LIBRARY BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE EDITED BY GEORGE R. CROOKS, D.D, AND JOHN F. IIURST, D.D. VOL. IV.-CHRISTIAN ARCHEOLOGY A-'EW YORK PHILLIPS & HUNT CINCINNATI CRANSTON tfe STOWE 1883 I ■^u* <^ Copyright, 1888, by New York. at PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT. rpHE design of the Editors and Pnhlishei's of tlie Biblical and Theological Likraiiy is to t'uniisli ministers and laymen witli a series of works wliic-li, in connection with tlie Commentaries now issuiiiir, sliall make a eompendions apparatus for study. While the tlieology of the volumes will l)e in hai'inony with tin* doctrinal standards of the Methodist Episcopal ('huii.-h, tlie aim will be to make the entire Lihraiy acceptal)le to all evausfelical Christians. The following wi'iters will co-operate in the author- ship of the series : Di*. ITarman, on tlit^ Introdurtioii to the Study of the Holy Scriptures; Dr. Tei-iy, on Biblical Hermeneutics ; Dr. Bennett, on Christian Ar- chaeology ; Dr. Miley, on Systema^ic Theology ; the VaW- tors, on Theological Encyclopaxlia and Methodology : Di-. Itidgaway, on Evidences of Christianity ; Prof. Littl.-, on Christian Theism and Modern Speculative Thought : Di'. Ciooks, on the History of Christian Doctrine ; and iv PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT. Bishop Hurst, on the History of the Christian Church. The volumes on Introduction to the Scriptures, Biblical Hermeneutics, Theological Encyclopgedia and Method- ology, and Christian Archaeology have now been issued. In the case of every treatise the latest literature will be consulted, and its I'esults incorporated. The \voiks comprised in the series will be printed in full octavo size, and finished in the best style of typography and bindini^:. Christian Archeology BY CHARLES W. BENNETT D.D, IROFESSOR OF HISTORICAL THEOLOGY IN GARRETT BIBLICAL INSTITUTE, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS INTRODUCTORY NOTICE BY DR. FERDINAND PIPER TROFESSOR OF CHL'RCH HISTOKY AND CHRISTIAN ARCH.EOLOCV IN THE UNIVERSITY OF FERI.IN NEIV YORA': PHILLIPS ^ ILUXT CINC/.yXAri: CRAXSTO.y &* STOll'E iSSS AUTHOR'S PREFACE TT is with much diffidence tluit I send forth upon its inissiuu this work on Christiiin Archaeology. I will let that veteran Christian archseolosjist, Dr. Piper, my much-revered instructor, speak of the need of some such book as this. In the Introduc- tory Note, which he has had the great kindness to furnish, the scope and value of this Discipline are sketched in his own inimi- table style. While the master speaks it behooves the pupil to keep silence. The arrangement is a departure from the usual one. I have thought that by giving the Archaeology of Christian Art tlie first l)lace in the discussion, the results of this study could best be utilized in the illustration of the Constitution, Worshi[), and Lite of the Church. It only remains for me to express my sinccrest appreciation of the kindly encouragement and aid which have been so freely given me both at home and abroad. It would be invidious ti» make distinctions, but to my associates in theological instruction, to friends who have helped me in making the requisite travels for personal study of monuments, to my most highly esteemed pre- ceptor and guide in the Berlin University, and to those who have assisted in the proof-readings and indexing, I would express my especial obligations. If careful readers of the work Avould com- municate to me any errors wliicli they may discover, it would bo regarded as a personal favour, as well as help to the attainment of truth. GaURETT BlULlCAL INSTITUTE, EVA.NSTOiV, IlL., J/cy IJ, IS88. INTRODUCTORY NOTE AT the invitation of the esteemed author, I write a few words of introduction to this vohiraeo It is with pleasure that I greet the first work on Christian Arclioeology which lias appeared on Amer- ican soil. With hearty good wishes I welcome it to a position of jtrominence, even before it has come into my hands. At the same time, I cannot be in doubt in regard to its character. The ac- quaintance I have with the method of the author's studies, his protracted connection with our University, his travels in the Old World and their purpose, give assurance of its solid worth. Since numerous plates and illustrations, as well as several maps, accom- pany the text, the work comes to have the character of an Art- Archreology, and will be helpful in theological instruction. Thus it appears that the book is designed for the Monumental section of ecclesiastical science. I. The title itself is full of significance. In Classical Antiquities, where the word dg^aLoXoyia is in common use, it refers primarily to the historic life of a nation, as Roman, Jewish, etc. ; since the idea of life (6 apxct^og (Slog TTjg -oXecog), as the essential content of Political Antiquities, occupies the foremost place. Only after several modi- fications, through the development of the "Archeology of Art" in connection with Classical Antiquities, has the present character of archjeological science been determined. By further adding the In- scriptions (which as a whole are excluded from Classical Antiqui- ties), we reach the Discipline which has too long been neglected in the department of theological inquiry. In view of the progress made in the corresponding philological fields of Archaeology and Epigraphy, and of the pressing demands of theological science, it is evident that this neglect cannot much longer continue. In the United States, where an able Journal of Archaeology has received support for several years, a commendable zeal already exists, so that the author's work does not appear prematurely^ there. The work is devoted exclusivel}' to the first six centuries, although the name Archicologj' does not, in itself, have reference only to what is ancient. But for this very reason we call attention to the INTRODUCTORY NOTE. ix significance of tliis field of in(;uiiy for the study of tlieolo<;y and for the service of the Church. II. This sit,mificance Hes, first of all, in the fact that it reveals a source of information which sui^plies a serious lack in our knowl- edge of Christian Antiquity: for the nearer we ai»i)roach the be- ginnings of the Church the more meagre are the literai-y sources of evidence. These, for the most part, are all which have hitherto been taken into consideration. Here, accordingly, the contempo- rary monuments in stone, metal, and color, found by thousands in all parts of the world, especially in the countries around the Mediterranean, are of immense assistance. It is the work of the archa?ologist to make a critical examination of these, and to de- termine their historic value. The discovery of Pompeii and Iler- culaneum afi'ords an illustration from Classical Anticjuities more complete than had been thought possible. AVhen Pacinudi imme- diately thereafter visited Herculaneum and the INIuseum at Najdes, he exclaimed, "O what treasures! what wonders ! " He ventured to affirm that by the spending of a week in the Museum he had learned more than by ten years of previous study. In the domain of Church history nothing similar were possible, because through the excavation of Pompeii the entire domestic, civil, and religious life was revealed, whereas Cliurch history is chiefiy concerned willi the latter. Subterranean discoveries pertaining tosscsses no documents more precious than the letters to the Church in Smyrna, and those to the Churches in Lyons and Vienne concerning their martyrs, we may take as examples the stadium at Smyrna (whose site is per- fectly recognisable) where Polycarp suffered, and at Lyons the crypt of St. Denis where the prisons of Pothinus and IJlandina are shown. When authenticated, these places and a thousand otliers, next to those in the Holy Land, incite the theologian to make his pilgrimage. If the poet sings of sacred Palestine, " It was no strange desire, When pilgrims numberless emharkcd But at Thy sepulclier to pray, And kiss witli pious zeal The eartli Thy fool has trod," it is not to be wondered at that American theologians in great numbers leave their native shores to visit historic spots where they may view the mementoes of the past. If, then, this work, next to the knowledge which it imparts, may also awaken among the writer's countrymen a still stronger desire — following the example of the highly esteemed author, who in the course of his investigations has several times crossed the ocean, and so gained the right to speak from personal observation — to under- take that pilgrimage, in order to reach the origins of the Church and to get a view of its primitive uionunu'nts, it will thereby render another valuable service. Dr. Ferdinand Pii-kr. Berlin University, Jan. 15, 1888. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. nCJURK PaGE 1. Ceiling decoration from Santa Domitilla, Rome. Northcote and Browklow 57 2. Ceiling decoration from San Pr.etestato. Rome. Kraus 53 3. Ulysses and the Sirens. From the crypt of Santa Lucina, Rome. Northcote and Brownlow 65 4. A Christian sarcophagus, with tragic masks. Roller 60 o. From a Christian sarcophagus, decorated with dolphins. Roller G6 G. Coin of Constaxtius, showing the mingling of heathen and Christian emblems. Piper 67 7. A COIN OF Majorian, fifth century. Piper 67 8. Amor and Psyche, from Santa Domitilla. Northcote and Brownlow. . . 08 9. Amor and Psyche with the Good Shepherd, San Calisto, Rome. Kraus. 69 10. Genii in a vintage scene. A winged genius holding back the veil From a Christian sarcophagus. Roller 70 11. Supposed eucharistic scene. Fresco from the oldest part of Santa Domitilla, Rome. Kraus 79 12. The fish associated with other Christian symbols. From an early Christian sarcophagus. Pipkr SO 13. Fresco fro.m the "Chamber of the Sacraments," San Calisto, suggesting the eucharistic meal. roller 81 1-1. Fresco from a Christian c.\tacomb in Alexandria, representing the EUCHARISTIC MEAL. KrAUS 82 15. The SWASTIKA, with Christian emblems. Munter St 16. Monogram on coin op Anthemius, A. D. 467. Piper 86 17. Various forms of the cross, especially of the monogram of Ciirlst. Northcote and Brownlow 86 18. Monogram of Christ on an arcosolium of San Calisto, Rome. Kraus.. . 86 19. The Constantinian monogram, with palm branches and the legend, IN- SIGNO. Piper 87 20. The monogram of Christ encircled by a wreath. Mitnter. . . 87 21. A jeweled cross from Ravenna. Piper 88 22. The A S2, with monogram in circle. Munter 89 23. Monogram and A i2 in triangle. Munter. ... 89 21. A i2, WITH DOVES and monogram. From a burial monument. Piper 89 25. Caricature op Christ. A pagan graffito probably of second century. Palace of the Cesars, R:)Me. Becker 95 26. From an antique gem. A supposed caricature of the teaching Christ. Northcote and Brownlow 96 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii FIGURE PAfiK 27. Coin ok Alexander tiik Great— ax ass and its foal. Nortiilote and liuOWNLOW . . , i)ti 28. Fresco ceiling from Santa Domitilla, Rome. Orpueus in center. Kkals. 99 29. Christ raising Lazarls. From a fresco. Pipek loO 30. Fresco from the ceilinc; in a chamber in 8an Calisto, Rome. Noutm- cote and Brownlow lol 3L Bust of Christ from San I'onziano. Pu<)1!aulv from ninth ckntlky. Northcote and Brownlow 1(»2 32. Bust of Chrlst from a cemetery of Naples. Probably from the sl.xth century. Northcote and Brownlow 103 33. Bust of Christ from the crypt of Santa Cecilia, cemetery of San Ca- listo. Kraus 103 34. Fresco from the cemetery Santa Gf:nerosa, near Rome, Christ with SAINTS. Kraus 1 1 15 35. Virgin and Star, from Santa Priscilla, Rome. After photograph from Roller loO 36. Virgin and Child, from Santa Domitilla, Rome. • Northcote and Brown- low 107 37. Virgin and Child, from Santa Agnese, Rome. Kraus 108 38. A Good Shepherd, from Santa Generosa, Kraus 109 39. A Fresco of St. Cecilia, from Crypt of Santa Cecilia, Rome. Kraus. . . . 109 40. Vine ORNAMENT FROM San Calisto, Rome. Northcote and Brownlow.... 110 41. Mosaic vine ornament, from Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna. Northcote and Brownlow Ill 42. Mosaic of Christ, in archbishop's pal.ue, Ravenna. Kraus 124 43. Mosaic from the apse of SS. Cosmas e Damiano, Rome. Schnaase 126 44. Mosaic of Christ, from San Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna. Kraus 127 45. Mosaic of Christ, from St. Sophia, Con-stantinople. Schnaase 129 46. Statuette of the Good Shepherd, Lateran Museum. From an orig- inal drawing 132 47. Good Shepherd with crook or staff, Latep.an Museum. From an orkj- iNAL drawing .... 1 33 48. The Goon Shepherd. To compare with Heumes-Kriophoros. Northcote and Brownlow <• 1 34 49. IIermes-Kriophoros, FROM Wilton House. Northcote and Brownlow... 134 50. Restored statue of IIippolytus. Northcote and Brownlow i:!5 51. A vintage scene, with Goon Shepherd. After Roller 138 52. The translation of Elijah. Kraus 139 53. The history of Jonah, from a sarcophagu.s. Piper i:i9 54. Karly Christian sarcophagus. Kraus 1-11 55. Sarcophagus of the fourth century. Kraus 143 5(1. The fall, from Sarcophagus of Junius B.vssus. Ph-er 144 57. From the Junius Bassus monument. Piper 144 58. A late sarcophagus. After a photograph by Roller 14(5 59. The Nativity and the offering of the magi. Kraus 147 60. Sarcophagus from the fifth ce.ntury. After Roller 118 61. The Last Judgment in sculpture. After Roller 149 62. A CRUciFi.\io.v, from an ivory. Kraus 152 63. Ivory carving from the cathedra of Bishop Ma.mmianus, Ravenna. Schnaase '^» 3av LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FIGURE PAGE 64. A Christian lamp, \vith Constantixian monogram. Nortiicote and Brovvxlow 155 65. A SO-CALLKD HLOOn-PHIAL. KraU.S 156 60. 'J"he house of Pansa. Pompeii 166 67. Atrium Tusca.nicum. Dehio , 167 68. Atrium displuviatum. Deuio 168 69. Atrium displuviatum, with covered compluvium. Dehio 170 70; Heathen schola. Via Appia, Rome. Stockbauer 170 71. Another heathen schola, Via Appia, Rome. Dehio ITl 72. Christian schola above San Calisto. Rome. Stockbauer 171 73. Form of an early basilica, a bronz lamp. Ce Rossi 171 74. Cella and arrangement of graves above San Sisto, Rome. Schnaase. . 172 75. Basilica in Santa Generosa, Rome. Northcote and Brownlow 173 76. Groundplan of basilica in Santa Petronilla, Rome. Nouthcote and Brownlow 174 77. View op basilica in Santa Petronilla, Rome. Kraus 176 78 Plan of basilica from the villa ok (Juintilian. Stockbauer 177 7v». Palace of Diocletian, SsPOL.iTRO. Schnaase. 179 80. Basilica, from villa of Hadrian, Tivoli. Dehio 182 81. Another basilica, from villa of Hadrian. Dehio 182 82. Interior of San Clemente, Rome. Lubke 185 83. Groundplan of San Clemente, Rome 186 84. Interior structure, development of cross- ribbed arches. Wiege.mann . . 189 85. a clustered column, lubke 191 86. A Gothic interior 192 87. San Clemente, Rome. Stockbauer 193 88. Cross-section of Basilica Sjssoriana, Rome. Stockbauer 193 89. Groundplan of the same. Dehio and Be?,old 194 90. Groundplan of Santa Pudenziana, Rome. Stockbauer 195 91. San Pietro in Vaticano, Rome. Front elevation. Dehio and [Jezdlh. 198 92. Perspective interior of San Pietro, Rome. Schnaase 199 93. Atrium of Sylvan us, via Appia, Rome. Dehio 200 94. San Lorenzo fuori le mura, Rome. Dehio and Bezold 204 95. Santa Agnese fuori le mura, Rome. Interior view. Dehio 205 96. Groundplan of Santa Sinforosa, Rome. Stockbauer 206 97. Entablature, etc., of San Apollinare Xuovo, Ravenna. Schnaase. . . . 208 98. San Apollinare in classe. Schnaase 209 99. San Apollinare in classe. Interior view. Schnaase 210 100. St. Demeirius, Thessalonica. Cross section. Stockbauer. 212 101. Basilica at El-Barah, Central Syria, de Vogtte 214 102. Church at Tourmanin, Central Syria, de Vogue .... 215 103. Baths of Diocletian. Stockbauer 219 104. Temple of Romulus. Via Appia, Rome. Stockbauer 222 105. Groundplan of St. George, Thessalonica. Stockbauer 224 106. St. George, Thessalonica. E.xteuior view. Schnaase 224 107. San Vitale, Ravenna. Interior view. Schnaase 225 108. San Vitale, groundplan. Schnaase 226 109. San Vitale, longitudinal section. Schnaase 227 110. Capital from San Vitale. Lubke 228 1 1 J. Capital from St. Sophia, Constantinople. Lubke 228 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xr FIGURE PAOK 112. SS. Sercius and Bacchus, CoNsxANTiNorLE. SrocKnAiEu 229 1 13. Hall in ancient Roman palace. Dehio 229 1 14. Section of St. Sophia. Stockbauer '. 233 1 1 5. Section of the Basilica of Constantine, Rome.- Stockbauer 234 110. Groundplan of St. Sophia. Schnaase ' 237 117. St. Sophia. Longitudinal section. Schnaase .... 238 118. Section of Santa Constanza, Rome. Dehio and Bezold 241 119. Santa Maria Maggiore Nocera de Pagani, section. Schnaa.se 242 120. Burial chapkl of Galla Placidia, Ravenna. Stockbauer 244 121. Section of the same. Dehio and Bezold 245 122. Cathedral of Trier. Schnaase 246 123. Graffiti from papal crypt, San Sisto, Rome. Roller 269 124. Cross in circle with inscriptions. Munter 270 125. Column from the Basilica of Petronilla, Rome. Northcote and Brown- low 27t"> 126. Baptism ok Christ. Fresco from Santa Lucina, Rome. Original draw- ing 399 127. Another baptism of Christ. After Roller 40ti 128. Supposed baptism. Fresco from Pretest ato, Rome. After dk Ro.ssi. ... 401 129. A BAPTISM, from San Calisto, Rome. After de Rossi 401 13(>. A baptism, from San Calisto, Rome. After de Rossi 402 101. A BAPTISM on a fragment OF A GLASS CUP. AfTER MaRTIGNY 403 102. Baptism of Christ. Mosaic from San Giovanni in fonte, Ravenna. After Piper 404 133. Baptism of Christ. Mosaic from Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Ravenna. After Quast 405 134. A baptism, from a fresco in Santa Pudenziana, Rome. After Martigny 405 135. A baptism of Christ, from a fresco in San Ponziano, Rome. Munter.. 406 136. A baptistery from a sarcophagus, Rome. After Dehio and Bezold 410 137. Groundplan of a baptistery at Deir Seta, Central Syria. After de Vogue 110 138. A'ertical Section of baptistery of San Giovanni. Dehio 411 1 39. Vertical Section of baptistery in Albegna. Dehio 412 140. An Altar (mensa) of the fifth century. After Roller 427 141. A Roman columbarium. After Guhl 513 142. A STREET OF TOMBS LEADING FROM IIeRCULANEUM GATE, PoMPEII. AfTER Guhl f"!^ 143. Entrance to Santa Domitilla, Rome. Kraus 517 144. A gallery in Catacombs. Northcote and Brownlow 518 145. Plan of Santa Agnese, Rome Kraus 618 146. An arcosolium. Kraus ^1^ 147. Section OF CHAMBER AND lumisarium. Northcote and Browvlow 520 148. Rock-hewn tombs at El-Barah, Central Syria, de Vogue 521 Plate I. Gilded glasses and bronze iusts, representing Peter and Paul f'^f"'>« "- " IT. The sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Photograph Facino 144 •' II». The sarcophagus OF Junius Bassus, Engraving Facing 145 " in. Christian inscriptions associated WITH Christian SYMBOLS . Facing 258 xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAfiE Plate IV. Ciiiustiax symhols ox iirniAL mommkxts Facixg 261 ■' V. El'lTAI'llS FKOM FIRST HALF OF THK TIIIKI) CKXTCRY FaCING 262 " VI. IxSfKU'TIOXS OF DOCTRIXAL IMPORT Facixg 264 " VII. IXSCUIPTIOXS OF P(ft»E DaMASUS, FOURTH CEXTLKY FaCING 265 " VIII. Epitaphs of secoxd half of the fol'rth cextuuy Facing 267 " IX. Facsimile of the first page of the Axtiphoxarium of Grkgory the Great Facing 313 " X. Xlmj: fuom early Codices Facing 314 Map ok the Roman Empire at the end of the reign of Justinian, SHOWING THE CHIEF SITES OF CHRISTIAN MONC.MENTS.. . . FaCING 22-23 Map OF Rome and its environs, showing the location of the CATACOMBS, PRINCIPAL CHURCHES, AND OTHER IMPORTANT OBJECTS Facing 545 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. INTRODUCTION CllAP'l'Eli I. GENEKAL PRINCIPLES. 1. Definition 1.3 2. Divisions 13 3. Divisions of Cliristian arcliseoloj^y. (1) Of Christian art 13 (2) Of constitution ani.i govern- ment 14 (3) Of worship and rites U (4) Of Christian life 14 History of arclueolo{,'y 15 Kelations of Christian to classical" ar- cluBolo^y 1(5 Chronological Inuits and reasons. . 17, li CHAl'TEK II. UTILITY OF THE STUDY. Connection of archjeology witli his- tory of civilization 19 Utility of archisology. (1) Has corrected ehronolonry 20 (2) Has corrected false notions of the hatred of art 20 (3) Has aided to correct tlie text of patristic writings 20 (4) [las helped to write the history of heresies 21 Co) Unconscious testimony 21 {6) They help to a» (3) Pre-Constantine cross (4) Not of Indian origin (5) The monogram of Christ. .. 85- 72 74 (6) The Tau cross &J 4. The Alpha-Omega monuments 8S: 6. The vine St 6. The Good Sheyilierd 9l 7. This symbol not necessarily derived 91 8. The disciples and the Chuieh. (1) The door — it.s sisnifieance. . . 9" (2) The fish ': 9: (3) The sheep and the lambs 9: (4) The ship explained 91 9. Other symbols. (1) The anchor 9 (2) Tlie palm-tree and the palm brancli 95 (3) Theerown, lyre, peacock, (tc. 93 10. Tiie caricatures of Christand hi.s doc- trine 94-96 CHAPTER IV E.\RLY CHRISTIAN PAIXTIXO AXD MOSAICS. 1. Earliest paintings in tlie catacombs. / 9^ 11 2. Similarity of Christian to heatlien painting 97 3. The cycle of Cliristian art peculi ir. 98 4. The principle of artistic bahincing. . 98 5. Naturalness of early Christian an .. ^9tK 6. Two types of Cin'ist . . TW 12. 7. The later frescos depart from the earlier tyjie loi i,s. 8. Rea.sons of this change 104 14. 9. Tlie orantes 106 15, 10. No symbolic representation of the 16. Virgin 106 17, Various types of the Virgin. (1) The Virgin and star. .. . (2) Vii'gin and child in S Domitilla . . (3) Virgin and child in S Agnese The Good Shepherd and St. cilia Vine ornaments Paintings on gilt glasses Primacy of Peter Miniatures and illuminations.. . Fragment of a Latin liible . ... 106 aiUa . ... 107 anta . .. . 103 Cl- 109 11(1,111 .... Ill , 1 n . 1 1 1 5' 11; V . ... 11- CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. 1. General principk-s. (1) How classitiecl 114 (2) Nearest nU'wd to painting 115 (3) Kinds of niusaius 11.') 2. Limited use in the Catacoinhs 115 3. Utility of their study 115 4. Caution against restorations lli; 5. Chronology ll(j G. Santa Constanza in Koine. (1) Its style 117 (i2) Its description ll'J (3) Transition in style, and the cause 119 7. C]i;ipels in San Giovanni in Later- ano 11,5 8. Santa Pudenziana 119 9. Santa Sabina. 120 MOSAICS. 10, 12. Saint Paul beyond the walls Santa Maria Ma^giore. (1 ) Description (2) The teacliings of tliese mosa- ics Mosaics of Ravenna. (1 ) San Giovanni in fonte (2) Mausoleum of Galla Phicidia. Other mosaics of the fifth century . . Mosaics of the si.vth century. (1) SS. Cosmas and Dumian, Rome, description.... 124, (2) San Apollinare Nuovo, Ra- venna (3) St. Sophia, Constantinople 127- (4) St. Sophia, Thessalonica. 129, (5) St. Catharine's, Mt. Sinai.... 120 120 121 l'J2 1-JJ 125 125 129 i.;o 130 CHAPTER V. EARLY CniSISTIAN SCULPTURE. 1. Why Christianity seemed hostile to>*^ sculpture ISr 2. Why sculpture experienced a deca- dence ^ 13L» 3. No portraitures of Christ 7151 4. The Good Shepherd in statuary 132 5. Difference between the Good Shep- herd and the ram-bearing Mer- cury 133 6. The bronze statue of St. Peter 133 7. Statue of Ilippolytus, its Christian origin questioned 133, 134 6. Types of Christ in Christian sculp- ture 136 9. The decorative principle united with the symbolic 10. Examples of combination. ( 1 ) Translation of Elijah (2) The History of Jonah 11. Frequency of recurrence of Scriptu- ral subjects 12. Architectural elements in sarco- phagi 142, 13. The Junius Bassus monument. .145, 14. The nativity in sculpture 15. The last judgment in sculpture 13S 139 142 143 14ti ^4H 150 CARVINGS IN IVORY. Ivory diptyohs 151 Consular and ecclesiastical diptychs 151 One of the earliest representations of the crucifixion 154 4. Carving on book-covers 155 5. Ivory pixes 15<; t). Sculptured lamps 157 7. Ampullffi or blood- phials 157, 15^^ CHAPTER VI. EARLY CMRISTIA §1.— r/«e Chr 1. Origin of the basilica : (1) Alberti's theory from the Ro- man basilica 157 (2) Zesterniann'stheory, a Christ- ian development 158 (3) His five classes 159 (4) The hypjethral temple 159 (5) Messmer's theory, frouj the triclinium I'M (6) From the j)rivate dwelling. . I'i2 (7) From the pagan xchula lii'J (8) An eclectic view, its discus- sion \(\->-\M (9) Relations of private dwellini;s to churches 1 9 (11) The schola and burial guilds 1711-172 (12) The cellfe 172-175 N ARCHITECTURE. idian Basilica. 2. Origin of pagiin Roman basilica. (1 ) Form of the law basilica (2) The apse 3. Constructive elements 4. Erroneous theories . . 5. Earliest notices of Christian basili- cas fi. The Christian Church an organ- ism ; . 7. The apse the unifying member in the Christian basilica 8. Suggestion of the apse in lieathen structures 9. DifTcrences between heathen and < 'liristian basilicas 10. The p:irts of the basilica: (1) The apse and its furniture. .. (2) The vestibule • (.;) The transept (4) The triumphal arch (5) The naves 175 177 17X 17^ ISO 181 181 1<2 1-" 1^-t 1-5 1>7 157 15S CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. 11. The influence of the Christian ba- silica on other forms of Christian arcliitecture. (1) First £rerms of the Gothic 18'.' (■2) The unifyinjr spirit 18',i (3) Further transformations 190 12. Some of the earliest Christian churches. (1) Few pre-Constantine 191 (2) Exaniples 193-196 13. Basilicas of Roman origin in the time of Constantine. (1^ Constantine's influence 196 (2) Few churches survive — ex- amples 197-202 14. Some basilicas of the post-Constan- tine period. (1) Contrasts l^etween East and West 202 (2) Splendour of Constantine's reign 203 (3) Examples of churches... 203-206 Churelies of Ravenna. (1) Periods of architecture in Ra- venna 207 (2) Examples of churches in each pieriod 208-211 Christian basilicas in other coun- tries 211-217 15 16 § 2.— The Central or Domed Church. 1. Its peculiar home in the East 217 2. Origin of the domed structure. (1) Very obscure 218 (2) Resemble baptisteries 218 (3) Ceiitrid buildmg in Constan- tine's time 220 3. Classification of domed structures. (1) With niches 220 (2) Cruciform structures 221 (3 ) The simple rotunda 221 (4) With niches and columns- examples 222-229 4. Bvzantine architecture. ■(1) Syncretism in art 230 (2) Valuable art services of By- zantium 231 (3) A product of the Oriental spirit 232 (4^ Three historic periods 232 (5) Fixedness of art forms in the >econd period — reasons, 232, 233 5. Saint Sophia. n) Difficulties of structure 234 (2) Vast preparations 235 (3) Description 236-241 6. The circular structure, and exam- ples 241-244 7. The cruciform buildings, and exam- ples .' 244-246 Cn.\PTER VII. EARLY CHRISTI.\N EPIGKAPHV. 1. Definitions and principles. (1) Early Christian use {2) Increased interest in later times (3) Value of Christian epi- graphy (4) Number of Christian in- scriptions (5) Materials on which inscrip- tions are found (6) Kinds of inscriptions 2. Palseographic principles. (1^ How are inscriptions read. . (2) Punctuation (3) Orthography of inscriptions. 3. Chronology of inscriptions. (1^ Indictions (2) Provincial eras (3) Inscriptions without dates. . (4) Special indications 4. Tlie subject and content of inscrip- tions. (1) Paj^an influence in Christ- ian ejiigraphy (2) Becker's four conclusions re- specting D. M 254 (3) Views of death and of the future 256, 5. Application of principles and their illustration. (1) The magi (2) Paradise (3) Orantes ^4^ Tlie church (^5) Tapers in church service. . . . (6) Other symbols 261, (7) The significance of dormit. . (8) Carelessness in preparation of inscriptions (9J The future life flO) The Damasone inscriptions. (11) Prayers to the dead n2) The terms for chief pa>tor. . (13) Warning against hasty in- ductions (14) Possible ignorance of Christ- ians as to the signiticaneo of certain inscriptions 6. Eulogistic character of later inscrip- tions 7. The Graffiti 268, 8. Epigraphic and pictorial aids to history illustrated . . . 270, 257 258 258 258 259 260 262 263 262 264 261 265 266 2G7 267 268 269 271 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. CHAPTER VIll. EARLY CHRISTIAN POETRY AND HYMNOLOGY. 1. Preliminary considerations. (Ij Kelations of poetry to re- ligion 272 (2) Earliest liynnis 272 (3) Early Ciiristianity prolific of poetic themes 272 (4) Yet not favourable to met- rical forms 273 (5) Tlie Psalter at first in gen- eral use 273 (6) Gems of hynnioloiry in the New Testament 273 (7) The probable use of hymns in the second century 274 ^8) Milliter's conclusions 275 (9) The Greek fathers favour- able to the use of liymns. 276 (10) Reason of the fewness of hymns 276 2. Sacred poetry of the Syrian Church. (1 ) Antioch the mother city. . . . 277 (2) The hymns of the Gnostics. 278 (3) Ephraein of Edessa, liis metliods 278 (4) His poems numerous, tlieir metrical principles 279 (5) Example of his poetry. 279,280 3. The Greeic hyinnology. (1) The Pcedngoff its of Chmciit. 2S0 (2) Gregory of Nazianzen 281 (3) Synesius, his defects 'jsl (4) Anatolius and his hymns.. 2.s2 Tlie poetry and hymnoloiry of tlie Western Ciiurch. (1) Two kinds of sacred poetry. 283 (2) Lyric poetry an exotic m Koine 264 (3) llijjh character of Christian lyi-ic 284 (4) Commodianus, his poems, their val ue 285 (5) Lactantius and Juven- cufi 285-287 (6) Damasus, hymns of, and character 287, 288 (7) Disturlied conditions under Constantine 288 (8) Julian and liis policy, iis ef- fects upon Christian litera- ture 289,290 (9) Paulinas of Nola, liis theory of poetry, antl his tlieines 290,291 (10) Ambrose, liis education and contributions t'> hvnmol- ocry ' .. 291,292 (11) Influence of Arian hymns. . 292 (12) Prudentius, his works and their character 293-295 (13) Fortunatus, his poems.. 295,296 (14) Other hymn writers 296 (15) Do.vologies 296, 297 (16) Gregory's hymns ot doubt- ful genuineness 296 CIIAl'TER IX. EARLY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. Educational value of Jewish cere- monies Hebrew music lost First Christians familiar with Jew- ish forms Greek influence powerful The old temple service a partial con- servator Influence of Jewish sects The early Christians adopted what was then at hand Improvisation Music not an imitation of miture. . . Tlie betrinnings of Christian music uncertjiin in date Ariaii influence Conciliary action (Opinions as to this action. ..... 303, Character of the singing service Ambrosian chant Changed circumstances of tiic Church— its effect on music Music and poetry associated by the Greeks 18 208 298 19 20 -299 29',) 21 •>o 300 23 300 24 301 301 25 302 26 302 27 303 28 303 304 29 304 305 30 305 31 306 32 The Greek musical notation— its complex chm-acter 307 Romans not patrons of art 307 Christianity first developed the dia- tonic » 308 Ambrose reduced tiie modes to four 309 The modes and sciienie 3u9 Other musical writei-s — Macrobius, Eoeihius, etc _ • . • . . 310 Gregory the Great, his services in reforming music 311 The .Vuthentic and Plagid modes.. 312 Explanation of these and tiie nature of the development 312-314 Gregorian Antiplionanum 314 Tlie Nuiiue— illustrations and trans- lations proposed — the key lost... 315 Perpetuations of the Gregorian oliant — its originality 316 Decline of music in the Eastern Church 316 Connection of religion with art cul- ture 317. SlSn Reinarka of Cousin 31 J*n CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. BOOK SECOND. THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE CONSTITUTION AND GOVERN- MENT OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH. CHAPTER I. THE CHRISTIAN CHUKCH IN ITS IDEA AND ORIGIN. 1. New Testament idea of the Cliurcli. (1) A kiiiijdom 322 (2) 'EKnAi/aia 3'22 (3) The body of Christ 323 (4) A temple 323 (5) The bride 323 (tj) A visible form 323 2. Thu names applied to its members. (1) Disciples 322 (2) Believers 323 (3) Brethren 323 f4) Oppiobious epithets 323 (5) The clients of their Master, Christ 323 The Apostolate. (1) The triumph of the Church as- sured 323 (2) No inspired form of the Church 324 (3) Cliarisms 324 (4) Christ alone was teacher, the apostles were disciples 324 (5) A fellowship 325 (6) Apostles known to the Jewish Church 320 (7) Other ministers 328 (8) The Twelve— its significance... 327 (9) Other apostles 328 (10) The first test of apostleship 328 CHAl'TER II. THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH — ITS COMPOSITION AND OFFICERS. 1. T'.ie (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (10) (11) 2. Pres (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) apostles and deacons. First officers But one order at first Wlio wore the deacons ? Gravity of their functions A dopi ed by the Gentile ch urclies also Deaconesses Thediaconate peculiarly ('liris- tian The deacons also preached Prior to the first persecution no formnl church 332, The Church orjranized James, his office byters and bishops. First pertained to local societies Presbyters common to Jewish and Christian societies A council — what ? The entire community had a share in the deliberations . . . Each congregation independent. 320 330 330 330 331 331 331 (6) The presbyters chiefly officers of administration (7) The early type republican, not monarchical (S) Presbyters a'so teachers 336, (9) Presbyters in Gentile churches. 337, 3. Essential identity of bishops and el- ders, f 1) Reasons for so believing (2) Schaff"'s summary (3) Wjiy two terms?" Two theories 339, (4) Supervisor of charities 4. General conclusions. (1) Duties of ofiicers at first not sharply defined (2) Cliarisms the first preparation.. (3) Clement makes no distinction between bishops and pres- byters (4) No trace of a primacy 335 33(3 337 338 339 340 340 341 341 342 342 CHAPTER HI. THE POST-APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION FROM THE DESTKUCTION OF JERUSALEM TO IRENiEUS. 1. Influence of the death of apostles and the destruction of Jerusa- lem. CI) Their vast importance 343 (2) The dcstrueti'in of Jerusa- lem scattered the apostles abroad 343 (3) Emancipated the Church from Jewish prejudices 343 (4) Compelled a more compact organization 344 2. The Icrnatian episcopiicy. (1 ) Functions of a bishop 344 (2) Bishops and presbytei's diflfer in their derivation 345 3. Tlie Clementine homilies. (1) A monarchical episcopacy 34G (2) Bishops successors of the apos- tles S4ii (3) Arbiter of doctrines 347 4. The Shepherd of Hernias and Polycarp. (1) Distinction between the lay and clerical element 347 (2) No Catholic Church yet rec- ognized 348 (3) The bishop the unifying power 348 (4) Church letters 348 (5) No priesthood of the clergy in the New Testament .... 349 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. (6) Kisc of .siicLi-dotalism, its ef- fects 349 (7) Tlie views found in "The Teaeliing " 350 The form of government. (1) A cono;re»iitionul episcopacy. 350 (2; Tlie cnarism a result of the oflB.ce 351 (3) Tlie elioicc of l)i.shops ,"."l (4) Tlie episcopacy a development 351 (5) Relations of fjislioijs to eaoli other So-I (0) Bisliop of Rome z-,2 (7) Cliaiijre in prcsljj'tciiai jiDwer S.Vi (8) Dirtereiit authority of bisiiop and presbyter Zo-^ CHAl'TER IV. THE CHURCn CONSTITUTION FKOil IREN^US TO THE ACCESSION OF CON8T.\NTlXE. 1. The theory of Irena>us. (1) Peculiar conditions of the Church (2) The Gnostic threats (3) Divisions (4) Testimony of Hcgesippus— of Irenseus (5) The Church principleof Irena^us (a) Harmony of apostolic teae 1 1 - i'lg (b) The bishops the deposita- ries of this teaching (c) A regular succession. (d) Compilation of lists of 1) Compilation bishops (6) Others in harmony with this principle The influence of Cyprian. (1) Unity of Ciiurch identical with the episcopate (2) Which unity proceeds from the chair of St. Peter's (3) Power and authority of tradi- tion 353 353 354 354 354 354 355 355 355 356 35C> 357 357 (4) The episcopate no longer con- gregational but general 358 <'5) This etfected by onlinatioii 35!S 3. Tlie sacerdotal principle. (1) Growth of sacerdotalism 359 (2) The priesthood of the clergy came from the priesthood of the body of believers 359 (3) C yorian's view 359 (4) Did the sacerdotal principle come from the Jewish or Gen- tile Churches? SCio (5) Lightfoot's opinion StJCi ^6) This not so clearly established. 3G1 4. Tlie Apostolic Constitutions. (1) The (,'liureli a divine state 3G2 (2) Ordination, liow effected, and its signifieance 302 5. Conclusion. (1) The Church forms and govern- , ment ati'LCted by their envi- ronments 3i!2 (2) Church government a develop- ment 302 CHAPTER V. THE OFFICES AND OFFICERS OF THE POST-APOSTOLIC CHURCH. Origin of episcopacy. (1) Theories. (a) Of apostolic origin (b) It originated in household societies (c) It was formed out of the presbyterial office by ele- vation (2) Conclusion. rh 2. The presbyters, deacons, deacon- esses, etc. (1) Duties and prerogatives (2) Limitations of tiie rights of the laity. (3) Functions of the presbyters, lianges in " " deacons. 363 364 364 365 365 365 366 (4) Changes in the functions of the 366 367 (5) Could baptize (6) Could not consecrate the eu- charist 367 (7> When elis^ible to this office 367 (8) The number of deacons 368 (9) The archdeacon. (a) How elected 86> (h) His importance 368 (10) The deaconesses. (a) Qualifications 36S (b) Their ordination (c) Did not baptize (d) Their duties Chorcpiscopi. metropolitans, and pa- triarchs. (1) Divisions of the empire aeccpt- cd by the Church (2^ Subordination of officers (3) Chorcpiscopi. (a) Occasion of institution ih) Presbyters or deacons (c) Functions (d) Silt in councils Pnmntos. , fa) Time of oriirln uncertain... (b) How ai'pointcd (c) Their duties (5) Patriarchs. (a) Arose graduallv (b) Duties ." Suborders of the cleix'y. (1) Providential indicntions SB9 369 369 (4) 36» 37" 2^ Subdciicons. 3) Acolytes (4) Exorcist."*, thoir duties (5) Other inferior ofHcoi-8, as read- ers, door-kecpci's, etc. ... , 371 371 :!71 371 372 373 873 373 373 374 374 37t CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. CHAPTER VI. STNODS AND COUNCILS — THEIE AUTHORITY. The synod of Jerusalem 375 Church synods after the analoofy of civil leafjues 375 Necessary to preserve Church unity. 375 Provincial synods 375 Decline of lay influence 375 Metropolitan synods 37(5 Tlie representative prhiciple 376 ' 8. CEcumenical councils 376 (1) W lio assembled the councils ? 376 hS Who presided ? 376 (3) Subjects considered 377 (4i Method of votiug 378 (5) Were their decisions binding? 37G (6) Growing authority of concil- iary decisions 377 CHAPTER VII. CHUKCH DISCIPLINE. 1. Reasons and degrees of punishment. Ci.) Design of church discipline. . 378 (2) Catechumenical training a lat- er institution 378 (3) The regulafldei 379 (4) Church discipline incurred no loss of civil rights 379 (5) Sins venial and mortal 379 (G) Admonition and lesser ex- communication 379 (7) Tlie greater excommunication 379 Notice to other churches 380 (9) Did not annul benefits of bap- tism 380 (10) Right of appeal 380 2. Penitential discipline. (X) The lapsed 381 (2) Four orders of penitents 381 (3) Special penitential presbyter. 382 (4) Decline of the penitential sys- tem 382 (5^ Ceremony of readmission 382 ^6) Five stages of absolution 383 (7) The care of the early Church respecting disciphne 383 Discipline of the clergy. (1) More stringent than lay disci- pline 383 (2) Penalties inflicted 383 (3) Deposed clergy rarely rein- stated 383 (4) Ancient discipline wholesome 384 BOOK TH I RD. THE SACRAMENTS AND \A/^ORSHIP OF THE EARLY CHURCH. INTRODUCTION. 1. Nature of the sacraments 389 i 3. The number of sacraments 388 2. Co)ifounding sacraments with mys- 4. Irenceus' view of sacrament and mj's- teries 387, 388 ' tery 38&n CHAPTER I. THE SACKAMENT OF BAPTISM. § 1. Tlie Idea. 1. The formula 389 I 3. Opinions respecting its nature 390 2. Peculiarity of the baptism instituted 4. Its characterizations 390 by Christ 389 ' § 2. Subjects of Baptism. 1. First subjects were adults 39115. Origen's testimony.. 392,393 2. Scriptures and Apostolic fathers si- 6. Infant baptism postponed till third lent respecting infant baptism. . . 391 year 393 3. Patristic views 391, 392 7. Liberal practice of the Church 393 4. Not general until fourtli century 392 1 § 3. Catechumenical Training of Adults for Baptism. 1. Baptism immediate on profession of 1 2. Special training necessary in case of 394 I Gentile converts 394 faith §4. The MlniKtranbt. 1. A function of the bishops 394 l 2. Others o<^^M administer it in extreme 395 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. § 5. The Mode of Baptism. 1. Cliri.st iniido use of known modes. . . 2. Analogies traced 3',i."), 3. Immersion the usual mole among the Jews 4. Jewish proselyte baptism 5. Immersinn the usual mude, but lib- erty permitted 6. "Teaching of the Twelve" as to mode 31)8, 7. Monumental testimony 398- (1) i'rescos from tSanta Lucina. . 398 395 390 39(; 39G 397 399 406 -400 (2) i'rescoes from San Pretestato 401 (3) " " San Calisto. 401,402 (4) Glass from the Equiline 40J (5) Mosaics from li.iveiuia.. 404-4O7 (6) Other frescos 40o-4"7 8. Clinic baptism 407 9. Cyprian's opinion of clmie bap- tism 4o7, -iO.s 10. Baptism by aspersion by Celtic and Coptic churches 40& § 6. Times and Places of Baptism. 1. Apostolic custom 408 1 3. A reasonable liberty allowed 409 2. Favorite times of baptism 409 I 4. Baptist eries 409-412 § 7. Immediate Preliminaries. 1. Profession of faith required 412 I 3. Sponsors and obligations 413 2. Kenunciation of the devil 412 I § 8. Accompanying Ceremonies. 1. Trine baj^tism of the nude figure 413 14. Influence of the Avians 414 2. Tertullian's and Ambrose'saecount ' 5. Unction 414 413, 414 j <). Imposition of liands 415 3. Explanations of the practice 414 | CHAPTER II. THE LOIiD's SIPPKK. § 1. Idea and Mode of Celebration. The meal symbolic 41 •; Celebrated daily 41(j Testimony of early frescos 41 ij, 417 A communal meal 417 Its administration not contined to a class 417 How celebnited 417 The agape discontinued 418 The two parts of worship 418 The simplicity of early observance 418, 419 Early accounts of. 418, 419 Order of celebration 419, 42i) Infant conmiunion 420 13. Oblations of the whole Church 14. Liturgical forms gradually devel- ojied 421, 15. Character of the liturgies. . ._. 1(5. No recognition of a sm-offering. . . . 17. In what sense a sacrifice 421, 18. Opinions respecting tiie euchurist 422, 19. Obligation to commune 20. No jirivate mass 21. Elements sent to the sick, etc 22. Where celebrated 23. When and how often celebrated. 425, 24. No elevation of the host 420 422 421 421 422 423 424 424 425 425 42t} 42G § 2. The Altar and its Furniture. 1. Names and forms 426 i 4. Richness of altar furniture 428, 429 2. Position ot altar 420, 427 5. Protest against luxury 429 3. The chalice and paten 42S | CHAPTER Til. E.\KLV CHKISTIAN WOUSMIP. 8 1. The Apostolie Age. 430 14. Composition of early churches. 431,4'''.2 4-0 5. Greater independence among heathen 431 I converts 453 1. Suggestions of an early litur.'v.. 2. Jewish iiirtuences 3. Forms of worship S 2. Worsliip in time of ApostolicFathers. 1. Statement of " The Teaching" 433 13. Heathen testimony 2. Testimony of Ignatius 434 I 434 10 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. § 3. Public Worship in Second and Third Centuries. 1. Justin Mui-tyr's account 434, 435 I 3. Cyprian's and Augustine's testimony. 2". Tertullian's statement 436 I 436, 437 CHAPTEE IV. THE EARLIEST LITURGIES. § 1.— Origin. 1. Occasions of growth 438 I 3. Have undergone great modifications. 439 2. Teniteutial system 43S I § 2.— Classification and DescrijMon. 1. Neal's classification 439, 440 I 5. Liturgy of St. Mark 441 2. Two parts of a liturgy 440 I 6. Classes of Western liturgies 441, 442 3'. Liturgy of St. Clement 440 | 7. The philosopliy of the liturgy 442 4. Liturgy of St. James 441 ' 8. Central thought in each 442, 443 CMAI'TER V. THE lord's day, or SUNDAY. § \. -Historic statement. 1. Reason for observing the first da>-. . . 444 | 4. Imperial rescripts concei'ning. . . 445, 446 2. Relation of tlie seventh to the first . . 444 I 5. Humane provisions 446 8. Early testimonies to 445 I § 2.— Sanctity and Ground of Ohservance. 1. The resurrection of Christ 446 ! 6. Tlie fourth conmiaudu it not the 2. No positive enactment 447 3. Early testimony 447, 448 4. Provisions for ohservance 448, 449 5. Gentile churches not bound by the Jewish law 449 basis of obligation 449, 450 Patristic testimony re.-.pecting the grounds of oliligation 449, 450 Reasons of seeking a legal sanction. . 450 The legal at length supplanted the moral 451 CHAPTER VI. EASTER AND OTHER FESTIVALS. § ].— Zrtea and Time of Obsei'vance. 1. Lifluence of the Jewish passover 452 I 3. The parties 452, 453 2. Controversy about observing Easter I 452, 453 § 2.—Attem\^ts at Reconciliation. 1. The import of the question 453 I 4. Conciliary decisions 454 2. The demand of Victor 453, 454 I 5. Rule for celebration 454 3. The arguments 454 I 6. Dillerent cycle- 454, 455 § 3.— T/ic Carmtmic^'t of Easter. 1. Two divisions of the festival 455 13. Lengthened observance of 45r. 2. Acts of mercy 456 I § 4.— 77ic Festival of Pentecost. 1 . Two uses nf the word Pentecost 456 | 2. Mode of observance 466 I 5.— The Feasts of Epiphany, Christma% etc. L Multiplication of feasts 456 I 4. Supposed origin of CJn-istmas 457 2. Origin of the festival of Epiphany. . 456 I 5. Conclusions reached 457, 4-"i8 8. Date of birth of Christ unknown 457 I 6. Influence of Mariolatrv 458 I CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. 11 BOO K FOU RTH . THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN LIFE. CHAPTER I. THE CIIUISTIAN FAMILY. 1. Tlie family a type of the Church. . . 4ijl 2. Clirist's yaiictiou of the tiimily. . 4ill 3. The apostles in lianuony witli Christ 461, 462 4. Teac-hiiiif of the Fathers 462, 463 5. Position of woiiiaii among the Ro- mans 463 6. Evils under tiie Liter Kepublic 46-3 7. Cin-istian and heathen view of abor- tion 464 8. Opinions respectin;!^ infanticide. 464, 465 9. Training of children 465 10. Tlie Roman law concernino' the chil- dren 11. The riiurch had oversight of niar- ria J e 12. Prescribed limits of con.s;in,^f the slave 470, 471 5. ChristiaiuLy did not attempt direct abolitlc,^. 471, 472 C. Its care for the slave 472 7. Emancipation encQuraged and prac- tised 472 8. Sliglit influence of first Christian emperors on abolition of slavery. 473 9. The moral type influenced abo'li tion 473, 474 10. The simnliuity of Clu'istianity un- favorable to slavery 474 11. Slavcseligible to office in the Church 474 12. Monumental evidence of equality of all classes under Christianity 475, 476 13. The testimony of the bulle 476, 477 14. Ciiristianity elevated labor 477 15. Illustrative inscriptions 477 16. Evidence entn'elv harmonious 478 CHAPTER Iir. RELATION OF THE EARLY OHlliCH TO CIVIL AND MILITARY LIFE. 1. Christianity encouraged labor 479 2. Trying position of the early Christ- ians 479 3. Certain trades condenuied 480 4. Patristic opinions 4S0 5. Public amusements interdicted 480 6. Low condition of the Roman drama 4S1 7. High tragedv unpopular 4>il 8. Legal disabilities of actors 4si 9. All shows tainted with idolatry 482 10. TertuUian's and Cyprian's state- ments 482, 483 11. Actors excluded from the Church.. 4*3 12. Conciliary action 483 13. Roman love of spectacles 4s3 14. Aversion to military life 484 15. Tainted with idolatry 484 16. Decadence of the military spirit 485 17. Milder views at length j)revail 485 18. The provision of the Churcli for soldiers 485, 486 19. Monumental evidence 486,487 20. Few monumental references to mil- itary life 487 CHAPTER IV. CHARITIES IN THE EARLY CIICRCH. 1. Poor-relief by heathen peoples 488 2. Teaching of the Stoics 488, 489 3. Its detects 489 4. The clubs and guilds. 4S9 5. The element of selfishness in them. 489 6. Infiucnco of the Voile// Ui on Christ- ian charities .' 490 7. The Church a true connnnnity 490 8. Heathen charities tainted uith self- ishness 490 9. True inspiration of Christian cliarity 491 10. One fiunily of believers 491 11. Financial "prosperity in the Roman empire 492 12. Its influence on charities 493 13. Adverse influences 493 14. Cliristiau charities broad and organ- ized 493, 494 15. Influence of Christian charity on pauperism 495 12 CONTENTS AND ANALYTIC OUTLINE. 16. Opportunities for Christian charities in persecutions and misfortunes 496, 497 17. Influence ofMontanisni upon charity 497 18. Influence of union of Church and State 498 19. Decay of pure charity 499 20. Kise of hospitals 499 CHAPTER V. THE RELATIONS OK THE EARLY CHURCH TO EDUCATION AND GENERAL CULTURE. 