One obstacle alone stood between man and his redemption, the vile body, "this muddy vesture of decay," that so grossly wrapped his soul.

To find methods of bringing it into subjection was the task of the Christian Church for centuries.

In the Vatican Gallery of Inscriptions is a stone slab with the single word "Stercoriae," and below, the Christian symbol.

It might serve as a motto for the Middle Ages, during which, to quote St.Paul, all things were "counted dung but to win Christ." In this attitude of mind the wisdom of the Greeks was not simply foolishness, but a stumbling-block in the path.

Knowledge other than that which made a man "wise unto salvation" was useless.