Dr. John Rao describes how the first great Christian writers had to explain why their religion was an acceptable one. The Apostolic Fathers and Apologists sought to show that Christianity was ancient, because it was the completion of Judaism; that it "made sense"; and, perhaps most importantly for practical reasons, that it was necessary for the survival of the Roman Empire and society. Taken from: Early Christianity and Late Antiquity - 1993 VonHildebrand Institute