1. The culture of the apostles difficult to ascertain 500 •2. Influence of Jewish practices oOo 3. Schools in time of Christ 501 4. Influence of the syna- institutions as they are found crystallized and expressed in monuments ; monumental evidence being here used in distinction from document- ary. It therefore includes the examination of the geography and clironology of Christian art monuments; the influences exerted uj)on Christian art by Judaism and heathenism ; the symbolism of t'hrist- ian art ; the history and monuments of Christian j)ainting and mosaics, of Christian sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry. It carefully studies the Christian burial monuments, also Christian inscriptions, coins, medals, seals, rings, diptyclis, an- reformers had vigorously arraigned the Church for a wide departure from the primitive simplicity of worship, doctrine, and polity, and they believed that this charge could be best justified by a thorough examination of the life, the institutions, and the customs of the early Christian centuries. The Magdeburg centuriators' thus The centuri- became the pioneers in special archaeological studies ; to '^'^"■'^• justify the revolt against the mediaeval Church was tlieir chief aim. To answer this arraignment of the centuriators, the adherents of Rome were in turn compelled to enter ui)on like funda- mental studies. Cassar Baronius (f 1G07), a priest of the Roman oratory, then a cardinal, after thirty yt'uvs of most labo- rious investigation published his AiDudes Ju-clesia\ a work which has ever since been regarded as the well-furnished arsenal from which the Roman Catholic writers have derived tlieir weapons of defense." While the thought, doctrines, i;sages and life of the early Christ- intlie sense in vvhicli we use it, includes the study of architecture, sculpture, paint- ing— all, indeed, embraced under the term arts of design ; also paleography, or the science of inscriptions and ancient writings; numismatics, or ancient coins and medals; glyptics, or engiaviug on precious stories ; sphragistics, or the science of seals; ce- ramics, or a knowledge of pottery ; and. finally, furniture — this last term not being confined to its ordinary meaning, but including every thing connected with Christian worship, as baptismal fonts, chairs, stalls, sacred vessels, crosses, chandeliers, censers, vestments, and liturgical ornaments." pp. 1, 2. Canon Rcusens says: "The study of antiquity can be divided into two parts: 1.) Sciences philological. 2.) Sciences historic. The first embrace.s the literary sources, the second the monumentil. The word Christian archit'ology has chief reference to the latter, or monumental. It therefore, properly speaking, includes the study of the monuments of Christian worship, that is, church editices. and clmrch furniture in its broadest sense." ' Matthias Flacius, a prsacher of Magdeburg, an Illyrian by birth, associated with himself a numl)er of learned Protestants, among whom were Matthew Judex, Holtz- huter, Andrew Corviiuis, and Basil Faber, for the purpose of writing a liistory of the Church by centuries. Hence these writiTS are called centm-iators. This work is learned, and exhibits much acuteness and great powers of generalization, but, as might bo expected, is too often intensely partisan. * While not himself an arclueologist, in the strict sense of the term, Baroniua nevertheless in certain sections of his Annaks examines the arch;cological materials that are important to answer certain debated questions of the early Christian his- tory. These were afterward collected and edited by Schulting : Tli'-y-'""-- Antioni- latum Ecdesiasticarum, etc., IGOl. 16 ARCHiEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. ians were characteristic, they can, however, best be studied in Relations of connection with Jewish and classical arcllaeolog3^ The Christian to ^ ^ converts had been adherents of the then ex- classical ar- chaioiogy. tant religious systems, Jewish and heathen. On their acceptance of the new faith prejudices were not immediately corrected, but long continued in the Church as modifying factors. The tenacity of the Jew for his venerated religion and its stately ritual caused serious embarrassment to the apostles and early Christian fathers. The heathen mythology left its deep impress upon the art of the early and mediaeval Church,' The philosophic systems of Plato and Aristotle furnished a vig- orous and exact terminology for the expression and defense of Christian doctrine,^ while the corrupted Neo-Platonism of a later period was the fruitful source of dangerous heresies. The methods of investigation and the forms of expression that matured under the influence of classical antiquity greatly aided in the discussion and precise formulation of Christian thought. These philosophic systems were not merely negative in their relations to Christianity, but they contained positive elements of the good, the true, and the beautiful. They have remained unsurpassed for terseness and comprehensiveness, for beauty and variety.' Thus Christian archaeology receives important aid and illustra- tion from the study of Jewish and classical archaeology. These latter discii^lines are, however, with respect to their content, almost the exact antipodes of each other. Aside from purely literary remains, nearly all the materials for classical archaeology are to be found in works of architecture, sculpture, and epigraphy, Avhile the Hebrews lai'gely lacked the ability to produce works of a high order of excellence in formative art. Hence many of the ablest classical archaeologists make the formative arts the centre and kernel of clas- ' Compare Piper : Mijtliologie der cUristlichen Kunst von der dlfesten Zeit bis ill's seek- zelinte Jahrhundcrt. Weimar. Bd. i, 1847. Bd. ii, 1851. Fr. Miinter: Sinnbilder und KunstvorstelluwjPM der alten Christen. Altona, 1825. F. X. Kraus : Die christ- liche Kunst in ihren friihesten Anfdvxien. Leipzig, 1873. ^ Besides the numerous histories of Christian doctrines, see especially Uebervveg: History of Philosophy, translated by Morris. 2d Part: Tlie Patristic and Scholastic Period. Becker: JDas philosoplmche System Platans in seiner Beziehimg zum christ- lichen Dogma. Freiburg, 1862. Ackermann: Tlie Christian Element in Plato and the Platonic Philosophy. Edinburgh, 1861. Cocker: Christianity and the Greek Philosophy. New York, 1870. i* Compare Kraus : Lehrhuch der christUchen Geschichte. Treves, 1872. Sepp: Das Heidenthum und dessen Bedeutung filr das Christenthum. Bd. iii, ss. 285-289. Dollinger: Tlie Gentile and the Jew in the Courts of the Temple of Christ. Translated by N". Darnell. London, 1862. Piper : Virgil ols Tlieologe und Prophet in Evangel.-Kal- ender, 1862. INTRODUCTION. 17 sical archaeology,* while writers on biblical archaeology must neces- sarily regard these arts as constituting but a comparatively insig- nificant part of their investigations." The date from which {terrnhms a quo) this examination should begin is naturally when the first germs of the Christian Ciiurch ap- pear, or when their existence can be well authenticated, chronological even though the documents and monuments may have limits of our entirely disappeared.^ This limitation will, however, •^*''"»'°^^'*^"- be determined by the main purpose which the investigator may have in mind. With respect to the other limiting period [tertnbms ad quern) widely different opinions have been entertained. In this case there is no natural terminus. Some have regarded the death of Gregory the Great, A. D. G04, a proper limit to Christian archaeolog- ical inquiries.* Others have extended it to the eleventh century, or to the age of Hildebrand;^ while still others would make the Refor- mation of the sixteenth century the line of separation between the old and the new." Some of the later Avriters on Christian art archaeology would place no boundary to its appropriate study, regarding whatever is past as falling legitimately under the term archaeological.' While no strictly historic limit can be fixed, beyond which Chris- tian archaeological studies may not be continued, we shall confine our examinations to the period ending with the second Trullan Council at Constantinople, A. D. 692. Prior to this the Church had under- gone most of its fundamental changes, and Christian art and institu- ' Stark : Randbuch der Archmlogie der Kumt. Leipzig, 1 880, 1 te Theil. Otto Jahn : Ueher das Wesen und die wichtiysten Aufgaben der archceologischen Studien. Wiii- klcmanri : Geschichie der Kumt des Alter thums. 2 vols., 4to, 1776. ^ For discussion of causes, v. Bk. i, chap. ii. 3 Guericke : Lehrbuch der christlich-kirchlichen Archaalogie. 2to Aufl. Berlin, 1859, § 1. ■*Bingiiam : Origines Ecclesiastic; or, Antiquities of the Christian Church. 2 vols. 1867. Guericke: Op. cit. Rhe\n\va\d: Die Jiirchliche Arrhliologie. BcrWn, \83Q, ^ ^. ^AugusU: Ilandhuchderch. Archdologie. 3 Bde. Bd. i, s. 23. Augusti rather inclines at times to the sixteenth centur}' as a better limit. * Baumgarten: Vorlesungeniiher chrisf lichen Alt.erthiimer. 'Hagenbach: Encyclopcedia der theologischen Wi.ssenschnften. Gte Aufl., §77. Crooks »"'« >^""»'n»- clearly defined principles each bone and fragment becomes the means of constructing the entire skeleton of an animal of a far-off age, whose habits and habitat are thereby reproduced before the eyes — the ancient world being thus made real to the geologic investi- gator— paleontology becomes a vital science, and these otherwise dead organic remains are instinct with life. So with archaeological objects of either heathen, Jewish, or Clirist- ian origin. Tlirough the story which tluy have told many serious errors of ancient history have been corrected, the past of long-buri( d dynasties has been made to pulsate with a life before wholly un- known, the plans, occupations, and institutions of men have bci-n revealed as clearly as though they were passing before our eyes. ' V. Crooks .ind Hurst: Encydopcedia ar.d Methochlorty, p. 3S9. ''By tikiiii; nrchrp- ology out of its connection wifli the livirifr development of tlie Cliwrch and making it an iiiccnse-breatliin\ /^> \ ^-— ^Tt-v V \\ CritT*on<^ i3s§^\ uA W ^^1 BOOK FIRST, The Archeology of Christian Art, THE AECH^OLOGY OF CHEISTIAN AET. CHAPTER I. GEOGRAPHY AND CHRONOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. The rapid propagation of Christianity during the first three centuries has long been the vexed problem of the deistic, the natu- ralistic, and the mythical schools. Solutions have been various, but each has proved inadequate. Only a religion of divine origin and sanction can explain the facts of the early Christian history. Absolutely unassisted by human philosophy or state patronage, stubbornly opposing the indulgence of passion, awakening no hope of temporal reward, in directest contradiction to the prevalent thought and life, a pronounced monotheism in the midst of a debased polytheism, it nevertheless gained disciples in every province of the Roman Empire and in the far-off regions beyond. The wonderful history recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Chapter II) represents that persons from widely sepa- rated countries Avere convei'ted by the preaching of spread of the Peter on the day of Pentecost. ^°'P'''- Doubtless many returned to their homes after the celebration of the great national feasts at Jerusalem, and others would naturally hasten to spread the tidings of salvation among their former asso- ciates. From each of these, as from a centre, the rapid propagation of the Gospel in distant parts went forward. By the sparks that were scattered abroad from this pentecostal baptism of fire a bright and unquenchable flame was kindled throughout the Roman world. To tlie poor and the oppressed tlie Gospel must have been especially precious. The carpenter's son spoke com- a message to forting words to the enslaved, and dignified the "^"^ p*^'^""- honest toiler. He who in the agonies of the crucifixion said so tenderly to his favored disciple, "Behold thy mother" (John xix, 27), founded a religion that appealed with especial force to the heathen woman of the East. In these very countries where her 26 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. condition was most degraded, Christianity elevated her to be the peer of her husband. By virtue of a communion of spirit and a common hope it gave to marriage a new sanction, to maidenhood a new sacredness, to the whole life of woman a higher worth.' Few, indeed, of the official class were at first attracted toward the Influenced the ^^^w religion ; yet the testimony of records, as well as better classes, of the monuments, is conclusive that some of the refined and of the honorable early embraced the new faith. The mention during the apostolic times of Joseph of Arimathsea (Matt, xxvii, 57-60, et. al.); Sergius Paulus (Acts xiii, 6-12); Dionysius of Athens (Acts xvii, 34); and of Priscilla, Aquila, and Pudens, " dearly beloved in the Lord," in whose house at Rome Christian services were held (Rom. xvi, 3-5 ; 1 Tim. iv, 21); as well as the evidence of the interment of some members of the Flavian family of Domitian's reign in the cemeteries of Domitilla and Lucina at Rome, fully confirm the belief that the Gospel had already found faithful witnesses among the patrician classes and even in the imperial household,* The governor of Bithjaiia complained to Trajan that persons of every age and of both sexes embraced the pernicious faith.^ In the second century Tertullian boasted that in Carthage one Number of tc^th of the population were Christians, including christians. some even of senatorial rank. " We are a people of but yesterday, yet we have entered all your places — cities, islands, fortifications, towns, market-places, yea, your camp, your tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum."* This must be taken with caution, since at a still later date Origen says that the number of the Christians as compared to the whole population was very small. From a letter of Pope Cornelius it has been estimated that under Maximian the Church at Rome could not have numbered more than fifty thousand, or one twentieth of the population, and the total throughout the empire could not have been more than one twelfth to one tenth of the entire people, or approximately from eight millions to twelve millions,* By the middle of the century- ' Friedlander : Sittengeschichte Roms. Bd. iii, s, 587. 2 de Rossi: Bulletino Arch. Christ, iii, 1865, p. 33, etc.; Roma SoUerranea, t. i. pp. 196, 319-321. 2 Pliny : I. x., ep. 97. " Multi enim omnis setatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexiis," etc. ■* "Hesterni sumiis et vestra omnia implevimus urbes, insulas," etc. Apologeticus ad versus gentes, cup. xxxvil. * Staiidlin: Univ. Gesch. der christ. Eirche, 1833, s. 41, places the number of Ciiristians at the crowning of Constantine at {la moitie) one half of the population of the empire. Matter: Hist, de V Eglise, t. i, p. 120, puts it at one fifth. Gibbon: Decline and Downfall, etc., chap, xv, places it at one twentieth ; Chastel : Destruo I CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 27 the apologists of the Church were numerous, and were equal in learning and controversial power to their ablest opponents. While the foregoing statement of the zealous African is to j.^^^ gpjj^t ^j be taken with caution, it nevertheless illustrates the the new reiig- earnestness and fidelity of the early Christians, and *'°' the marvelous propagative power of their religion. These results seem all the more remarkable in the entire absence of evidence of an organized association for the spread of the new faith into foreign parts. Rather did the rapid extension of the Gospel in the century of its origin result from the apostolic preaching, from the enthusiasm which this must have aroused among peoples impoverished in faith and longing for spiritual nourishment,' from the consistent and devoted lives of its individual professors, and from the simple testi- mony of the men and women, who had accepted the divine message, to its saving power. The words of Christ, " Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt, v, 14), Avere eminently true of the members of the early Christian commu- nity. Before the accession of Constantine the influence of Christ- ianity had penetrated the thought, the principles, and the life of the empire. While the old systems showed a most remarkable tenacity of life, their hold on the nation was nevertheless becoming weaker and weaker. The clear, discerning genius of Constantine saw in the new religion the sure promise of the future. With it he Adoption by united his fortunes, and in legalizing he subjected it to *^^ ^'^'®- perilous temptations not before experienced even in the times of fiercest persecution. From this time the Church took on a form of organization before unknown to it. The empire as a political machine was now transferred to the rule of Christ ; its laws and its institutions were placed on a Christian foundation.^ The recognition of Christianity as the established faith, the protec- tion of its votaries, and the patronage of it by the govei*nment must be reckoned among the most powerful influences to win the mass of the population to the profession of Christianity. The ncAV system could now count the emperor as its chief pontiff, and thus the religious sense of Rome remained true to its traditions. From the fourth century the extension of Christianity must have tion du Paganisme dans V Empire d' Orient, p. 36. at one fifteenth in the Western Empire, and one tenth in the Eastern ; La Bastie : Du Souv. pontif. des Emp. (Acad, d. Inscr. torn. 12, p. 77), at one tenth. ' V. Reiiss : History of the Neiu Testament, 2d ed. (translated by Houghton), vol. ii, p. 446. ' Merivale: Conversion of the Roman Empire, London^i864, p. 14. 28 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. been rapid indeed. The fear of persecution having been removed, multitudes who had before been intellectually convinced of its Increase of Superiority, and multitudes more who were ever ready monumental to be identified with a winning cause, swelled the evidence. number of the converts. From this time, therefore, the evidences are much strengthened through the preservation of burial monuments, by the building of churches and their richer adornment and furniture, by the imperial coins that contain Christ- ian symbols, and by other remains of j^lastic and epigraphic art. The expectation that these monuments may now be found as These obiects widely distributed as was the Church of the first four nevertheless centuries is not, however, fulfilled. In this, as in eveiy other period of history, the important and substantial monuments must have been few as compared with the total number. Only in the great marts of trade and in the cities of wealth and of power could the needed means for the erection of abiding monu- ments be found. Only these centers, therefore, generally furnish the materials for monumental stud}^ The instances of chance preservation are necessarily few and widely separated. Even these must have been largely modified by climatic influences and by the civil and military fortunes of the difl^erent provinces. Within a limited belt of country on either shore of the Mediterranean were the chief centres of the civilization of the first six Christian cen- turies. The advantages of climate, of soil, and of easy intercommu- nication are the manifest reasons of this concentration. Moreover, the geologic and climatic conditions were most favorable to the erection and preservation of monuments. The dryness of the air, the almost complete immunity from frosts, the abundance of valuable quarries, the superiority of the beds of clay, and the excellence of the materials for the famous cements, contributed to the erection and preservation of many structures which are invaluable witnesses to the civilization of the times. But the ruthlessness and cupidity of men have proved even more Ruthless de- destructive than the forces of nature. The fearful in va- st ruction of sions of the Teutonic tribes, and the inroads of the more monuments. tt ^ i . , ^ , <• i t-» it savage Huns, blotted out from the Roman world many of her noblest monuments.' Nor must it be forgotten that the 'v. Bunsen: Bi'schreibuvg der Stadt Rom- Bd. i, ss. 234. etc. "But the damnge which the so-called barbarians caused to Rome consisted not so much in the destruc- tion of buildings and public monuments as in the robbery of the public treasuries and jewels." — s. 230. Yet it must be remembered that tliese very objects rather than imposing structures often supply the best materials for writing the history of civilization. CHRISTIAN ART >IONUMEXTS. 29 edifts of the Cliristian emperors resulted in tlic loss of the most noted nionuinents of pagan art. Statues of incomparable beauty, and temples of matchless grandeur were ruthlessly destroyed in Syria, Egypt, Italy, and Gaul. Invaluable materials for comparative studies were thus hopelessly lost. The edicts of persecution also resulted in the destruction of many Christian churches. To these must be added the still more sad effects of the wars of rival Christian sects and factions. The squabbles of the Green and the Red at Constantinople often resulted in conflagrations in which many beautiful churches were consumed. In the wretched wars over image worship the best statuary and paintings of the early Christian world were irretrievably lost. The burial places of Rome were terribly devastated by the Lombards under their king, Astolpho, in A. D. 757, so that their abandonment was hastened, and the remains of martyred saints were gathered into the crypts of churches.^ The iconoclastic fury of the Mohammedan invaders further despoiled the seats of Christian power of their finest Avorks of art, while the Crusades completed the destruction of most that then survived. Only by the more kindly treatment of nature have some of the most precious records of the past been preserved. The buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the art remains that were hidden in the obscurity of the catacombs, fur- nish some of the most valuable monuments that continue to our age. First Century. It has been questioned whether any well- authenticated Christian monuments of the first century survive. Nevertheless, some of the ablest Christian archoeologists Monuments of find satisfactory evidence that parts of some Roman ^'''^t century. catacombs are contemporary with the apostolic age. " Precisely in those cemeteries to which both history and tradition assign an apos- tolic origin, do I, in the light of the most exact archaeological criti- cism, see the cradle as well of the Christian catacombs as of Christian art and epigraphy. I also there find monuments of persons who ap- pear to belong to the time of the Flavii and of Trajan, as well as inscriptions that date fi-om this same period. Since these things are so, a sound understanding, which alone can be a safe guide in all historical as well as archaeological matters, must say to every one who is free from preconceived opinions, that such a mass of concur- rent indications, monuments, and dates cainiot possibly be the work of chance, that we accordingly therein may find a warrant for the truth of the origin of these monuments which we have maintained " (that is, the first century).' The sepulchres of the Vatican, certain ' de Rossi: Rom. Sott. t. i, p. 220. "de Rossi: Horn. Sott., i, p. 185. 30 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. inscriptions in the cemetery of Santa Lucina, on the Via Ostia, near the present church of San Paolo fuori le mura, the decorations of the entrance to Santa Domitilla, the Virgin with the Child and star, and portions of the cemetery of Santa Priscilla, are also believed by some archaeologists to belong to the first century.' To this century have also been attributed certain portions of the walls of the house of Pudens, within whose area stands the present church of Santa Pudenziana, at Rome. The outer wall of this palace " can be seen behind the altar, with the large hall windows in it, of the first century."* In regard to the chronology of these and a few other monuments there is such difference of opinion that they become of somewhat doubtful evidential value.' Second Century. In the second century the zeal of modern archaeological research has firmly placed a number of most interest- ing and valuable monuments. Rome, as before, furnishes most that has been preserved. The cemetery of Santa Priscilla on the Via Sa- laria Nuova, of Santa Domitilla (Nereus and Achilles) on the Via Ardeatina, of San Praetestato on the Via Appia, and of San Ales- sandro, on the Via Nomentana, also the ceiling decorations in San Gennaro dei Poveri at Naples are about all that Avith certainty can be referred to it. In the frescos of these cemeteries is noticed the beginning of that symbolic treatment of art which in the next 'Kraus: Synchronistische Tabellen zur christUchen KunstgescMchie, 1880, ss. 4, 5. Schultze: Die Katalwmhen, 1882, s. 91. Ch. Leiiormant, Les Catacomhes, 1858, does not hesitate to place the paintings of Santa Donaitilla in the first century. For like reasons, namely, the essential likeness of the art spirit of these to the wall decora- tions of Pompeii, and to the paintings in the pj'ramid of Gains Cestius, Raonl- Rochette and Welcker agree with Lenormant. ■■' J. H. Parker: The House of Pudens in Rome. v. Archceological Journal, vol. xxviii, pp. 42, 43. This is a most interesting fact, since we are led at once into the meeting-place of those converts to Christianity who were companions of Paul during his last imprisonment. 'The chronology of these monuments is most thoroughly examined b}' de Rossi : V. Rom. Sott, t. i, pp. 184-197. Contra, J. H. Parker: The Archaiology of Rome, 1877, 12 vols. V. vol. iv, in which he treats of the Christian catacombs. He does not recognise any picture of a religious subject as of earlier date than the fourth century. It must be evident that his conclusions are not the result of careful induc- tive processes, but are somewhat hastily reached from almost exclusively one kind of evidence. On architectural questions Parker is an authority of the first order, but on questions relating to painting his opinion cannot be regarded as decisive. Renan, Marc-Aurele, p. 543, concludes that the pictures in Santa Domitilla cannot be earlier than the third century. Th. Mommsen, than whom there can be no more reliable authority on Latin inscriptions, would, largely on epigraphical grounds, refer the cemetery of Domitilla to about the middle of the second century; v. Contemporary Revieiu, May, 1871. CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 31 century reached its climax. In the second century some archaeolo- gists have likewise placed the so-called Abraxas gems, xhe Abraxas By some these are believed to have arisen among the e«'"s. Basilidian Gnostics, by others they are regarded as the product of the strange syncretism of Indian, Zoroastrian, Egyptian, Jewish, and Gnostic-Christian thought which was so prevalent in the second century. In some respects they resemble the early Egyptian Scara- bean gems.' While comparatively few, these monuments are, nevertheless, most interesting and important for their artistic and doctrinal suggestions. Third Century. — By the third century Christianity had gained a firm foothold in nearly every province of the empire. The claims of the Christians for protection had more and more secured the attention of the government. The higher social position of the adherents of the Church further conciliated the favor of gov- ernment. Clement, Origen, and others had already The Aiexan- given great dignity and fame to the theological school '^"^'^ school, at Alexandria. Before the middle of the century Egypt had more than a score of bishops. In A. D. 258 Cyprian assembled in Carthage a synod of eighty-seven bishops, and a Latin translation of the Scriptures had already been made for the use of the West African churches. Gaul had been visited, and by the progress in third century influential bishoprics existed in Lyons, Gaui. Vienne, and Marseilles. There is, also, sti'ong evidence that by the middle of this century the Celtic Church had a vigorous life and organization. In Asia Minor and Greece were Asia Minor and seats of many influential bishoprics, presided over by Greece. a most thoroughly learned clei'gy — the forerunners of those great theologians who, in the following century, were to give form to Christian doctrine in the councils of Nice, Chalcedon, and Con- stantinople. The monuments which survive from this century are, as might be presumed, more numerous, and are found in more widely extended districts ; Rome is, however, still the seat of the most interesting and instructive. The subterranean burial places are much more ex- tensive and rich in art remains than in the previous centur3^ The incorporation of brotherhoods for the burial of the Burial broth- dead, and the special protection accorded to places of erhoods. sepulture, encouraged the Christians to greater care for their ceme- ' Bellcrmann, J. J.: Drei Programmen uber die Abraxas- Gemmen. Berlin, 1820. Kraus: Op. cit, s. 7. Among the earlier expositors of these curious objects were Gottfried Wendelin, Beausobre, and others. Among the more recent are Matter, King, and others. 33 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. teries. We are informed ' that Callixtus was intrusted with the direction of the clergy, and had supervision of the cemetery that bore his name. Doubtless this has reference to the fact that the Christian congregations of Rome took advantage of the legal pro- vision ' to care for property held by them in common, especially for such as was devoted to the cemeteries and to the charities of the Church, by the appointment of a legal representative. This Cemetery of ^^^ ^^ ^^^ founding of the celebrated cemetery of San San Caiisto. Calisto, on the Via Appia, in which so many martyrs, bishops, and popes were interred ; and it also accounts for the change of the burial-place of these high church officials from the Vatican to this cemetery. At this time, also, are first met the so-called Fahrlcm that St. Fabi- anus, in A. D. 238, ordered to be constructed. These appear to have been small buildings, placed near to, or over the entrance to the cemeteries; they were used as oratories and for the celebration of the eucharist. All these probably disappeared during the persecutions of Decius and Valerian, when the necessity for concealment of the entrances to these places of Christian sepul- ture was first felt. Notwithstanding these persecutions, and the still more sweeping edict of Diocletian, in A. D. 303, by Avhich all Chris- tian cemeteries were confiscated and all Christian churches were or- dered to be razed to the ground, the catacomb of San Calisto has continued to our day, a marvellous museum for the study of Christian life and doctrines in the third century. Recent excavations, conducted by the Abbe Delattre on a site called Damous-el-Karita, near the ancient Carthage, have revealed an open-air cemetery of very considerable dimensions. The im- portance of the discovery appears from the fact that only two or three other open-air cemeteries are known. Delattre considers the date of this area as the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century.^ Surviving The Only remains of churches in Rome from this this'centur* at ^^'^tury are possibly portions of the subterranean San Rome. Clemente, a small part of Santa Croce in Geru- salemme, and of Santa Pudenziana." By some authorities the beauti- ' PJiilosophumema. This hns been woll-nigh demonstratei.l to be the work of Hippclytus, and not of Origen, as was thouglit by the Benedictines and otliers. ^ Digest, iii, 4, 1, § 1, de CoUegiis. " Quibus autem pcrmissnin est corpus collegi societatis," etc. '■^ V. Delattre: Archeologie chretienne d'i Carthage. — Fouilles de la Ba.silique de Damnus-el-Karita. Lyon: 18SG. ■* As we have before seen (p. 30), Mr. Parker refers portions of tiiis Church to the first century. CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 33 ful statue of the Good Shepherd (Fig. 45), now in the Lateran ^lu- seum, a marble sarcophagus discovtyed in 1853 in the cemetery of Sun Pretestate at Rome, and the statue of St. Hippolytus,* also in the Lateran Museum, are placed in this century. From this century a large class of symbols, many allegorical pictures, and biblical scenes of symbol ico-allegorical significance have also been preserved. A limited number of historical and liturgical rep- resentations are likewise believed to date from the latter part of it. Figures wrought in gilt upon glass vessels, found Glass vessels in the Roman catacombs and at Cologne, and a few and gems. gems of clearly recognised Christian origin, have been referred to this period. In Africa, on the site of the ancient Castellum Tingitanum, the modern Orleansville, are found the remains of the Church of St.. Reparatus, some parts of which, from an inscription still extant,, are by some believed to date from the year A. D. 252.* Architectural. By some archaeologists the churches found at Djemlia monuraeuts.. and at Announa in Algeria, at Ibrim in Nubia, and at Arnient or' Erment, the ancient Hermonthis, in Egypt, have been referred to the third century. The excavations on old sites in Asia Minor,^ in Syria, and in the Hauran, are bringing to light remains of old Chris- tian churches whose age has not yet been fully determined, but ' Much discussion has been had over this statue and the bronze statue of St. Peter in San Pietro Vaticano, at Rome. Many deny to both a Christian origin and character. But the Easter cycle, engraved upon the chair of the statue of St. Hippolytns, is a significant circumstance, and seems to furnish a strong argument for its Christian origin and genuineness, v. Salmon: Chronology of Hippolytus, in Hermathena, for 1873. pp. 82-85; also Dollinger : Ilippolytiis und CaUistus, ss. 23-27. * Tiie inscription bears the year 285 of the Mauritanian era. If we are to follow some of the archieologists and epigrapjiists this era began thirtj^-tliree years before the Christian era {v. Prevost); according to others it began forty years after the Christian era {v. Henzen, on Nos. 5337, 5338, and 5859 of Orelli's Inscript. hit). In the former case the date of tiie inscription would point to A. D. 252; in the latter, to A. D. 325. Fergussou: Hist, of Arch., vol. i, pp. 403, 40-i; Mothes, 0.: Basiliken- form, s. 30; Kugler: Gesch. der Baukunst, Bd. i, s. 372, and others accept the ear- lier date. Schnaase: Geich. der bildende Kiimte. 2te Aufl., Bd. iii, s. 3, note 4; Kraus: Sijnchron. Tab., etc., s. 18, and others hold to the later date. ^ V. J. T. Wood: Discoveries at Ephesus, Boston, 1857, pp. 58, 59. He believes that he lias discovered tiie tomb of St. Luke, that seems to belong to the lost part of the third or to the early part of the fourtii century. Near this was found what ap- peared to be a basilica, one of the earliest churches in Ephesus. v. pp. 99, 100. Many of the sarcophagi bear tlie well known monogram, A ^ il, oi the fourth or fifth century, v. p; 120. E.\cavalions on tlie sites of " the seven churches which are in Asia," promise well for tlie illustration of the history. Much has already been done, but comparative studies arc still greatlj' needed. 3 34 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. which seem to date back as early as to the close of the third or to the early part of the fourth century.' Fourth Century. — The able reign of Diocletian Avas to close in disgrace and most cruel injustice. The fourth century opened with the last but most fearful trial by persecution to which the Church was to be subjected. Except in Gaul, Britain, and Spain, where the co-regent was more lenient, the emperor's cruel edicts Destruction of were most mercilessly executed. The imposing houses "^d' -"m'V^ of worship were despoiled of their collections of sacred tian. wa-itings, of their costly decorations, and of the numer- ous vessels of gold and silver which were used in the administration of the sacraments. What treasures of art, what invaluable man- uscript copies of the sacred Scriptures, what wealth of materials for the history of the early Church, which had been accumulated through the previous forty years of peace, were forever lost must remain a matter of mere conjecture. It is only certain that scarcely a church escaped this visitation. In A. D. 311, Galerius issued his unlooked-for edict of toleration, which was followed, in A. D. 313, by the edict of the co-regents, Constantine and Licinius. By its provisions all confiscated church property was restored to the Corpus Chrlstlanorum at the expense Restoration of ^^ ^^^^ imperial treasury,^ and complete toleration of church prop- worship and belief was granted. By the defeat of ^' Licinius in A. D, 323, Constantine became sole em- peror. From this event dates a new period of monumental art as Avell as of church history. From the last three quarters of the fourth century numerous in- 1 " Recent researches in Africa have shown that when properly explored we shall certainly be able to carry the history of the Romanesque stj'le in that country back to a date at least a century before his (Constantine's) time. In Syria and Asia Minor so many early examples have come to light that it seems probable that we may, before long, carry the history of Byzantine art back to a date nearly approach- ing that of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus." v. Fergusson: History of Arch., vol. i, pp. 403, 404. Hiibsch : Die alkhristlichen Kirchen, etc., Carlsruhe. 186H, fol., ss. xxiv, XXV, etc., believes that besides the so-called chapels of the catacombs, the churches San Alessandro, San Steffnno, San Andrea in Barbara, the basilica in Or- leansville, San Agostino in Spoleto, and tiie oldest part of the cathedral in Treves, are to be referred to the pre-Constnntine period. Also. v. Motlies, 0. : Die Baukumt des MitteJalters in Italien, Jena, 1884, 2 vol"*., 8vo, who holds to nearly like views. On the contrary, Schnaase, C. : Gesch. d. bilden. Kilnsle, 2te, Aufi. 1869, Bd. iii, s. 37, claims that no cliurches which have been preserved to our day are older than the time of Constantine. Of nearly like opinion is Bunsen : Beschreihimg d. Stadt Rom., Bd. i, ss. 418, 419. "^ For the account of large sums given to the African churches in A.D. 314, v. Eusebius: Eist. Eccles., x, 6, and de Vit. Const, iv, 28. CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 35 teresting monuments still survive. In all the chief cities churches were now built under imperial patronage, and orna- Revival of mented and furnished with the utmost magnificence, church buUd- The monuments are now more widely distributed and varied in character. From this time numismatics and epigraphy become important aids in the interpretation of Christian life and doctrine. To the fourth century can probably be referred the fol- lowing basilicas at Rome : San Giovanni in Laterano, founded about A. D. 340; Santa Pudenziana, enlarged about A. D. Architectural 345 (?); San Pietro in Vaticano, about A. D. 350; San monuuients. Paolo fuori le mura, about A. D. 386 ; San Clemen te, rebuilt before A. D. 392. The catacombs were now less used for interment, and less fre- quented by visitors. During the last quarter of the catacombs less century burial in subterranean recesses seems to have "sed. been almost discontinued. Basilicas, built over or near the entrances to the catacombs, supplied their place. ^ Portions of the catacombs of Naples probably belong to a very early date in Monuments in this century. They are especially valuable for their Naples. paintings, and for the information which they furnish relative to the early })ractice of Christian burial. Slight remnants of the Neapolitan churches, San Gennaro dei Poveri, Santa Maria della Sanita, and Santa Maria della Vita, also survive.* The catacombs of old Syracuse have awakened much careful in- quiry as to .their origin and age. Nearly one hundred catacornhs of inscriptions and several paintings have been discovered Syracuse and described. The museum of Syracuse contains more than a hun- dred Chi-istian lamps found in the catacomb of San Giovanni of that ancient city. The form, the orthography, and general contents of the inscriptions, as well as the symbols on the lamps, clearly indicate that they belong to the last half of the fourth century. A few may be of the time of Constantine.^ The records establish the belief that in the East a very large number of churches were built under the special patron- j^f^^y ,.,^„r(.j,es age of Constantine, his family, and his immediate have di sap- successors. Unfortunately, nearly all of these have per- p^''*'"'^'^^- ished. The basilica of the Nativity at Bethlehem, St. Mary's, ' Kraus: Roma F^off'-rranen, s. 98. 'Scluiltze: Die Kalakomben von San Gvnnaro dei Poveri in Keapel. Forster: Mittel-n. Unter Italien, ss. 414, 42!). ^Scluiltze: Archcelogische Studien iiber altchrisf.liche Momimente, ss. 134-1 :?0: de '^o?.^\: Bull. Arch, crist, 1877. T;iv. x, .\i. Con/ra and in favor of a pre-Christian origin v. Qnatremfere dc Qiiincy, Hirt, and Schubring. 36 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. remains to illustrate the cliaracter and style of these churches.' Some interesting Christian inscriptions have been found amidst the massive ruins of Baalbec. They seem to date from about the time of the founding of the Basilica of Theodosius, A.D. 379-395.* 1"'he catacombs of Malta must be assigned to the fourth or fifth century. While Caruana' holds that these are of pagan origin, and were transformed into a place for Christian burial during the period of Arabian dominion, in the latter part of the ninth century, his argument seems to be entirely unsatisfactory. The reference of these burial places to a Christian origin in the fourth or fifth century is much more consistent with the facts. They suggest nearly the same cycle of artistic and religious thought as the Roman catacombs, although the number of objects is comparatively small. Christian inscriptions of the fourth century, and well-})reserved figures in sculpture, have been found at Tripoli in Asia Minor. One of these is a figure of Christ with the hammer, probably representing the carpenter's son.^ Traces of churches, probably from this century, have been found „ ^ in Egypt and in the country bordering on the West Traces of .^'^ . . ■ *" churches in Mediterranean in Africa ;5 also a few other monuments Egypt and Qf Christian origin have been recently excavated in these Fi-ance. . .... regions. Likewise in middle and southern France, at Aries, Marseilles, Narbonne, Toulouse, etc., Christian monuments dating from the fourth century have been discovered. Some beautiful sarcophagi with Christian symbols and biblical historic scenes, found in these cities, are from this time, while others more probably belong to the Merovingian period. ° Connected with the churches of this century are found some beautiful Mosaics. . 1 M 1 1 " T 1 • n o mosaics, while the sculptured sarcophagi and a few mural paintings in the cemeteries fairly illustrate the condition of Christian art. The numerous inscriptions from the tombs, cata- combs, and churches furnish interesting and valuable epigraphic material, and the coins of the emj^erors contain many rich sugges- tions. Fifth Century. — The brief but earnest attempt of Julian to ' De Vop:ue maintains that the present Cluirch is the original structure. He ar- gues tliis from tlie simplicity of the style, and the entire absence of features that arc peculiar to the buildings of Justinian's day, as well as from the lack of references in literature to any clianges. ^v. Survey of Western Palestine, special papers, 1881, pp. 135, 136. 2 Caruana : Hypoyeum Tal-Liehru. Malta. Malta, 1 884. * Survey of Western Pah'stine, pp. 152, 153. ' Fergusson : Op. Cit, vol. i, pp. 403, stq. ^ dcCaimiont: Ahecedaire d' Archeologie ; Era Galh-Romaine. pp. 350-352. CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 37 revive the decaying heathenism had proved utterly aboi'tive. Him- self a pervert from Christian teaching, his misdirectetl effort brought to hira deepest sorrow and disappointment. Notwithstanding the tenacious life of pagan institutions, Christianity was now the ac- cepted belief, and the Roman world was thoroughly pervaded with Christian thought. The Church had put on the strength of a long- organized institution. The monuments are now greatly multiplied. While this was a century of waning political power and ^ , ^ •^ , ° ^ ^ General deoa- of general art decadence in the West, and the destruc- dence in tbe tive incursions of the Teutonic hordes swept away ^®^''* many of the most noted and beautiful churches, enough survives to furnish highly valuable monumental evidence. In Rome this century is represented by Santa Sabina on the Via Aventina, built, as the mosaic inscription informs us, about A. D. 423 by Pope Celestine; and Santa Maria Maggiore, tirst built in A. D. 352, but rebuilt by Sixtus III. in A. D. 432. This is probably the earliest church of Rome that was dedicated to the Vii'gin. It con- tains some noteworthy original mosaic^ and sarcophagi which become valuable aids in the illustration of the Christian sculpture of the fifth century. San Pietro in Vincoli, built by Eudoxia between A. D. 440 and 462, has well preserved the form and general appearance other church- of the early Christian basilica.* In a very few in- es of Rome, stances the furniture of the churches still survives. The mosaics, altars, ambos, sarcophagi, etc., which still remain in these churches, are of inestimable value. Coins of both the Eastern and the West- ern Em})ire now are found. Numismatics now becomes of real confirmatory service, especially in correcting chronology. The number of Christian inscriptions is very greatly increased, and they assume more of a dogmatic character, thus clearly reflecting the strifes and controversies of the times. During this century Ravenna ^ becomes a most interesting center ' For a full and generally reliable account of the basilicas of Rome v. Bunsen and Plattner: Btschreibang Boms. 5 Bde., with magnificent illustrations by Gutensohn and Knapp. Hul)sch: Die altchristliche Kirrhen, 1803. H. Gaily Knight: The Ecclemiitical jh-chitednre of Italy. ^ For a careful scientific description of the Christian monuments of Ravenna, see among others, Quast: Die alt-christlichen Bawverke von Ravenna. 1 Bd. fol., Berlin, 18-42. Richter, J. P.: Die Mosoiken Ravennas. Wien, 1878. R;ilin: Ravenna, Eine kiuisUie-schiclttliche Sludie. Leipzig, 1869. Berti: SuW antico duomo di Ravenna. Ravenna, 1880. Miiutz: Lost Mosaics of Ravenna, in Am. Journal of Arch<£ology, vol. i, pp. 115-120. 38 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. of Christian moiuunents which greatly aid in understanding the Monuments of condition and progress of Christian art in nearly every Raveuna. department. Among the most interesting buildings which survive are the Baptister}^, Baptisterium Ecclesias Ursianae, probably first erected in the fourth century, but restored in A. D. 451 by Archbishop Nero ; San Francesco, from about the middle of the century; San Giovanni Evangelista, a votive three-naved church, built by Galla Placidia in A. D. 420; SS. Nazario e Celso, the place of sepulture of Galla Placidia, which was erected before A. D. 450, and is well preserved and most instructive; Santa Maria in Cosmedin, an Arian baptistery, very like in form and mosaics to Baptisterium Ecclesiae Ursianae. These churches are rich in sarco- phagi, altars, ambos, and mosaics. In the B^J-zantine Empire very considerable archfeological material The Byzantine f I'om the fifth centur}^ has survived. In Egypt and Empire. West Africa many interesting objects have recently been discovered on the sites of old monasteries which prove of invaluable aid to the history o£ monasticisra. In southern and middle France is found a large number of inter- esting monuments, especially sarcoj^hagi, which probably belong to France and the fifth century.' Roman Judea and Samaria, called Palestine. j,^ the fifth century Palestina Prima, had thirty-three episcopal towns. The expectation that a region so permeated with Christian influence would furnish many monuments of its former prosperity is largely disappointed, since the number of churches and other objects connected with Christian history hitherto brought to light is comparatively small. What treasures more extensive sys- tematic excavations in the old centers of Christian activity may j^et reveal can only be conjectured. From the rich finds at Troy, Olympia, Larnica, Pompeii, etc., we may hope that equally valuable results may repay the Christian explorer in Palestine. Remains of many Christian churches and other antiquities ai'e found at various points in Syria. Their chronology has Syria. i ./ ^*j not been fully determined; yet some able archaeologists place them as early as the fourth century.