"The phrase "communion of saints" was probably a late addition to the creed, for it cannot be traced back beyond the fifth century A.D., and was not widely accepted till the eighth.No reason can be found to prove that it at first meant other than that believers shared common faith and common blessings in this life. The idea of "the blessed departed" and of class distinctions among them—for example, eminent martyrs and dignitaries—came along later. It "grew to its height in the twelfth century," says Hallam's History of Europe, vol. 3, p. 32."