ABSTRACT
Paidagogos marked a profound change in the development of the concept of education as the idea of the attendant evolved into that of guide, in turn becoming blended with the function of the master of instruction. Christ as paidagogos is the starting-point for the progress of the soul which, stained and corrupt from man’s original fall, can be guided through Christ to improvement, conversion and eventual redemption. During the Hellenistic era there had appeared in the Orient numerous religious and quasi-religious mystery cults concerned with seeking a way to final knowledge. The Platonic concept of pure form was itself charged with an element of mystery; its development into the strange cosmogony of the Timaeus provided a basis for further religious speculation. So the Christians continued to attract official Roman attention as their religious teachings spread and congregations were founded in increasing numbers.