^ They promise much ' V. de Caumont : Op. Cit., Architecture Religieuse, pp. 48-56. Laborde: Plate cviii. And very excellent and thoroiifrh, Le Blant: Ehide sur les Sarcophages Chretiens antique de la ViUe (V Aries. Paris, 1878. 1 vol. 4to, with numerous plates. Inscriptions ch7-e(iennes de la Gaule. 2 vols. 4to, Paris, 1856-65. His Epigraphie chretienne is a most convenient and instructive manual. - " We are transported into the midst of a Chrisiiau society ; we are surprised at its life. It is not the concealed life of tiio catacomb.s, nor a humiliating, timid, and suf- fering e.xistence that is generally represented here ; but a life generous, opulent, CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 39 for the illustration of Christian architecture in a period hitherto en- veloped in much obscurity. Especially the trans-Joi'danic region must hereafter become a most inviting held to the Christian archteologist.' During the excavations at Olympia, in Greece, a Byzantine church was discovered, also many Christian graves. This church was built on what Pausanias describes as the ymp'a. " workshop of Phidias." Its entire plan as well as the rich details seem to indicate a marked revival of art in the Byzantine Empire during the first half of the fifth century.^ The archaeological remains found on numerous sites in Italy, Al- bania, Hungary, etc., which aid to illustrate the history of the fifth century, cannot be further described. They are interesting and im- portant.' Sixth Century. Numerous monuments still survive from the sixth century. Notwithstanding the general decadence of art and the fearful political upheavals, several imjjosing churches are be- lieved to have been built in Rome during this century. ^^^^^^ century The older parts of San Lorenzo and of Santa Balbina ciniiobes iu are generally referred to this period. In Ravenna por- '''"'"'^• tions of the churches of San Apollinare Nuovo, Santa Maria della artistic, in grand houses . . . and magnificent churches, flanked witli towers and surrounded with elegant tombs. . . . Tlie clioico of (Scripture) texts indieutL-s an epoch near to tlie triumph of the Church; there prevails an accent of victory. . . . The date of the Roman epoch is given not only by the style of the architeciure, but by inscriptions of considerable number which form an almost continuous chain from the first to the fourtli century." — De Vogue: Syrie Centrale; Architecture Civile et Eeligieme, vol. i, pp. 7, 8. W. Waddington, who accompanied De Yogiie on his tour of discovery, has given the archfeoiogy, the history, and the inscriptions of tiiis interesting region under the title of Inscriptions G7-ecques et Latines de la Syrie. 1370. ' "That the Ciiristians were in the fourth, fiftii, and sixth centuries spread through the whole country, the surs'ey abundantly testifies ; from the deserts of Beersheba to the slopes of Hernion we have come across innumerable churclios which cannot be dated later than that period. The nomenclature of the country bears witness to the existence of flourishing communities, charitable convents, and holy Christian siies. in every part; and the titles given to many ruins show the fate they finally luider- went in p'rishing by fire." v. C. R. Conder: Survey of Western Palestine. Special Papers: Christian and Jewish T>-aditions, p. 232. V. also, Merrill: East of the Jordan. ' V. Curtius, Hirschfeld, etc.: Ausgrahungen zu Olympia. Bd. ii, ss. 6 and 18. For description of Church v. Bd. iii. ss. 29-32. For plans, etc., v. Bd. iii, Taf. xxxvi. ^v. especially Garrucci: Isloria deW Arte Christiana. Prato, 1875-79. .'i vols. fol. Vol. i, Text; vol. ii. Burial monuments, plates, and explanations; vol. iii, Mon- uments otlier than burial; vol. iv. Mosaics in catacombs and elsewhere; vol. v, Sar- cophagi in cemeteries. Magnificently executed, and a latest authority from the Catholic standpoint, yet extreme in his theory of Christian symboli.sm. 40 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Rotoncla (the burial chapel of Theodoric), San Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna and the most interesting and instructive of all, San churches. Vitale, are yet preserved. Though it has been much tampered with, the dome of the small baptistery of San Giovanni in fonte in Naples, contains some very rich mosaics of the latter Byzantine half of this century. In Constantinople St. Sophia is churches. ^]^g most magnificent monument. Traces of two other churches are still seen in this capital. Some of the original portions of St. George in Thessalonica, the modern Salonica, survive, with some of the richest mosaics of the century.' St. Catharine, on Mount Sinai, must also be referred to tliis century. A few other churches of this period which retain some parts of their original structure are found scattered over the old empire, both east and west. Numerous sites furnish individual objects of great interest. In Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Hungary, Egypt, Numidia, Cyrene, Carthage, Spain, and southern France explorations are yielding rich results which happily illustrate the stage of art advancement and the condition of religious and ecclesiastical thought of the early Chiistian centuries. The archaeological societies of Germany and Great Britain have been most diligent and zealous in the discovery and description of much that has enriched the materials for writing the history of the christianization of the original dwellers in those lands. Especially along the borders of the Rhine and its immediate tributaries these archffiological researches have been abundantly rewarded, while in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland unexpected treasures have been discovered.'' Some beautifully illuminated manuscripts from the sixth century have also been preserved, which show the complete subjection of art to ecclesiastical service, especially in the Greek Church. A regular series of illustrations of the Book of Genesis,^ in ten plates, is found in a manuscript preserved in Vienna. Also in the Codex Syriacus, now in the Laurentian library of Florence, are plates from ' Texiere & Piillan: Byzantine Architecture, Plates xxx, xxxi, xxxii, xxxiii, xxxiv, XXXV, and pp. 136-141. These authors also hold that St. Sophia of Thessalonica also belongs to this century. '^Invaluable materials have been collected in the art journals of Germany, as the Zeikchrift filr christl. Archceologie und Kunst, the Orgmi fur christl. Kunst, the Chris- liche Kunsthlatt, etc., and in the proceedings of the local art and archieological societies. The Christian inscriptions found in. the British Islands have been col- lected and edited by Huebner : Inscriptiones Britanniae Christians. Berlin and London, 1876. ^v. Garrucci: Op. cit, vol. iii. Tliese have been described by Daniel de Nessel, v. also d'Agincourt: t. ii, pp. 49, 50, and plate xix. CHRISTIAN ART MONUMENTS. 41 the sixth century,' in which the life of Christ and the events of the Church to the day of Pentecost are pictured. In the Codex Vati- canus are eleven plates devoted to Old Testament scenes. A series of paintings illustrating the book of Joshua'' and thirty-six pictures, in gold and colors, of ecclesiastical vessels, etc., are in the Vatican library. The number of art monuments belonging to the first six cen- turies of the Christian era is very great. They furnish illustrations of nearly every branch of Christian art, and become the silent and unconscious witnesses to the life, the belief, and the social con- dition of the early Church. Many have been arranged in museums for purposes of convenient study, and the zeal of investigators seems never to abate. While it is very difficult to give these monuments a classification according to chronological order, and different ar- chaeologists differ widely in opinion with regard to their age, they must, nevertheless, be regarded as invaluable auxiliaries to the com- plete understanding of the history of the Christian Church.^ 'Some refer tliis manuscript to tlie fourth century, v. d'Agincourt: t. ii, pp. 52, 53, plate xxvii. Others ns-ign it lo a later date than the sixth centur}'. '•^ d'Agincourt: t. ii, pp. 53, 54, plaie xxxviii. Garrucci : Op. aY., vol. iii. These interesting manuscripts are more fuhy described under cliapter iv. ^An immense amount of materials has been accumulated in the tran.sactions of learned societies, and in the journals that are especially devoted to Christian ar- chaeology. Probably the foremost among the latter are the Bulltttino Archiwloyia crw- tiano of Rome, which has been the special organ of de Rossi and his learned and en- thusiastic associates, and the Beviie Archceologique, which has been conducted with marked ability for many years. 43 ARCHxEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. CHAPTER II. THE RELATIONS OF CHRTSTIANTTY TO ART DURING THE FIRST SIX CENTURIES. It has been common with one class of writers to represent the early Christian Church as indifferent or even hostile to the fine arts. By some the teaching of the Christian fathers has been declared antag- onistic to art; by others this view has been controverted.' Much of Chrstianitv ^^^^^ contrariety of opinion is plainly attributable to a not hostile to failure to notice the var^ang condition and the ever ^'^' shifting environment of the Church of the first three centuries. Three questions need to be considered: 1. The Jewish Three chief origin of the first Christian converts, and the peculiarity questions. q£ ^.j^g Semitic imagination. 2. The diverse opinions held by the Jews and the Greeks with resi)ect to the nature and rev- elation of God. 3. Tlie growing influence of Christianity through the conversion of cultivated and wealthy pagans, and its final adoption as the state religion. 1. Christ and his first apostles were Jews. For nearly a gen- eration after the ascension many of the adherents to the new faith were of Jewish origin, felt the obligation of the Jewish law, and loved the Jewish ritual. In their earlier historv the First Christ- . * . lans of Jewish Hebrews had been a pastoral people. Prior to the time origin. ^^£ ^i^g kings their intercourse with other nations had been very limited. These circumstances were unfavorable to art origination and culture. After their return from the Babylonian captivity, the custom of carefully refraining from intermarriage with the surrounding peoples made their isolation still more complete, Jewish exciu- From tliis time Judaism assumed an exclusiveness be- siveness. fore entirely unknown. While a nominal dependency of Persia, the Jews had been content to ]>urchase peace and quietude by prompt ])ayment of tribute mone}' . Tlieir influence seemed so ir- significant that the Jews of Palestine were scarcely thought worthy oi' mention by the Greek historians of Alexander's time. Those who had been transported to the newly founded African metropolis furnish a partial excej)tion to this exclusiveness; nevertheless their attempt to harmonize the Hebrew Scriptures with the current Greek thought ' Dorner : Lehre von der Person Christi, i, s. 290, note. ,4 RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. • 43 awakened in the minds of theMews of Palestine a hatred scarcely less hitter than was felt tow'fW the Samaritans them- _ . ^^B Depressed con- selves. *' The founding of th^«i'o-Grecian kingdom by dition of Jew- Seleiicus and the establishmt^Bf the capitol at Antioch ^^^ '"^''^'^* brought Judea into the unf^Bnate situation of a weak province, |)laced between two great co^^^ig monarchies." ' From this time the condition of the Jewish j^^^b became deplorable in the extreme. It was one continuous stru|^B for existence from without, a state of fierce contentions and rivalries within. Even the patriotism of the Maccabean princes proved only the brilliant flicker of an ex- piring national life. . True, the Jews were no insignificant factor in the society and business of many of the cities of the empire. In Alexandria and in Rome a separate quarter was assigned to them.* Hellenizing influences had, indeed, been marked and powerful. Nev- ertheless, they remained essentially isolated in religion and in social customs;' while the partial synei'etism of thought and style which sometimes resulted must be regarded as unfavorable to „,, . .... * Theirconduion a healthy art development. From the time of their unfavorable to return from Babylon to the days of Christ, therefore, ^^ culture. their conditions, social, financial, commercial, and religious, were least favorable to the successful cultivation of the fine arts. While the second commandment evidently acted as a check to the encouragement of painting and sculpture, its prohibition of art representation cannot be regarded as absolute.^ It must apply mainly to images which tempt to idolatry. The sub- The second sequent histoiy of the Hebrews and their divinely ^"["biJoJy instituted ritual justify this opinion. The injunction to of art. Moses " to destroy the altars of the people, to break their images, ' Milman: History of the Jews. 4th edition, London, 186G, vol. i, pp. 450, 45L "^ For tlieir numbers and iufiuence in Cicero's d.i}-. v. pro Flacco, 28; in the reigns of Julius and Augustus, v Suetonius, Ccesar, 84; Tiberius, 36; Josephus, Antiq., xvii, 11,1; xviii, 3, 5. ' On their social standing at Rome v. Hausrath : Neutestamentliche Zeitgeschichte, 2te Aufl., Bd. iii, ss. 11-81. For the epigraphic evidence of the constitution of the Jewish society at Rome v. Schiirer's valuable monograph, Die Gtmeindeverftissung der Juden in Bom. Leipzig, 1879. * " It may, perhaps, be admitted that the prohibition expressed in our verse [K.xod. XX, 4] has exerted a retarding inHuenco upon the progress and development of the plastic arts among the Hebrews, as a like interdiction in the Koran has produced a similar effect among the Arab tribes; for plastic art, in its beginnings, equally stands m the service of religion, and advances by the stimulus it affords. But it is an incompreiiensible mistake if it is believed that plastic arts in general, sculpture and painting, are forbidden in our text." — Ivaliscii: Historical and Critical Commen- tary of the Old Testament. 44 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISllAN ART. and ciit down their groves" (Exod. xxiv, 13), and the sweeping pro- hibition, "Thon shalt make thee no molten gods" (ver. 17), are conpled with the reason, " For thou shalt worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God" (ver. 14). It was, therefore, " images of gods " and not every species of art repre- sentation whose making was here forbidden. The preparation of the tabernacle and of its furniture were of divine ajipointment and after a divinely given pattern (Exod. xxv, 9). The artificers of the work, Bezalel and Oholiab, were called and inspired of God (Exod. xxxv, 30, 31, and xxxvi, 1). This was the prevalent opinion among the Jews in the time of Christ (Heb. viii, 5). Yet on the furniture A heavenly of the tabernacle were representations of vegetable pattern for the fyj.,^g ^s the almond-shaped bowls of the candlesticks tabernacle fur- ' ^ niture. (Exod. XXV, 33), and the pomegranates and bells of gold on the hem of the priest's ephod (Exod. xxviii, 33, 34) ; also of animal forms, as the golden cherubim (Exod. xxv, 18-20), and the embroidered cherubs upon the particolored veil dividing "be- tween the holy place and the most holy " (Exod. xxvi, 31-33). Four and a half centuries later, when the government had taken on the form of an hereditary monarchy, David essayed to build a resting-place for the ark of God. The scriptural account conveys the impression that this temple, built by Solomon, was after a pat- tern revealed by God to David (1 Chron. xxviii, 6, 10, 12, 19, and 2 Chron. vi, 10; per contra, 1 Kings v, 6; 2 Chron. ii, 3, V; 1 Kings vi, 2; 2 Chron. vi, 2). The connection of the choice of the site The temple with the terrible punishment of the sin of taking the site. census of Israel gave to this temple a most solemn in- terest. This threshing-floor of the fallen Jebusite king, where first was given the vision of the coming pestilence, became the center of the national worship for more than a thousand years, and to-day is held in equal veneration by the conquering sons of Ishmael. The temple hereon erected was far more than an architectural display. It supplied the framework of the history of the kingdom of Judah. It was the center of the whole religious life of Israel.' Slight as is our knowledge of the details, it is plain that " its general arrange- ments were taken from those of the tabernacle."'^ Such Avas the Jewish opinion to a very late period of their national history. Its form and size were similar to those of the tabernacle.' It is certain that the introduction of vegetable and animal forms into the structure and furniture of the temple of Solomon was still more free thanin ' Stanley: IIM. of the Jewish Church, 2d series, p. 150. ^ Ewald : Hist, of Israel, vol. iii, p, 247. 2 Fergiissou: v. article "Temple," in Smitli's he Bihie. RELATIONS OF CURISTIANITY TO ART. ^ 45 the case of the tabernacle. Besides the golden cherubim were now found the twelve oxen or bulls of brass, supporting the vegetable and great brazen laver, while the lesser lavers rested ""'™'^^ toTms. upon forms of cherubs, lions, and bulls. In addition to almonds and pomegranates lilies are now found, or, as some understand the text, the great laver itself was in the form of a flower of the lily. These arrangements plainly show that the second commandment could not have been sweeping in its denunciation of the arts of form, or else there is in both the tabernacle and temple a like wide depart- ure from the spirit of the law. The latter alternative opinion can hardly comport with the manifest claims of each structure to a divine origin. While we must, therefore, doubt the exclusiveness of the prohibition expressed in the second commandment with reference to the use of art forms in the sacred edifices and ritual of the Jews,' there can be as little doubt that this law greatly discouraged the cultivation of the arts of form. Where- The command- ever religion, which is the chief inspiration and patron ™ent never- of high art, is hostile or indifferent, the cultivation of (jerance to an art must languish and the character of its products patronage. become indiffei'ent. We must, however, find the solution of the slender products of this people in sculpture, painting, and architecture chiefly in the peculiar character of the Semitic imagination. This The peculiarity has been noticed by students of general art history, as of the Semitic well as by writers on Hel)rew poetry and music.'' imagination. This people was not wanting in imagination or in art suscepti- bility. Few came nigher to the heart of nature, none were more sensitive to her subtler beauties.' But the Semitic imagination was wild and restless; it was strong, daring, and impetuous. It had a ' " Even tlie principle of the second commandment, tliat Jeliovah is not to be worshipped by images, which is often appealed to as containing the most cliaracter- istic pecnliarity of Mosaism, cannot, in tiie light of history', be viewed as having had so fundamental a place in the religion of early Israel. Tiie state worship of the golden calves led to no qnarrel between Elisha and the dynasty of John ; and this one fact is sufficient to show that, even in a time of notable revival, the living power of the religion was not felt to lie in tlie principle that Jehovah cannot be represented by images." — W, Robertson Smith, The Prophets of Israel, pp. 62, 63. ^ Hotho: Geschichte d. ch. Malerei. Stuttgart, 1867. Iten Absch., Ite cap., ss. 24, 5f(?. Schnaase: Geschichte d. bildenden Kiimte, 2te Aufl. Dusscldorf, 1866-78. Bd. i, 3te Bd. cap. 3, ss. 232, seq. Bp, Lowth: Sacred Poetry of (he Tlehrews. London, 1847, Lect. 13, et al. ^Comp. Psa. viii, 3, 4; xi.x, 1, 4, 5; civ, 1, 2, 24; Isa. xl, 22; IIos, v, 7 ; Sirach xliii, 1, 9, 11, 12; Matt, vi, 28, 29; 1 Cor. xv, 41, etc. 46 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. direct and manifest influence upon the logical faculty.' It gave tone and hue to much of their sacred literature. This inquietude causes every figurative representation that flits before the mind to Eflect of its ^c quickly supplanted by another. Either the first is impetuosity. inadequate for the metaphorical purpose, and the second is summoned to complete it; or through the manifoldness of its appearance it brings to mind yet something else that is closely related to the subject in hand, which thus becomes blended with the first picture of the fancy, only to obscure and weaken the sharpness of its outline. ^ Hebrew poetry furnishes numerous illustrations of this principle, and the writings of the Prophets con- firm it.' Take the passage in 1 Kings xiv, 15, as an example of Examples from the restlessness and impetuosity of the Hebrew imag- scripture. inatiou. Israel is here represented as a person who is to receive chastisement at the hand of the Lord. Its infliction causes him to reel, which effort suggests the slender reed shaken by the resistless, blast. This new object to which the attention is directed is now the recipient of a further action — the rooting out of the land — thus calling up the promised inheritance. The further effect of the chastisement is not only the removal to another place, but the scattering beyond the river, and the dis- solution of this personified Israel into its individual members.^ The picture of the blessings of Christ's kingdom as given in Isa. xxxii, 2, is another example of the same restlessness of fancy. The primal notion of safety and nourishment is plain and simple; but the imagination rushes from " a hiding-place from the wind and a covert from the storm " to " rivers of waters in a dry place," and thence to " a great rock in a weary land." Here is unity of thought, but we attempt in vain to reproduce by arts that appeal to the eye the diverse objects here presented. Of Isa. xiv, 4, 27, an enthusiastic admirer and commentator of the Hebrew poetry has written, " How forcible is this imagery, how diversified, how sublime ! How ele- vated the diction, the figures, the sentiments ! The Jewish nation, the cedars of Lebanon, the ghosts of the departed kings, the Baby- lonish monarch, the travelers who find the corpse, and, last of all, ' e. g., the curious and repeated involutions of tlie argument in tl)e Epistle to the Romans; thus greatly adding to the difificulties of its exegesis. This was noticed by Irenaeus (Adv. Haer., iii, 7, § 2) who attributes the irregularities of Paul's style to the iinpetuosUy of the. spirit icithin him. ''Schnaase: Op. cit., Bd. i, s. 236. *«. 1 Kings xiv, 15; Psa. xviii; Isa. xiv, 4, 27; xxxii, 2; xxxviii, 11, 14, and numerous other passages, * V. Schnanse: Op. cit, ibid. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 47 Jehovah himself, care the cliaracters that suj)port this lyric drama."' While the imagery is i)Oetic, it is incapable of representation by painting or sculpture. Tliis restless impetuosity of imagination is found not only in warnings and prophecies of destruction, but in depicting peaceful scenes, holy triumphs, pastoral simplicity, and even in historic narration. It is a well accepted principle of formative art that it requires a measure of fixedness and repose. This limits the im- Accepted a r t agination to a single and well defined subject. A paint- principle. ing implies limitation in time and place ; a statue is the crystalliza- tion of one leading thought ; high architecture obeys the laws of symmetry and proportion. These arts demand unity, sharpness of outline, and obedience to well settled principles of execution. We have only to refer to the above-mentioned products of the Jewish imagination, or recall some of the invocations to praise, or the description of God's majestic ways in nature, as found in the Book of Job, the Psalms, or the Prophets, to be convinced that the Semitic imagination was too restlessly nervous, or too daring in its flights, to obey the canons imposed on sculpture, painting, and archi- tecture. Like I'esults are reached from the study of the Solomonic temple and the sculptured and pictorial forms which were confirmation admitted into the ornamentation of its furnitm-e. The ^'^"'^ «^«>"p'ps of the forma- outline of this sacred building was that of a mere tivearts. box, destitute of artistic proportions or elegance." The beautiful symmetry, the harmony of color, and the perfection of details, met in the Greek temple of the golden age, are in marked contrast with the baldness of form and the barbaric splendor of Solomon's tem- ple. Even more striking is the difference between the xhe Jewish few artistic forms which were allowed in the one and temple, those adorning the temple of a Zeus or of an Athene. The figures ' T?p. Lowth : Spirit of Hebreiv Poetry, Lcct. 1 3. 2 Dean Jililmaii seems to convej'^ an erroneous impression of the architectural pecu- liarities of Solomon's temple when he says, " Yet in some respects, if tlie measure- ments are correct, tlie temple must ratlier have resembled tlie form of a simple Gothic ciuirch." — Ilifit of the Jews, Book vii. It is difficult to trace an}- likeness in these two widely separated and ver}' diverse styles of architecture. Indeed, we could hardly find a stronorer contrast than exists between Solomon's temple and a Gotliic church. More correct is his statement, p. 311: "The temple itself was rather a monument of the wealth than of the architectural skill and science of the people." Dean Stanley's estimate is certainly justified by the best results of modern investi- gation: " The outside view must, if we can trust the numbers, have been, according to modern notions, strangely out of proportion." — The Jewish Church., London, 1875, vol. i, p. 174. 48 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. of the clu'rubim wliicli overshadowed the mercy-seat were of olive- Examples of wood, overlaid with gold (1 Kings vi, 23-28). These sculpture. figures were colossal, but were wanting in symmetry, while their lack of adjustment to the containing space manifested an indifference to artistic harmony. In the descriptions of the seraphim in the vision of Isaiah (Isa. vi), and of the cherubim in the A'ision of Ezekiel (Ezek, xli), all is wild and involved. In these forms is noticed an absence of unity and proportion, , an impatience of boundary and definition. They transcend the limits of the human, and are allied to the mysterious and the supernatural. This idiosyncrasy, so unfavorable to arts which appeal to the eye, is not incompatible with high excellence in poetry and music. Nev- GreekandHe- ertheless, a like diversity may be traced in the poetry brew poetry of the Jews and of the Greeks. This is manifest from a contraste . careful comparison of passages from the Hebrew bards with those taken from Homer, where like objects are described, or like poetic images are involved. Homer treats each element of the figure consecutively and exhaustively; the Hebrew bard flits from point to point in rapid succession. Homer gives many elements of one view; the Hebrew presents single elements of many views.' 2. The relations of the divine to the human as conceived by the Semitic mind were very different from those recognized by the Hellenic peoples. The monotheism of the Hebrews was peculiar. The Hebrew Their Jehovah was not merely the one living and monotheism. ^j.^^g God, but he was at the same time the illimitable and unfathomable Mystery, the Unapproachable, whom no form can contain, no symbol may adequately represent. The assurance given to Moses, " Thou canst not see my face, for no man shall see me and live" (Exod. xxxiii, 20), inspired in the worshiper a pervad- ing awe. The infinity of the attributes of One whom " the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain " (2 Chron, ii, 18), " the ' Oftlic Hebrew lyi'ic poclry. as an exhibition ot' tlie Hebrew imagination, Lotze says : "Here the mind dwells upon its communion witli God, and extols with all the power of the most passionnte expression, as proof of diviue omnipotence, every deep- Lotze's opin- fell individual feature of cosmic beauty. For among the divine attri- 'on. butes it is certainly omnipotence which, above all, is felt, and gives a coloring to aisthciic imagination; we do, indeed, meet with innumerable pictures of nature which, taken separately, have often that inimitable beauty and charm whicii civilization, entangled by a thousand unessential accessories of thought, finds it sodifBcult to attain; but these pictures are not utilized for the development of a progressive course of thought, but merely juxtaposed as though to magnif|v from dif- ferent but corresponding sides the omnipresent influence of tliat divine activity which they depict." v. Microcosmus, translation. New York, 1885, vol. ii, p. 403. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 49 King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God " (1 Tim. i, IV), made the fitting representation of Jehovah throngh form or symbol inconceivable and self-contradictory. Of all the Oriental j)eoples the Jews most abhorred the degradation of Deity to the plane of nature. In their conception the forces of nature were only the agents and instruments of God Avhich he used to accom])lish his will. These views of God and nature tended to drive the Jew back upon himself, and to encourage the study and development of a subjective life. Lacking, therefore, a religious sanction and encouragement, art among the Jews could have hut a partial devel- opment, since all history and philosophy are accordant in teaching that ai't has achieved its grandest tri- representative umphs when inspired by the truths of religion, while ^^'^' religion has found in art its closest handmaid and successful inter- It re ter. How diffei-ent was the thought of pagan Greece and Rome ! While in their early history both these peoples were eminently re- ligious, their conceptions of the divine were nevertheless in- distinct and shifting. The most devout Greeks could The Greek my- afRrm without public offence that Hesiod and Homer thoiogy. were the authors of their mythology. Their opinion of the deities was fixed neither by law nor by the authority of a divinely insti- tuted priesthood. The priests were not a favoured class, but were generally chosen from year to year to minister to the ])eo])le and communicate the will of the gods. Nature was not merely an instini- ment by which the one infinite Ruler accomplishes his purposes, but Avas apportioned to a multitude of divinities whose domain was limited and defined. Natural forces were pei'sonified, and these })ersonifications Avere the products of the popular fancy, or Avere tra- ditions Avhich Avere invested Avith no supreme authority. It has been said that the Greeks idealized nature. In comparison with the low materialistic tendencies of many Oriental peoples this claim is fairly just. Certainly their religion Avas for the most part l)right and cheerful. It turned toAvard the outAvard. The deep subjective ele- ment of the Hebrew faith Avas feeble in both the heathen Greek and Roman. While the earlier Greek religion had been Extern, rtv of characterized by freedom of thought, and the Roman, tiio heathen on the contrary, Avas to the last degree prescribed, these '■•^'^p'""^- religions nevertheless agree in the common quality of externality, Paul's masterly summary was descriptive of all jiagan systems alike; " They Avorshipped and serA'ed the creature more than the Creator " (Rom. i, 25). To the Greek there was no holy God; all divinities Averc alike subject to the Aveakness of change, and to the sAvay of 4 50 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. passion. "Instead of holiness, beauty took the supreme pLace."' Loyalty to the family and to the state was to the Roman the high- est ideal of piety. To represent their gods in beautiful and per- fected forms seemed appropriate to peoples whose conceptions of deity shifted with their own varying history. Hence their relation Results of to the formative arts must have been widely different these differ- ^^,^^^ ^^^^^ ^£ ^|^g Hebrews. While to the Jew the divine ences to art t i i p i • culture. worship and the house of worship must be only sym- bolic of the m^^sterious power and presence of Jehovah ; while, there- fore, proportions and outlines need not be subject to strict law or definition, but might defy the principles which govern mere finite existence ; the worship, the statues, and the temples of the Greeks had a clearness and a distinctness which were entirely consonant with the nature of gods who were merely a projection of finite thought, and the embodiment of what was best and highest in humanity. By a method of limitation and degradation of their di- vinities to an image or statue, the Greeks used the arts of form as didactic means of a religious education. Thus as minister and illustrator of religion formative art among the Greeks found its richest themes and its highest inspiration, while among the Hebrews its isolation from religious thought and religious service resulted in an imperfect development and a languishing life. We have a most conspicuous illustration and proof of this Jewish indifference to the arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the person of St. Paul. Born in Tarsus, the seat of advanced Greek St. Paul an 11- culturc, where objects of exquisite taste adorned the lustration of markets and public squares, he must have enioved Semitic indif- ' . p -, c ^ p • ference to the abundant opportunity for the study of the formative flnearts. arts of the period. Yet, in the account of his mission- ary visit to Athens is found no single expression of friendl}^ interest in the matchless works with which that noted city still abounded, not one intimation of oesthetic pleasure awakened by their study.'' Rather did he see in these richest and grandest pro- ' Uhlliorn : Conflict of Christianity with Ilcafhenism. Translation, revised edition 1879. P. 3;?. ^" An\- sense of the dignity and beauty of pagan art was impossible to one who had been trained in the school of the rabbis. There was nothine: in jj^yjjj ' ' his education (we might add, in his people) which enabled him to ad- mire the simple grandeur of the Propylsea, the severe beauty of the Parthenon, the massive proportions of the Theseum, the exquisite elegance of the Temple of the Wingless Victory. From tiie nude grace and sinewy strength of the youthful processions portrayed on frieze or entablature, he woiihl have turned away with something of impatience, if not of disgust." — Farrar: Life of St. Paul. London, 1882. Vol. i, p. 527. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 51 (lucte of tlie Imman imagination, in statuos of niatcrhlcss beauty, in altars of faultless form, in temples of incomj)ar;i,ble proportions, naught but the plainest proofs of a mournful departure from the one true God, and unmistakable evidences of the degradation and helplessness of the heathen world. 3. While the Gospel must be first preached at Jerusalem, and while b_y their monotheistic faith and Messianic hopes the Jewish peojjle formed the proper point of union between the old and the new, the spirit of universalism taught by Jesus could universaiism not be limited by the prevalent exclusiveness. Ilis was a °^ the Gospel. system of truth and salvation for the race. When Paul and Barna- bas said, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts xiii, 46), the grandeur of the Gospel mission was first made manifest. Most gladly did the poor and the oppressed of heathendom hear the proclamation of deliverance from their spiritual bondage. The estimated number of converts to Christianity at the close of the first century is 500,000; at the close of the second ^y^ber and 2,000,000; at the close of the third 7,000,000 to 10,000,- character of 000. Even at the close of the first century, probal)ly ''°'^^^''''^- the majority of Christians had been gathei'ed from heathen peoples. The Gentile element rapidly increased. By the middle of the second century Jewish influence and tendencies had well-nigh disappeared. After the second century, with the exception of some isolated com- munities, the Church consisted essentially of converts Avho must have been thoroughly familiar with pagan art. It is impossible to believe that families of high station, that had been entirely favorable to the patronage of the fine arts, could, on embracing Christianity, immediately change their tastes and practice, especially since nothing inimical to the cultivation of art is found in the teachings of Christ or in the writings of his apostles. Every chief city in the Roman Empire had become a museum into which had been gathered the treasures which the Greeks powerful art had produced during a long period of art activity and influences, origination. Temples, altars, shrines; vale, grove, and mountain; public squares, market-palaces, the halls of justice, private houses — contained objects which familiarized the looker-on with the thought that the divine may l)e represented in visible form. The pagan moralists regarded these images as most helpful means of instruc- tion, and a most healthful stimulus of the faith of the worshi))per. Like the Christian ai)()logists for images in a later Art works re- century, the 2)riests of i)aganism taught that the people bv'tii'e heL'iien could thus be brought near the i)erson of the divinity, moraiist.s. While some of the more thoughtful, as Seneca, rejected this view, 53 ARCH/EOLOGY OF CHIUSTIAN ART. the majority taught that the gods were truly present in the images. The untutored multitude believed that their deities had as many differ- ent personalities as there were representations. Herein the faith of the adherents to the old religions was strikingly like that of the Christians during the most flourishing periods of image worship.' Tims had art been made the illustrator and teacher of religion. They had become so closely joined that the protests of some of the Christian fathers against its practice and encouragement sounded Causes of Christ- lia*"'^h and discordant to the pagan moralists. But the ian art encour- accessions to the Cliurcli of families of wealth and high agemen . social position, the cessation of the fierce struggle of heathendom for re-establishment, and the removal of the dangers that threatened the lapse of Christianity into heathen idolatry, furnished new conditions for the cultivation and patronage of the fine arts. The inherent love of the beautiful found means of rational gratifica- tion; the new religion breatlied into the old forms a quickening spirit, and originated a treatment peculiarly Christian. The decadence everywhere observed in the pagan world from the blight of faith was measurably arrested by the vital union of the true and the beau- tiful in Christianity. The changed relations of the Christian to the Jewish Church, the juster view of the nature of God and his gov- ernment of the material universe, and the recognition of Christianity , as an important factor in the civilization of the empire, favored the alliance of the Church with art, which thus received a truer inspiration. 2 Some, however, who had been converted from the pagan systenr Early opposi- were, at first, scarcely less pronounced against the use of tion to the arts ^y^ forms in the places of worship than the Jewish Christ- of form in . . ... Christian ser- iaus themselves.^ This seeming hostility of a few of the ^^•^s. Christian fathers was chiefly occasioned by the corrupt- ing associations of the prevalent art. As before remarked, the Christ- ian and pagan views of the divine nature and government were in directest contradiction. The one believed that each stream, wood, ' Friedlander : DarsteUnn^ aus der Sittengeichiclik Roms, Bd. iii, s. 5G5, ei al. This aiitlior compa|;es the heathen belief in llie diversit}' of the nature of tlie gods ■with that of the NeapoHtans respecting the Madonna and her various art representa- tions. - " Christianity only diseourap:ed art so long as art was the handmaid of sin; the moment tliis dau;4-er ceased, she inspired and ennobled art.'' — Farrar, Life of St. Paul, chap, xxvii. " Christianity by exalting moral above physical beauty, the soul above the body, encourao^ed the development of ardent and passionate men of genius " — E. Miintz: Les Artistes celehres. Domitdlo. i ^ Piper: Mijthologie der christlichen Kunst. Weimar, 1847. Bd. i, s. 2. \ RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 53 and mountain was governed by a separate divinity, and that every act and event ot" human experience from birth to death was under the direction of some special deity; the other regarded the universe as the work of the one true God, and this world as the theatre for the display of the divine mercy and glory, and for the manifestation of behavior under the divine government.' Through the uni- versal decadence of belief and the corresponding corruption of morals, that which had originally been inspired by strong faith in the supernatural had become the minister to the most degrading rites and ceremonies. Hence, some of these works of art were at first doubly repulsive to the heathen converts themselves. It was originally a war against images ; subsequently it extended itself by a law of association to all decorative and art Extent of this forms connected with the heathen Avorship. At first opposition, even objects in free statuary and paintings used to beautify private houses and household furniture were forbidden. The artist whose skill was employed in the production of these works was placed under the ban of the Church. On assuming church membership he was, at times, compelled to abandon his craft. The Apostolic Constitutions are very positive in their teachings on this point. A maker of images of the gods who shall have become a Christian must either abandon his business or be excommunicated.^ Some influen- tial Christian fathers were most outspoken. So late as the beginning of the third century Tertullian argued the case with great vehe- mence. He urges that while the Christian artificer TertuUian's did not himself worship these images, he was |)lacing teaching. in the hands of others objects which might be most misleading. One cannot consistently confess the one true God with the mouth, and yet preach polytheism with the hand. While Christian artisans themselves may not offer incense to these images of the gods, they are, nevertheless, putting into their work their powers of mind and soul, and are thus consenting to derive their own comfort and snppoi't from a soul-destroying idolatry.' Clement of Alexandria was of like ' " If tlie p:i2ran religions h.id explained the proveniment of tlio universe b,v the government of man, thus mnltiplvinpr tlie realms of law, eacli under a distinct law- giver, the Christian had achieved that highest possible generalization, sublime in its simplicity, of a single realm and one universal divine •government." — Holland: Juris- prudence, p. 14. " Ajwstolic Comtiditions, viii, c. 32: '• Idolornni opifc.x si accedat, ant desistat aut- repollatnr." ^ Df liliibdria. c. 6: "Quomodo enim reninitiavimus dinbolo et angelis ejus, si eos facim\is? . . . Potes lingua ncgasse, qnol manu conlUeris? verbo destruere, quod facto struis? vmum Deum prjedicare, qui tantos efficis? verum Deum pnodicare, qui f.ilsos facis? " 54 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. mind.' But the use of such facts to prove the hostility of these fathers to art^^er se, and the indifference of the early Church to the cultiva- tion of the fine arts, is manifestly misleading. Such conclusions are denied by the evidence of the senses.^ The adornment of dress, and the decoration of furniture, utensils, and wall-spaces in the private house, have generally been the earliest product of the sesthetic faculty. So probably with the art of the early Christians.^ It was so far removed from the associations Earliest en- of heathen worship as to awaken little opposition. This couiagernent yj^^y finds confirmation in the writinsrs of the earlv or decoiative =• " art. Christian fathers. The next step seems to have been the decoration of tombs and the wall-spaces of crypts in the cata- combs, which often seiwed the double purpose of sepulture and of a place of assembly for the celebration of the sacraments. Hence the archaeologist must betake himself to the careful study of these burial monuments to gain the truest conception of the nature and mission of early Chi'istian art.^ Unquestionably, the Christian Church accepted and appropriated Originality of ^^ ^^^ ^^'^^ ^^^^ many of the art forms that were at early Christian hand. To create an absolutely new school was, under ^'■'- the circumstances, impossible. The earliest Christian painting and sculpture follow the heathen type ; no wide departure is anywhere observable. The originality of the Christian artists ' Among other passages v. Ptudagogus, lib. iii.. 2 An interesting [larallel may be drawn between tlie teachings of the Cliristian fathers of the second and third centuries and those of some of the great reformers of the sixteenth. The early apologists clearly discerned the threat to the purilj' of Cliristian life and doctrine coming from the indiscriminate use of heathen art; Luther, Zwinglius, Beza. and Calvin would exclude images from churclies, not because they did not love art, but because these olijects were misleading the simple worshippers, v. Griineisen: De Protestantisnvi artihus hand ivfesto. Tub'ingtB, 1839. Also an essay, Catholicism and Protestantism as Patrons of Cliristian Art, in the Methodist Quarterhj Review, January, 1877. " What modification of opinion might be necessarj' were the countless objects that have been lost to be recovered, it is impossible to say. The materials are often very meagre, and sometimes the arclueologist must be guided by analogical evidence. 4 " Probably religions representations were transferred from private houses to churches at the end of the third century, for the Church of Elvira, A. D. .305, protested against this use of images in the churches." — Neander: Church Hist., Torrey's trans., vol. ii, p. 508. Tills opinion of Neander needs very important qualification. It seems to be founded upon documentary rallier than upon monumental evidence. With the latter he interested himself very slightly. Indeed, nearly everj' great work on church history in this centuiy — for example, Neander, Giessler, Niedner, Baur, Kurtz, etc. — is strangely silent on the monuments. Schafif, in his last edition, forms a striking and pleasant exception. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 55 consisted essentially in pressing into the service of tlie now faith what before had ministered to the religions of paganism.^ A new spirit was infused into the old body, not immediately to modify and transform it, but to teach new and saving truths. The early em])loyment of symbolism indicates the chariness ^ , , . *' . , . . Symbolism of the Church in the use of free statuary and painting, among the The authority of Scri})ture was invoked. The Fathers ^"^f ''^niristiau assumed that to represent to the eye what the ^^^^■ Scriptures teach by word-symbol was not idolatrous. Jesus spoke of himself and of his saving offices under the symbol of a \ ine ; he called himself the Good Shepherd, and his followers the sheep. The finally saved were the slieep placed on his right hand in paradise ; the finally impenitent were the goats which were to be banished from his presence forever. Thus the cycle of Christian symbolism which became so effective in teaching was greatly en- larged, and aided to introduce the arts of form into the service of the Church. It is, therefore, scarcely philosophical or in accord with historic facts to attribute the symbolic character of the pre-Constantine art to merely outward circunistances, as fear of persecution, or an aversion to exposing to profane eyes the mysteries of the Christian religion. The transition from the symbolic to the literal representation was rather in obedience to a fundamental law of art devel- Transition opment. The deep spiritual life of the Church must J;'",",,.'