but who could exercise their gifts of leadership among the humble followers of the Nazarene teacher. At last the state was obliged to take notice. The Roman Empire (I have said this before) was tolerant through indifference. It allowed everybody to seek salvation after his or her own fashion. But it insisted that the different sects keep the peace among themselves and obey the wise rule of "live and let live."
教会逐渐成长为罗马帝国之内的一个颇具影响力和权势的机构。基督教义不仅感染着许多对现世绝望的人们，而且还吸引了大量天资聪颖、精明强干的能人。这些人在帝国政府内飞黄腾达无门，却能在拿撒勒导师的跟随者中间施展他们的领导才能。最后，帝国政府不得不引起注意，正视基督教的存在了。正如我前面讲过的，罗马政府原则上允许所有臣民以自己喜欢的方式寻求灵魂的拯救，但政府要求，所有的宗教应该和平共处，遵循"自己生存，也让别人生存"的明智原则。