The roots of Catholicism lie in Judaism which identified itself with the Abrahamic covenant ‘I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and so you shall be a blessing’. Out of this special relationship with a particular historical people developed a new universal covenant established through Jesus Christ. In understanding the meaning, early Christian thinkers drew upon Greek philosophical and Roman political and legal thought to create a comprehensive understanding of the human condition and the nature and role of the Church in mediating our relationship to God.