.;;;"';^; precede the outward expression. The decadence of resentation. religious sentiment in the pagan world had caused a like deca- dence in all forms of representative art, whether poetry, music, painting, sculpture, or architecture. The higher spiritual life of the Christian Church must supply the necessary conditions of a completer art which would be developed whenever the outward circumstances might favor.' The liistory of the first three centuries clearly shows that just as the heathen philosophical thought was used by the Church fathers to give concise expression to Christian doctrine, and The church the Roman state furnished the type for an ecclesiastical ^v^mT'^wa^'^at hierarchy, just so were the forms of pagan art and its hand, principles of expression pressed into the service of the triumphant religion.^ This appropriation Avent so far as frqeuently to use ' Piper: Mythologie del ch. Kunst, Bd. i, ss. .5, 6. ^ A similar contribution of heathen thou'^ht is seen in llie Roman fruilds. '• The constitution of these pruilds, and the kind of Hfe developed witliin tliem. have been of tlie greatest importance in tiio histor}- of Christian charity and its de- velopment. Certainly it was the case that these guilds laid down the recognised 56 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. heathen s^nnbols for Christian purposes. Confining himself at first to the simple but significant symbolism of the biblical cycle, the artist afterward employed any heathen emblem which had conveyed an analogous truth. It must be supposed thc,t this practice in some form w^as quite general in the Christian Chui-ch. But the remains of this earliest art industry are limited to a very few centres. Only in Rome is the cycle at all complete. These Christian symbols are often found associated with burial monuments. So long as places of sepulture were under the special protection of law we may suppose that there was no necessit}^ for concealment. The chapels erected over the graves of Christians eminent for piety or for the services they had rendered were adorned with works which have unfortunately almost entirely disappeared. But when, by the edict Decoration of ^^ Valerian (A. D. 257), assemblies in these burial burial menu- chapels were prohibited, and fierce persecutions were '^^^^- practised, the Christians were compelled to betake themselves to places of concealment for worship and for the cele- bration of the sacraments. Thus originated some of the most inter- esting portions of the catacombs which have been so rich a mine for the Christian arehseologist. The preservation of these treasuries of Christian art seems almost providential. They remain as samples of the work of the artists of the early Christian centuries. "What added helps might have been furnished for the elucidation of Christian art in the first six centuries, had not the Avorks out- side the catacombs so generally perished, can only be conjectured. The catacombs are for the study of Christian art what the dis- coveries at Pompeii are for heathen ; they furnish invaluable information relative to the art susceptibilities and spirit of their time. Tlie Roman catacombs furnish the only examples of Christ- ian paintings of an earlier date than near the close of the fourth century. Of the nearly sixty catacombs which have been already exca- Tbe Roman vated, those of SS. Calisto, Priscilla, Domitilla, Prtetes- catacombs. tato, Sebastiano, and Agnese are richest. Their narrow and often winding passages are skirted on either side by rows of loeuU or recesses for receiving the dead. On the faces of slabs of stone which close the locnli was sculptured, sometimes painted, sometimes scratched in the soft mortar, a symbol or epitaph to reveal the belief of the departed, or to indicate the triumph of Christian faith. At the place of intersection these passages were forms ill accordance wiih whicli, when once the power of true love began to stir the Christian comni'inilies. their charitj- was to be exercised." — Uhlhorn: Christian Charitij in the Ancient Churchy p. 27. New York: 1883. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 57 frequently widened, and their height increased to form chambers which were sometimes the burial place of martyrs of peculiar sanctity. Upon the wall-spaces and ceilings are found the paintings which most clearly reveal the artistic taste of the Christians prior to the fourth century. In the oldest catacombs is noticed ^ •J _ Decorative art a tendency to use the arts of mere decoration. In in the cata- spirit and execution the paintings quite closely re- '^"^''^• semble those found on heathen monuments of the same age. 'J'lie motive is not essentially different. Birds, flowers, genii, etc., are represented in the most easy and natural style of drawing, and in a spirit Avorthy of the best periods of pagan art. Some of the vaulted ceilings of the cemetery of Santa Domitilla at I Fig. 1.— Ceiling decoration from Santa Domitilla, Rome. Probably from second century. Rome are believed to belong to the first half of the second cen- tury. On one portion of this ceiling-surface (Fig. 1) the vine is 58 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. treated in the most unconventional manner, with leaves, fruit, and the genii of the vineyard. There seems to be no attempt at geomet- rical handling, but a spirit of naturalism inspires the whole work.' A little later in the century the principle of geometrical division and balancing seems to supjjlant in a measure this free handling. A very striking example is met in the vaulted ceiling of the cemeter^' of San Prsetestato, in Home (Fig. 2). In the lower section a reap- Fig. 2.— Ceiling decoration from San Prsetestato, Rome. Last half of the second century. ing scene is depicted in a style, equal to the best contemporarj'- pagan art. Above is a beautiful and very lifelike sketch of vine and leaf work in the midst of which birds are sporting, while above all the laurel branch seems to be introduced. On the other sides of this room in the lower zone are children mIio are picking roses, a vintage scene, in Avhich the gathering, carrying, and treading of the grapes are most vigorously represented, and men who are harvesting olives. The whole artistic design seems to be merely decoratiA'e.'^ A class cf writers would see in all these a symbolic teaching, but this is man- ifestly pushing the principle of symbolism to an unwarranted extreme. 1 Roller: Catacomhs de Ttomf, PI. xii, No. 3. Kraus : B'lma Sotterranea, ss. 77, 78. ^ V. Roller: Catacomhs dn Rome, t. i, cliap. xiv. Nortlicote & Brownlow: Roma iSotferranea, vol. i, p. 138. Kraus: Roma Sotterranea, s. 83. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 59 In the midst of otlier figures occasionally appear what must be regarded as distinctively Christian symbols. These de})art so widely from the prevalent teaching as to suggest a different origin and in- spiration. This commingling of subjects and motives was a most natural, and we may say necessary, result of the situation. The beautiful si)irit of purity, gentleness, brotherly kindness, fidelity to princl})le, the quietness and love of the family life, and the firm at- tachment to the society of the believers, as expressed in the cele- bration of the love-feasts and eucharist, could continue only so long- as Christianity held itself aloof from the life and duties of the state. So soon, however, as its adherents went from obscurity to mingle in public affairs, they necessarily encountered the power and resistance of heathen customs and laws. Christian doctrine could no longer remain untouched by heathen philos- commingling ophy, nor its life be uninfluenced by the prevailing ^-1^,^^^^^ ^ig. fashions. No less could its art be developed apart from meats. pagan motives. Hence the commingling of pagan and Christian elements in some of the best examples of Christian art during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries. Nevertheless, in the strange and almost un})aralleled syncretism of nationalities, beliefs, philosophies, rites, and ceremonies then prevalent in Rome, it is noteworthy to how slight a degree the earlier Christian art was influenced. Only by comparison of the subjects, the symbols, and the execution of the art of the catacombs with contemporary works of Rome can a just conception of the restraining and modifying power of Christianity be gained.' That early Christian art should be of the highest order of excellence is not to be antici- vet Christum l)ated. Christianitv made its advent at a time when ^'^^ retained •..*'., . an exceptional art was in a condition of decadence which marked all purity. its forms, poetry, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture. '" The artist lias loiifj chorislied a secret gnuljiG ajjainst iiioralit._y. The priirlor}' of virtue is liis great hiiideraiice. He believes tiiat it is our morality tiiat prevents us IVoni rivalling the arts of ancient Greece. lie finds lliat the individual artist seems corrupted and spoiled for his business if he allows morality to get too nnicli control of him. The great masters he notices show a certain indifference, a certain superiority, to it ; often the}' audaciously defy it. Tiie virtuous art'sts are niostl}' to be looked for in the second ela'ss, into which, moreover, it is doubtful wiiether tiiey have not been admitted by favor. Hence he becomes most seriously and un- affeciedly skeptical about the unapi)roaciiable sovereignty of the law of Dutj-." SuperruUwal Beligion, vol. i, p. 120. Does the learned autiior forget that Greek art perished witli its dying religiousness? Poetry decays in the period of a decadence of faith, ('hrisiianiiy used the Greek to produce a better art, for example, music, and oriiiinatod some of the grandest and most imposing forms, for e.xample, Gothic architociure. 60 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHIUSTIAN ART. Hence it must be erroneous to regard Christian art as either a sudden leap into a better and purer form, or a sudden decline from classic excellence. Rather must it be regarded as a jirogressive development.' The mythology of the ancient world influenced Christian art as The mythoiog- ^ygH ^s Christian literature and doctrine. It is found e;uiy cijiistian t?ither as an historic representation, thus having a <"t- typical or religious significance, or it introduced powers of nature under a symbolic form, and then had a purely Three condi- artistic purpose.'^ Sometimes these were united. As an tions. instance of the latter may be mentioned the ivory tablet from the fourth century, known as the Barberini Diptych. It was probably prepared in A.D. 357, to perpetuate the triumph of Barteriai Constantine. In the upper part of this tablet is a bust Diptych. of Christ, in the act of benediction, while on the other parts are various mythological representations. A like commingling of motives is seen on the noted sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (Plate I), who, as Prgefect of Rome, died shortly after his baptism. Sarcophagus of in A. D. 359. The main panels are occupied with de- Jimius Bassus. Hneatious of characters and events from both the Old and the New Testaments — the translation of Elijah, the ofi^ering of Isaac, the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, and scenes from the life of Christ. But in the angles and niches are found heathen mythological representations which seem to have very little connection with the main subjects, and must, therefore, be regarded as having been introduced more for artistic effect than for religious teaching. Greek manu- Of like character is the noted Greek manuscript of the scnpt. book of Joshua, now in the Vatican Museum. It con- sists of fifteen sheets of parchment, nearly thirty feet long and about (me foot Avide, on which the chief events of the first ten chapters of Joshua are represented. Opinions differ as to the age of this parch- ment; yet it seems hardly possible that it can be later than the eighth century, while some of the most competent critics^ regard it as among the very earliest of Christian monuments. In the person- ification of rivers, cities, mountains, etc., the ornamentation of this parchment is in the peculiar spirit of pagan art. The influence of heathen symbols and thought is apparent on the ' Piper: Mythologie der ch. Kunst, Bd. i, s. 7. 2 Piper: Op. ciL, Bd. i, s. 18. 'v. Rumolir: Italienische Forschungen, Th. i, p. 166. v. fi'Agiiiconrl: Plates xxviii, xxix, XXX. D'Aginconrt places it in tlie seventh or eighth century. In this, as in other monuments, restorations of a later date are suspected. This is one reason of the diversity of opinion respecting its age. RELATIONS OP CHRISTIANITY TO ART. Gl coins of the Roman emperors who embraced Christianity. Tlie coins prepared by Constantine in commemoration of his victory Roman impe- over Licinius contain the Labarum, whicli, with tlie rial coins, monoorara of Christ, rests upon a dragon. The cities of Constan- tinopk^ and Rome are represented under the symbol of the goddess of Fortune, and the statues of the Christian emperors are sometimes associated with the goddess of Victory. Not less noteworthy is the commingling of Christian and ])agan thouglit and motive in the case of private Christian burial monu- ments. Genii of the season.s, Cupid and Psyche, as well as genii of a festive nature, are here found to typify the joy and fruition of the departed.' C'losely connected with these are representations in which myth- ological subiects are used as types of biblical persons Types, and events. If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is associated with the sei'pent in like manner as, in the heathen myth, the Garden of the Hcsperides is guarded by the dragon,or if the translation of Elijah suggests the ascending sun god, this resemblance is merely outward. Yet it may be very easy to transfer the one to the other, and thus commingle pagan and Christian ideas.'' So, likcAvise, may the ram-bearing Mercury be mistaken for a figure of the Good Shepherd, because of a seeming likeness, while all parallelisms in office or nature may be wanting (v. Figs. 47, 48). Careful distinction must be made between monuments which con- tain representations closely resembling each other in mere outward form while there is no likeness in thought, from those difference be- Avhich agree in motive, and hence may have been trans- tween ontwani terred irom pagan associations to be used ui Christian .^„j ^p.^, |i,.g. instruction. It is likewise important to discriminate ntssof between heathen inscriptions and symbols on monuments rn situ from those that ma}^ be found on the walls of churches, on slabs which close the loculi in the catacombs, or on neatiion mate- marbles afterward used in the construction of church wais in ciirist- ... „ , 1 /. • /-,!•• T • '"" structures. lurniture or or the tombs of eminent Cliristians. It is well known that in many instances the materials used in Christian structures were gathered from the ruins of ancient ])agan temples and shrines.' Hence, by failure to erase the symbol or inscription, ' Respecting llie reference of tlic?e fiiyurcs to the category of symbol or orna- mentation there is wide difference of opinion among the archajologists. 2 V. Piper: Op. cit, Bd. i, p. 39. ' Tiiis same commingling of diverse materials is noticed in buildings of llie Middle Ages. Among many examples in the North may be mentioned the walls of the close 62 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. there seems at times an incoherent commingling of pagan and Christian elements. jMillin' has given an acconnt of a beautiful sarcophagus of Fla- vius Memorius, who lived under Maximian or Constantine. It was discovered at Aries, and is now in the museum of 3Iarseilles. In this the appropriation of heathen art Avork to a Christian burial monument is evident. The work is of pagan origin; moreover, its high order of artistic excellence points to a very early date; yet the inscription, which was manifestly an after thought, is Christian in sentiment. Also Platner'^ has described a sarcoph- agus in the cloister of Santa Agnese in Rome. On either end is the favorite representation of Cupid and Psyche ; below, the Heathen sub- ocean is symbolized by the reed and the water urn, and jeets on chns- ^y^^ earth by the horn of plenty. Above, in the middle tianmouu- " , .. ments. of the monument, is a bust in relief held by two cupids. This bust likeness is clearly a Christian work of later origin, and represents St. Agnes, whose remains this sarcophagus formerly preserved. This curious commingling of elements is also noticed in early . . Christian churches. Sometimes the columns separating Likewise in _ • . . Christian the main from the side naves are of different orders of Churches. architecture, of different diameters, and sometimes of different materials. Gathered from the decaying or forsaken heathen temples, these Avere incorporated into Christian edifices either on account of the jjoverty of the Church, or to indicate her greater triumph. The churches San Niccolo in Carcere, Santa Maria in Trastevere, and Santa Maria in Cosmedin, at Rome, are instructiA'e examples of this practice. Santa Maria in Trastevere, a three-naved church, has twenty-two granite columns of different heights and diameters, on whose capitals can still be seen sculptures of Ju})iter, Juno, and other heathen deities. Santa Maria Cosmedin occupied the site of a temple Avhich stood at the entrance of the Circus Maximus. Built into the walls are still preserved eight beautifully fluted columns of the Roman style, whose capitals can be seen in the loft above the vestibule. Eighteen columns of very ancient origin support the middle nave in the interior.^ of Salisbury Cathedral, England, which contain many sculptured stones taken from other structures. Also in filling in window and door passages in tlie Cathedral of Wincliester a like practice is noticed. ' Voyage dans k midi de la France, t. iii, pp. 151-156; PL Ivi. figures, 2, 3, 4, quoted by Piper, Op. cit., i, s. 45. ^ Beshcreihunq Bows, iii. 2, s. 450. Piper: Op. cif., i, 47. *Forster: Mittd-u. Urtteritalien, s?. 2G4-7;i. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 63 A like wsyncretism of pagan and Christian subjects is found on gems, and church furniture, as chairs, ambos, baptismal fonts, etc. ■ It was one purpose of the early apologists to trace the relations of the pagan religion to the Christian along the line prophecies and of prophecies and preparation. In their controversies preparation, with heathen opponents they repeatedly insisted that many of the elements of the popular mytholog}'- were only echoes of an oi-iginal revelation ; that the beautiful myths to Avhich the people clung so fondly were perversions of an earlier truth; that these often pointed to the time of deliverance which had now been consummated by their Lord Christ. It might not be unreasonable to expect that these agreements in motive might give rise to similar art rejjre- sentations. While some modern interpreters profess to see evi- dences of mythological import in works of Christian art where such likeness is very feeble,'' there are, nevertheless, many monu- ments in which such parallelisms of use, or relation, or sentiment are clearly traceable. The translation of Elijah, as sculptured on a Christian sarcophagus of the fifth century, contains a heathen element in that the Jordan is represented as a river god. Translation of In this there is also a likeness to the pagan representa- Elijah. tion of the sun god, Apollo, who leads in the day in his flaming chariot, while the ocean is symbolized by a river god, and the earth by the horn of plenty. Still more striking is the resemblance of Christ as the Good Shepherd and Mercury as the Ram-bearer (/J. Figs. 47, 48). That the central idea is of Christian origin appears from the teaching of Christ himself, " I am The Good the Good Shepherd." Again he says, " When he hath ^^t Ra'm-bei- found it (the lost sheep) he layeth it on his shoulders ing Mercury, rejoicing" (Luke xv, 5). But that the style of the art repre- sentation may have been suggested by the pagan subject is highly probable. It is not always easy to discriminate between the heathen and the Christian origin of monuments which bear this symbol. A scientific treatment demands that all monuments bear- ing this figure must not, for that reason, be reckoned of Christian origin. Again, both the gods and the heroes of paganism furnish types for Christian art, not on account of I'esemblance in nature, but of ' For intcrcstinc: examples v. Toxier and Pnll.ni : Bi/znntme Arcln'terlnre, London, 1.S64, especially ihe chapter " Pa^nn Temples Convert od into Chnrclie«.'" 'v. Piper: Op. cit, i, ss. 66-77, where an obscnre parallel is traced lielween the representation of the fall by the serpent, the apple, and onr first parents, and the dragon watching the tree and fruit in tlie Garden of the Hesperides. 64 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHItlSTIAN ART. likeness in office. The introduction of Orplieus into Christian frescos furnishes an illustration {u. Fig. 27). Frequent refer- Orpheus and ence is made to this mythical hero in the apologetic Christ. writings of the Christian fathers. With some he sug- gests Christ by contrariety rather than by likeness. Clement of Alexandria' claims that Orpheus and others of his class were arch- deceivers, who, under the pretence of teaching music and song, corrupted the manners of the people, and led them under the bondage of idolatry ; while Christ came to break the enslaving yoke which the demons have imposed upon the race. Christ alone has tamed man, the wildest beast ; the bird, the most incon- stant ; the reptile, the most treacherous ; the lion, the most pas- sionate; the swine, the most greedy of enjoyment; the wolf, the most rapacious ; and the stones and clods, the most insensate. He has awakened the seeds of holiness and virtue in those who believe on him, and through heavenly song has changed these wild beasts into civilized men. Eusebius'' more usually sj^eaks of Orplieus as a type of Christ, and sometimes as his forerunner. This view came from ascribing to this Orpheus a type mythical bard the authorship of the Orphic verses which of Christ. were by many regarded as containing a heathen prophecy of the true Messiah. Again, he compares the influence of the Thracian singer to that of Christ. As Orpheus by the sweet strains of his lyre tamed the wild beasts of the forest, and even caused the trees to move, so has the all-harmonizing Word of God, when it became flesh, healed the wild passions of men through the medicine of heavenly doctrine. At times Orpheus is made the type of Christ Orpheus an ^^7 contrasting the different realms in which his power antetype. ^y^g exercised, as when it is said that what Orpheus has wrought in the physical and irrational world has been completed by Christ in the spiritual, and what Orpheus did by sorcer^^ was done by Christ through divine power and truth. Occasional references to the labors of Hercules are met in early Christian monuments. The jiarallelism seems to be drawn between the power of Hercules and that of Christ as deliv- Hercules. ^ erers ot men from the thraldom of evil. Also Apollo and Ju])iter find occasional mention in connection with Christ. Another curious example of the use of heathen subjects upon ' Cohort, ad Gentes, c. i, hv6peq -iveq oi'x avdpFC, etc. " Certain so-called men, not men, but deceivers, who under tlie pretext of music corrupted tiie life of the people," etc. ^ Orat. de laxid. Constan., c. 14. Orpheiun quandara omnia bestiaruni genera cantu deliniisse, etc. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 65 Ohri.stiaii sarcophagi is tliat of Ulysses and the Sirens. A slab (Fig. 3) found in the crypt of Santa Lucina seems entirely pagan in its subject with the excejjtion of the involved inscrip- uiysses and tion at the left, which has been deciphered TYRANIO, ^^*^ ^ireus. and is believed by some to be an obscured cross. This heathen fable Fig. 3.— Ulysses aud the Sireus. From the crypt of Santa Lucina, Rome. is, nevertheless, alluded to by the early C-hristian writers, aud is made to serve a happy purpose in the enforcement of C'hristian fidelity and self-denial.' These references to the pagan mythology are only what might be regarded as antecedently probable from the intimate accpiaintance of the Christian fathers with the pagan systems, and from. the attempt to show that in each religion was an element of truth which the other should respect. More especially after Christianity became the state religion many admixtures of heathen and Christian motives are met. According to a law of spiritual life and growth, the cessation of persecution and opposition brought laxity of morals and a decay of pure faith. Multitudes of men and women now formally professed Christianity, while little change was effected in belief or life. The iiiHueiice of classical literature, the contact with pagan jnflyenpgj, art- customs, and the appropriation of pagan symbols, now verse to purity gave little offence to these nominal Christians ; while the increasing splendor of the church ritual and the growing wealth of the clergy diverted the attention from the severity of •discii)line and the purity of doctrine. Thus was the prevalent thought modified by intercourse with the pagan world. Art standards were likewise changed. The mingling of heathen with Christian belief brought with it an easy acceptance of what was before regarded as dangerously contami- j^flygnpe nating. It cannot, however, be supposed that all monu- upon art rep- ments thus transferred from pagan to Christian uses '■♦''**^°'^^'""- were known to be of a character to mislead. Their heathen origin and s))irit may not have been understood, or they may have been used allegorically by the Christian teachers. ' Philosophumena, vii, i. Clement Alex.: Cohort, ad Gent., c. 12. ARCHAEOLOGY OP CHRISTIAN ART. Many of the mythological subjects were only for purposes of decoration — as the heads of satyrs, tragic masks, etc. (Fig. 4). Of like import and design must we regard the occasional introduction of "1 dolphins (Fig. 5), sea monsters, etc. It is T not easy to discover in these any sym- bolical significance, and the attempts to so interpret them have usually involved violations of the true principles of sym- bolism. Where, however, the figure of Apollo, associated with the cross, ap- pears upon the coins of Constantine, some decora- we must regard Apollo as a live or typical, symbol of Christ ; or when the figure of Mars appears in connec- tion with the sacred monogram, it must be considered as an allegorical repre- sentation of the Saviour. Fiff. 4.-A Christian sarcophagus A statue of Victory was set up in with tragic masks. the senate chamber by Augustus. Each senator on entei-ing the hall offered to it wine and incense. This statue was the occasion of a most persistent struggle statue of Vic- between the defenders of the pagan religion and '"•■y- the Christian bishops.* The result was favoral)le to the Christian party.^ Nevertheless, the figure of Victory is not On coins. Fig. 5.— From a Christian sarcophagus. Decorated with dolphins. infrequently associated on Christian monuments with the cross or Avith the sacred monogram. In a few instances it is connected Avith a bust of Christ on ivory diptychs, and on coins during the Constantinian and post-Constantinian period. A fine example of this is found on a gold coin of Constantine the ' For a fuller statement, v. chap. viii. ''v. Ambrose: Epist. xviii. This is addressed to the Emperor Valentiniau in answer to the appeal of Symmaehus. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. 67 Great, where Victory liolds in her hands trophies and a pahu branch, while the inscription, VICTORIA CONSTANTINI AUG., encloses a tield in which appears the monogram of Christ. A bronze coin of C'onstantine bears a representation of the emperor holding in his right hand the labarum with the sacred monogram, while he is crowned by a Victory, and HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS is the inscription.' This syncretism is very strikingly exhibited on some coins of Constantius. In Fig. 0 the bust of the emperor is on the obverse, and on the re- verse his full length figure is seen on the ship of state, holding in one hand the standard (jn which is the nF, while upon the other hand perches the phenix, the symbol of rejuvenation of the government Fig. 6.-coin of Constantius-si^ng tiie min- under Constantine and his sons. Slingof heathen and christian embletns. This is further illustrated by the usual inscription FEL. TEMP. REPARATIO, and by a Victory wdio is guiding the state to its glorious destination. A century and a quarter later we iind on a coin of Majorian the imperial ensign crowned with the cross (Fig. 7) ; this is held by the emperor in one hand, while on the other perches the figure of Victory. He is here represented as treading the dragon under foot, a not unusual man- ner of indicating the triumph of the government over foes, and over the discordant elements of society. On the obverse is the bust of the emperor, and the shield is inscribed with the ■^. On coins of the Grreco-Roman empire the figure of Victory appears associated with Christian symbols from the time of Constantine to that of Heraclius I, The same commingling of pagan and Christian elements likewise ap- pears on the coins of the Arian barbarian kings, on those of the Fi'ankish, the West Gothic, and Longobard princes, and contimied thus associated with Christian emblems until the ninth century. We might antecedently expect that mythological subjects of an amatory character would find little favor with the early Christians. The positive teachings of their religion, the perils often attending its profession, and the general disrepute in which its early adher- ' Piper: Op. ciL, i, s. 177. -A coin of Majorian, century. fifth 68 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. ents were held, gave a seriousness to life little favorable to the , , , cultivation of the more delicate sentiments. Moreover, tory represen- Venus and Auior stood as the personiheations of a pas- tations. ^^^^^ whose canker was eating out the moral life of the Roman world. With that vice which was the peculiar hesetment of the converts from paganism, and against which Paul speaks so strongly in his Corinthian letters, the Christian Church could make no compromise. The suggestions made by figures of Venus and Cupid were peculiarly repugnant. Hence early Christian poetry furnishes scarcely an example of a nuptial song, nor until a com- paratively late date do the monuments contain any reference to the erotic deities. They were but sparingly introduced, and in most instances the genuineness of the monuments upon which these figures appear has been gravely questioned. Scarcely less aversion was felt to Bacchic scenes. The higher sig- Paucity oi nificance of the Bacchic myth is occasionally recognized Bacchic scenes, q^ sarcophagi of unquestioned Christian origin, but the paucity of these monuments plainly indicates the opinion of the Church respecting their influence. Somewhat difi'erent, however, was the feeling wdth regard to the myth of Amor and Psyche. In this was veiled a deep sj)iritual Amor and import. The fundamental thoughts were the w^anderings Psyche. of the soul in this life as in a vale of death, its trial and purification, and the reunion of the spiritualized wanderer with eternal love in the life to come. The association of this heathen Fig. 8.— Amor and Psyche. From Santa Domitilla. fable with scriptural scenes on burial monuments of acknowledged Christian origin' (Fig. S) indicates a likeness of opinion of pagan- ' This scene has been variously interpreted by the arclipeolofrists. Some claim tliat it is merely decorative, depictinj; a pleasing garden or autiinin scone. RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO ART. FiR. 9.— Amor and Psyche with the Good Shepherd, San Calisto, Rome. ism and of Christianity with respect to the significance of proba- tion and the rewards of a future state. This is suggested in Fiff. 9, which is from the fragment of a sarcophagus, in relief sculpture, found in the ceme- tery of San Calisto, and now preserved in the Lateran Mu- seum at Rome. Amor and Psyche are here in imme- diate association with the Good Shepherd. Therecan be little doubt but that the decider significance of this myth is here intended ; pos- sibly there is the further sug- gestion that the sojourner here can be successful in his attempt at purification and restoration to the bosom of Eternal Love only by the merit and the itrotection of the Good Shepherd, Avho, when he hath found the straying one, layeth it upon his shoulders and bringeth it back to the fold. In the severe criticisms to which the heathen systems were sub- jected by the early Christian fathers, comparisons are frequently instituted between the pagan teachings and the sacred Scriptures relative to the agencies that may be employed in the administration of tlie government of the world. Both pagans and Christians alike believed in a realm of supernatural intelligences by which human affairs are influenced. In the heathen system the inferior gods and genii held a place somewhat similar to that of the angelic Guardian hierarchy in the Christian scheme. As in classical mythol- anpeis. ogy to each human being was assigned a {particular genius, representa- tive partly of the ideal man and partly of the peculiar gifts and powers of the individual, so in the writings of the Christian fathers the doctrine of guardian angels was developed and taught. These points of contact in the two svstems may furnish . ^1 . . ' Genii. one i^eason for the commmgling on Christian monuments of heathen genii with Scripture characters and scenes. The earlier view of the fathers that the heathen genii were evil spirits, mes- sengers of temptation to the human simmenliomg mit dfr Culim'geschichtf, Bd. i, ss. 70-72. ^ Kugler: Gasrhichte der Makrei. 'Jacob: Die Knmt, in Dienste d/r Kirche, ss. 16, 17. v. Heinrich Ottc: Kiinst- archaidoijie des deutschen Mittdalters, 4te Aufl., 1868, s. i, etc. "Art is tlie appro- priate representation of an idea in sensuous form. To completely represent Cliristian ideas under sensuous forms is absulutely unattainable : lience tlie symbolic character of nil Christian art and tlie necessity of faith as a condition of its true understanding and interpretation.'' 74 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. spirit is needful for correctly interpreting its art symbolism. The work is greatly aided when a considerable number of references to the symbol can be found in the contemporary literature. It is, therefore, a canon of interpretation that the literary references be carefully considered. By comparing the works of Christian symbolism with each other, with those of the contemporary Canons of in- heathen art, and both of these with the holy Scriptures, terpretation. tlie writings of the Christian fathers, and with the related inscriptions and literature of the times, most satisfactory results will be readied. Hence a second canon of interpretation is that the sense must be accepted which best accords Avith these results of comparative study.' Happily, in many instances the coincidences are so numerous and important that the interpretation is clearl}^ manifest ; in others it may be doubtful ; while in still others opinions of the significance of the symbol may be absolutely contradictory. For the interests of both art and religion, in these latter cases it is wise to susj)end judgment until further discoveries, rather than to press doubtful monuments and interpi-etations into the service of any preconceived theory. Christian archreologists may be divided into schools according to their opinions of the originality of early Christian art, and of the design of the various works which are found in the Christian cata- combs and elsewhere. One school holds that the art works of the catacombs Avere })re- pared under the direction of ecclesiastics for the purpose of incul- cating a definite system of Christian doctrine. They are, therefore, to be regarded as strictly of a symbolic character, whose signifi- cance was understood by the initiated of the Christian Church, but was veiled from profane eyes. According to this theory the clergy were the real artists, while they who executed the works Avere mere artisans who had jio part in their origination. Even Avliere the presence of purely decoratiA'e elements is undenial^le, and tliese have plainly been deri\'ed from classic art, little inquiry is made respecting the probable influence of the heathen cycle of thought upon the Christian, but the symbolic and dogmatic character of these monuments is strenuously maintained. This class of Avriters is entirely consistent ; for if the purely symbolic character of the remains is conceded, their dogmatic purpose must folloAV, since it is hardly conceivable that the Cliristian artificers could have had the ability or the purpose to Avork out a consistent cycle of Christian symbolism. If, therefore, it is maintained that the origin of these ' Kraus: Roma Sotierranea, ss. 200, 201. I SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 75 works must be found in a desire to teacli the doctrines of the Church to the initiated — that they were a sort of biblia pauperum — then nuist their symbolic character be conceded.' TJie ])Osition of a second school is Avell defined 1»y Ilasenclever: " The art work found on and in Christian burial monuments is es- sentially decorative, not symbolic. But whatever of a sj^mbolic char- acter is connected with them first originated from an association of figures which were already widely known and used with Christian ideas. These figures created the symbolism, but the ])urpose to use a symbolism did not originate the figures."'^ It is as unhistorical to sunder the connection of the symbolism of the early Christian burial monuments from that of the contemporary heathen monumcMts as to sunder the whole cycle of Christian art, the entire Christian civilization, and even the very origin of Christianity itself from its connection with the intellectual, aesthetic, and moral develop- ment of the non-Christian world. ^ This principle, eminently just in itself, has, hoAvever, insensibly blinded the eyes of its defenders to certain historical facts, or, at least, has led them to underrate their value. There has resulted a general denial of the originality of Christian art works, and a depreciation of the biblical cycle of events as the source of much of the early Christian .symbolism. This school has erred by its lacks, as has the former l)y its excesses. As in most other controverted questions, sound criticism sug- gests the happy via raecUa. The more moderate school recognises the influence of contemporary heathen thought, and yet does not disregard the powerful influence of the biblical history, nor deny to the early Church a measure of symbolic art origination." ' To this school belono; de Rossi and most of those wlio have made his Rorwi. S'ltt'rraneu the source and tbundation of their investigations. Wliilc a most admir- able scientific spirit has -characterized the great master, de Rossi, others have pushed tlieir theory to the wildest extremes, and have endeavored to use this symbolism not only for apologetic, but even partisan, purposes. This is conspicuous in the works of Garrucci, especiall}' in his last and greatest work, Storia dtlT arte crMiana, Prato, 1873, e^sei?. 6 vols. See also Martigny : Dictionnaire des AniiquUes chre(i>;nnes, '2d ed. Paris, 1877. •' />(-/• (dtchristlicJie Grabersclimuck, Braunschweig, 1886, s. 2G0. •' To this school belong Raonl-Rochette, Parker, and oihers. ■• In this class of writers may be placed Piper, who has done so much to ecnpliasize the influence of tlie classical mytliology upon early Christian art, yet has given the Church due credit for symbolic origination. Also Victor Schultze, who lias assailed the extreme claims of tlie first scliool, yet may not have been consistent in all his interpret-.itions, belongs to this more moderate school. Roller has aimed at the same results, but is sometimes lacking in unity, and seems at times confused. 76 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. § 2. ChrUt. No authentic portrait of Christ has been preserved to our time. Whether such ever existed is a matter of serious question.' The No portrait of circumstances of his earthly ministry were entirely Christ extant, unfavorable to his portraiture. Neither the social i-ank of his family, the character of his first disciples, the re- ception which his doctrine met, nor the spirit of the religion which he founded, would warrant the presumption that any au- thentic likeness of Christ could ever have been produced. Indeed, all literal representation of its Founder seems to have been avoided by the Church of the first three centuries. His person, life, and ofiice were concealed under symbols which were especially valued by those whom persecution and a common interest united by still firmer ties of friendship, and whose significance was understood only by the initiated. Among the earliest and most frequently recurring symbols is the lamb. It is found on mosaics, is associated with in- The lamb. . . , • , i • i • i i scriptions on burial monuments, and is chiseled on sarcophagi, or painted on walls of the catacombs. Both the char- acter and Avork of Christ are shadowed forth under this form. The mention of it is so frequent, both in Scripture and in the writings of the early Christian fathers, that there can be no doubt as to its reference and significance. Such passages as Isa. liii, 7 ; John i, 29 ; 1 Pet. i, 19 ; Rev. v, 6, 8, 12 ; Rev. xiii, 8, and many others are decisive. Moreover, the representation of the lamb in connection with the cross, with the A S2, or with the monogram of Christ, -^ ^ further confirms these references. It is found upon sar- cophagi of marble, and in the mosaics which adorn the triumphal arches and apses of the ancient churches. Sometimes the lamb stands upon the summit of a hill from which issue four streams, at whose base a number of sheep are found.* This seems to have reference to Psa. ii, 6, and to Ezek. xliii, 12, where the king is in his holy hill, and Avhere " u))on the top of the mountain the ' The traditions of the painting of portraits of tlie Saviour by St. Lul continued to be used in ecclesiastical art until the reign of Charlemagne, and in connection with continued use tlie crucifix (as in the Agnus Dei) long remained an '" ^^^^ ^^^**''" ol)ject of reverence in the Latin Church. Of fre(pient recurrence on Christian monuments, and of even deeper symbolic and dogmatic significance, is the fish. It is among the earliest art forms, and pertains to the period of church history which causes it to be among the most interesting and imi[)ortant ol)jects in the whole range of Christian symbolism. It can be studied on monuments that bear the simple word 'IxOvg, and on those which have its pictorial representation. The interpretation of the symbol is determined by its age, its asso- ciations, and the testimony of the early fathers. De Rossi has di- vided the Christian inscriptions at Rome prior to the seventh century into two general classes, namely: L The subterranean, ^ •^ . . Two classes of whicli are the oldest. 2. Those which are found in church christian in- burial places above the surface, especially in and near ^''"^ '°"^' basilicas.^ The latter class belongs for the most part to the post- Constantine period. At the time of Constantine the catacombs were generally used for Christian bni-ial. Between the years A. D. 838 and A. D. 864 two thirds of all interments were still , . . . Interment in made in them. From A. I). ;{64 to A. D. 869 the num- the oatacomhs bers buried in the catacombs and elsewhere were about '"' ^"""'• equal. On account of the restoration of the catacombs by the zeal of Pope Damasus, from A. D. 870 to A. D. 871 burial therein again became almost universal. From A. D. 878 to A. I). 400 The iwuhus oidv about one third were there buried; while with the ™on"",'ents pre-Constan- year A. D. 41 0 these })laces of interment ceased to be tine. used. Of the monuments found at Rome, which bear this syml)ol, very few (probably none at all) belong to the second class, and, therefore, cannot be regarded as of a later origin than the beginning of the fifth century. I'he symbolical /cV/Mz/.s' is associated with none 78 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. of the hundreds of inscriptions found upon the extra-catacombal monuments in and near tlie basilicas of Rome.' From tlie great difference in the number^ of monuments bearing an exact date before and after the time of Constantine, from tlie form of the letters, and from the character of the associated inscrip- De Rossi's tions and paintings, de Rossi concludes that most of the conclusion. Jchthus monuments belong to a time either before or dur- ing the reign of this emperor. The figure is met on monuments of the fifth and sixth centuries, but it had then lost the dogmatic sig- nificance which was attached to it during the third and fourth centuries, and is used rather for ornamental than s_ymbolical pur- poses. From a variety of considerations it is believed that its peculiar and general use fell in the period when the persecuted Church Avas compelled to express its faith under forms and symbols which were unmeaning to their enemies, yet Avere well understood by the initiated who were participants in the holy sacraments. But what truth is conveyed under this strange symbol ? The itssisnifl- discovery by de Rossi, in 1865, of anew part of the cance. cemetery of Santa Domitilla at Rome was further con- firmatory of the opinion before held by many archseologists. Tlij-ough a vestilnile of severest classic style the visitor passes along a broad entrance, somcAvhat inclined, from which small chambers and side passages extend to the right and left. The ceilings con- tain paintings which, from their simplicity and naturalness, point to an origin prior to the time of Roman art decadence. De Rossi has Cemetery of "^t hesitated to place the frescos of this })art of the Domitilla. cemetery in the time of Domitilla, that is, at the close of the first century, or, at latest, in the first part of the second. On the walls of this portion of the catacomb are found the mutilated remains of a fresco, represented by Fig. 11, to which careful atten- tion should be directed. We notice two persons sitting upon a Tlie important coucli ; before them is a table of the ordinary Roman fresco. type, upon which lie three loaves of bread and a fish. A person, apparently a servant, is standing near by. The repre- sentation plainly suggests to every one a meal. It corresponds quite closely with similar scenes depicted on the graves of heathen ' The seeming exceptions to this statement appear to have belonged originally to the catacombs, and to have been removed to churches for purposes of ornament or on account of their peculiar sanctity. '■* Of the pre-Constantine period only about thirty dated inscriptions from Rome have been preserved, while of the post-Constantine prior to the seventh century more than thirteen hundred survive. But none of the inscriptions after tlie fourth century bear the symbol of the fish. J SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 79 families. But the tish is not of frequent occurrence on non- Christian burial monuments. In such cases it js the symbol of extreme luxury which came to be associated only with royalty or the favored few. The conclusion reached is that the two sitting figures represent two persons who were buried in this catacomb, and Fijr. 11.— Supposed eucharistic scene. Fresco from the widest part of Santa Domitilla, Rome. that before us is a scene from their every-day life. The fish on the l)urial monuments of the Christians cannot comport with the idea of luxury ; hence, we must interpret it in accordance with the opinion which the Christian fathers had long entertained, namely, that this must be the symbol of Christ. 