Meissner continues his studies of the early Christian Church by examining lines of opposition within the Christian community against the background of Hellenistic culture and the political structure of the Roman Empire. In the Roman Christian community the divisive factor was Judaic elements; in Corinth it was socioeconomic stratification and dietary restrictions; and in the Johannine community it was high versus low Christology. The author argues that the gradual evolution of a central orthodox church came about through the continued workings of a cultic process. The dynamics of the in-group versus out-group, in this context of competing Christian groups, led to this centralization. He reiterates the central importance of a paranoid process in this group formative evolution.