'Irjoovg Xpiarog Qeov Tldg 2a)T7/p is the confession of faith whose initial letters form this word which is so frequently met, and whose pictorial representation is set'ii in the case before u.s. The meal here celebrated must be regarded as having a eucharistic significance ; the table The conclusion of the householder becomes the tabje of the Lord, and reached, the proper priestly character of each private Christian is here asserted. Herein is fulfilled the prophecy (Tsa. Ixi, 0) of the old dispensation as it was witnessed and aftirmed by the apostles of tlu* new' (1 Pet. ii, 5, 9). The growth of the literature suggests a like ' Only by carefully distinguishing the God of the priesthood from tlie God of prophecy, in ancient Judaism; and by clearly discriminating l)etween Christianity as it was founded by Jesus and is contained in the New Testament, , , . - , ^„ , / , . ^ rr, ■ 1 • -I ^ . , /. 1, Judaism a n d irom the Church oi the tunes of rercullian and Cyprian, can the full christiani- force of this argument be felt. In the new kingdom of heaven sacer- ^v compared in dotalism was absolutely ignored by Jesus and by his apostles. It is historical de- as little recognised by the apostolic fathers, .Justin Martyr, Ignatius, and Polycarp. Till the beginning of the third century Christianity corresponded both in idea and spirit to the Judaism of prophecy — the entire sanctified people consti- tuting a holy priesthood unto God. After tlie beginning of the third centur)' the idea and form of sacerdotal Judaism which afterward characterized the Latin Church were revived. 80 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. result. Prior to the fourth century this explanation of the symbol The Jiterary is infrequent, and then is mentioned in very obscure conflrmation. terms ; but toward the end of the fourth and at the beginning of the fifth century many undoubted references to it are met in the writings of the Christian fathers,' These remove all doubt of the interpretation and dogmatic significance of the symbol. The 'IXOTS is plainly Christ. No other explanation is suggested by these Avriters. It is met in the eighth book of the Sibylline oracles (ver. 217-250). The unknown author of The sibylline this I'emarkable acrostic has by some been assigned prophecy. j^^ ^jjg e„,| ^f ^j^^ second century or to the beginning of the third.'' It has been conjectured that he derived the sentiment of the prophecy, as well as the suggestion of its acrostic form, from the creed then accepted, and from the initial letters of this 'IXOTS which was in common use by the perse- cuted Church.^ This article of faith, so fundamental and yet so much a subject of derision and stumbling on the part of tlie heathen world, was concealed under a word whose pictorial representation after- ward played an important role in the sym- bolism of the Church. Whenever this word or the figure of the fish should be seen, whether rudely scratched in the fresh mortar upon the stones that closed rig. is.-xhe ash associated witn .1 -^1,1 other Christian symbols. From an the graves in the catacombs, or more early christian sarcophagus. elaborately chiseled in figure in connec- tion with other symbols and inscriptions [v. Fig. 12),* or engraved upon gems in signet rings, or for purposes of ornament, in all alike was recognised this in'ccious doctrine of their faith : Conclusion. t .t - ^' t ^,i • ^ ^ ~ r r^ ^ I, l7]aovg, Jesus ; X, Xpiorog, Christ ; 9, Qeov, of Crod ; T, 'Tiog, Son ; Sw-T/p, Saviour — Jesus Christ, Son op God Saviour. ' Becker : Die Darstdluivj Jesu CItristi U7iter dem Bilde des Fisches. Breslau, ] 866. Pitra : Spidlegiuvi Solesmense, vol. iii, under the article 'IXOi'i, where very full references to the Christian fathers are given. ^ This collection of writings evidently contains an admixture of Jewish, pagan, and Cliristiau thought. Tlie subjects referred to, as the golden age, the future for- tunes of the imperial city, tlie coming of a Saviour, etc.. show a diverse authorship. For literature of the subject v. Schiirer : Die neuete.if. ZeitgeschicJde, s. 513. ^ Becker: Op. cit, s. 14. ■* V. Becker: Op. cit, No. 71, ss. 62-64. "While the inscription on the monument points to a heathen origin, Becker and de Rossi have shown that it belongs to the highest Christian antiquity. The association of the fish with other symbols of man- ifestly Christian character go far to fix its reference and signification. I SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 81 Other mural paintings from the catacombs at Rome and elsewhere confirm the correctness of this interpretation. Some of them bear unmistakable evidence of the eucharistic character of the feast, in which the fish is the central figure.' Among the most instructive is the series of frescos from the Catacomb of San Calisto — that portion called the " Chamber of the Sacraments " (Fig. 13), On the left of the central scene "we see Flp. 13.— Fresco from the " Chamber of the Sacraments," San Calisto. Suggesting the eucha- ristic meal. the three-legged table having on it bread and fish, with a woman standing on one side of it in the attitude of prayer ; and a man on tlie other, clad only in the pallbi'm, extending his hands, and especially his right hand, toward the table in such a way as to force upon ever}'- Christian intelligence the idea of the act of consecration." ^ In the central group are seen seven men sitting at a table with bread and fish, and before them are eight baskets of loaves. To the right is the representation of the sacrifice of Isaac, while on the extreme right and left of the picture are fossores with arm extended, and the pickaxe in usual form resting upon the shoulder. Some have suggested that the figure at the left, with hands extended in prayel', symbolizes the Church, which is repre- sented as the Bride of Christ (Eph. v, 24; Rev. xxi, 2 and 9) ; but it is better to regard it as one who is giving thanks in the celebra- tion of the eucharist. ' tie Rossi: Roma Sottcrranea, vol. ii, Tav. xv, No. 2; No. 5. Becker: Darstellung, etc., ss. 101, 103, 110, Brownlow: Plates 16 and 17; also vol. ii, pp. 71, sq. Taf. viii. Roller: Oataconbes de Rome, vol. i, cliap. 19. 2 Nortlicote and Brownlow: Op. cit., vol. ii, p. 86. 6 Tav. xvi, No. 1 ; Tav..xvili, 116, etc. Northcote and Kraus: Roma Sotterranea, 83 AECH^OLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Fig. 14 repr ^ z ^=M / Ik esents a very remarkable fresco from a Christian cat- acomb discovered in Alexandria, Egypt. It is found directly over the altar in one of the chapels, and has been referred to the first half of the fourth century. The details of this mutilated fresco merit care- ful study, both on account of its location and the interpretation which accompanies it.' In the middle is Christ, whose head is encircled with the nimbus, and whose name is clearly indicated by the letters IC, XC. Peter, EErPOC is on his right, and Andrew, ANz^PEAC, on his left, bearing a plate with two fishes. Baskets containing loaves are on the ground on either side. Further toward the right of Christ appear the legends (TA) IIATAIA, . servants, and HAFIA MAPIA, Holy Mary. The mutilated condition of the fresco in this part gives uncertainty to the inter- pretation, but it has been suggested that it may represent the first miracle, at the marriage in Cana. At the extreme left of our Lord persons seem to be seated at a meal, while above is the significant le- gend, TAG EYAOriAC TOY XY ECOI- ONTEC — "Eating the benedictions of Christ." In 1 Cor. X, 16, the same Avord, evXoyiag, is used by Paul in speaking of the com- munion of the body and blood of Christ. "The cup of blessing (evXoyiag), which Ave bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ,? " Compare also Matt, xvi, 36, where the word used to describe the giving of thanks in the multi])lication of loaves, evxaptOTifjoag, is the same as that used in Matt, xxvi, 27, to consecrate the wine of the holy sacrament ; while in Matt, xxvi, 26, a derivative from the same ' V. "Wepcher and de Rossi : in Bulktt. di Arch, crift. 1865, pp. 57 sq., 73 sq. SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 8B word found in the k'jjfciid of this fresco is used to consecrate the bread. " And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [evXoyr'jaag) it," etc. The word used in Mark vi, 41, to bless the loaves and fishes is found in Mark xiv, 22, to describe the con- secration of the bread in the eucharist. From such comparisons of Scripture, and from the teachings of the Christian fathers, especially of St. Cyril of Alexandria, the conclusion seems almost inevitable that in this fresco the eucharistic meal is represented, and that the true ^Ix^v? is Christ, upon whom the soul feeds by faith.' That the cross was widely known in pre-Christian times has been most clearly shown by independent investigators.'* xhe cross and It is met in a variety of forms' on both continents, crucifix, through wide extents of territory and reaching through long periods of time. The interpretations of this symbol have been -r-. T- •• T- •£? Pre-Christian. almost numberless. Indeed, its origm and signmcance are often matters of question. But the Christian cross can have no doubtful import. It was ever the emblem of blessing through suffering and sacrifice, or of a triumphing faith, and the Church has cherished it as among her most precious and suggestive symbols. For this she had the warrant and sanction of the sacred Scriptures. It was the magic form that played an important role in the exegesis of the Christian fathers.* To them this ^niong the sacred symbol appeared in all nature, in the great c h r i s t ia n circles of the heavens, in the flying bird, in the ship ^^ ^^^' speeding under full sail, in the arms outstretched in prayer, in the ' V. Kraus : Boma Sotterranea, ss. 216, 217. Important confirmatorj'- evidence is supplied h}' the inscriptions, notably the iclithns inscription of Autnn, France. Tiiis has occasioned an extended literature, v. Le Blant: Inscript. chret. de la Gaul. torn, i; for literature v. Pitra"s SpicUegium Solesm., vol. i. ^ V. Stoclvbauer, Iiiman, Zockler, Haslam, Lipsius, Zestermanu, the Edinhurgh Ri- vieiv, for 1870. etc. The literature is very extensive. •^ Speaking of a temple in Loriliard City, Central Amorien, M. Dessire Charnay says : "The roof of the edifice is slightly oblique, as in tlie buildings of Palenque. There is a grand frieze, ricliiy decorated, tlie ornamentation consisting of largo human figures, these accompanied witli arabesques or liieroglypiis. The temple had then five portals, witli lintels and jambs of sculptured stone. Here we find 1)as-reliefs of remarkable Ijcnuty, and I have made casts of one of them, which exhibits two human figures of tiie Palen(iue type, each Jwldinfj in the hand a regular Latin cross toith ftoivered arms." v. North American Revinu, No. ."^08. "» However extravagant and even puerile in the light of modern criticism may ap- pear the exegesis of some of tlie Ciiristian fathers, it must not be forgotten that their work was inspired by a deep, pervading love of the crucified One, and by a desire to enter into the mysteries of his expiatory sufferings, v. Zockler : Das Kreidz Christi, 8. 134. 84 AKCH.EOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. branches of trees, and in a multitude of forms in the vegetable and animal world. The demons could not withstand its power, the followers of the crucihed One were safe under its protection.' In the pre-Constantine period the sign of the cross seems to have been in quite general recognition by private Christians. Tertullian's well-known words clearly show this. " Wherever we go, or what- siga of the ever we attemj^t, in all coming in or going out, at cross. putting on our shoes, at the baths, at table, at the time of candle lighting, at bed-time, in sitting down to rest ; whatever conversation em2:>loys us, we press the forehead with the sign of the cross." ^ Doubtless there is noticed on the part of the discij^les of the crucified One a desire to conceal this symbol, which in the minds of the heathen was associated with every thing humiliating and disgraceful. In the earlier inscriptions and monuments, there- fore, it is generally associated with the monogram of Christ. In such cases it symbolized the person of Christ, all that he was in him- self, and all that he had done for the world. There is, however, early noticed an attempt to use the cross independently of the ^ monogram. In such case it often appears under a form well known to other than Christian peoples, namely, the so-called stcas- tika {v. Fig. 15, lower form), many examples of which ai'e found Pre-Constan- ^^ monuments very widely separated in time and place. tine cross. While their chronology is somewhat uncertain, it seems that under this somewhat obscure form the Christians of the pre- Constantine period chiefly represented the death and ex- piatory work of the Saviour." But the claim that there- fore this doctrine was derived from the Indian religions lacks firm support. Much confusion of thought has ob- tained, and much misleading assertion has been indulged by writers who would deny to Christianity all originality, and would trace its leading doctrines to the Indian or Fig. 15.— Its doctrine Magian systems. While an eminently Budd- J^^^^ «^^^^- not of Indian histic Symbol, even the stcastika seems to otiierchrist- have lacked sacredness, and had little sug- ^^" symbols. gestion of religious doctrine.'* To regard the symbolism of these ' Pnidenlius: Cathemerimx — Hymnm ante somnum. "Crux pellit omne crimen,"' eti^. ■ De corona Militis. iii. ''Ad omnen progressum atque promotum," etc. ^ This is a question on wliicli the archajologists are still divided. Some claim that the opinion that any Corm of the cross was used by the Christian Churcli prior to the introduction of tlie ^ lacks substantial foundation. * E. TJiomas : Ancient Indian Weights, p. 58. " Paniui described it as a mark of cattle." ^ i SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 85 religions as the suggestive source of the symbols found on Christian monuments of the West, from the second to the eiglith century, is shown to be entirely unwarranted as the Indian paleography and inscriptions are more carefully studied. The Indian inscri})tions are found to be of no high antiquity,^ and are, therefore, of little avail in a question of this nature. Rather the indebtedness of Buddhism to Christianity for the doctrine of a genuine Trinity seems now to be established beyond reasonable question,'^ while the claims of the priorit}^ and great antiquity of the Zoroastrian or Maydyasan tenets, resembling the Christian teachings, have been proved to lack firm foundation.^ The monogram of the name of Christ appears f x'e- xhe nionoRiam quently upon early Christian remains. It is found upon ^^ ctmst. burial monuments, ancient lamps, glass vessels, gems, and coins '"There is not. liowever, a Soutli Indian inscription which can be accepted as sennine with a date before tiie liftli century of the Christian era, thoiigli one or two (without dates) exist whicli may be safely attributed to the fourth century A. D." A. C. Buraell: Elements of South Indian Paleograplnj fiomtlit Fourth to the Seventeenth Century A. D., 2d ed., London, 1878, p. 12. 2 "We have been entertained occasionally by being told how our Christian reUgion owes such and sucli of its leading elements of faith to Buddhist, Brahman- ical, or Zoroasttinn teachings, but the progress of knowledge now enables us to turn tlie tables, and to prove that our antagonists were the real borrowers. The Bud- dhists have been credited with priority over our conception of the Trinity, but the earliest documents of their creed, dating in 250 B. C, or nearly three centuries after Nirvana of Buddha, neither suggest nor foreshadow any such combination ; thougii we can well conceive how easily their missionaries may have caught the infection of the Aryan devotion to threes. . . . The Brahmans, in their turn, as has lately been dis- covered, appropriated without limit or scruple, but of course without acknowledg- ment, the ideas and the very expressions contained in the New Testament. . . . Some suspicion might possibly have been thrown upon the originality of our received versions; but the question of derivation has been comprehensively examined and determined in otir favor by Dr. F. Lorinser, whose verdict had already been facilitated by the researches of other eminent Orientalists. Burnell: Op. cit, pp. 27, 28. . . . We can no longer doubt, therefore, the possibility of the hypothesis that the composer of the Bliagovad-Gita . . . used Christian ideas and expressions, and transferred sayings of Christ, related in the Gospels, to Krishna." — JndianAtditjuary. October, 1873. See also among others, Lorinser: Bhagovad- Gita, Breslau, 1869, Weber: Indische Studien, i, s. 4:00. Lassen: Indische Alterthumskunde, i, 623: iii, 398. Wheeler: History of India, i, 407. Kuenen.- Ilibbert Lectures, 1882, pp. 223-236. * Among others who have established this statement may be mentioned Wester- gaard, Breal, and Oppert. The indebtedness of the East to the Greeks for astro- nomical principles has been shown by Biot : Journal das Savants, April, 1859; and lloltzman : Ueber den Ursprumj des indischen Tliierlcreises. The earnest comparative studies of the Indian scholars are yielding rich results, and correcting many errors into which some earlier writers liave fallen. 86 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Tlie form of this monogram is various — sometimes very simple, at other times richly adorned with Cf*\ wreaths, palm branches, and gems {v. Fig. 1*7). ■^j It is not well settled at what time it first ap- pears, but it seems probable that it was used before its adoption by Constantine I. as a sign Fisr. lU.— Monogram on coin i- ,i i . i i -• i • i of Autheinius, A.D. 4ur. upon the shields and standards ot his army.' While the genuineness of some monuments cited in confirmation of this opinion may be cpiestioned, still little doubt can ^ y^ reasonably be entertained respecting its use during the *^^'vT third century. Fig. lb represents the earliest known Fig. 18.— Monogram of Christ on an arcosolium of San Calisto, Rome. example in the Catacomb of San Calisto. This mono- I c gram has been most noted from the fact that it largely ^ i a displaced the eagle on the standards of Rome (v. Figs. ^ ^ M 6 and 7). Like many other events in the life and reign 1 2 of Constantine the Great, the cause and circumstances fs\y ^ of its adoption are variously explained. Whether through '^ I a miraculous appearance of Christ, or a dream, or a vision ^vL^I near sunset, or through some other means,* the fact of ". "v. Ludvvio; Joep : Zur Geschichte Constantins des Grossen. P \A [L. * Among tiie defenders of the miraculous appearance of Christ to "^ Constantine are the older historians, and Gnericke, Bollinger, Alzog, \y^ and J. H. Newman, among modern writers. For an optical illusiou 'yN. or natural phenomenon, with which may have been connected a . prophetic dream, argue Augiisti, Scliroeckh, Mosheira, Neander, o- I ■■ Gieseler, Niedner, Schaff, Stanley, Heinichen, Koelling, Mozley, and i others. Arnold, Tliomaaius, Lardner, Gibbon, Waddington, and others regard it either as a fable or a pious fraud. This last view seems to be the least consistent with the authorities, with the character of Constantine, and with the events concededly flowing from this circumstance. 1 SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 87 the choice of this symbol cannot be doubted, since from this time it plays a most important part on the coins of the empire, and on the monuments of the Church. It lias been universally conceded that these are the initial letters of the name of Christ,' and that the monogram is prima facie evidence of the Christian character of the monuments on which it appears. Other meanings must be shown by positive proof. There is no sufficient evidence that the Christians derived this from the crux ansata which was quite common among the Egyptians. After the wide use of the ^ upon the shields and standards of tlie army and upon the coins of the empire, the Church attached to it a new and deeper significance. Hence- its jater sig- forth the conquering, all-prevailing Name was prom- niflcance. inent in their thought. Fig, 19 shows the ^ associated with palm branches and the celebrated motto, IN SIGNO. The transition from the thought of humiliation and suffer- ing to that of authority and power was but natural. The art of the Church reveals this change. The mon- ogram appears surrounded with gar- lands (Fig. 20), and in places of honor ^'^- 1^;-The Co,iBtantinian mono- ^ p _ -" i gram, with paliu branches and the and dominion. Now is noticed the be- legend, in signo. ginning of that opinion respecting the person and office of Christ which afterward clothed him with the attributes of the severe and awe-inspiring Judge, and later furnished the conditions of the rapid growth of Mariolatry. The tradition of the finding of the true cross by Fig. :io.— The Helena, the mother of Constantine, rests _. , . , monogram of ' n -, ■ ^ y ^^"^ ^^^^^^ °^ Christ encircled 0^1 even less secure tountlation tlian the finding the by a wreath. vision of the cross by the emperor himself. '™'' '''"'*'*■ While, however, the acceptance of the -^ symbol by the em- pire was comparatively harmless, and even contributed to exalt the name and office of the Saviour, without danger of idolatry, the traditional discovery of the cross by Helena proved the occasion of most hurtful superstitions which fostered the worship of relics and suggested the religious pilgrimages of the following centuries. The relation of these pilgrimages to the Crusades has often been traced by historians. ' The upright ^ is the oldest and most frequently recurring form of this monogram. 88 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. ♦ * * * ifflf * • • • ' I » * ill » * a Mr * » The Tan or patibulaiy (sometimes called Egyptian) cross is TheTauorpa- found in the catacomb of San Calisto, at Rome, prob- tibuiary cross, ably as early as the third century.' In such cases it is not easy to discover the pi'imary reference. By some it is regarded as chiefly representative of the idea prevalent among the Egyptians, namely, the source of life, and of hope of the world to come; to others (Did- ron, et ciL), it seems to connect with events of the Hebrew history, as the sacrifice of Isaac, and the brazen serpent in the wilderness — thus becoming an Old Testament type; while still others insist that it is the deliberately chosen symbol of the person and propitiatory work of Christ." Sometimes this form of the Fig.2i. — A jeweled cross Pi'oss is met in the mosaics, richly jeweled, from Ravenna. having the firmament, thickly strewn with stars, for a background, as in Fig. 21, which is from SS. Nazario e Celso, Ravenna. Alone, as well as frequently associated with the monogram of Christ A J2 monu- ^^^ Other Christian symbols, the A S2 symbol appears in ments. Italy from about the middle of the fourth century, and in Gaul, in connection with dated inscriptions, from A. D. 377 to A. D. 547.^ This manifestly refers to Rev. i, 8, "lam Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty." By comparing Isa. xliv, 6, with Rev. i, 17, 28, also xxii, 13, it appears that these letters refer to One Avho, being of like essence with God, stands at the beginning as at the end of all being, who rules all development, who is the centre and goal of human history, and who is Lord of the Church. While Jesus Christ is " the same yesterday, to-day, and forever " (Pleb, xiii, 8), he also becomes the significant force in the beginning of the creation, and in the final consummation of the divine purposes. The monuments upon which these letters appear are quite numer- ous; fi-om their associations they aid in the interpretation of s3'mbols that were otherwise obscure. Connected with the monogram en- ' V. de Rossi : Bullett. Arch, a-ist, 1863. * The cross and the fish are found on early Christian monuments in Scotland. From ita peculiar associations, the latter is believed to have been an object of wor- ship. V. Forbes Leslie: The Early Jiaces of Scotland and their Monuments. Edinburgh 2 vols., 1876. 3 At Rome from A. D. 355 or 360 to 509; in Gaul from A. D. 377 to 547. De Rossi: Jnser. christ. Fom., Nos. 127, 143, 491. Boockh : Inscr. Cor. Gra;c., Nos. 412, 55. LeBlant: Manuel rf' Eingr. chret., p. 29. SYMBOLISM OF CHRISTIAN ART. 89 closed in a circle (Fig. 22), the A i2 suggests the eternity of tlu- person thus symbolized. When associated with the H-Pi within the equilateral triangle (Fig. 23), it awakens in some the thought of the Trinity. When found on burial monuments with the Constantinian monogram, the doves, and the olive branches (Fig. pig. ^:;> _xhe a ii 24), the victory and present fruition of the departed with monogram in through Ilim who is the beginning and the end, the *^^^^ ^' resurrection and the life, are significantly suggested.' The pre- sumption is strong that all monuments on which it is found are of Christian origin, and the reference to the person and nature of Christ is unquestioned. The Church was not slow to adopt the beautiful og^lm and" a° Q Symbol of the vine. This was so manifestly ^^^ ^.^^ iu triangle. sanctioned by the words of Christ himself (I John XV, 18) that the most iconoclastic spirit could take no offence at its use. The lessons which it conveyed were so vital and precious that its place among the Avail deco- rations of the oldest catacombs at Rome seems eminently fitting. To distinguish the symbolic from the merely decorative use is not always Fig. 34.— a 12 with doves ana mono- , ,1 , ,1 1 rn • 4.' gram. From a burial monument. easy; yet that the early Christians re- garded the vigorous vine, whose branches were laden with luscious fruit, as sj^rabolic of the Saviour and of the disciples who abide in him cannot once be doubted.' Nor should too much stress be laid upon the fact that very similar scenes are depicted upon heathen monuments, where ^j^j^ symbol the manifest reference is to Bacchus and his worship, need not have _,,...,., ^ , ,. i <• 1 1 been borrowed. This Similarity of representation cannot safely be re- garded as proof that a like truth was designed to be thus symbol- ized ; much less can the derivation of the Christian symbol from the pagan mythology be hence inferred. So common was it among ancient peoples to represent life, joy, and abundance under the symbol of the vine and its products that each may reasonably be ' A class of archicoloictorial teaching was intended. This would be an abuse of the symbolic principle. For example, in EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND ^lOSAICS. 99 Fig. 28, the antithesis of Moses smiting the rock, and Christ raising Lazarus, cannot be regarded as tyjie and antitype, since this Av'ould compel the use of too fanciful and far-fetched analogies. The same is true of Daniel in the den of lions, and David with the sling. Nor can we suppose that the artistically balanced pastoral scenes were designed to teach dogmatic or practical truths, well- Fig. 28.— Fresco ceiling from S.inta Domitilla, Rome. Orplieus in center. understood by the initiated but unknown to others. This, too, Avere to carry the symbolic princii)le to an unwarranted extreme. While there is a general similarity of technical treatment to that of the contemporary heathen art, and the originality of Naturalness of the Christian handling, coming from juster and more C'liristian art. inspiring views of nature, has been questioned,' these frescos, ' Woltiniinn and "Woermann: ITidory of rainUng, translated by Colvin, 1880, vol. i, pp. 1G3, 164. Contra v. Schnaase: Geschichfe d. hild. Kiinste, 2d Aiif.. iii, ss. li")2, 5^. " Cliristianity first unlocked the sense for nature by teaching us to imder- stand a creation groaning with us and by showing the connection of nature with ourselves and our own life." Uhlhorn : Con/lid of Christianity tvith Heathenism, Kev. ed., pp. 6G-69. 100 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. nevertheless, become invaluable indexes of the belief and life of the infant Church. They prove that the oesthetic feeling, common to all men, is struggling for expression amidst the adverse influences of the times, and that the new religion, so far from being hostile to art, is seeking to purify and inspire it by its own richer spiritual truths. They show that the early Christians were animated by a religion of cheerfulness and hopefulness. The objects in these mural decorations directly or symbolically represent persons, offices, or beliefs that are soul-sustaining. Nearly the whole Old Testa- ment cycle — the history of Noah; Abraham offering Isaac, and God's interference to save by a substituted victim; the smiting of the rock by Moses; the preservation of the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace; Daniel in the den of lions; the history of Jonah — all these are of a character to support and inspire the faith of the early believers.* In the pictorial representations of Christ, two* general types are Two types of early met. The first is that of a beardless young man Christ. of considerable force and freshness, quite -closely I'esem- bling the sculptures on heathen sarcophagi of the same date. This type is usuall}^ connected with the cycle of Christ's miraculous works, as the opening of the eyes of the blind, the healing of the paralytic, the raising of Lazarus (Fig. 29), etc. A like buoj'ancy of spirit is met in the paintings of Christ as the Good Shepherd. We have elsewhere {v. p. 61) noticed the relations of this figure to the rambearing Mercury of the heathen mythology. This type is usually without a beard, as in Fig. 29, in the midtiplication of the loaves, and the raising of Lazarus in the encircling lunettes. The second type, though somewhat more severe, 29.— Christ rais- is Still youtliful, but bearded and with long flowing injr Lazarus. Fresco. j^^j^._ j^ -^ ^.^^^.^jy^ -^ ^^.^j.^ f^^^^^^ j^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^^,^^ paintings of the catacombs, but appears later upon the gilded glasses. In both these types the influence of heathen thought is manifest, since the quite prevalent opinion respecting the Saviour, which was held by some of the Christian fathers, as derived from Isa. lii, 23, is here dominated by the heathen idea that the gods miist be conceived ' V. Fig. 30, ill which most of these scenes, together with the healing of the par- alytic, the multiplication of the loaves, and the rcsnrrection of Lazarus, are grouped about the Good Shepherd. * A third, found iu the mosaics of the post-Constautine period, is e'scwliere noticed. I EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTmGS AND MOSAICS. 101 of as endowed with vigor and beauty. The Greek believed that only the ethically good could be in the image of the gods ; contra- Fig. 30.— Fresco from the ceiling of a chamber in San Calisto, Rome. riwise, tha,t the highest physical perfection was requisite in the sen- suous representation of the divine. To his apprehension virtue and beauty, vice and ugliness, were in indissoluble union. The beautiful was the good, and defoiinity was felt to be a consequence of evil. It was therefore necessary that the most worthy embodiment of the divine should be in perfect and beautiful forms. Unlike the gods of the Indians and the Egyptians, with which much of the grotesque and xigly was often connected, the gods of the Greeks, being conceived as free from moral imperfections, were represented - by images of truest nobility and beauty, and free from every trace of sorrow and weakness.' But this type of Christ underwent a remarkable transfonnation. Fig. 31 is the representation of a fresco bust dis- The later f res- covered by Bosio in the catacomb of San Ponziano, at ^^."^ the'^ ear- Rome. This is a wide departure from the type found uer types. in the earlier frescos. The form of the cross, the richly jeweled ' V. Alt: Die HeiUgeribilder,etc., pp. 4-7. 102 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. corona, the more grave and mature cast of countenance, the peculiar curve of the eyebrows, are positive proofs of a new era of art. A Fig. 31.— Bust of Christ from San Ponziano. Probably from ninth century. somewhat similar art type is seen in Fig. 32, which is from one of the catacombs of Naples. It is of the sixth century. The long, pointed beard, the elongated features, the countenance bearing an appearance of haggardness and of sorrow, are in directest contrast Avith the air of youthful vigor and cheerfulness that characterizes the frescos and bass-reliefs which represent the biblical cycle of Christ's works. The corona, the open book, and the hand raised in the man- ner of teaching, show that the conception of Christ has shifted from that of the benevolent wonder-worker to that of the severe, authori- tative, and majestic teacher and ruler. The crypt of Santa Cecilia is among the most interesting in the immense cemetery of San Calisto. It is connected with the martyr- dom of one of the most revered female saints of the early Church, and is rich in epigraphical and pictorial objects which aid in the under- standing of some portions of her curious history. The pictures noAV preserved in this crypt are manifestly of a much later date than the original ornamentation, since there are unmistakable evidences that mosaics and slabs of porphyry have in some instances been removed. EAELY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 103 Fiir. 32.— Bust of Ohrisl from a cemetery of Naples. Probably of the sixth century. tics, and has lost the freedom and grace of the pictures pro- duced under the influence of llie clas.sic spirit. The tendency to increased decoration, and to clothing the person of Christ with the insignia of authorit}'^, in con- trast with the simplicity of the earlier frescos, is further seen in the accompanjnng rep- resentation of a mural paint- ing found in the small suhur- l)an cemetery of Santa Gene- rosa, near Rome (Fig. 34). It is believed to belong to the seventh or eighth century. Christ is here associated with saints, whose names are in- In one of the bu- rial niches is found a bust of Christ, represented by Fig. 33, which has been referred to the sev- enth century. The Greek nimbus, the hand in the i)osi- tion of blessing or of teaching, and the book held in the left hand, are symbols of author- ity. The Avhole ex- pression and execu- tion of the fresco suggest a distinc- tively Byzantine influence, and indi- cate that the art of the Church has fal- len under the dii'ec- tion of ecclesias- Fig. 33.— From the crypt Santa Cecilia, cemetery of San Calisto. Probably of seventb century. 104 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. scribed on the walls in the style of the latei- Byzantine pictures. He is clad in the customary tunic and pallmm, whose di'apery lacks grace and flexibility; his right hand is extended in the fashion of the teacher, or, as some discover in it, in the act of benediction after the Greek manner ; in the left is held the book, highly orna- mented with jewels. The entire picture indicates a later origin, and a wide departui'e from the youthful vigor and naive simplicity of the earlier figures of Christ. The jeweled crowns, and the exces- sive ornamentation in the case of the female figure, are further evi- dences of art decadence. While the fact is unquestioned, the reason of the transition from the youthful type of Christ, as it is met in the earlier frescos and sculpture, to the more severe and majestic type of the later repre- sentations is not manifest. A change so marked and general could not result from fortuitous or transient causes. Had the earlier type of Christ tallied with the conceptions of the later Church it would have continued. It is not improbable that the Arian controversy left its impress upon the art representations of the Saviour in the fourth and follow- ing centuries. It is well known that interest in the nature and person of Christ was not limited to the theologians, but the ques- tion of his divinity was debated by all classes of the Roman world. The adoption of the Nicene and Constantinopolitan creeds must necessarily have greatly exalted the conception of the dignity and poAver of Christ. This personage, " the one Lord Jesus Christ, . . . Light of Light, very God of very God, ... by whom all things were made, . . . who cometh to judge the quick and the dead," must find a representation in art which should correspond with this sublime conception. Evidently the earlier simpler forms of the Good Shepherd and of the benevolent "Wonder-worker failed to express the thought which the creed had embodied. To develop a type which might more fully accord with the prevailing belief was but natural and necessary. Moreover, a triumphing Church demanded that the elaborate mosaics which now adorned the apses and triumphal arches of the basilicas should impress upon the worshippers the truth of the accepted sjanbols. The dog- matic interest must have influenced the art development, and may have occasioned the introduction of the new type which is the representation of the mighty, the exalted, and superhuman Christ. This tjT^De became common in the imposing mosaics, in some of the frescos, and on some of the more pi-ominent portions of the sarcoph- agi, while the earlier type was continued in the cycle of biblical history and in symbolic representations. While the artistic exe- 106 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. cutiou in the latter is inferior it more fully embodied the prevailing belief. The representations of persons with uplifted hands as in the act of prayer, technically called Orantes, are quite frequent in the early Christian art of the Roman catacombs. While their reference is not alwaj^s clear, by association with other objects their import is sometimes suggested. Probably they indi- cate the devout character of the departed on or near whose tomb they are found. Possibly in exceptional cases reference may be had to the Virgin Mary. Examples are also found sculptured on sarcophagi. Representations of the Virgin are quite frequent.' But an iso- lated picture or a veritable portrait of Mary is not met in the pre- No symbolical t^ow^tantine frescos of the catacombs, in the oldest representation mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore, nor anywhere in the of the Virgin, ^.a^i-jiggt Christian sculpture. Generally she is associated with the child Jesus, who sits upon her lap or is held in her arms. The Virgin is never, like her divine Son, represented symbolically. " The Virgin with the star (Fig. 35) is probably the oldest fresco Fior. 35.— Virgin and star from Santa Priscllla, Rome. ^' De Rossi mentions more than twenty. "Eckl: Die Madonna als Gegensfand cJiristUcher Kun.stmalerei imd Scvlptv.r, 1883, p. 3. On a few gilt "lasses of a later origin she appears alone, and a single example of a marble fonnd in Gaul, mnoh defaced and of unknown da'e. bearing tlie in- scription MARIA VIRGO MINISTER DE TEMPLO GEROSOLA, has sometimes been referred to as showing her consecralion to tiie temple service during her infancy. This opinion finds very slender monumental support — probably none earlier than tiie seventh century. EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 107 of this subject. It is found in tlie cemetery of Santa Priscilla, and is claimed by de Rossi to belong to the first century^ or early part of the second. The most natural suggestion of the scene is that of the holy family. Joseph points to the star, which is the key to the subject of the fresco, and thus confines it to the cycle of biblical history. The more labored interpretation of de Rossi, that the male figure refers to one of tlie pro})hets of the old covenant (prob- abl}' to Isaiah), who points forward to the Star of Bethlehem which was to indicate where the Virgin mother and the infant Jesus were to be found, seems unnecessary, and adds little to the value of the testimony of such paintings. In either interpretation the fresco would have a purely biblical character, and represent an historical event wholly void of the dogmatic significance which has been attributed to it by some Catholic commentators. The Virgin and child from Santa Domitilla (Fig. 36), has been referred to the second half of the third centur3^ There is evidence that it was originally a part of a representation of the " adoration of the magi," since faint traces of four of these magi are here seen, as in the fi-esco from SS. Pietro e Marcellino outlines of two only appear. The whole scene is simply biblical. It has a severity of artistic treatment suggesting a very early origin. The fresco in the cemetery of Santa Agnese (Fig. ;37), on the Via Nomentana, be- longs to the fourth or fifth centur3^ It represents the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus. The Virgin extends the hands in the attitude of prayer, in harmony with the class of figures called Ontntes. Neither the Virgin nor child is encircled with the nimbus, but the sacred ' We , p. 30. EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 109 Fig. 38, a fresco of the Good Shepherd from the seventh century, shows a like |!|i decadence. The pe- culiar shepherd's pipes, the crux gam- A like tran- DUltCl, or R sition in swastika other su b- jects. upon the tunic, the inscription " Pastor "above the head, are new ele- ments which find no place in the simpler and nobler figures of the "Good Shep- herd " from the ear- lier period of Christ- ian painting. So also in Fig. 39, which is a represen- tation of Saint Ce- cilia, found in the cry})t of Santa Ce- ZZZZJMI FifT. 3S.— A Good Shepherd, from the cemetery of Santa Generosa. cilia in the catacomb of San Calisto. It gives evidence of having been painted over an earlier mosaic, some traces of which still remain. From the peculiar ornamentation, the richness of dress, etc., it seems justifiable to refer it to the seventh century, or to tlie \QYy close of the period of Avhich we propose to treat. It sliares tlic general inferiority of the Avorks of this century, and plainly re- veals the subjection of art to the influence and authority of tlie Church. The simple vintage scenes - r--;':iiS»"».V-. -■ ^ammmsmmm. "'^■''-'""°:^±^15::?"=:;.!!r^'^"'^'"^' undergo like transitions of Santa Cecilia, Rome 110 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. style. Figs. 1 and 2 {>■>. pp. 57, 58) show the ease and grace of the treatment of these subjects as found in the early frescos of the cata- combs. Nothing could be more completely natural than the arrange- ment of the vine in Fig. 1, while the action of the genii in Fig. 2 is most free and charming. When compared with Fig, 40 the change Fig. 40.— Vine ornament from San Calisto, Rome. Fourth century. in treatment is manifest. "Nobody can fail to notice how widely they depart from the truth and beauty of nature, and with what arbitrary violence the branches are twisted into regular form, so as rapidly to degenerate into a mere decorative pattern." ' Later still a further hardening of the lines and an artificial restraint are noticed, till in the mosaic decorations in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia (Fig. 41), at Ravenna, " Grreco-Roman art has reached the Byzan- tine stage of high conventionality, still retaining great beauty."^ ' Xorthcote and Brownlow : Roma Sntteranea, vol. ii, p. 151. To these aulliors we are indebted for permission to use these and other plates. 2 Tyrwhitt: Christian Art Sijmboli.sni, pp. 66, 67, and The Art-Teachinr/ of the Primitive Church, p. 117, quoted by Nortlicote and Browulow. It is difficult to see EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. Ill From the fourth aiul fil'tli centuries a considerable number of ornamented gUt glasses which possess much artistic and „ . ,. dogmatic interest have been preserved. A few probably Kilt glasses, or belong to the third and sixth centuries. They can J'""''* '''Oro. hardly be regarded as paintings, but are rather drawings nude by a Fig. -II.— Mosair vine ornaiiu'iu fr in t'.uiiie of the mausoleum of Galla Plariilia. Ravenna, A. D. -^4(1. sharp pointed instrument upon gold foil which was placed u])on glass ; this plate was tlien covered by another, and the whole fused together. These have becji fully described by Garrucci and others.' Their cycle is not essentially different from that of the catacomb frescos, except that the representation of saints is somewhat more frecpient, and the dogmatic element seems to be more prominent. On these the Virgin is found associated with Christ, with the apos- tles, Paul and Peter, and in a few instances of late date she is the solitary figure.'' The frequent pictorial association of primacyof Peter and Paul is instructive in the examination of the i'«t"r. art testimony'- to the dogma of the primacy of Peter (v. Plate I). how iliosc mosaics can with an\' propriety be described as " rich acamliiis scroll- work." V. Veiiables: "Mosaics," in Did. of Chris. Antiquities, p. 1330. ' )'. espociiilly Vet ri or nnti di figure in oro ti'avuti nei cimittri de' cristiani jtrimitlvi di Ii'ornii, Jto, Roma, 1864, and his extensive work, Storia dclV arte crisf iana, clc, 6 vols., 4t(). Prato, 1873, seq. Also, do Rossi: Roma Softerraiiea, 3 vols.. 4to. Roma, 1864, 186-7, 1877. Roller: Les Catacombes de Rome, 2 vols, 4to. Paris, 1882. '^ It has been questioned whether this name may not apph* to some saintly person named Mary, ratlier than to the motlier of Jesus; since the earlier Christian moinmients seem not to introduce the Virgin in her individual and independent character, but the infant Jesus was the raison d'etre for tlie representation of the mother. r 113 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. With the exception of a very few of late origin there is in these gilded glasses no intimation of any preeminence of Peter over Paul. In some instances, where these apostles are associated with Christ on the same glass, Paul has the place of honor; in others, Peter is at the right hand of Christ; thus showing that the primacy of either would not once be suggested by the pictorial representations. Both wear the corona, as in Fig. 3 ; both are represented in like dress as youthful and beardless, as in Fig. 4 ; both are receiving a common crown, as in Fig. 5 ; both are seated upon like Roman chairs, and bear equally the rolls as a symbol of apostolic authority, as in Fig. 7 ; both alike are being crowned from above, as in Figs. 8, 9, 10. In these art representations there is no intimation of a superiority or primacy of any sort whatever. This is more note- worthy from the fact that these glasses belong to a period when the primacy of Peter had already been asserted. Their teaching, how- ever, entirely accords with the general tradition of the joint agency of Peter and Paul in founding the Church of Rome. In Fig. 1 there is manifestly an attempt at portraiture. The bronzes, Figs. 1 and 2, have given rise to much discussion relative to their age and character. Many archaeologists believe that in Fig. 1 are found the traditional characteristics of these chief apostles. Peter has a firmer, rounder head, thick curled hair, and a short matted beard ; Paul has more elongated features, thinner hair inclining to baldness, a longer yet more scanty beard. Amid the contrariety of opinions it is impos- sible to pronounce absolutely upon the age of bronze Fig. 1, or the person represented in Fig. 2. The artistic excellence of the work would suggest an early origin.' It is quite remarkable that in the cemeteries and churches of , Italy, and in the art monuments of the first four centuries The cycle of ^ '^ ' subjects u n i - in other lands, the cycle of the subjects of painting, of form. sculpture, and of the glyptic arts is nearly uniform. The same symbols from the animal and vegetable kingdoms, the same biblical events, the same historical characters, are everywhere repeated. Some archaeologists have accounted for this uniformity on the supposition that the Church had given its sanction to these as a means of expressing and perpetuating a common faith, and of teaching doctrines which were regarded as fundamental, thus guard- ing against the attempts of heretical teachers to divide the Church. Outside the catacombs the number of surviving paintings of the first six centuries is very limited. From documentary evidence ' While tliese bronzes properly belong to the department of plastic art or sculp- ture, it seems more convenient to refer to tliem here in connection with the gilded glasses containing like subjects. PLATE I.-GiMed glasses and bronze bust.s i :presentlne Pet-^r and Paul. ExVRLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 113 we are justified in believing that tlie art influence of the Roman- Christian world extended far and wide in the coun- paintinfrs still tries of western and northern Europe which had been i» existence. Christianized through the zealous labours of missionaries. We infer that painting Avas extensively used in the decoration of imposing churches in Gaul, along the banks of the Rhine, and in Sjjaiu. The stjde and subjects of such paintings were probably similar to those of Christian Rome, somewhat modified by influences peculiar to tlie barbarian i)eoples. Ireland, which was converted in the first half of the fifth century, and had developed its ecclesiastical life almost independently of Roman influence, was not Avanting in attem])ts to ornament the churches with appropriate mural paintings. Of these none of an earlier date than the seventh century have survived. A few illuminated manuscripts have been preserved to our time. The art of illumination common to the classic peoples was prac- tised by the Christians from the fourth century, and Miniatures and reached its highest perfection in the Middle Ages, illuminations. Such manuscripts were sometimes dedicated to persons of high ofiicial station, or were given by the wealthy to religious houses. This was probably one reason of their rich ornamentation. The purpose of the illumination was partly artistic and partly didactic. The beautiful illuminations of portions of the Scriptures, of Psalters, and of prayer-books which have come to us from the medijeval period suggest a similar practice of the Church from the fourth to the seventh century. A fine example of illumination of Greek origin, believed to date from about the close of the fifth century, is pre- boou of Gene- served in the Imperial Library at Vienna. This work sis. comprises biblicnl characters and allegorical figures which are helpful in the interpretation of the text. "It contains twenty- four leaves illuminated on both sides, in most cases with ]>ictures arranged in two rows on purple vellum. The execution is slight, almost superficial, but yet shows certainty of touch. We still find here a close observation of the life of men and animals ; the figures show considerable power of bodily expression and movement ; they are of sturdy build, for slenderness of proportion is not, as often supposed, the sign of Byzantine as distinguished from Western art, but rather of a later period as opposed to an earlier." ' Tlie religious books are generally more full}'- and carefully illus- trated than the ancient treatises on science, or even the fragments ' 'Woltmann and TVoermann : History of Painting, vol. i, p. 190. L<>barto: His. toire des Arts industriels, etc., 2d ed., 1872. Plate 42 gives a colored reproduction of a single scene — the interview of Jacob with his sons. 8 114 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. of classic literature. The pictures are not of persons onl}^, nor are they confined to the representation of historical events or places. but delineations of mental qualities, virtues and vices, protective powers, etc., are not infrequent. The borders of these manuscripts are often rich with ornamentation in which the harmony of propor- tions and colour is carefully studied. The few leaves of a Latin Bible preserved in the Royal Library Fragment of a of Berlin belong to the sixth century. On these are Latin Bible. found somewhat mutilated representations of the history of Saul. It is to be regretted that they have suffered so mu(;h, since their artistic excellence appears to have been exceptional. A Syrian Gospel-book, of the last quarter of the sixth century, Syrian Gospel- i>^ specially interesting for containing one of the earliest book. pictorial representations of the crucifixion. We have already seen that the early Christians avoided depicting the painful and more repellent scenes in the life and passion of Christ. Later, however, when the Church had secured complete recognition, and art had declined, these subjects were represented in all their ^ , . literalness. In the border of this manuscript the cruci- Tlie first pic- ^ toriai truciflx- fied Lord appiears fastened to a cross by four nails ; on '°"- either side are the thieves, while below St. John, the Marys, and the soldiers casting lots for Christ's garments are pictured; in another part the resurrection, the Marys at the tomb addressed by the angel, and the Saviour appearing to the women are delin- eated. As might be expected, this provincial work, the manuscript of which was written in the convent of St. John at Zagba, in Mes- opotamia, and the painting executed by Rabula, a monk, is quite inferior in execution to much that is preserved in the great centers of commerce and enlightenment.' Most of the illuminations of the sixth century exhibit consider- able artistic power, and give evidence of an attempt at art revival after the fearful destruction and decadence of the fifth centuiy. MOSAICS. A very interesting class of monuments, illustrating the thought and artistic power of the early Church, are the Christian mosaics. They can be classified neither with paintings nor with sculptui-e. They can hardly be ranked among the fine arts at all, since their production seems in some respects to depend more upon the mechanical than ui)on the artistic faculty. This consideration would lead us to classify the musivist among artisans ■ On tliis illuminated manuscript v. Garnicci : Isioria, etc., Plates 128-140, and Labarte, Op. cit, vol. i, pp. 164, 165, Plate 44. EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 115 rather than among artists. To wliat extent tlie musivist Avas als(» the creator of his design cannot now be known. Since, however, mosaic is a branch of pictorial art, or art on a surface including two dimensions, in which color effects are studied, it is Nearest allied most nearly allied to painting, and can best be studied t«P^*°''"K- as the historic successor of the frescos of the catacombs. With other arts the Christian Church inherited from the heathen world the mosaic also. Some of the most elaborate Borrowed from decorative works of antiquity wei'e in this style. The antiquity. Scriptures speak of pavements " of red, and blue, and white, and black marble in the palace of Ahasuerus " (Esther i, 6). The fre- quent mention of mosaics by Pliny, and the preservation of such beautiful examples as the " Bellerophon," the " Doves of the Ca]»- itoline Museum," the " Battle of Arbela," and the fountain pieces of Pompeii, show that this art had been carried to great perfection by pre-Christian peoples. The Romans recognised three kinds of mo- saics : 1. The opus tesselldtiim, which consisted of small pieces of stone or bits of marble, arranged in regular geometric forms. This was the most ancient style. 2. The 02)hs vermiculatum, which re- ceived its name from the fineness of the pieces of marble of which the work was composed. 3. The op\is sectile, which Avas formeil of plates of marbles of different colors, making thereby a decoratetl veneer. The genuine Christian mosaic, that is, the use for decorative or didactic purposes of cubes of colored glass on walls Limited use in or ceilings, instead of in pavements, is but very ^■he catacombs, sparingly found in the catacombs. The few examples Avhicli still survive adhere quite closely in general style and subjects to the contemporaneous frescos. The Saviour seated between Peter and Paul, the raising of Lazarus, the healing of the paralytic, Daniel in the lions' den, a couple of medallion busts of a man and wife, the latter with arms outstretched in prayer in the general fashion of the Orantes, comprise nearly all the subjects treated in these mosaics. They are usually of inferior workmanship, and promise little for that wealth of ornamentation afterward met in the Constantinian and post-Constantinian churches. An incidental benefit of the study of the mosaics from the fourth to the tenth century is the aid thus afforded in detei-- utility of tiic mining the age of the paintings in the catacombs them- study, selves.' Little doubt can be entertained relative to the progressive ornamentation of subterranean burial places through the zeal and devotion of the popes. Careful study of the Church mosaics be- ' de Jouy : Les Mosdiques chretiennes, etc., Paris, 1857, p. 6. lia ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. tween A. D. 350 and A. D. 450 (the latter date marking the de- struction attending the terrible irruption of Attila) shows three types : those of Santa Constantia, which are allied to classic art ; those in the Chapel of Galla Placidia at Ravenna, whose Good Shepherd suggests immediately the primitive paintings of the cata- combs, belong to the cycle of symbolic art ; and the mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore at Rome, which represent purely historical and biblical events. All belong to the old Roman rather than to the Byzantine school.' The latter school seems to have had com- plete sway from the middle of the fifth to the seventh century, except where the Lombard churches show a partial emancipation from its influence. Their extensive use for decorative and dogmatic purposes, and their great durability, give to mosaics almost a first rank among archaeological monuments. With regard to no other objects, how- ever, are greater skill and caution needed to ensure correct results. Caution against Sucli is the natui'c of the materials, the permanence of restorations. i\iq colors, and the ease M'ith which insertions can be made, that experts may be deceived. It is probable that hardly an important mosaic has escaped attempts at restoration. Their evi- dential value may thus be seriously impaired. Only when there is some assurance that even the restorations are in the spirit of the original can these monuments be regarded as witnesses to the life and thought of their age. The location of mosaics is various in different churches and in the same church. They are more usually employed Where found. . , , ^ .,. ,. ■, ., • , i "^ i in the vaulted ceilings of the tribune, m the broad spaces on the face of the triumphal arch, on the spandrels of arches in the main nave, and on the entablatures. These positions not only afford the greatest available area, but also place the pictures, decorative or didactic, in the most favorable light for stud3^ The question of the chronologj^ of these, as of other early Christ- ian monuments, has greatly divided the opinion of Chronology. i i • -r-, archaeologists. Rome is probably the site of the earliest and best preserved, unless we except the remarkable group in the dome of St. George in Thessalonica (modern Salonica). If this St. George of Church was dedicated by Constantine during his sojourn Thessalonica. in that city in A. D. 323,- then its mosaics excel all ' Tyrwhitt: Art Teaching of (he Primitive Church, London, 1882, pp. 148, 149. ' Texier and Piillan : ^glises Byzantines, plates xxxi-xxxiv. In this work the origin of the church is discussed at some length. Especial stress is laid upon the fact that the portraits in mosaic are all of those saints who lived before Constantine. Also the character of the symbols on the bricks of the pavement is regarded of great EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 117 other extra-catacombal ones in age, extent, and magnificence. Its dome (f. Fig. 105), two hundred and sixteen feet in circumference, is ahnost entii'ely covered with elaborate and imposing designs which have been estimated to contain more than 36,000,000 tessene, or small cubes of glass. The style of the decoration is somewhat like that on the walls of Pompeii, and immediately reminds the student of some of the early frescos of the catacombs. This circumstance would suggest an early origin. The grouping of the figures is more easy and natural than in the later Byzantine art. There is manifest attention to per- character , sur- mounted by a cross, rests upon a jeweled altar, on either side of which are the golden candlesticks. Beyond these, right and left, are two angels, while still further toward each extreme are symbols of the Evangelists. The most elaborate and imposing work is in the apse (Fig. 43). The central figure here is Christ, who is represented as floating on fleecy clouds. He extends the right hand in benediction, while in the left he holds a roll — the s^-m- bol of authoritative teaching. The head is nimbused, the face bearded, the drapeiy rich and flowhig, and the mien severely majestic. On the right (spectator's) of the main figure is Peter leading forward St. Cosmas, who bears a crown indicative of martyrdom ; l^cyond is St. Theodore. On the left Paul in like manner is leading St. Damian, who also bears a martyr crown, while beyond is Felix, the founder of the Church. The extremities are occupied by palm trees, on one of which is perched the phcenix, symbol of immortality. In a narrow zone below, the third scene is depicted. A The lower nimbused lamb stands upon a hill or mountain, from zone, whose base flow four rivers marked by their names.' On either hand, pressing toward the central figure, are six laml)s, representing the twelve apostles, while on the extremes the sacred cities Jwusa- lem and Bethlehem appear. The entire mosaic, in each of its three scenes, is full of naturalness and life, and is a remarkable example of the recujierative art power of the Clnirch. A class of mosaics of exceeding richness and value in Ravenna and Constantinople must be referred to the sixth century. The reign of Justinian was powerful in its influence on Cluircli and State. The convenient codification of the civil law was only a single illus- tration of the painstaking care of this ruler for the varied interests of the empire. Among the best preserved and most instructive mosaics of the sixth century are those of the Church of San Ai)ollinare Nuovo, in Ravenna.^ The friezes on either side of the nave are occuitied In- triumphal processions of holy men and women. On the soutli side martyrs and confessors, chiefly of the Ravenna church, clad in white garments, press toward the tribune to present their crowns to Christ, who is enthroned, and attended by four angels. The figure of ' Tlicse are not sliown in tlie cut. 2 V. d'Agincoiirt: Architecture, p. xvii, 17-22, who gives ground plan, section, and a few details of this church. Quast : Die alt-christliche Bamuerke von Kuvenna, m. 19, 20, Taf. vii. Garrucci: Storia delV art criit., iv, Tav. ccxlii-cclii. Richter; Die Mosaiken von Ravenna, 1878, s. 69. EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 137 Christ (a partial restoration) is most imposing {>\ Fig. 44). Tlie expression is dignified, tlie face bearded, the hair long and flowing, the head encircled with the cruciform nimbus, and the right hand in- dicative of the teaching oflice. On the opi)osite or north frieze is a similar procession of holy women clad in rich attire, bearing crowns, passing from the city of Classe to join the Magi who reverently offer their irifts to the Holy Ci.ild sitting upon the lap of Mar}^, also enthroned and at- tended by four angels bearing sceptres in their hands. Both mother and child extend the hand in invitation and blessing. From Fig. 97, which represents a portion of the north frieze, it will be seen that these pro- cessions are full of spirit and naturalness. This cut will also lielp us to understand the ar- rangement of the ricii mosaics between the windows, and in the cornice above, also tlie medallions in the spandrels of the arches. The peculiar relations of Mother and Child in this mosaic, especially their like attitude in the act of blessing, would suggest that the cultus of ]\Iary, wliich soon afterward exalted the Mother above the Hon, had already made considerable progress.* Interesting mosaics are also found in other churches of Ravenna, as Santa Maria in Cosmedin, San Vitale (the arrangement of wliose mosaics can be seen from Figs. 107, 109), and San Apollinarc in Clasae {v. Fig. 99). In extent and richness the mosaics of St. Sophia were entirt. • worthy of the grandest church of the Byzantine Empire. Tlie mag- nificent pavements and dados of richly variegated marl)le loiiiul their counterpart in the brilliancy and perfection of tlic mosaics upon the vast and varied expanses of ceiling and dome. The his- ' Qtiast: Die aU-christlichen Bauiverlce von Eavenna, s. 20, also Taf. vii, Fig- ures 3, 5. Fig. 44.— Mosaic of Christ in San Apollinare Niiovo, Ra- venna. Sixtli century 138 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTLVN ART. toric value of these monuments is somewhat lessened by the uncer- tainty of their age.' The repeated attemjjts of the iconoclastic Mussulman to obliterate the mosaics by removing the tesserce, and by covering the whole with coats of w^hitewash, greatly man-ed their original incomparable beauty. The repairs of this church, under the direction of the Italian architect Fossati, gave opportunity for careful drawings of the parts which have survived.^ These mosaics differ from those of Galla Placidia of Ravenna, Santa Pudenziana of Rome, and others, in that there is little attempt at pictorial effect or perspective. They are for the most part isolated figures of prophets or saints, genei^ally of great dignity, with the attendant ornamentation of vines, borders, flowers, etc. The fixed- ness of type which later characterized nearly all the pictorial art of the East is not prominent in these mosaics of St. Sophia. The adornments of the panels, of the spandrels of the arches, etc., are free and cheerful. In the sections of the vast dome the outlines of four colossal figui'es of seraphs with overshadowing wings are still seen.' They have a vigor and freshness of treatment indicative of an age of considerable artistic freedom. Also the mosaics of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, exhibit much skill in the origination of independent forms and expression, while their va'riety of attitude argues wholesome exemption of the artist from the rigid ecclesiastical art canons which later became imperative. The immense mosaic picture (v. Fig. 45) of Christ, with the prostrate emperor and the medallion busts of Mary and an angel (St. Michael ?), is believed to be of later origin. This is shown by the style and accessories of the composition. Christ, seated on a magnificent throne, raises his right hand in the attitude of blessing or teaching, Avhile the left supports the open book. His head is surrounded by the nimbus, the face is bearded, the whole mien im- pressive. Before him, in the attitude of servile prostration, is the emperor,"* clad in most gorgeous attire, Avith nimbused head and ■ Woltmana and Woermaun : History of Painting, vol. i, pp. 233, refer these mosaics to the reign of Basil the Macedoiiiaii, in the latter part of tlie ninth century. Evidently they ai-e of various dates, but some bear evidence of an earlier origin than these authorities suppose. ' Fossati : Aya Sofia, Constantinople, as recently restored by order of H. M. the Sultan. Abdul Mejid. London, 1852. Salzenberg: Alt-christliche Baudenkmale von Constantinople, with magnificent plates. ' See Fig. 116, a section of St. Sophia, where two of these are shown. '•Opiuions relative to the sovereign here represented are various. Some CWolt- raaun and Woermann and others) have seen in it Bnsil L. who restored the western apse of the church into which this entrance leads ; others (Venables, e< a^.) call it EARLY CHRISTIAN PAINTINGS AND MOSAICS. 129 jeweled crown. Oriental taste is prominent, and art decadence is here painfully manifest. The subjection of the temporal to the spiritual power is plainly taught by this mosaic ; the supremacy of the " Divine Wisdom," to whom the gorgeous temple was dedi- cated, is most conspicuous. The other mosaics of this church, many Fig. 4.5. — Mosaic of Christ from St. Sopliia, Constantinoiilu. of which are of exquisite workmanship but of varied artistic merit, cannot here l)e described. Each has a valuable lesson for the his- torian of art and for the student of the history of the Greek Chvirch. Nearly contemporaneous with St. Sophia at Constantinople is St. Sophia of Thessalonica. An immense expanse of mosaics, said to cover nearly six hundred square yards, rej^i'esents the ascension. The parts in the center of the dome have suffered much. This was occupied by the ascending Christ, attended by angels. The other ])rominent personages were the Virgin and the apostles, wrought out in colossal figures more than twelve feet high. Texier and Pullan' are of the opinion that these mosaics were produced before the influence of ecclesiastical art traditions had checked the freedom of the Eastern artisans. They notice the survival of creative and technic power in the variet}' of posture and of the facial expression in tlie figures. Instead of the stiff uniformity of a later period, the Virgin and the two angels (one on either side), who address the apostles, have each decided personal characteristics. The treatment is vigorous, and the handling of the colors in the draper}', etc., is Constantino Potronatns ; wliilo still others (Gerspach, e< aZ.) call it Justinian. The general st.\ lo of tliis fi:q. "We liave elsewlicre more fully e.xamined these differences. Book i, chap. iii. i'. also Vcyries: Les Figures Criophores dans Tart grec, Vart Greco-romain et I'art chretien, Paris, 1884, pp. Gl-81, especially pp. SO, 81. 134 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. more celebrated works of the fourth century. Every part of the statue indicates a careful adherence to some antique model, and therefore evinces little originality of treatment.^ The key in the left hand is an addition of a later period, probably of the sixteenth century. FiR. 48. — The Good Shepherd. To compare with Hennes-Kriophoros, Fig. 48. Fig. 49. — Hermes-Kriophoros from Wilton House. To compare with Fig 47. Another work in free sculpture is the statue of St. Hippolytus, now preserved in the Lateran Museum, Fig. 50. It was discovered in 1551. Only the lower part of the figure and the chair are orig- inal, the other parts being modern restorations. In its statue of St. present restored form it represents St. Hippolytus seated Hippoiytus. on a cathedra, clad in the garb usual to the ancient philosophers, ' Luebke: History of Sculpture, vol. i, p. 337. It is for this and other reasons tliat the Christiau origin and subject of the statue have been stautly denied. EARLY CHRISTIAN SCULPTURE. 13.-) holding in his left hand a book upon which rests the right elbow. The Canon Paschalis, or table for calculating Easter, which he is I Fig. 50.— Restoretl statue of Hippoljtus. snid to have invented, is engraved in Greek cliaracters on one side of the chair ; on the other is a partial list of his writings. The re- 136 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. stored statue is a work of great dignity and excellence. As in the case of the statue of St. Peter, there has been much controversy- respecting its Christian origin. There seems to be sufficient reason, however, for believing that it cannot be of a Its Christian ' ' ° . origin q u e s- later date than the sixth century, while, from artistic tioned. considerations, some able archoeologists are led to place it in the last quarter of the third, or the beginning of the fourth century. We have not space to enter into the examination of these arguments.' The general type of Christ found in Christian sculpture is rather that of the early Christian frescos, and seems to conform more closely to the pagan conception of deity, that is, that divinity must be rep- T e of Christ I'esented under the form of a beautiful and vigorous i n Christian manhood. The historic scenes are usually realistic. The sculpture. lessons are for the most part easily understood ; mystery and an esoteric exclusiveness are seldom suggested. Sometimes a pur- pose to depict scenes in the order of their historic development, or of their dogmatic connection, is apparent ; at other times the principle of artistic grouping or balancing seems dominant. Into some of the most noted sarcophagi an architectural principle is introduced, The principles whereby the surface is divided into sections by means christ'ian^ ^^ ^^ pillars which support an ornamental entablature, sculpture. Upon these surfaces are found inscriptions or figures in relief. Sometimes the space is divided into zones, in each of which a progressive history or a rich symbolism may be found. The timid caution which influenced the Christian fathers to in- dulge but sparingly in the use of free statuary was not cherished respecting these works in relief. From the first part of the fourth century the sculptures on burial monuments are numerous. In The Christian general Style they adhere quite closely to the contem- sarcophagi porary pagan art. In the distribution of motives, in the have little ar- ■*- "^ -*■ ~ ^ tistic original- po^^e and balancing of parts to make a harmonious whole, *^y- and in the character of their technique, the Christian sarcophagi can claim little originality. The marked difference is in But embody the changed cycle of the embodied thought. In this new thought, respect they are in striking contrast with similar pagan monuments. Nevertheless the subjects sculptured on these sai-coph- 'Among many see Bucher: In Migne's edition of the works of St. Hippolytus. Engravings, giving both side views of the statue and the text of the Cano7i Paschalis are there given, and Bucher examines the content of the Canon itself. Bunsen : Hippolytus unci seine ZeU., lie Abth., ss. 163, 164. Northcote and Brownlow : RoTiia SoUerranea, 2d ed., vol. ii, pp. 262-265. Appell: Monuments of Early Christian Art p. 5. EARLY CHRISTIAN SCULPTURE. 137 agi are very like those of the frescos and mosaics. Here, too, is found a rich symbolism ; here are seen the suggestive biblical type and antitype, as well as the instructive Scripture history. There is hardlv a scene that has not already been met in the discussion of Christian painting. The creation of our first parents, the temptation by the serpent, the sacrifice of Isaac, Moses in the presence of the burning bush, or striking water from the rock, the history of Jonah, the three Hebrew worthies in the burning furnace, Daniel in the li()n'> Private house, fathers. The accepted and regular form of the Roman house at the beginning of the Christian era can be well ascertained, and the adaptation or adjustment of such a room to the purposes of a Christian assembly can be easily traced. The resemblance of these ' Zestermann lias a zealous disciple in J. Kreuser: ChristUcher Kirchenbmt, 1851 and 1860: and still more positively in his Wiederum ChristUcher Kirchenhau, 18G8. This author ho'.ds, 1. That the Christian basilicas had nothing to do with the attic royal hall. 2. Under the term, hypfcthral temple, he can understand nothing more nor less than a building that is open and free to the light and air. Diogenes's tub in the street might be an example of a hyptethral building. 3. Zestermann is the foremost and best author who has written on the basilica, and his explanation of its origin is the only correct one. 4. Egypt had the first basilica. From two passages in the Talmud it is evident that this name was peculiar to Egyptian works of architecture. 5. Tiie Egyptian, or, more strictly, the Africano- Palestine, method of building was copied in Rome, and from these arose the basilicas for holding the courts of law. " \V. Weingartner : Urfpruug und Entwickelung des christlichen Kircheivjtbdudea. Leipzig, 1858. IGO ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. to the early Christian churches is seen in the peristyle, and the so- called ceci lying behind it. These two rooms were related to each other both in space and situation very nearly as were the parts of Herod's temple at Jei'usalem, which was built in the Grecian style. After the destruction of this temple, and the spread of Christianity over the known world, it was natural that the Christians, when erect- ing independent houses of worship, should take their suggestions from the GriBco-Roman temples, which contained all the essential parts of a Christian church. It was also natural that the form should be selected which had been most perfected, and most nearly satisfied the demand for the observance of their own religious services. This was the hyptethral temple. It was open to the sky, thus giving abundance of light, and had a recess, the cella, where could stand the high altar for the celebration of the eucharist. This cella, which was taken from the circular or polygonal burial temples, was demanded by the Christian societies, since soon afterward a place of worship, and a place of burial for the martyr or saint to whom the church was dedicated, were combined in the same building. With the exception of the greater elevation of the middle nave, the outer form of the hyptethral temple corresponded to that of the Christian church. Still more close was the likeness of their interior arrangement. This influence of the pagan temple upon the Christian building was most apparent in the time of Constantine. It was seen in the use of like terms, in the adoption of the circular or polygonal groundplan, and in working out the details of the interior. The ground outline, the rows of columns, and the consequent division of the interior space into naves, the lower porticos, the choir and its general arrangement, the sacra- mental table, the baldachin, the place of burial for the martyr, the crypts beneath, the apse, and, later, the amhos, or reading desks near the front railing, are all prefigured in the Roman pagan temples. The purest form of the continuation of the antique temples Avere the Roman basilicas, which maintained their peculiar characteristics as late as the twelfth century.' This writer thus attempts to show the intimate relation and dependence of the early Christian churches on the private house, and especially on the hypaethral temple, both in external form and interior arrangement. He holds that the law basilicas of the Romans were so entirely different from the Christian that it is unscientific to regard the latter as the continuation and per- fection of the former, and claims that the Christian church could only be derived from the ancient private house, with such sug- ' V Weingarlner : Op. cit, pp. 136, 137. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. ir,| ijestions as were afforded by the hypaethral temple of tho (i reeks. 4. A fourth theory of the orio-'m and development of the Christ- ian basilica has been sngij^ested and very ably defended Messmer's tiie- by Dr. J. A. Messmer.' He starts from the well at- o^y. tested fact that the earliest Christian societies were accustomed to- assemble in the private house of some one of their number, and in the room most spacious and convenient for their services, and which at the same time would best afford protection from sudden interrup- tions by their enemies. Plainly this would be the triclinium, or l)anqueting-room. Among the Romans this was a rec- From ihc in- tanglc, whose length was twice the breadth. The fiiniuin. more wealthy the owner of the house the more spacious and elegant- was this room, and tlie more nearly did it resemble the foiin of the l)asilicas which were found in the palaces of the more noted Ro- mans. These dining-rooms of the nobles are so minutely described, by Vitruvius that we cannot be in doubt with regard to their form,, arrangement, and decoration (v. Fig. 78). Rows of columns, both' Corinthian and Egyptian, often supported architraves and beams on which a place for promenading was constructed, while above were other columns supporting a roof or a wall pierced with windows for lighting the interior. In these rooms public business was fre- (piently transacted and legal causes determined. We also read of a chunth in the houses of wealthy public men who had accejjted Christianity, as in the case of Pudens and Aquila.^ Jerome assures us that the noble Lateranus opened his private basilica for the assembly of the Christians, and that it ^ , , J ' Examples of afterward was transformed into one of the most rn)i)ie ('luist- splendid churches of Rome. Ammianus Marcellinus' *''"**• says that a like assembly found a stated place of meeting in t\\c. Hasilica of Sicinianus, another noted Roman. There is trustworthy evidence tliat such change from the triclinium of the house of a wealthy citizen, named Theopliilus, to a Christian church took place at Antioch in the first half of the third century; and it seems incredible that the pseudo-Clement could mention in his ro- mance these transformations of private basilicas into Christian diurches unless the fact was well known. Thus, while the triclin- ' Ueber den f^rspmng. die F/ntwickclun'j, v.nd Bedeutung der Bnsilika in dt^' christ- lichen Baukuniit Lcipziij, 1854. Also and more tlioroiif^lily in Jin article, Utbcr den Urxpnmg der cli n'.stlirlwn Basil i/: I members, statedly thrown open for the use of tlie societies," or built by means of a common fund. Doubtless, how- ever, these unpretentious buildings contained evidences of the art susceptibility Avhich had already found exi)ression in the earlier pictures of the catacombs. In consequence of the high esteem felt for the confe.'-sors and ' Acts xix. 9. -^ Acts xviii. 7. ^ Acts i, 13. ^ Acts vii, 15. 5 ActF xx. 7, 8. « 1 Cor. xvi. 10. ' Col. iv, 15. « Pliilf'in. 2. » Acts xxviii, :!0, 31. '" Pliny: Ejn'sL, lib. x, ep. 9G. " The houses of Pudciiiiunn ;inrl of Lncina at Rome, and of Briccins and Eiito- chiuR at Tours, are fsimiliar examples. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 165 martyrs, the practice of burial feasts and festivals soon arose. (Celebrated in the houses, and during seasons of Buriai festivals persecution in the catacombs, these exerted a powerful andcimpeis. influence on the architectural arrangement of the places of meetini:, and on the furniture and art of the church. Feasts in honor of the dead were very common among the pagan ])eo- pagan sugges- ples, and there can be no reasonable doubt that the tJ""- Christians found in them many suggestions for their own practices. From the reign of Marcus Aurelius burial festivals became espe- cially frequent, on account of the great number of devoted men and women who were victims of the terrible persecutions. It is plain that the arrangement of the meeting-houses and ^ '^ . -^ Influence of the nature of the services were modified through the tiie tombs of great reverence for tliose whose remains were dejjosited •"'^'''^y"- in crypts beneath the altars of the churches, or in the small chapels where the hunted Church gathered for the celebration of the meal in memory of the sainted dead. There is abundant evidence that at the beginning of the third cen- tur\^ private houses were still in general use for divine worship, and for the meetings of the Christian societies. Optatus is very specific in his information touching this subject, speaking of Meetings in various members in whose houses such assemblies were P"^'^'^'^ '""*'^') in the third accustomed to be held.' But the changed social con- century, dition of the Church, which now reckoned among its adherents some of the noted families of the capital and of the empire, was more favorable to the erection of buildings devoted exclusively to Chris- tian .uses. It is impossible to determine their number, size, and degree of elegance. Optatus informs us that the Notices of s) is a tine example of the more pretentious houses, with the peristyle and its arcliitectural accompaniments. EARLY CmilSTIAN AllCIIITECTURE. 169 tabliimiii to tlie atriuiu. It was soinctiines semicircular.' From the a>cus a passage led to the porch, PP, whence was a way to the gar- den in the rear. Doubtless the private basilicas of tlie more wealthy familic • that had embraced Christianity contained architectural elements wiiich afterward found expression in the churches of the Constantinian and post-Constantine periods, but it is difficult to believe that they fi'.niished all the essential norms of the Christian architecture of the fourth and fifth centuries.^ The lighting of the dwelling-house is connected directly with the history of Christian ecclesiastical architecture. In the simj)lest Roman house the atrium was lighted from the vestibule. At a later stage of the development, the alae were extended Ligiitinj,' uie to the roof and sides, thus admitting abundant light to iuteiior. the interior. When the houses in the towns became continuous, and the sides were bounded by continuous walls, a new method of lighting the inner rooms was required. The most obvious way was to admit light through the compluvium. But the defence against moisture and cold required that this central opening be protected, while liglit might still be admitted. The construction Gimnimg th« of a gabled roof, supported by columns above the com- cuiiii.Uiviimi. pluvium, thus shielding the interior from cold and rain and yet allowing a free admission of light, was the next step in the solution of the problem. This gave rise to a structui'c re[)resented by Fig. 68, which is a conjectural reproduction of the form which the atrium displuviatum would thus assume. From this figure it may be seen how the spaces on the enclosing walls, as well as on those separating the atrium from the lateral apartments, were preserved, and which afterward furnished opportunity for the extended ornamentation introduced into the churches. The more recent excavations in Rome, Syria, and North Africa have brought into prominence other architectural forms which had manifest influence on the development of the Christian basilica. They are the curia, the cella, Siwd the sc/tola. These terms The ceiia and were applied to the meeting-houses of associations, where schoia. the members Avere accustomed to assemble for business purposes 'The cel?l3rated villa of Herciilaneum, the Inrgest and richest wliicli has yd hceii oxcaviited, lacks the oecus. The villa in the Farnese <,'arden and the lioii-e of Livia on the Palatine have no peristyle; while the recently j.j'j',y„„ ^^j discovered atrinni of Vesta, whicii is one of the most elet ^^^ inscriptions is full and iaseriptions. explicit respecting these struc- tures. Much information is given con- cerning their legal tenure, the donoi's of the grounds and of the buildings erected thereon, the purposes to which they were Fig. 7i -Heathen schoia, via Ap- devoted, the character of the feasts, etc. P'"" liome. Structures of like form and used for like purjjoses have also <^ .,r,^«t^H been discovered in connection with Christian cemeteries (_/OllIlG CtBQ with Christian in various parts of the Empire. Two such celhe, meas- cemetenes. xxr'mg about thirty feet on each side of the square, have been found in the open-air portion of the cata- comb of San Calisto in Rome^ (Fig. 12); also the oratories in the cemetery of San Pretestate are of like general character. Many suggestions relative to the forms and arrangement of these earlier Christian meeting- nlaces are found upon the sarcophagi, in the ^ , ' . ^ . . ' '' Fig. 72. — Christian schoia buildings which are depicted in the great mo- above san caiisto, Rome. saics of Rojne, Ravenna, and Thessalonica, and sometimes in objects of less striking character. Fig. 73 represents a Fip. 73.— Form of an early basilica, a bronze lamp found in Africa. ' O.mina : Op. cit, t. i.x. ^ De Rossi: Roma Sottcrraned. iii, p. 468. Rittor calls tlicm " llie first early Christ- ian cliiuclics Iniill above "■found.'' 172 arciijeolcktY oi' c'iikistian art. bronze lamp discovered iu Africa.' It is in the form of a primitive basilica or schola. Almost precisely the same form is met in the i^reat mosaics of St. George, Thessalonica.^ By a comparison of these with the plans and outlines of buildings found in the Capitoline fragments and at Pompeii, little doubt can be felt relative to the resemblance of the early Christian meeting-houses to the scholge and (ruriie of pagan Rome. By a comparison of Figs. 70 and 72 the likeness of the heathen burial chapel to fhe Christian cella will be obvious. That like principles of construction and arrangement held in each must be manifest. The cella of San Sisto at Rome, situated in the midst of an open Cella of San air cemetery (Fig. 74), affords a good illustration of the ^^^^^- form of these burial chapels, and of their relation to the places of sepulture and the enclosed area. It was a principle, hold- Tig. 74. — Cella and arrancpment of graves above San Sisto, Rome. ing in the arrangement of the cemeteries controlled by the burial clubs, that the area of the open-air plot should exactly correspond to that of the subterranean space. Great care was observed that no society should intrude upon the rights of another. It will be seen that this cella terminates in a semicircular apse, whose u]>per por- tion suggests the beginning of the semidornical or conchoidal style. It also shows the probable location of the altar, and the space for the distribution of the couches, etc., in the celebration of the burial ' de Eossi : Bulktlmo di ArcheoJocjia crisfiana. 1 866. ^Texier et Piillan: Arch. Byzantine, pi. x.xx-xxxiv. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURK. 173 feasts. The principle of the cella, oratory, or sehohi finds furtlier ilhistration in tlie room discovered in 18U8 in the cemetery ;reat extent, not lu'wn in the rock as elsewhere, V)ut carefully and eleurantly constructed out of- terra-cotta and building stone, with i)ilasters and other architectural details, show that the Church was not ojijiosi'd to art, nor in a condition of extreme poverty and persecution, but all the reverse. Also a large number of inscrijjtions, not materially differ- ent in form from the best heathen work, whose dates in some cases reach back to the second century, further confirm this view.' De ' Kraus; Roma SoUi'.nxmta, ss. 87, 83. 174 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Kossi ' has shown that this Petronilla belonged to the Flavian family, and lived in the first century. The groundplan (Fig. 76) shows the complexity of the structure. Fisr. 76.— Groundplan of basilica in Santa Petronilla, Rome. Do IJossi ' reported a most important discovery made at the entrance of the most ancient catacomb at Rome, Santa romitilla. ' V. Bulhitinn Arch, crist, 1874, 1875. " BulltUino Cristiano, 1865. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 175 The use of the intei-ior space was suggested by the stone bench which runs along the walls ; " an immense triclinium for a great number of guests; in fine, a schola sodaUum very like ganta Domi- to those of the pagan brotherhoods founded for burial i'"'i- purposes." Somewhat similar triclinia have been discovered ;U Pompeii, whose internal arrangements bear a very ..^ close resemblance to this anteroom to the cemetery peii. of Santa Domitilla. We must here consider the structure of the pagan basilicas, a:id determine their influence upon early Christian ar- Qrimn of the ( hitecture. They are believed to liave been derived pasan Roman immediately from the Greeks, but had been brought "'''''^'^• to their greatest perfection at Rome during the later perioil- ica in being an oblong rectangular structure, whose in- ^ • T • 1 1 • ^ xi " I' 1 Resemblance tenor was divided into three or hve naves by two or to pa-an bu- four rows of columns extending throughout its leiK^th, '''"^''• In some of the older churches these columns were taken directly from heathen monuments, thus introducing into the composition an element of strange incongruousness.' The columned arrangement would be as readily suggested by the banqueting hall of the more wealthy Romans a^ by the law basilicas themselves. In this case the result would be a three-naved building, wliich was the more usual form. The Christian Church was a body of believers, an organism, in Avhich the dependence of each part on every other was „, ,., . .. SO vital that " whether one member suffer, all the mem- ciiunh an fi- bers suffer with it" (1 Cor. xii, 26). In it there must «'*"'>*'"• be chosen men to minister in holy things. The sacerdotal character of this ministry had already been recognized. The Church of the fourth century, therefore, required a place of assembly, and a high altar where the sacrifice of the holy eucharist could be made, and whence the divine will and purpose could be declared. In the Con- stantinian churches, the thought of the worshipper was directed toward the spot where communication was believed to be establishe 1 between the invisible, eternal, all- wise God and the body of believ- ers, through the ministrations of the priesthood. In the Christian basilica this spot was the semicircular niche opposite the entrance, where stood the high altar with its accompanying furniture, and Avhere the bishop and his attendants conducted the im|>osing i^nv- inonial. In Christian literature this niche is called the ^. The apse the apse. The term is found in common use by the unifying mem- eavly Christian writers, and always in the same sense.' '^''• The name \va,s evidently of Roman origin, and is important in the study of the development of Christian architecture. We have already seen that the law basilica likewise termi- nated in an apse. But the principles governing the two DitTerpnt pnn- structures are entirely different. Wldle busini'ss of di- •""^"' p"^''™ . In Ihe heathen verse character might be transacted m various ]»arts .jnd thiistiau of the heathen basilica, in the Christian clninli the basilica. 'Schnaase: Op. cit. Bd. iii, s. 48. '-The columns taken from bnikiinps of llie pagan period are very seldom enrirely alike, but often of different materials and various dimensions. In order to have the height of the capitals equal, the columns whicli are too high are shortened or sunk into the earth ; such as are too short are placed upon a higher base." ^For numerous authorities confimiatury of this statement see especially Kreuser: Civistliche Kirchenbau. ss. 84-87. 182 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. inte'ivst of the entire assembly was one and common. In the heathen hasilica, therefore, the apse assumed no such importance as in the Christian church. This is manifest from the difference in the col- uniiiar structure. In the heathen hasilica the columns were extended across the side opposite to the main entrance, making the colonnade continous on the ground floor and in the galleries, thereby obscuring the view of the apse; in the Christian basilica, on the contrary, the columnar arrangement is absent from the apsidal termination, its jiiace being often supplied by the triumphal arch {v. Fig. 82). Thus was secured an uninterrupted view of the apse, which was the center of all religious interest, toward which all lines of the building con- verged and the thought of all worshippers was directed. Here was the throne of the bishop, who was supported on either side b}^ hif;. ])resbyters, while near at hand were the deacons ready for service. Facing the east the bishop officiated at the altar in front of his ihair, while the attention of the entire congregation was concen- trated on this point of supreme interest, without architectural hin- diance. For this reasou a class of writers have found the origin The apse sug- ^^ ^^^® ^P"**^ ^^^ the cella of the burial chapels.' But it KMted by the would seem to have an earlier suggestion in the tab- liimra of the private house, where the householder was wont to preside, and where, without doubt, was the seat of the officiating bishop during the period when Christ- ian worship retained its household character. The fact that in a few structures the rectangu- lar form of the apse, especially in its exterior outline, is still retained would seem to further strengthen this opin- ion." This is seen in the basilica pre- of Hadrian, Served in the ruins of the villa of Tivoii. Hadrian, at Tivoli (Fig. 80), whose apse is rectangular with a breadth of more than sixteen feet. Another room connected with this villa is single-naved and terminates in a semicir- cular apse (Fig. 81). In the heathen basilica the second story was ii-ually a j.lace of promenade from which the visitor gained a view «»r the business transacted on the ground floor. The columnar arrangement corresponded to that of the first floor. This is seen in the Basilica Sessoriana (Fig. 88), and in the palace of Diocletian "Soe tl.e nble article '■ Basilika " by Kraus in the Real- EncyUopMie der christlichen ■Alltrthumer, pp. U 8-1 -20. '■'u. Dehio: Die kirchUche Baukmsl, Ite Lief., s. 336. '■> Fie. 80. -Ba- silica from villa Fig. 81.— Basilica from villa of Hadrian, Tivo:i. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 183 (Fig. 79), and seems to have been preserved in a few oblon,:^' Christian basilica*, as in the five-naved church St. Demetrius at Thessalonica {v. Fig. 100). But this was not the law governing the second story of the Christian church. Instead of a L^^'illerv for the free intercourse of visitors, or for promenade, as in the law basilicas, in the Christian churches above the first row of columns was usually a continuous wall whose upper part was pierced with windows for lighting the interior. By this con- struction opportunity was afforded for more extended decora- tion, as is noticed in Santa Maria Maggiore, San Apollinare in Classe, and other churches of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries. It hardly seems credible that so important a modifica- This radical tion could have occurred suddenly on the transition ^^'^'"■ence not r .1 /n 1 X- T.- I- • 1 suddenly real- ot the Church from a condition of persecution to tliat ized. of toleration. Rather, may not tliis wall expanse be but a slight modification of the essential features of the <(trluru cUsjiluvia- tum (Fig. 68), where the walls of the lower portions are changed to columns, while the upper portions are preserved as wall expanses ? Also the arrangement of tlie roof of the three and five naved churches seems to be derived from the private liouse and the i)rivate basilica, rather than from the perfected law basilicas of Rome. Moreover, the construction of the ceiling in the two classes of build- inars was at times widely churches of Egypt and Syria. We therefore regard the oblong Christian l)asilica as a growth from elements with which the Church had been familiar during the first two and one half centuries of its varied history. The ordinary private dwelling-house, the triclinia of the . "^ 1 1 /• •!• 1 11 Conolusiiin. more elegant houses of the nobler tannlies tliat-liad em- braced Christianity, the lodge-rooms, the celhe of the burial cha]:- els, and the imposing interior arrangement of colonnament which was after- ward realized in the Gothic cathedral. Here is seen ihe problem the solution of the most important problem of sacred ar- solved, chitecture; namely, to develop the form through the influence of the religion whose rites were therein to be celebrated; in other words, to effect a harmony between the containing material and the contained and inspiring spirit.' This significant victory was achieved by the Christian religion. Herein is noticed the difference between the Greek and the Christian idea of architecture.^ The spir- ,j.^ riirisu itual significance of the interior of the Christian basilica vs. the ureek is in strong contrast Avith the imposing grandeur of the ^'^'"'" exterior of the Greek temple. Subjective truth and ])eauty are here shown to be of more worth than material splendor. Instead of passing from a perfect exterior to an unmeaning interior, the basilica obeys the law of all true develo))ment and growth in first invigo- rating and purifying the subjective spirit, and then, by virtue of the transforming power of truth, subordinating to this the exterior form. It was not to be expected, therefore, that the somewhat conglom- ^ erate character of the earliest Christian basilica would remain un- changed. By degrees the heterogeneous elements disappeared, and from the original form was developed a new type of Christian architecture. The most important de])arture from the fundamental form re- sulted from the introduction of the transejjt. The T^e imer de- monotony caused by the long extent of unbroken space veiopment. in the naves Avas relieved by opposing to it the transept of equal height and breadth of the middle nave. This would furnish an appro})riate termination to the longitudinal extension, and give to the sanctuarium still greater dignitv and iini)ressiveness. The enlargement of the transept to the Avulth ot the entire church soon followed. At length the walls of the cross nave were projected beyond those of the main structure, giving to the 7 foundation the form of the Latin cross.^ The transept thus became ' Messraer: Op. cit., p. 6.3. 2 '• At all time.s tlie rulitiji idea in arcliilociiiral art lias been caseiiliiiily deUTmiiicd by the prevailin,£r position of relisrion in the general spiritual life of a people.'* V. Dehio: Die kirchliche Baukunsl d'S Abtndlaadti.'i, s. 15. 3 This i.s seen in the noted Basilica of St. Paul, and also in that of St. Peter'a, at Rome. V. Fig. 92. 188 ARCILEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. an intermediate member between the apse and the middle nave, and connected the sanctuarium with the space occupied by the body of worsliii>pei-s. At the place of intersection of the transept The t'riuinpiiai a"*^ '"'"^i" "^ve, a lofty arch, reaching from one wall to arch. the otiier, spanned the intermediate space (see Fig. 81). > This so called triumphal arch rested upon two columns at the terminus of the middle nave, and constituted a most important feature of the later and more elaborate basilicas. The spaces on the ceilings were generally ornamented with forms of Christ and his apostles, of saints and of angels wrought out in painting or rich mosaics, while imposing pictures of Christ usually filled the altar niche.' At a still later period the naves were intersected by two or more transepts. By this means two or more triumphal arches resulted, and an increased wall and ceiling surface was secured for more elaborate ornamentation. The wide departure from the simplicity of the early Christian basilica during the later mediaeval period resulted in serious architectural decadence. § 3. The Influence of the Christian Basilicd on other forms of Clirktlan lirchltecture. The parts of the basilica were brought into still more harmo- nious relations by means of the vaulted roof, while the whole, was unified in idea by the sanctuarium. This marks the further transition from the earlier form of the Christian basilica to the round-vaulted or Roman style of church architecture. The devel- opment of the basilica did not at first admit of the round-arched The provision vaulting, but of that which resulted from the intersection upon the outer *^^ ^'^^ n\:im nave with the transept. The thrust or walls. pressure upon the lateral walls was too great to allow of a cylindrical vaulting over the middle nave, except where these walls were of unusual thickness, whereas the arches resting upon the terminal columns of the middle nave, and extending diagonally to like columns or pilasters at the boundary of the apse, would dis- tribute one half of the pressure from the imposed mass in the direction of the line of the wall {v. Fig. 84).-^ Thus the support of the triumphal arch would be secured without unduly increasing the thickness of the enclosing wall. The intersection of the vaulted roof of the main nave with that of the transept necessarily so divided the space as to compel the use of the cross vaulting rather than the cylindrical. A likti ' V. Sdinaasc, Kuder, Quast, and others on this transformation. * Messracr: Op. cit., pp. 77, 78. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 189 necessity to distribute the thrust of the sujiported roof in the di- rection of the series of columns led to the construction of diai^'onal ribljed arches, and the consequent transformation of the pirsi germs of cylindi'ically vaulted ceiling into a series of cross-vaulted the ooiiiic. spaces, which mark the first stages in the development of Gothic architecture.' Fiff. 84.— siiowin? t!ie lievelopinent of the cross-ribbed arches, and distribution of tlie pressure. Thus by successive changes and transformations the contradic- tions and incongruities of the early Christian basilica were removed, the various parts were brought more nn- of pagan structures to Christian worship, and the use of columns and ready prepared materials for building new churches, was not favor- ' Sclmaase: Op. cit, 2te, Ausgrabe. T?<1. iii, a. 53. » Roseiigarten : Handbook of Architectural Styles, p. 170. l'J8 AKCHJiOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. ^- ablo to original production. At first the new spiritual life only Decay of the sanctified what was at hand. The four hundred temples heathen tem- ^^^^^ ]y^^ g^ iy„g j^een a stunibling-block to the purity ship. "" ^°'' of the Church, and whose rites must have caused deep regret to the followers of Christ, became nearly empty and forsaken. Upon their ruins were to arise " the houses of the Lord." " During one portion of her liistory Rome was as a defiling, putrefying corpse; durin"- an equal period she renewed her youth. Thus she had a double being in the history of humanity, whose capital she was twice called to be." ' Fiom historic notices we must believe that, of all these churches, sui I'ktio in '^^'1 Pietro in Vaticano, built upon the. site of the circus vaticano. of Nero, was the most imposing (Figs. 91, 92). It was five-naved, with a straight entablature. The naves were of unequal height, the ceiling was finished with open rafter-work; the roof of the side naves abutted against the wall of the main nave so that it was continu- ous above both the side naves. The height of the ceiling of the side naves was deter- , mined by the slant of ^' •"'«'^tlie roof. This church Fip. 91 .—San Pietro in Vaticano, Rome. Front elevation. , , , , was thoroughly reno- vated and greatly enlarged in the ninth century, and continued to be the most conspicuous example of an early Christian basilica until it was sui)])lanted at the beginning of the sixteenth century by the present im])osiiig church of St. Peter's. It was also cruciform, being about 351 feet long, and about 190 feet broad, the middle nave being over 70 feet wide. The twenty-three columns on each side of the middle nave were 26 feet 7 inches high.^ In many parts of the structure were unmistakable proofs of HfHthen eie- the practice of incorporating heathen handicraft into ineiits. Christian temples. The particoloi-ed fragments placed in the walls showed the lack of competent artists to guide the ' Gregoroviiis : Geschirhte der Stadt Earns im MitMaUer, Bd. i, ss. 5, 6. ' Platner u. Urliclis : Die Basiliken d. christlichen Boms, TT. i-iii. Platner u. Bun- son: Ikuchreibimgder SladtRoms,'&(3iyii,s.^(i,seq. Kugler: Geschichte der Baukunst, Bil. i, s. 384. Dimensions 200 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. taste of Christians in the ornamentation of their public buildings. Figure 92 also shows the arrangement of the triumphal arch and of the sanctuarium, together with the method of ornamenta- tion with mosaics, etc. From the notices that have been preserved it is believed that in front of the church proper was a vestibule, or atrium, Avhich was enclosed by a peristyle. In the center of this enclosed space was the fountain, around Avhich were seats for the use of those who kept the burial feasts when funeral rites were celebrated. A description of such feasts in his time has been given by Paulinus of Nola. The arrangement very closely corre- sponds to that found at the en- trance to the Catacomb of Dom- itilla, before referred to [v. pp. 175, 175), and has an almost exact counterpart in the pagan schola. Fig. 93 is the representation of Fig.93.-AtriumofSyivanus.ViaAppia,Rome. ^ j^^hola from the republican period. It is known as the Atrium of Sylvanus, discovered on the Appian Way. It has the portico, the fountain in the center of the enclosed square, and the stone benches running around the walls, which could be used by those who celebrated the burial feasts.^ Another interesting church of its day was San Giovanni in Late- san Giovanni I'ano, Otherwise known as the Basilica Constantiniana or lu Laterano. Salvatoris. It is doubtf ul whether any portion of the original survives in the modern gorgeous building. Some have claimed that the octagonal baptistery, with its eight antique por- phyry columns, belongs to the age of Constantine; but more prob- ably this was erected by Sixtus III. about the year A. D. 432. From every account of the historians this Lateran palace, which had be- longed to Fausta, was the gift of the great emperor to the Bishop of Rome. The palace and church of the Lateran, rather than St. Peter's and the Vatican, became the center of Christian and papal The cathedmi Kome. This, and not St. Peter's, was the cathedral ihurch. church where all the Roman councils have been held.* It was the eai-ly residence of the Roman pontiffs, and is still the jjlace where they are enthroned and crowned.^ ' Canina: Via Appia, t. 42, p. lU. * Tlie V^aticau Council assembled b}- Pius IX. is an exception. ' V. Stanley : History of the Eastern Church, Lecture vi. EARLY CHRISTIAN AKCllITECTURE. 201 On the Ostiau Way just outside the city walls, over the spot, where tradition says the pious matron Lucina had pre- san Paolo fuori pared in the subterranean passai^es on her estate a i^rave ^*' ■'' ^^''•^■ for St. Paul, Constantine had built a small basilica.' It was soon after (probably near the close of the fourth century) displaced by the magnificent basilica of St. Paul — the San Paolo fuori de la rauraof a later day — which, notwithstanding luimerous restoration^, retained many of its original features till its destruction by tire i.i 1823. Fortunately full descriptions and plans of this noble monu- ment have been preserved, from which an adequate notion of it may be gained. It was five-naved with a transept, three hundred and ninety-two feet long and two hundred and two feet wide. The middle nave was seventy-eight feet wide. Round arches connected the rows of twenty columns separating the naves. The columns bounding the main nave well illustrate the methods of church construction after Christianity had become the religion of the state : they were thirty-two feet high. Twenty- four of the most beautiful, of Corinthian order, were taken from some building belonging to the best period of Roman architecture. The others were of very inferior workmanship.'* Those in the siression in this monument which has survived the rude shocks of fifteen centuries. § 0, Some Badlicas of the Post- Constantine Period. The establishment of two independent empires, each having its Contrasts of '>^^'i^ ca[)ital, gave opportunity for the development East aud West, of each in harmony with its own peculiar genius. While originally receiving its inspiration from the East, the Latin soon became more purely and intensely Latin; the East, the mother of all, became more and more Oriental. These contrasts reveal themselves alike in State and Cliurch. The Byzantine empire ^ L ris Q") — fednta Agncse fuori le mm a niti-rior view. Another extra mural church of the fourth century is Santa Sinfo- rosa, nine miles from the cit}^ gates. It is of special santa sinfn. interest, as illustrating the growth of important churches """si. of the basilica fonn from cellae, beneath wliidi tlie boiu-s of martyrs were supposed to rest. It has been elsewhere stated tliat the burial feasts were celebrated in or near these cclhv,or in e.xedra', and that where sites were of especial sacredness niultitiides were accustomed to leave the city to engage in these festivals. To accojnmodate the ' Dehio mid Bezold: Die kircliKrhe Banlmnsl (Its Ahend/andts, text. ss. 107, 108; taf. 16, 4. Hunscii: Op. cil., tt. xii, xiii, xiv. Forsler: Oj>. cil., ss. 257, 'J53. 206 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. incrcasincf minilHTS the simple cella in time expanded to the impos- ing eliuR'h, and the services assumed a character of dignity and impressive grandeur. The exploration of Santa Sinfo- From a burial rosa revealed the existence of a cella, of the usual from, chapel. lying directly back of the apse of the basilica, and connected with it by a passage-way (v. Fig. 95). It is be- lieved that this basilica originated in the manner above indicated, and that it was es- pecially hallowed by its immediate proximity to the resting-place of St. Sinforosa and her seven sons.' Like the churches of San Lorenzo, Santa Agnese, and Santa Sinforosa, so, also, are the two most important basilicas of Rome — San Pietro in Vaticano, and San Paoli fuori le mura — believed to have originated in sacred shrines outside the city walls. Of the fifth I HI century is also San Pietro in vin- gan pietro in J I coli, a three-naved basilica, with vincoii. ' fl ■ flat ceiling of wood, and with tAventy antique columns of finest Parian marble, whose severe Doric style gives to the interior an air of impressive simplicity. Outside of Rome are fonnd remains of sev- eral churches of the basilica type of archi- tecture from the fourth, fifth, and sixth cen- turies. Ravenna is among the most rich and instructive centers. It is a favorable circum- stance that their complete history is found in the J^ior/7'(fphies of the J3is/iops Good historic of Ravenna, by Agnellus.' These churches have more a^d monu- '•''' mentalevi- lully preserved their original form than those of Rome dence. or Constantinople, where the unwise zeal of succeeding popes, l)atriarchs, or emperors has in many instances modified nearly every feature of the original structure. It is, therefore, highly important to understand the nature and teachings of these archi- tectural monuments. Com])ared with those of Rome, the oblong basilica simple m out- '•hurches of Ravenna had usually a very simple ground ""*^' l»l:in. They were mostly three-naved, without transept or galleries. ' Bnllettmo cristiano, 1878. p. 75. 0-. Baldwin Brown: From SrMola to Cathedral, pp. G4, 05. Deliio nnd Bezold: Op. cit., text, .«. 104; laf. 17, 2. V. Quasi: Bee alt-chrixtlichen Bauwerke von Bavemia. FiK. 96. — Gromi'iplan of Santa Siufuinsu. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 207 In contrast with most of the ancient clmrclie's of lionie, tlioy seem to have been huiit of materials specially pi-epared for them. In- stead of the curious conglomeration of styles in the columns, witli respect to order, diameter, and height, and of the materials of the buildings, in Ravenna a general harmony and consist- Generally iiar- ency are noticed. ^ The style is, therefore, more distinct, monious. and the stage of architectural development more clearly marked. The interior arrangement is likewise simple and harmonious. The architrave is entirely wanting, the entablature l>eing uniformly su|)- ported by the round arch. The capitals do not inuuediately sup{)ort the arches, but are crowned with an abacus {v. Fig. 99). The tri- bune is generally well defined and carefully decorated. In marked contrast with modern churches, the exterior was simple and una- dorned, the material being usually brick. Quast" divides the Christian architectural monuments of Ravenna into four periods. The fii'st extends from the introduc- p^rjofj,, ^f ^r- tion of Christianity to the downfall of the Western chitecture in Empire in A. D. 476; the second from the Roman down- fall to the death of Theodoric, A. D. 476-520; the third from the death of Theodoric to the death of the Archbishop Agnellus, A. I). 526-566; the fourth period from the death of Agnellus to. the termination of art activity in Ravenna — A. D. 566 to about A. D. 900. Kugler' divides into thi-ee periods, cor- responding to the three chief ])eriods of the his- tory of the city. To the first period belongs the cathedral church of the town, the Ecclesia Ursiana, which was Ecciesia ursi- built near the beginning of the fifth century. I'nfor- ana. tunately, on its reconstruction at the beginning of the eighteenth century the original structure was totally destroyed. Yet, from trust- worthy notices that have been preserved, we learn that it was a Hve- naved basilica, Avhich preeminence it enjoj^ed with only three ot the most noted chuix-hes of Rome. Certain expressions of Agnellus lead us to believe that the entire church area was covered with a vaulted ceiling. It was originally dedicated to the resur- ^ n J J 1 Its (Icoorntlons. rection of Christ. Its pavements and walls were adorned with costly marbles and rich mosaics. The arrangement of the choir resembled that of San Clemente at Rome.* The surviving baptisterium is elsewhere described. ' V. Quast: Op. rit., s. 44. Kivjer: Op. rif., Bil. i. s. 394. 2 Die aU-chrisllichen Banwerken von Ravenna, ss. 2, 17, 27, 40 ^ Geschichte d'tr Baukiimf, Bd. i, s. .S95. * Quast: Die aU-christlkhen Bauwcrke von Ravenna, Berlin. 1842, s. 2. Dcliio imd Bczold: Op. cit, Taf. 17, Fig. 4. D'Agiucourl: PI. Ixx, Fig. 21. 208 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Santa Apata. Second period. To the same period belongs Santa Agata, a three-naved church closely conforming to the typical oblong basilica, yet possessing little of special interest. The period of civil commotion following the death of Valentinian III. was unfavorable to the patronage of ecelesiastical art. The fearful inroads of Attila and Odoacer had brought destruction in their pathway until the trium2)h of the Ostro- gothic king, Theodoric, in A. D. 495. This remarkable x^e policy of ruler restored to Italy a measure of the prosperity Theodoric. enjoyed before her desperate struggles with the barbarians. Though unlettered, he was a patron of learning, and greatly beautified Ravenna and other cities of his realm by the erection of many new churches. His task was one of extreme difficulty. An Ostro- gothic king, he must not only rec^ two fiercely contend- ing peoples, but also pacify the . and Arian parties in the Church. The Gothic tribes had -largeiN embraced the Arian doctrine, and Theodoric was hiii'^' if its defender. His nobility of character is shown in his care"i'.'\ ■^'•; of opponents, and by granting to ' . ]irivilege of building and ownin an( fail:. - :... ter; . :• : n( oted very oi ih" A;-i- jining from persecution ' X party the His tolerant n churches, spirit. their own confession of s of worship. The archi- est of his reign is con- argely with the churches party, some The Arian 0 re built out- churches. s s of the city, and some at 1 'lasse. Several within the 'en preserved to our time, • • • : : • I . -ite an interesting group of ecclesiastical monuments. Among the most noted is San Apollinare Nuovo, formerly called Basilica san Apoiiin- San Martini in coelo aureo, are Nuova. so named from its great splendour. It was connected directly Avith the royal Fi;^. 97.-san Apollinare Nuoyo, Ra- P'^'=^^"^' ^"^^ ^^f^^'^ *« ^^''^''^ ^^"' '■^- venna, showing interior structure and garded as speciall}^ the COtll't church,' ''^'"''''"°°- The exterior of the upper part of the middle nave has been preserved entire. The same style of round arch, built of brick, which we have before met in the churches of 'Qiiast: Oi?. cif., s. 19, Taf. vii, Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4. Deliio undBezold: Taf. 16, Fig. 5, D'Agiucourt : Plate xvii, 17-22. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 209 Third period. tlie first period (as in Santa Agata), i.s here repeated. The cohinius of the interior (y. Fig. 97) have Corinthian caj)itals with a ,sollinare inciasse. in Classe (Fig. 98). During the three-mile walk from Ravenna. q ir^~'1 iiij|p!ji||h Fig 98.— San Apolllnare in Classe. to C'lasse amid scenes so full of historic and literary interest, the memories of events decisive in the world's history troop before the visitor like specters from the entombed generations. This cliurch stands out in its solitariness, the sole survivor of all the tiio .solitary edifices that crowded the busy port of Classe, where monument. Augustus moored his conquering fleets. Its tower still stands to point the faith of men to the Author of a religion that .'^hall never know^ decay, while beneath it sleeps the dust of forty generations. ' For description of mosaics see pp. 125, 127. Fis?. 97 pivcs a good idea of llie con- struction of the columns, the form of arches, the rich mosaic decorations of the entablature, etc. 14 310 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. The interior. Even to the portico, the buikling remains in all its original integrity. Only a portion of the marble which lined the interior walls has been removed (v. Fig. 99). It is a tliree- naved basilica with elevated choir, to which lead stairs ot" the entire breadth of the middle nave. It is one hundred and eighty-six feet long and one hundred feet broad, having on either side twelve tajjer- ing colunms of Grecian marble with Corinthian capitals.' The furniture, altar, etc., are still preserved. The original mosaics The mosaics, i'l the tribune (v. Fig. 99) and on the side walls remain et*^- in all their freshness to tell the story of the religious thought of the sixth century. On the beautiful frieze above the Fig. 99.— San Apollinare In Classe. Interior vi"-. columns bounding the middle nave is a series of -j.osaic nu lallions (v. Fig. 99) of the bishops of this churcli from the time of St. Apol- linarius. They are most noteworthy. The capitals of the columns, as of the pilasters, have much value and interest in the history of architectural development, since they are the first examples of an ornamentation which was subsequently widel}^ diffused.^ Exterior con- The exterior of the church is of brick, whose joints struction. of mortar are nearly as thick as the bricks themselves. The vestibule, api>ai-ently contemporary with the main structure, is 'Forster: Mitfel u. Untn- Ifalien, ss. 389. 390. Qiiast: Op. eft, s.«. 34-37, Taf. ix. D'Affincoiirt: Plates Ixviii and Ixix. Dehio mid Bezold: O^j. cit., Taf. 16, Fig. 8. * Quast: Op. cit., s. 35, taf. ix, Figs. 3, i. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 211 of great interest from contaiiiinir tlie remains of many successive bishops of this chureli. In San Apollinare in C'lasse, in common with several other churclies of Ravenna, a growing External beau- attention to exterior beauty and harmony is noticed, ty. Previously the basilicas had very broad and open windows; a con- struction unfavourable to the support of the heavy weight resting on the architraves; but when the round arch was generally introduced this difficulty no longer existed. The Avindows were made narrower, the light admitted became less and less, until the passion for " a dim religious light " led to the entire ab- sence of windows in the upper part of the middle nave. Of much interest are the cathedral church of Novara, from the sixth century, and the cathedral of Parengo, in Istria, catht-drais of from the seventh. They are distinguished by having a Novara anuPa- f orecourt and a baptistery very closely incorporated into ''^°*^"- their architectural structure. This feature is believed by Iliilisch to have been first introduced during the sixth century. The lattci- church has been well preserved, is rich in mosaics and paintings, and retains the original marble pavement in the middle nave. While the mosaics of the fa9ade are weather- beaten and much faded, from their outlines a fair idea of their sul»- jects and style of treatment can be gained. In the non-European lands are still preserved many examples of the oblong rectangular basilica, whose original may be T r 1^1 -1 -r. • St. Reparatus. traced from the lourth century down. Prominent among these is the Basilica Reparatus, discovered on the site of the ancient Castellum Tingitanum (the modern Orleansville), in Algiers.' It was a five-naved church with semicircular apse whieh projected toward the middle of the church, thus forming rooms on either side, while the exterior boundaries of the chun-li were straight lines.'' Ruins of like churches are also found at Tafaced (Colonia Tip:i>- sa), at Annuna, etc. Farther toward the East, at the old ])ort of ApoUonia, three ruined basilicas have been found, whose art remains are interesting for showing the commingling of Christian and E-^ yp- tian symbolism.' Also in manv parts of Eo:vpt ruins of •^ ' ' , .,/ ^ In Esrvpt. alMj. these early Christian churches ot the basilu-a torm are still met. They are not confined to the cities nor to the Nile ' For the chronolocry of tliis church see p. 33, note 2. ' The form of this apse is very similar to tiiat of San Croce in Gcrusalemme, Fig. 81. ' Kugler: Geschichte der Bmilmnst, Bd. i, ss. 373, 374. These liave been well de- scribed by H. Barth, in his Journeys through the Coasllands of the Mediterranean. 212 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Kxtcnsively iiittuseu in the and instructive features valley, but are found on oases in the Lybian desert, as at El-Hayz, p]l-Gabuat, and El-Zabu. In the Nile valley, extending far south, churches of the fourth and fifth centuries still preserve many very interesting Their number and size, their Nile valley. ^.^^j^ ^^t remains, their connection in some instances with extended convents and religious communities, are confirmatory evidence of the widespread influence of Christianity among the Egyptian peoples, while their peculiar architectural features seem to furnisli some foundation for the theory that Egypt was tlie na- tive home of the basilica, being approjiriated by the Greeks, and then, in modified form, becoming a ruling type in the West-Roman Empire. Also, the church of St. Demetrius (Fig. lOO), at Thessalonica (modern Salonika), belongs to the fifth centur3^ It is a five-naved structure with a tran- sept. It departs, in some respects, quite widely from the usual basilica form. The spaces between the columns are spanned by semieirculai" arches surmounted by an en- tablature covered with paintings. Above this is a second row of col- umns with a like entablature, and above this a third, in which are the windows for lighting the interior. Like many of the conspicu- ous {•hurehes of the Orient, it is now a Mohammedan mosque.' Contemporary with St. Demetrius is another church of Salonika, now called the mosque Eski-Djouma. It is three-naved with a tran- sept, and its general features are similar to those of St. Demetrius. Of still greater interest are the churches of central Syria. These , , ^ . have been made better known through the diligent re- Central Syria. i /. , .- searches ot the Count de Yogile." It is evident from his discoveries that during the fifth and sixth centuries, while the West was in a condition of disruption and fearful decadence, Christ- ian art in Syria was in a state of unwonted activity. The number ' Texier ami Pnlbui : L' Architecture Byzantine, p. 134, pi. xvii-xxvi. Kugler: Geschichte d. Baukunst, Bd. i, s. 433. Stockbauer : Der christliche Kirchenhau, s. 47. ^ Syrie Gentrale: Architecture Civile et Religieuse du 1" au 1" Siecle. Paris, 1865- 1877. 2 vols., fol. liessalonica. Cross section. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 213 of chuK-hes, the chaste simplicity of tlieir stj'le, and their close ad- herence to the oblong basilica tyi>e, argue a period of peace and of remarkable prosperity of the Church. Prior to the ^^ ^. ^ , ' ' '' . The Church in fourth century little survives, but from the fourth to the astateof pms- seventh the Christian architectural monuments are al- '^'""y- most innumerable,' being built in great measure of materials already at hand. " We are trans})orted," says de VogUe, " into the midst of a Christian society. We are surprised at its life: not the covert, hidden life of the catacombs, not an existence humble, timid, suffer- ing, is here generally represented, but a life generous, rich, artistic; spacious houses built of brown stone, conveniently arranged, with galleries and covered balconies; beautiful gardens planted with the vine, presses for making wine, and stone vats and casks for its safe storage; immense subterranean kitchens, and stables for the horses; beautiful squares, surrounded with porticos and elegant baths; mag- nificent churches, adorned with columns, flanked with towers and encircled with elegant tombs."' In nearly all the basilicas of Africa and Syria there is a departure from the style of the West with respect to the ceiling The vaiiitvu finish and decoration. Instead of the open beam-and- celling, rafter work so usual Avith Roman basilicas, we find the semicylin- drical vaulted ceiling. It is believed that this peculiar con- struction was determined by the character of the materials at hand — the Egyptian and Syrian lands being destitute of timber suitable for the ceiling decorations, Avhile at the same time both stone and brick were al)undant and cheap. A like ceiling vaulting is sometimes met in southern France. While hewn stone was sel- dom used in Italy (brick being the material in general nse for the l)urposes of ceiling vaulting), it was quite common in Syria and the East.' Among the numerous monuments scattered thus over Syria, those of Kherbet-Hass, El-Barah, and Tourmanin are very conspicuous. Each comprises a group of buildings for religious observances, including one or more churches, chapels, and houses for meditation, or convents for Christian orders. The group at Kherbet-Hass consists of a larger and a smaller church, both three-naved, Avith distinct internal semicir- cular apse, and opening upon spacious courts. Hesides these are found rooms for the school, for the library, for lodging the various Church officials, and a place of burial for the chief eccle- siastics.* ' Op. cit, t. i, p. 7. "Op. cit. t. i, p. 0. » D^iiio u. Bezokl : Op. cil.. s. 130. * De Vogiie: Op. cit., t. i, p. 96; t. ii, plates 59, 61. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 215 At El-Bamli are tliree clmrches in close juxtaposition. Fig. 101 represents this collection of religious edifices. The principal cliurch, with its adjacent cliapel, has '-Biirah. on the front and sides spacious courts with irregular colonnades. Near to this church are the school, the rooms for the vai-ious servants, for the ecclesiastics, and for the library'. The entire group of buildings shown in Fig. 101 is connected with this imposing ecclesiastical establishment, and well illustrates the flourishing state of the Syrian churches in the fourth and fifth centuries. The curious assemblage of buildings at Tourmanin comprised a church, and an immense structure which seems to have been an Fiff. 103.— View of tbe cliurcli at Tourmanin, Central Syria. Restored from the ruins. ecclesiastical hosteliy for lodging i)ilgrims. The cliiuvh, ivstort'd from a careful study of the surviving portions (Fig. 102), follows the general plan and arrangement of most Syrian churches of the sixth century. The facade has an imposing character,' while the disposition of the lines gives to it a pictures(pie effect. The careful balancing of parts resulted in a building of great solid- ity, whose permanence was almost entirely independent of cement. The interior is the usual oblong basilica of three naves. The apse has the form of a regular half-dodecagon. 'Hie internal arrangements and decorations show that architecture at this > V. De Vogue: Op. cit., t. i, pp. 138-140; plates c.\xx-c.\.\.\vi. 216 AKCH.EOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. period had attained a very high order of excellence, and indicate a very prosperous condition of the Syrian Church during the sixth century. All the churches both at Kherbet-Hass, El LJarah, and Tourmanin The pure ba- are of the pure oblong basilica type which so generally silica form. prevailed in Syria and Egypt. As before said, they lack the wood rafter work in the ceilings, instead of which they employ cut stone for the vaulting. These churches varied very But vaulted little in their general outline and plan, the architects ceilings. being content to introduce variet}^ into the decorations and subordinate members. In the disposition of the interiors thei-e is great uniformity. The columns are generally monoliths, with bases which remind us of the classic style, while the imposed mass is directly supported b}- the capitals without the intervention of the abacus.' The grandest monument of Central Syria are the church and con- ^K V. ^ vent of St. Simon the Sty lite. It is now called Kalat- Cnurch and »' _ monastery of Seni'an — the Chateau of Simon. It is situated in the St. Simon. north-east corner of central Syria, a short distance north of Djebel Cheikh Bereket. It was built in honor of that most singular character, Simon the Sty lite, who died A, D. 459. The date of the cliurch is somewhat uncertain. From considerations drawn from the style of the decorations, de Vogiie is disposed to place its erection in the latter half of the fifth century.'-* It was a cruciform, three-naved basilica, whose three arms are of equal length; the fourth, containing the apse, being thirty-six feet longer than the others. The arms of the cross at their inter- Description. . „ , 1 1 T r • section form an octagonal court one hundred leet in diameter, which was open to the sk}^ The longest arm terminated in a semicircular apse not only for the main but also for the side naves. The length of the church from east to west was 336 feet, from north to south 300 feet. « The width of the main nave was 36 feet, that of the side naves 18 feet. The principal entrance was fi'om the south through a porch of imposing magnificence. This church, with its attendant chapels, oratories, and sarcophagi, is a reminder of the best classical period. Although in treatment it is somewhat bald and meagre, the style of the capitals is de- styie of cap- cidedly original. The oblique direction given to the "*'^- return of the leaves is quite common to the Byzan- tine architecture. In this and other respects the capitals resem- ble those of San Apollinare in Classe, in Ravenna, and those ' De Vogiie: Op. cit., t. i, p. 97 ; t. ii, pi. 60. "^ Syrie Centrale : t. i, pp. 141-15-4; t. ii; plates 145-151. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 217 employed in tlie priucipa] entrance of tlie Cluircli of the Ildy Sepulchre at Jerusalem.' The interior decoration of this an.l other Syrian churches of the fifth and sixth centuries cannot ]n- ascertained with certainty. From a few specimens of painted coi- nice found on the spot, de Vo«jue has, however, inferred that the color was applied directly to the stone, and ^ coiorinjr. that much of the brilliancy of the classical buildings might have belonged to these Syrian ecclesiastical structures.* lie does not believe that these churches were ornamented to any considerable extent wdth mosaics of gilt and glass. The smooth, polished faces of the stone in the choir, which was the only place Destiiutu' of where mosaics could be used, forl)id the supposition of mosaic, their employment for ornamentation. Yet the mass of i)ieces of colored marbles, found in connection with the ruins of this church, suggests the probability that the pavement may have been wrought out in beautiful mosaic patterns. SECTION II. THE CENTRAL OR DOMED STYLE. Contemporaiy with the oblong, naved, rectangular basilica was an- ^ other stjde of Christian architecture, the so-called central or domed structure. This was not unfrequent in the West, but in few if any instances does it seem to have been used in buildings originally de- signed for Christian churches. It was rather limited to those struc- tures of ])agan origin which were appropriated to Christian uses, or to buildings subordinate to the main church edifice, as N„t powerful burial or memorial chapels, baptisteries,' etc. Hence m the west, in the Occident it seemed to be wanting in power of growth and development; it had at best a feeble, sickly life, and the me- diseval architecture received from it but a scant}^ inheritance. In the Orient it was far otherwise. Here the church adopted ami fashioned it to satisfy its own ])eculiar wants. One type j^^ p,...,iiiar appeared in the Church of the Holy Se])ulchre at home in ih.- Jerusalem, and another, after a rapid and brilliant de- ""■"'"'• . velopment, attained its goal and highest perfection in St. Sophia of Constantinople." From the so-called Byzantine architecture w.h probably derived the constructive ])rinciple which enabled the me- ' Do Vogiie: Op. at., t. i. pp. 150, 151. ••Td., t. i, p. 152. plate 151. ■'Schnaase: GeTh. d. hihleiid. Kiinfi'e, iii, 48: Dcliio n. Bozold. i. 20. 21. ■• Dehio iirid Bczold : Die kirclilicht Baukunat den Abemllandes, Slungart, 1884, lt« Lief., P. 21. 218 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. d\x\a\ architects to transform the flat ceiling of the basilica into the vaulted, and ultimately into the beautiful, soaring, pointed style of the Gothic cathedral,' § 1. Origin of the Domed Structure. The origin of the domed principle in architecture is even more Its origin Ob- obscure than that of the oblong rectangular basilica, scure. While the Etruscans were familiar with the vaulted roof, as this was applied to the cloacae and aqueducts, they have left no Avorks of marked architectural character which lead us to believe that they are the originators of the dome structure as it was found in the West just prior to the Advent. It is very remarkable that the most beautiful and complete dome of the world is the Pantheon of Rome, a sort of architectural Melchizedek, without father or mother, and also wanting, so far as can be determined, the long antecedent process of development which such perfection presupposes. It is likewise curious that the oblong basilica is the most persistent form for the Christian church in many parts of the Orient, which has usually been accounted the native land of the so called Bj^zantine architecture. Of the churches of central Syria, described b}^ de Vogiie, only two of importance are of the domical form, and these from the sixth century.* It is claimed that they were constructed on an entirely different principle from that governing in St. Sophia, from St. So- They were compact anA unified; their parts were mem- ^^^^' bers of a living organism. Each was firmly bound to the other, each was the natural and necessarj'- complement of all. St. Sophia, on the other hand, was a vast concretion of brick and mor- tar, and of rough blocks of stone, distributed into arches, vaulted surfaces, cupolas, and hemicupolas, Avhose expansions, resting upon fixed points, and balancing one part against the other, were brought Resembled th ^"^^ ^ Condition of perfect equilibrium. The principle Roman baptis- of Construction was not different from that in the Ro- ^^^' man baptisterj^, developed, enlarged, and made more light and soaring through the boldness of two men of eminent genius, ' We believe, therefore, that the concluduig paragraph of the statement nf Professor G. Baldwin Brown, Frojn Schola to Cathedral, 1886, p. 143, needs importaiii qualification: "Rome possessed a world-famed cupola several centuries before the first Byzantine dome, and duriiig those centuries dome construction had advanced on parallel lines in the West and in the East, so that the Middle Ages inherited in the West as genuine a tradition in regard to the cupola as any which flourished in the East." *Dc Vogue: Syrie Centrale Architecture civile et religieuse, plates 21, 23. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 219 both of whom were Greeks. Their work, too, was Greek in tlie sense that it was the result of llie ai)i)lication of the logical spirit of the Greek school to a new and foreign principle, which became most fruitful of results. These two artists originated a style which completely supplanted the preceding in all the countries which were afterward submissive to Byzantine rule. Yet essentially The opportunity it furnished for tlie employment Greek, of mediocre workmen, and for utilizing the cruder materials, as brick and lime, as well as the gradual introduction of Oriental tastes, assured its success. It characterized the Byzantine period, properly so called, and was the last evolution of Greek art, destined in turn to be absorbed in the Saracenic' Whether the central architecture of the AVest was an indigenous / product, or was the result of Greek influence whose monumental ex- pression has perished, or whether both the Roman and the so-called Byzantine were alike the revival of an old eastern type which had fallen into partial decay," it may not be possible to aftirm. The subject is beset with pe- culiar difticulties, and awaits more thorough investigation. It is, however, evident that the Christian ba])tisteries and burial chapels have a strong resemblance to the contempo- rary pagan baths and mortu- ary monuments.^ An interest- ing example of this is found in a portion of the batlis of Dio- cletian (Fig. 103). This was converted, in the sixteenth cen- tury, into the church San Bar- nardino de' Termini. The semicircular niches were per- petuated in the Christian structure. The more promi- nent features of this l)uilding recur from time to time in the Central style. The description of circular temples by Vitrnviiis would imply their prevalence in his day. In a few Christian mosaics botli in Rome and Ravenna, the domical form appears in i-(»niiectioii with ' Pc Vocjiie : Op. cit., vol. i, pp. IT, 18. ^ The Sassanid domes of Poisiaii palaces. * Roseugarten : Architeduml Styles, p. 172. 103.— Baths of Diocletian, Sun Hainaiilino. Gi'ounclplau. 220 ARCHEOLOGY OF CIIKISTIAX ART. nioiv imposing structuvcs M-hich are believed to represent tlie build- ings for Christian assembl}^, while in Christian literature are found quite detailed accounts of noted churches that have entirely disap- centrai build- peared. Of these the circular domed building erected ings in Con- by Constantine in the early part of the fourth century time. over the traditional site of the holy sepulchre at Jerusa- lem,' and the magniticent church at Antioch which Eusebius has described at length, Avere among the most notable and influential. He says: "At Antioch, the capital of the Orient, he (Constantine) built a thoroughly characteristic church. He enclosed the whole by a peribolos, within which he built an oratory of unprecedented height. It was of octagonal form. To the exterior round about he added many chapels and exedra, as well as crypts and galleries. The entire work was completed by ornamentation in gold as well as in ivory and other costly materials."^ The relation of this and similar structures to the development of church architecture at Ravenna and other centers is most intimate. It becomes of great value in interpreting the forms met in the churches of San Vitale in Ravenna, San Marco in Venice, SS. Sergius et Bacchus in Constantinople, etc. ^ The Church of the Holy Sepulchre served as a model for burial . chapels, while that of Antioch was a model for build- importance of _ 1 ' the cinucii of ings for congregational assembly. The great import- Aatioch. ^j^gg q£ ^i^g latter in Christian architecture arises from the circumstance that its chief features Avere copied into other structures, both East and West, and gave an impetus to (if it was not the genesis of) the style afterward characterized by the name Byzantine. § 2. Chissijlcation. Different principles of classification of these buildings have been Principles of proposed by writers on the history of avchitectui'e. ciassiflcation. The adoption of the simple rotunda as the normal form, and the development of the central construction from this norm, has much to recommend it." According to this view, the first step in the development was the addition of members in the form of niches Addition of ill the enclosing walls. Both artistically as well as con- mcbes. structivel}'' this was of importance. The bounding of a space within narrowest possible limits, as M^ell as the securing of better architectural effects, would thus result. For the most part the number of these niches does not exceed eight, being all of the 'Eusebius: De Vita Const., iii, 31. ' Vita Const, lib. ii', cap. 50. 'Quast: Die Altrhristlichen Bauwerke ma Eavenna, ss. 30, 31. * V. Deliio uud Bezold : Die kircJdiche Baukunst des Ahendlandes, i, ss. 19,/. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 221 same form or havin'«'^«- the resemblances between San Vitale and San 3Iarco aiv not such 15 226 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. as to justify their reference to a common model. In groundplan, in- terior arrangement, and roof construction they differ very widely. San Vitale is octagonal and two-storied; San Marco is in the form of the Greek cross and without galleries. San Vitale groups the cen- tral spaces into one which is covered by a central dome, rising high above the other parts of the structure; San Marco, on the contrary, has five depressed domes, above each arm of the cross, and over the central space where the two arms intersect. On careful study the diversities between St. Sophia and San Vitale will also appear so great as to set aside the theory Nor of St. so- that the one was the model or the copy of the other. P^^'a- Their relation is onl}^ that of the three most noted surviving examples of the architecture of the first half of the sixth centur3^' The long-extended vestibule, C, (Narthex or Ardica), of San Vi- tale is peculiar to irregularity of this church (Fig. groundplan. 108). It is not placed opposite or perpendicular to the axis of the tribune, as is usual in other churches, but makes a wide de- parture from the regularity of groundplan which might be ex- pected. Many conjectures as to the reason of this have been made, but the real cause is un- known. The exterior of the church is like many other build- ings of Ravenna, of brick with thick layers of mortar. Most of the mosaics, which formerly made it one of the most brilliant in Christendom, have unfortunately disappeared; yet the descriptions given by the historians are so full that their artistic and dogmatic signifi- cance can be easily determined. The form of the arches supporting the dome, as well as the col- umnar arrangement of the second story, may be seen from the section given in Fig. 109. Likewise the style of the capitals, and the rich statuary, arabesque, and mosaic effects, in pavement and ceiling, making the interior of this church exceptionally impressive, ' Quast: Op. cit, s. 29. Compare Fip;. 108, rrronndplan of San Vitale, with Fig. 116, groundplan of St. Sophia; the section of San Vitale, Fig. 109, with that of St Sophia, Fig. 117. Fig. 108.— San Vitale. Groundplan. Mosaics lost. 228 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. are well shown in Figs. 107, 109. The contrast between this church ^ . , .,u and the Roman basilica, with its cohimns of varied styles, Contrast with ' i n t i j: Roinau basil- lengths, and diameters, is very marked. "Instead or ^^^- simple, long-extended right lines, here is found an artis- tic combination of numerous curves, which, while departing, from different centers, nevertheless complement each other and find in the dome the completest centralization. ... In all this labyrinthian arrangement a most magnificent effect from this development of forms cannot be denied." ' The church was begun under the East Not strictly Grothic supremacy, and finished under Byzantine; it is, Byzantine. therefore, generally classified under the head of Byzan- tine architecture. The propriety of such classification may, how- ever, be reasonably questioned, since neither in groundplan nor elevation, but only in decorative features, does it seem to be accordant with the Byzantine stjde.^ The beauty of the deco- Fig. 110.— Capital from San Vitale, Ravenna. Fig. 111. -Capital from St. Sophia, Constantinople. ration of the churches as well as their likeness in details may be seen by comparing the capitals of columns fi-om each [v. Figs. 110 and 111). Nearly contemporary with San Vitale is SS. Sergius et Bacchus ss. Sergius et (Hagios Sergios) of Constantinoi)le.^ Here, too, the Bacchus. dome rests upon eight immense buttresses connected together in the lower story b}' a richly sculptured entablature, and in the second by arches. At the four corners are semicircular niches (in which are supporting columns) that lead into rooms ' Schuaase: Geschichte der Biidemle Kilmte, Ite autl., Bd. iii, ss. 131, 132. ^ Stock bauer: Dei- cliristliche Kirchenhau. s. 89. 8 Dehio u. Bezold: Op. cit, Ite Lief., ss. 28, 29, taf. 4, Figs. 5. 6. Stockbauer: Op. cit., s. 90. Kuftler: Op. cit., Bd. i, ss. 420-422. Salzenberg: AU-christliche Baudenkmale v. Constantinople. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 229 bounded by the exterior wall (y. Fif^, 112), wliieh is quadraniriilar instead of octagonal, as in San Vitale. Upon the interior face of the entablature, extending around the entire nave, is a fulsome inscription to Jus- tinian, and to the niartyi's Ser-. gius and Bacchus, who were in high repute among the Dar- danians and Illyrians. In the arrangement of the ground- plan and of the stronger ten- ^ denoy to the vaulted spaces, Byzantine. ^^^^ characteristic development of the Byzantine school is already noticed; but on careful stud}'- of details antique elements are found to predoniinate, so that this church must be regarded as l)elonging to the transition period of architecture in the Greek Empire.' This form of the Christian church does not differ verj'' widely from some pagan buildings. Fig. 118 is the representation of a hall in an ancient Roman palace. Here, too, the alternntion in the interior of the rectangular with the |J LJ semicircular niche, and the enclosure of the ^\ /■ whole by a strong rectangular wall, are so ^ iH^Bi nearly like the arrangement of SS. Sergius Fi:'))hVng' cfu be understood hy frequent reference to the vertical section (Fig. 117). FIjr. lie— St. Poplila. Groundplan. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 239 of these spaces taken together form the 7iaos, or temple proper. Between this and the enclosing walls on the north and south sides extend the two-storied side halls, each of which is divided into three parts. Four colossal pillars furnish the foundation for ,1 1 ^' .IT i-iii.il Dome support. the arches supportnig the dome, while behind these to- ward the north and south, in the enclosing wall, are four buttresses connected with these pillars by arches. By a series of buttresses and connecting arches firm supports are secured for the conchas and the cylindrically vaulted ceilings. Thus the entire building, while possessing this diversity of outline, is bound together into a beauti- ful and harmonious unity. All ceiling spaces are cylindrical or domed. In addition to the enclosing walls and the system of but- tresses these are supported in the lower i)art by forty columns and eight free pilasters; in the upper part by sixty columns.' The lighting of the interior of St. Sophia is very brilliant. Wherever space and safety permit are placed windows 1 1 -. 1 T ,. . 1 The lighting, in great number and ot marked dimensions, so that a flood of light pours through them into the house of God." At the base of the central dome are forty windows, and each of the half domes has five. The first rays of the morning sun stream into the nave through the six large windows in the tribune, while the setting sun, shining through the immense semicircular window over the entrance in the west, bathes the whole interior in go.den effulgence. Twelve windows admit the flight through the arches on the north, and an equal number on the south diffuse an abundance of light throughout the lateral halls above and below. There is evidence that some of the window spaces existing in the time of Procopius have been closed by masonry; nevertheless, the present mo.sque is very brilliantly lighted.'' The iniunction of Justinian *' j& J c 11 111 Fireproof. to build a fireproof church was most carefully heeded, even in the arrangement of the windows. By an ingenious and ex- pensive combination of brick work and marble plates even the frame settings of the windows are entirely lacking in wood. The impression made upon the visitor on his first entrance to this church is that of vastness, grandeur, and magnificence. i,„pr,.8s(on The eye wanders over the immense nave, peers into the upon tin; vis- adjacent halls, rests upon the beautiful gyneca?um, then is lifted to the enormous dome that seems to float in midair. At every step new beauties are revealed. The richness of the materials, and the completed unity in the midst of almost infinite diversity, entrance the beholder. In Justinian's time, when to all essentials of the structure preserved to our day were added the rich ak'ft and shrines." ' While grouped in the same class as Santa Con- stanza, this building differs from it in many essential features, in some respects being quiie closely allied to San Vitale of Ravenna.^ A third example of this architectural type is the baptistery of San Giovanni in I.aterano in Rome/ Tradition attributes the founda- tion to Constantinc I., but it is highly probable that the building was erected by Sixtus III., in the first half of the fifth century. De Fleury ai'gues this from its architectural features. Eight columns sujiport an entablature upon which rests a second series of colunnis, by which the dome is supported. Between the central space and the enclosing wall is a broad passage-way which is lighted by windows placed in the lower section of the dome. While much ])ertaining to this baptistery is conjectural, it is nevertheless fairly well estab- lished that the main features were as here represented. The general custom of devoting a separate building to the celebration of this in- itiative rite of the Christian Church is here illustrated. The diversity of opinion relative to the connection and reciprocal influence of eastern and western architectural })rincii)les gan stefano r<>- is very manifest in the case of San Stefano rotondo,^ of ^ndo. Rome. " It is an enigma in the architectural history of Rome " (Dehio u. Bezold). By some it has been regarded as a transforma- tion of an earlier temple of Vesta; by others (specially by some of the French archaeologists) as an apartment of the grand market of Nero; by still others (Bunsen) as an original church, while others (Ilubsch) regard it as a most striking i)roof of the inventive genius <»f the early Christian architects. While lacking de- uncemimv of monstrative evidence the opinion is nevertheless fairly onjrin. established that it originated in the fifth century, probably in the reign of Theodosius the Great, just prior to the Roman downfall. It likewise possesses elements allying it to the central buildings of the Orient which originated in the reign of Constantine I. Just to what extent the liturgical needs of the Church influenced its peculiar construction ma}^ not be fully determined. protxT ciajwin- Certainly its arrangement of concentric circles in con- "^a"""- nection with two perpendicular axes justifies its classification und«H- the head of central domical buildings.* ' Biirckhardt : Cicerone, a. 89. 2 Dehio u. Bezold: Op. cit, Ite Lief., ss. M, ."^5, Taf. 8, Fijr. 3, 4. SRohaull (le Fleury: Le Lateran. pi. 7, Fip. 3, 4. Bimaen : Dit Ba.Mktn dts chrMlichen Roms, Taf. xxxvii. Dehio u. Bezold : Op. cit., ss. 34. 3.'), Taf. 8, V\«. 3. 4. * Fergusson : History of Architecture. Bnnsen : Be-ichreihunf/ d. Stadt Horns, lu. Die Bcmliken d. Christ. Boms, Taf. xix, B. C. Hubsch : Die oll-chHitliche Kirc/ura. * Dehio u. Bezold: Op. cit., s. 41, Taf. 11, Fig. 1, 2. 544 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Among other noted churches of this class may be mentioned the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at Jerusalem, and the Church of the Ascension, on the Mount of Olives, both from the Constantinian period. Unfortunately, they are known only through the descrip- tions of the historians. An example of the purest Byzantine style, Avrought out by Byzantine artists, yet for Mohammedan uses, is the Mosque of Omar, at Jerusalem, built on the site of Solomon's temple. It belongs to the seventh century. It is the finest example of the central structure that has been preserved, and ranks among the most impressive sacred buildings of the world, not from its vast- ness, but from the purity of its style and the intense interest associ- ated with its site.' § 7. Tlie Craciform Buildings. A fifth class of central buildings of the early Christian centuries is the cruciform. They wei'e at first mostly with equal arms — the Latin form of the cross being later introduced into the oblong basilica through the develop- ment of the transept. Christian struc- tures in the general form of the Greek cross wei"e commonly used for burial chapels. Like forms are met in build- ings of pagan origin, and devoted to like purposes; yet it is most probable that the Christian Church first attached to the form of the cross a deep religious signifi- cance, and found it especially adapted to the purposes of public Avorship. The Church of SS. Nazareo e Celso,'' of Ravenna (Figs. 120, 121), is a good exam- ple of this species of central structure. It M^as the burial chapel of Galla Placidia, and is still among the most instructive Fig. 120. - ss. Nazareo e ceiso. monuments of earlv Christian architec- Burial Chapel of Galla Placidia, •, n-,i p n ^ • i uavenna. Groundpian. t'lre. 1 he fate of this woman, whose ' Tlie controversies respecting the origin, location, and fate of the buildings erected on this sacred site have been protracted, and at times passionate. The most calr... tliorongh, and generally satisfiictory e.xaminations have been niJide by the Count do Vogiie in his Le Temple de Jerusalem and Les Etjlises de la terre sainte. '' H. Gaily Knight: Ojh cit, plate vi. Quast : Op. cif., ss. 10-15, tt. ii-vi. Dehio u. Bezold: 0]). cit, s. 45. t. 12. Fig. 4, 5. 3 The chnrcii proper is the Latin cross, the npper portion of the fignre ; llie other parts show the gronndplan of buildings connected with the church. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. 345 fortunes were so str:iii(s(i); likewise the mode of reckoning after the consulate: PC, POST CON, POS, PCC, etc., begins in the same century. With A. D. 312' the Romans began to reckon by the cycle of indictions, that is, by cycles of fifteen years, or the time Indictions. i <• i • i " , -, at tJie end oi wJiich a new census was taken and new taxes were levied. Exaiiiples of this method of reckoning occur at an earlier date in the East than in the West, no instance appearing in Rome earlier than A. D. 423, and in Gaul in A. D. 491.' The usual abbreviation is IND; but besides this are met INDIC, IN- DICT, INDE. In various parts of the Roman Empire the date Avas sometimes Provincial indicated b}^ the provincial era. In Spain the burial eras. monuments follow the Spanish era (B. C. 38); in Koith Africa the cera Mmtretanica (A. D, 40 ') is met with, etc. The Di- onysian era does not appear until much later. The month, da}^ of the month, and week are frequently indicated in accordance with Roman custom. The interpretation of dates, when recorded, be- ' Le Blant: Op. cit., says that of 720 Inscriptions in Gaul, onl.v 147 bear any mark of date ; of 200 in Treves, only one contains a definite date : of about 1 1.000 described by de Rossi in liis first vohmie on the Cliristian inscriptions of tlie first seven cen- turies, only 1,347 contain any chronologic indication of a date, and of this number only about 150 are earlier than 350 A. D. ^ Discontinued under Justinian, and legally abolished by Leo the philosopher. ^ Some have attributed the introduction of the iudictiou to Constantiue, others to Bioeletinn. * Lo Blant: Tnscrip. chrel. Gaulo, No. .388. Some epigraphists insist that no exam- ple of Christian inscriptions reckoning by indictions appears at Rome earlier than A. D. 517. ^ Some writers say B. C. 33. v. p. 33, note. EARLY CIIHlyTIAN EI'IGRAPIIY. 253 comes therefore a matter of comparatively little diHit-ultv. liiit it is far more difficult to fix the chronolog}- of inscriptiuiis that bear no date. Herein appear the value and neces- wuhoutuaiw. sity of epigraphical science. By patient and protracted comparative study of inscriptions whose dates are well ascertained, the e})i<;raphist has General priucu discovered means of determining with considerable ac- p'*'"- curacy the chronology of others. Well-established criteria li.nc thus simplified the study of epigraphical remains, and sound scien- tific methods have been developed and successfidly applied. For the chronology of Christian inscriptions the following i)articulars have been found especiall}^ important; namely, the character of the writing, [pcdeogruph;/), the formularies, the proper names, and the presence or absence of syinl)olic characters, as the cross, the mono- gram of Christ, -^, the A % the dove, the fish, the ))ea('ock, etc. Also the peculiar cycle of the subjects of tlie paintings with which the inscriptions may be found associated.' Brief and simple formulas, without statements relative to the character of the person, or the place and time of burial, special indica- as HIC lACET, HIC REQUIESCIT, etc., are presuma- ""ns- biy of highest antiquity. The introduction of syiecial circum- stances, such as HIO lACET IN NOMINE CHRIST], IIIC REQHI- ESCIT IN PACE, etc., usually indicate a later date.= Also minute descriptions of the age, and of the day of death and burial, tlie enumeration of praiseworthy qualities, the metrical form, and the statel}^ eulogium are indications of a later origin.^ With respect to the date of the introduction of the various sym- bols there is wider difference of opinion. More thorough Date of sym- study of these interesting Christian remains inclines *^'''- the historian of art, as well as the epigraphist, to give to them a greater antiquity than was formerly allowed. The dove was for- merly believed to be found on no Christian monument of an ear- ' V. De Rossi: Imcriptiones CJinstiance urbis Roma, etc., pp. cviii nml cix. " Illiid restat inquirendum, q\iomo(io inter hos ipsos tcrminos sii)siil;inim iii^criplionuin ictas pressius possit dofiiiiri. Id examinalis litterariini formis," etc. - Of the close of the fiftli and the following centuries, v. Le Blant : Manud d'Fpi- rp-aphie chreiienne, etc., p. ^5; also Hiibner: Imcriptiones Ilixpania Chriftianff, p. ix. ' Compare especially de Rossi: Introduction to his fnsrriptiones Ciin'sHaiice; his treatise— Z)e la determination chronol. des Inscrip. chret. (Jievne Archeol., 1SG2). Le Blant: Inscrip. chref. Ganle,\x v\. el al.; J. Ritter: Deroniposilinne titnl. Christ., lirtvl. 1877, s. 12, et al. De Rossi and Le Blant, while independent workers, iira in entire harmony touching the principles governinp: the interpretation of inscriptions. Tliero is also a remarkable agreement iu tiieir conclusions respecting the most important questions. 234 AllCHiEOLOGY OF CHKISTIAN ART. licM- date than A. D. 268 in Rome, and A. D. 378 in Gaul;' but it is found in connection with inscriptions now believed to belong- to the first half of the second century. § 2. The Subject and Content of Inscrijitiotis. As has already been shown (v. p. 60, et seq.), Christian monuments . J, of the first three centuries wx^'e closely associated with eiice ill Christ- those of heathen origin. As in monuments of plastic lau epigraphy. ^^,^^ ^^ j^^ ^j^^ department of epigraphy, the intluence of pagan thought is manifest. Christian art liberated itself only bv degrees from its first teacher and guide, and developed an independent character. This holds equally true of Christian in- scriptions. On many monuments their Christian origin cannot at all be inferred from their contents. In some other instances the added expressions IN PACE, EN EIPHNH, or the wishes VIV^AS IN DEO, VIVAS IN AETERNVM, are the only grounds of dis- tinction.^ The agreement of pagan and Christian in regarding death as a sleep is sometimes plainly seen. The added thought of a continuance of life after death is peculiarly Christian.' Even in the ' Le Blant: Inscript. chret de la Gaule. Paris, 1856. The following table gives liis opinion respecting the clironology of some of these symbols: v. p. xiv. Symbol. ROME. Gaul. The dove From u A. D a .268-500, 524 ? From A. D. 378-612. ^ 298? 331-451 or 474 .855 ? 363-509 " 377-493. A S2 " 377-547. P 355 to between 542 and 565 about A. D. 400-525 or 540, The vase .... 391-472 or 489 about A. D. 450-563. The cross in body of the scription. . . . the in- 375 ? 407-527 450-589 A. D. 448 till after 585. The cross at beginning o Rcriptions.. . the in- '• 503 to about 680. V. also his Manuel cV Epicjrapliie chriiienne, pp. 27, 28, 29. *Tiie expressions TX PACE, EN EIPHNH, are also found upon Jewish btu-ial mon- uments of the pre-Chri tian period, v. Le Blant: N. 621 : C. I. Gr., NX. 9902, 9909, 9921, 9923, etc. Snpi, p. 177. Victor Schnltze: Arch. Stud., s. 260, N. 6, d al, is of opinion that h itpr/vri is proof of Christian or Jewish origin. ' Raonl Rochctto {Dmxieme Mem. stir les ant. chret., p. 27) is thoroughly consistent with himself in claiming that ;i;oeciiliar to the Christian inscrii)tions, expressing a cycle of thought entirely unknown to heathen epigi-aphy. The belief in a resurrection and a future life is here clouded by no doubt which might have come from association with the pagan world. Through a wide geographic and chronologic range these assurances of a future life by the power of Christ are met. In Rome, Gaul, Africa, and the Orient, extending through centuries of time, they frequently occur.' § 3. Application of Principles and their Illustration by Mmns of Specific Examples. Plate III is a reduced reproduction of Plate X of Roller's Cata- combes cle Home, which was engraved from a photograph of a por- 'v. Examples in de Rossi, Le Bl.nit, Boldetti, Cnrivts Inscript. Gnvc, Cmpm In- script. Latin., Rollrr, Kraiis, Sclmllzo, etc. The inimber is large, and lliu- criticisra and commentary upon lliem have been e.\hau3tive. 17 258 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. tion of the Christian Museum of St. John Lateran at Rome.' It contains fiftj^ epitaphs, which are iUustrateJ by some of the most prized of the Christian symbols. No. 1 is a monument to Severa, whose bust adorns the shib. The scene here represented is the visitation of the magi, The iiiatri. bearing gifts to the infant Christ, who rests upon the lap of his mother. The star is nearly above the head of Mary, while a fiirure behind, whose character has been a matter of controversv, extends the hand in blessing, or to point out the star to the wise men. The inscription, in Deo vivas, is found very frequently in the third century, but does not pertain to it exclusively. The epigraphist is rather inclined to })lace this in either the third or fourth century. It was found in a cemeterj^ on the Via Salaria Nova, Rome. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, are instances of the Good Shepherd upon the burial monuments. The simple inscription on Ko. 4, Florentius in pacae, M^ould lead us to regard it as of very early origin. Much is said about the symbolism of these and similar scenes. A class of archaeologists would say that the trees are the symbol of paradise, to which the soul has departed in peace under the kindly care of the Good Shepherd. This is probably an unwar- ranted extension of the princijjle of symbolism, since these trees could more properly be regarded as oi-namental, to complete the balancing of the scene. The Good Shepherd idea is likewise prominent in Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9, Good Shep- 12, and 14, We believe the presence of the tree in 5, 6, '"^''d- and 9 can be more naturally and justly considered ar- tistic than symbolic. Nos. 5, 43, 44, and 45 embody another class of figures, called Orantes, which have been elsewhere examined. While these figures are not infrequently met in the f res- Orantes ± t/ COS, their occurrence in connection with inscriptions is quite rare. No. 5 is from the most ancient portion of San Calisto, Rome, reaching back, it is believed, to the first half of the third century. The paleographic suggestion would agree with the other evidences respecting this date. The Greek, MOTCHC Z£2N EHOI- HCEN ATii KAI TH TTNEKT, is not an unusual method of expres- sing the dedication of a monument by the living to the dead. ' The plates liere used in illustration of Cliristian epigraphy are for the most part reduced from those in Roller's mngnificent work. This Museum contains the rich- est collection of Christian inscriptions in the world. Bj' special correspondence, in whicli M. Roller's desire to extend a knowledge of Christian archajology completely dominated every other motive, arrangements were made to use these and other plates. Grateful acknowledgment of this kindness is here made. EARLY CHRISTIAN EPKJRAPIIY. 259 Nos. 8 and 9 illustrate the conimin<^Iin<>^ of Latin and Greek iti the same inscription, No. 8, and the omission of letters, commin(?iinK COIVGI for CONIVGI, No. 9. They have a curious of symbols, combination of symbols. No. 8 has for a central figure the Good Shepherd, on one side of whom is a lion, on the other some devour- ing monster whose character is not well defined. It has beeii suggested that these may represent the foes that threatened the life of the sheep, which the Good Shepherd will rescue. The anchor and the ^ plainly point to the ground of the Christian's hope. The right liand figure in No. 9 is a rude form of the ark, toward Avhich the dove is flying, bearing in its beak the olive branch. In No. 49 this scene is repeated. This is a very frequent '■ J ~i rpjjg Church. symbol of the nature and office work of the Church — the ark of safety bearing its precious freight over the dangerous sea of life.' The frequent recurrence of the anchor (8, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28) is very noteworthy', since these are found on monuments dis- covered in and near Rome. So the frequent use of the fish on these burial monuments (Nos. 11, 16, 20, 22) has been discussed elsewhere (y. pp. 77-83). No. 15 represents a scene frequently met in the fres- cos, and not seldom found on the sculptured monuments. Raisingof Laz- The raising of Lazarus by Him who is the Life was a^us. symbolic of the doctrine of the resurrection, wliich was the central truth of the apostolic preaching, and the source of solace to a de- spised and oftentimes suffering Church. No. 10 is also the repre- sentation of a mummy-like figure in a tomb, surmounted by the ^, the hope of the deceased. The ^ monuments have been elsewhere discussed, and the aid which they furnish in determining the chronology of inscriptions with which they are associated has been ])ointed out. Nos. 29, 30, 31 are noteworthy as containing the smistica in connection with other symbols; with the simplest form of the cross in a circle, as emblem of eternity, in No. 31, with the IV M- in No. 29, an (^WNT£^^II0• W/ ^XVr^C10 BfN!^ • C^ ^QVIVTXJTANNUS VIMX OCT I -^ Eo ? w^M ! IfAfrl tivAvixn Pi.ATK IV.— Christian Symbols on Burial Monuments. EARLY CHKISTIAN EPIGRAPHY. 261 close of the fifth century, if found in Gaul.' The simplicity of No. \\, Altx nidra In pace, a,ii waW as the accompany ini^ figure of the dove, miglit suggest a monument of the middle of the third century or the beginning of the fourth. In Nos. 15, 16, 17, 18 is found repeated the box-like ark, believed to be the symbol of the Church, and of safety to all who enter it. The frequent recurrence of the dove upon burial moiuiments has given occasion for much writing on its significance. The dove. As with respect to other figures, so here, too, is wide difference of opinion. Interpreters who would reduce Christian symbolism to its minimum of meaning, or regard it as only imi- tative of the pagan thought, would see in the dove little more than an apjtropriate and pleasing decoration for the momiment, with no symbolic significance; Avhile another class, who are finding in each object connected with the Christian juonuments a hidden yet important lesson, would in every instance attach to this figure of the dove the idea of innocence, of j)urity, etc., as illustrative of the character of the deceased, or as symbolic of the soul itself, which finds its rest and assurance in the presence of Christ — the ^. In Nos. 24, 38, it is very ditticult for the observer to be convinced that any thing more than a pleasing ornamentation was designed; yet in tlii'se, and in monuments like 27, 28, 29, the school of ex- treme symbolism has professed to find a reference to the eucharist: the grapes suggesting the wine, the wine suggesting the words of Jesus, " I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of tJ.' vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my FaLher\s kingdom '' (Matt, xxvi, 29). In No. 50 is found a very unusual combination for a Christian monument. The inscription, ^Elia liictonna posuit Aurelke Prohce, "^lia Victorina set this up to Aurelia Proba," is a veiy common form. The peacock was like- wise used as a symbol of immortality; but the other figure is obscure in its i-eferencc. If it is to be regarded as a lion, then ^^^^^ ^.^^^ the suggestion that it may refer to Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah may not be unreasonable, and the whole monu- ment may teach that the immortality of the departed soul was secured through this One who had been victor over death, whose power and worthiness are the subject of the inspiring apocalyj)! it- vision given in Kev., chap. v. In 02, 03 is the recurrence of the shi]) or ark, with the ad earthly voyaging, the eternal mansions which are to receivi' the lailliful wanderer ' Le Blant: Manud iVEpigraphie clirelienne, pp. 27-29. 262 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. over life's perilous sea. "Firmia Victora, who lived sixty -five years," is the simple inscription; the symbols tell a more significint story. The palm-branch is of very frequent occurrence on the marbles, r^s Tbe palm ^'^ ^^^^ frescos. In Nos. 54, 55, and 56 this appears as branch. the prominent symbol. It is not difficult to interpret this, since here is the frequently recurring reference of the Apoca- lypse to the victory which the redeemed shall finally achieve, as in 60, 61 the like triumph is symbolized by the chaplet or crown. Plate V represents inscriptions from the first half of the third century. The first four give the simplest expressions used ujion the burial monuments of the early Christians. Decessit, often abre- simpie inscrip- viated to dec, dep. depositus, sep. sepidtus, are the tions. most common designations of Christian interment. The Greek KATAeECIC is most nearl}' synonymous. Rather it would be more strictly correct to say that this is the original word, since the Greek language is usually the earlier in Christian inscriptions of Rome, and dejwsitus may be looked upon as the adequate transla- tion of the Greek KATA9ECIC. It is generally agreed that the primary idea of these words is here preserved, namely, that of a temporary deposit, in distinction from the idea of a per- Signiflcance. '^lAi i-iii i n raanent and final act, which the heathen generally ex- pressed by the w ordi positns and composltus. This is not an unim- portant fact when the view of death entertained by the pre-Constan- tine Church is considered. No. 5 has few distinguishing marks of a Christian inscription. Its fulsome characterization of the offices and relations of the de- ceased is not in harmony with the usual simplicity of the second or third century. The fact that he was of the emperor's household as well as his freedman is clearly stated ; but that a Christian should receive appointment to these important offices at the hand of a very cruel and profligate ruler has given rise to doubt as to the Christian Christians In di^racter of the inscription itself. It is, however, sup- Kovernmentai posed that here, as in case of other well known examples, this libertinus may have, quietly, and unknown to his patron, maintained his associations with the Christian Church, yet, from his superior fidelity to the duties of his offices, have been a favorite with the emperor. Some aid to understand No. 5 is fur- nished by the very mutilated inscription on the back part of thi> sarcophagus, in which this name of Prosenes again occurs. By this means the Christian character of the monument is proved. The ex- pression receptusdd Deiim. is not found in pagan ei)igraphy. No. 6 connects with its inscription two well-accepted Christian decessitI [Dip]ra MAVRELIO AVGG LlBfROSENETl A CVBICVLO- AVG• P R 0 C • T H E 5 A V R 0 R V |V, PROC-PaTRIMONI-PKOC- MVMERVM-PROC-VINORVM ORDIMATOADlvOCOMMODO IN KASTREN5E PATROMOPI ISSIMO LIBEKTJ -BENEMERENTl .';aR CO PHAGVM DE SVO ADORNAVERVNT • KATAGCCIC $ AAIANHC AN ?.U TlCLMARClA,\r\'5ET CORMELIAHILARITAS COR.VELIAEFAVLAEPAR FECRQVAE VIX A,VN-X-DIEB Vlll-DEC-X-KAL-AVG-MAX FT VRPC05 0 <^@^ X PRojfNts RtC£PTVS ADPEVM-V'NON NlA-PRACSEWTt-tT' t«TRICA70-Tl BtmfOIENSIN VRBEiAatXPEDm 0M8VJ SOvlFSlTAMI'ELIVi Llfi AN y.is AVRELIA OVLCISSIMA FILIA QVAE DE SAECVLO RECESSIT VIXIT AiVMXV-M-Illl- SEVERO ET QVINTIN-C05S- /^N 2i*6 C€nTIMIOC- nPAiTfEiATOt nAIKtAioi-ot » 0 AOTAOC • TOT bicT aZICl5C /31uoa< or M€T6N0HCA KAN GOae COl mePCTHCA KAi GrKAjOicTHCO) -TO) ONOMATl COrTlkfiux TH\ ^rx-h^ tCi) e€OJ • TPIANTA TPICOi/ huv es • MHNCDN . GTMePITCOOrPANlA etPATHP • HPCOAHC APMGNIA-^RAIKITaC' aiafa • P^riNA K.CONQBEM QOIVQONO ifRimo lOPAX 1'LA.TE v.- Epiiiiplis from llrsi halt ut Tbini Ceuiury EARLY CHRISTIAN EI'IGRAI'IIV. 263 symbols, thus furnishing evidence of its character, wliile its date, A. D. 234, is well ascertained by the consular indications. No. 7 also has its consular date clearly inscribed. Without such positive information, other characteristics of the inscription would suggt-st a somewhat earlier origin. The expression Dulcisainia lias generally been regarded as of a very early date — usually pertaining to the second century, yet not confined to it. The phrase de suvculo recessit is somewhat peculiar, but finds illustration in other monuments, even in some that are non-Christian, It probably is to he under- stood in the sense of this condition, state, or life, in contrast with that upon which the departed has entered. In the fragment No. 9 there is little of special interest except the word dormit. It is hardly ever found in the classical ei)igiai)liy, and then in a sense radically different from that which the Christians attached to it. Much has been said about the doctrinal import of this terra. It has been quoted in support of the opinion -j.^^ siirnia- that the common teaching of the Church of the third canee of dw- century was that there was a slumber of the soul between death and the final resurrection. Such use of a term in epigraphic study would hardly be justifiable. It must be taken in connection with other and equall}'^ important expressions which would \w\\\\. to a contrary doctrine. When we consider the terms riiui.'i, hioas, vives, etc., and the accompanying words, in Deo, in (J/iristo, etc., we should hesitate to build on such a form as dormit a whole doctrinal fabric respecting the intermediate state of the dead. It seems more probable that b}^ the word donnit there would be con- veyed something of the same significance as by the term in pace ; a condition so grateful to the toiler, watcher, and soldier aftiT the severe labors and conflicts of life are over. Two expressions in No. 10 arrest attention: O AOTAOC TOT GeoT, and nAPedwKfi THN ^'TX??v T£2 GEfi. The whole inscription is worthy of stud}^ Nos. 13 and 14 are good examples of the inele- gant and careless style of very many of the Christian inscriptions. They would indicate both great haste in the execution carelessness m of the chiseling, and a great want of culture and taste preparation o* „ , , nil e A.^ II' Inscriplious. on the part of the sculptors. 1 lie presence ot tlie roll in No. 13 may have reference to the teaching work of the deci'ased. Tin- reference of the urn is obscure, but the expression ///. Dto pax is full of rich suggestion as pertaining to a monument belonging jirobahly to the third century. Plate VI, which is designed to be a collection of niouuinents whose inscriptions are more or less dogmatic in character, is als«. from the Christian Museum of the Lateran palace, Uomc. It lias hccii 264 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. claimed that the 20,000 Christian inscriptions preserved at Rome Fewness of in- are not moi'e than one seventh part of those which sur- scriptions of a yiy^. j^^^^ Qf ^{^[^ lar^e number very few are of doc- dogmatic char- ' '^ p , . acter. trinal significance. Generally the statement of doctrine is not direct, but the belief is left to be inferred. In noticing the inscriptions of this plate we are impressed with tlie ardent wish that the departed may live with God, or in Christ; Ardent longinff clearly pointing to a faith in the conscious union of the for future life, dead with the Divine in the future world. In the great variety of forms, bives, vibes, ZH, vibos, bibas, vive, is expressed the longing desire, the earnest prayer. The companionship of the new life after death, in Deo, Deo, EN 0Ei2, in Domino Zesu, in (J/iristo, in -5F, is real, and with the source of all life and joy. There seems to be no thought of Avaiting for a full fruition to be realized in some far-off, indefinite future, but of a present, immediate bless- edness in the enjoyment of all that is implied in being absent from the body and present with the Lord.' The frequent recurrence of the in pace is a further indication of other indica- the assurance which the j^romises of Christ have in- iief°^iQ°^a*^con^ spired, that the departed one is in a condition of repose, tiuued life. Moreover, the use of refrigeret implies a state of blessed activity such as is so significantly conveyed by the thought of spirit- ual refreshing. I'he various methods of indicating the immediate, active, conscious happiness of the soul after death leave no doubt with respect to the supporting power of the belief of the early Christians in the promise of Christ to his disciples: "I go to prepare a place for you, . . . that where I am ye may be also " (John xiv, 2, 3). ^ Again, the expressions in eternum, EI2 AIS2NA, indicate that this .\Jso life in per- lif t% this peace, this refreshment with God and with Christ petuity. tiie Lord are to be in perpetuity. "And they shall reign for ever and ever " (Rev. xxii, 5). The power of this faith in the immediateness and perpetuity of the promised fruition might well keep them steadfast, inmiovable, loyal to their divine Master, and ever ready to attest this loyalty by a martyr's confession.- Damasus occupied the pontifical chair from A. D. 366 to A. D. 385. The Damasene His zeal for the Church was well-nigh consuming. For inscriptions. the nmrtyred heroes who had witnessed their faith by suffering he entei-tained a veneration akin to worship. The graves of these faithful ones were hallowed spots. His earnestness was so ' These monuments .sliouUl be studied in connection with those bearing the expres- sions "dormit," "dormuil," etc. * The quiditic^ition of these statements has already been given, v. p. 254. EARLY CHRISTIAN EPIGRAPHY. 265 great that the practice of burial in the cemeteries, whicli had been largely discontinued, once more became almost universal at Rome. He was careful to decorate the principal cemeteries with Ix-autifully prepared inscriptions, in which were found high eulogiuins of the martyred saints, and his restorations of the tombs of the worthies were rich and characteristic. These inscriptions have a character so marked that they are readily distinguished by the Their riiarac- skillful epigraphist. They have great regularity, are terisUcs. most beautifully and sharply chiseled, and have been preservetl in much of their original integrity. Often they become the means of positive dogmatic statements, from which an almost complete credo might be framed. While the panegyric is often extrava- gant, it is nevertheless tempered by a spirit of love and venera- tion that disarms criticism and awakens lively synn)athy. Liv- ing at a time when the purity of the Christian faith had been greatly menaced, and when the severe morality of the pre-Constan- tine period had yielded to the current worldliness, it is not won- derful that this zealous leader found delight in calling the atten- tion of a decaying age to the self-sacrificing lives of saints who had made the Church illustrious in the days of its sorest persecutions. Plate YII gives a good idea of these inscriptions. The clearness and regularity of the incisions, as well as the metrical character of these epitaphs, are manifest. Also from No. 4 may be seen the results of the painstaking work of de Rossi in collecting the mi- Tiie method of nutest fragments of marbles bearing these Damasene complements, inscriptions, and afterwai'd completing the slab by most careful adjust- ments. By this means valuable historic materials have been obtained to supply man}^ deficiencies in the record. It will be noticed that even the remarkably clear and beautiful inscription, No. I, omits some let- ters, leaving t'lem to be easily supplied by the reader. It is ad(b-essed to St. Agnes, and is a curious commingling of faith and poetic enthu- siasm. Whether we are to regard this address as an in- pmyers to the vocation to the saint, after the manner of the classical dead, writers, or as an e.vpression of veneration, it is plain that here is a clear indication of faith in the iiifiiuMice of the dead upon tlu' fortunes of the living. No. 2 is written in honor of the martyrs, Feli.v and Adauctus. Nos. 8 and 4 are from the crypt of Kusebius of the cemetery San Calisto — No. 4 being a restoration of the fifth or sixth century from numerous fragments found in this cemetery. The vertical in- scription in the margin on each side the main one gives the nam*' of him who prei)ared the work — Furius Dionysius Pliiloculus, the enoraver to Damasus. The monument is of special inten-si in it'll- 266 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. iiig what is not elsewliero found; namely, that the pope Eusebius, A. D. .no, (lied in exile in Sicily, whither he was banished by Max- The terms for entius. It is notable that three terms are here used in chief pastor. connection with Eusebius and Damasus: episcopos, rector, and pappa. Much discussion has been had respecting the meaning of these words, and respecting the time when the word pappa first became the official characterization of the head of the Western Church. The word rector implies a degree of authority, but can hardly be claimed to carry with it undisputed and irresponsible au- thority. It was at times applied to simple cures. The word pappa seems at first to have been used to designate the sj^iritual relation- ship of those who had been especially helpful as advisers. The term was applied to numerous bishops in both West and East, and was not the exclusive title of the Bishop of Rome. De Rossi has affirmed that it was originally a title of endearment rather than of dignity. The term episcopos is the proper official designation of the chief officer of the Church, both in the time of Damasus and with his successors. This is the term whose meaning is fixed and definite, about which no doubt can be entertained. No. 9 has given occasion for much discussion as to its teaching. Number of "^^^^^^ epigraphists (Marchi notably) have claimed that martyrs not reference is here made to the great multitude of victims taught. ^^,jjQ perished during the persecutions, and it has been cited in proof of this opinion. But it would be unwarrantable to press the teaching of this inscription too far. The manifestly pan- egyric character of the writing may well suggest caution in the in- terpretation; yet it is instructive in revealing the enthusiastic spirit of this noted bishop in caring for the memory of those who had so faithfully witnessed for Christ. The eleven inscriptions of Plate VIII ' are from the last half of the fourth century. They are of fixed date, this being determined by the consulates mentioned in the inscriptions themselves. They extend Characteristics from A. D. 360 to the close of the century. The char- of inscriptions acteristics of the epigraphic monuments of this period of the last half i & i r of the fourth have been most carefully studied, especially by de Rossi, century. j^ jjig exhaustive work ^ he has given the following as among their distinguishing marks: Frequent recurrence of the mon- ogram of Christ in the Constantinian form, ^; the use of the cruci- form style of this monogram, ^\ the associa'tion with it of the A fl; the general absence of the symbolic anchor and fish; the continuation of the doves; and an almost exclusive use of the Latin language on ' Reduced from Plate Ixii, vol. ii, of Roller's Les Catacombes de Rome. * Jioma Sutkrranea, t. iii, p. ;!00. 1 MMAKEFERTSA-NCTOSDVDVMHEXVUSs'Et'ARilSlTP? A GVVEr^CVVltVCVBRESCAPvrrvsrrVBACONCREPVISSrT ^^*fAS\ ElTOMJQVISSt r V E I 1. A M SPOrviTEnrRVClSCALCASSFMINASHABIEMQ-TYBAVMI yaEREC VMFL A VITS^ | S V O LV » S S F-TrsfoBl LFCOR TVS VTRIBINIM EMS VVIPAHVISS V HER A S S E TTTVIOR E M NIVDAQVEPHOF V SVMCRINFVlPERMCVlBUADEniSSE NEUOVIINJlTfcVlPLVVIfACIESPERITVnAVIDEKrr OVEN.E R A NOA VII HISAVC17VMDFC\ SAIMAIA U'RIS VTDAMASIPBECl^^AVEAbPK^COHlNClYlAMAHrVfi OSEMFL ATQV E I T E R VVl V f ROUFNOMtX EF t LIX QVIINJTFMER ^T/\FlDtCO^TEMr'TOPRINCIPEM-VNDI CONIFESSV-^CHRlSTVMCOtLES FIARfcC V A PI TISTI OVERErRETI OS^FlDE>;(;OCNOSClTErKATRES QVAADC A tLVMVICTORPARtTERPKOPP'»A\ ll^DAVCTVS PRESBY r E Kins VtRVSUA V1ASOKLCTOF;EIVBEN.-Tf COMPOSVITT VM VI.v'MSA^.CTORV^1LI\1l^ AAi:)CBNJANlS {DAMA5VSEP1SCOPVSFECIT i HtR/VCLlVSVtTvrTlABSOSPECCATADOltRt • , tvStBrvSVIlStROSDOCVlTsvACBtMINAFltRr ? { 'sc I N dtTv b 1 ^PA rTcspop V Lvsciisc r^•Tc r v ror t ; StDlTlOCAEDESBtlLN'VIOISCORDlAllTtS i '«)rt'rW»«>PARlTEBP\LiirCRjTATcTrRANM > NTtCR^VMRECTORSfRVARtTrOtOrBAPACIS [ XtljPRlTRlMACRlOM VNDV,MVlTA.V10RtLltJ'>'lT ' jVSEBlOEPISCOPOETVtARTYRl '] ii DAMAbV^tPISCOPvSFtCl T ', T •HfRACUVWfTVITLABSOSPKC/.TAOOLl'R ( ' ] (EVStB/VSWSfPpSDOCVITSVMCKlMlHAFLf h I h [sciKiDrrvRn<.RT£spofvivsci.iscfNTTvhprE A hfDlnoCAEOiEHlVMD^CORD'l/rnrTES /j i i X-tMPlorAnirfWVl^irFERlTAT^JUlAI.ti/ i • !N riC,IUZ^rTY-| 'fh prsi'ir.iTv^Oi; -vE I iiiiM(?i;Tri.i.n\y/ C VMPtRITVRACETAEPQiVlS^ENTCASTRR^Vtsvkof MOV ERVNTSANCTISBBILANEFAN DAPhl v s ISTAQVESACRILE C QfV E R-TtSVNtCOR R I ^^F vlrMK* M AR T Y Rl fiVSQVOflD- A RICA bA.SJ 1 NONE VII FHOCDA V1ASViCOM,\4yNlLECL£5EPVLTOi POSTREQVI EMTR 1ST ES ITER VmJpeHSOLVE REPOENA.S PROTINVSADGRF SSX'SM ACN V \i SVPEKARF LABDREM ACCERI SINM FNSIDEIF C I r C\ LMINANVONTIS INT I MAS OLLICITESCRVTATN SS'ISCERATERRAE SICC AV ITTOT VMOVIDQVqDMADEFtCERATHVMOR INVErslITFONTtMFRAt B F TQVIDO.N.ASA LVTIS HAE CCV RAVI T ME RC VRl VSLF VITA FIDtLIS \J H tCCONGESTAI A rrTQVAEKTSSrlVR'B ATPIOnyVl GO ft PO R AS^NCJOR IVl RETin ENfvE NL R A>DAS eR'LCJA SV Rl I M ES A.N 1 Mfi.S R^ PVI r5l^4^ R E C I A (^ A'E Ll « IGCOM ITSXYSfl POftiTANJQVI £XnOSThOPAEA HlC^A/^^RSPROCC»VMSEAvVTlQviALTAHrXxf7 HlCPO^rrNrSL6KrGAV4XTTci^llNHAC«:sAeRl--)©^ H rdcjO NirEhSOntort on the part of the sculptor. But it certainly argues that what had once been deliberately chosen as signiticant of the nat- ure and person of Christ continued, however unconsciously, to be accepted by the Christians of the fourth century as expressive of their faith in the eternity of that Lord in whose peace tlieir dejjarted dead now rested. The semper quiescis secura and dormit of No. 2, the r<o. 0 recall the (picstion whether these shall be regarded of dogmatic import, or an- only ex- pressive of the current belief of Christians in the (piiet repose of the actor after the struggles of this earthly scene are passed. In Nos. 5, 6, V, and S, the high eulogistic character of many of ' Roller: Calucombvs de Home, T. ii, p. 81. 268 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. the inscriptions of this period is ilhistrated. The udroe .sapieidce, Eulogistic *'6'^^i^cr cce^esifi'a qucBrens, optima sercatrix leyis,Jideique character of ill- mcujistra dedlt, hlc tumulus lacrlmas retinet, etc., are scnptions. -^^ strong contrast with the simple and expressive in pace or the hie jacet of the second and third centuries. In No. 8 are the clear-cut workmanship, the regularity of the lettering, the equality of the lines, as well as the high paneg^nic of the Damasene inscriptions, to which allusion has elsewhere been made. No. 10, of the year 397 A.D., is interesting as a genuine palimp- sest; since on the back is seen another inscription, Leo et Statia vivi J'ecei unt, while beneath the niai)i Latin insci'iption is found a Greek one inverted, of good characters, and evidently of a date much earlier than the last. It reads ETTTXIANfi A0rA£2 GEOT IO?;AIANH CTN (6iw). Thus on the same slab are found the purer Latin, the much earlier and almost classical Greek, and over it again the later and corrupt Latin. This monument would also suggest that the language of the early Cliurch was the Greek. An interesting class of objects in epigraphical science are tlie (iraifitL They are very widelv diffused both in pati^an Tlie graffiti. f , ^ • ■ ri^i and Christian monuments. Ihey are more mimerous in those places to which pilgrims and devotees resorted for worship and meditation, where the sanctity of the persons interred, or the in- spiring memories of the scenes, transform the spots into holy shrines. Marked examples of such graffiti are met in many parts of the Orient, where original inscriptions have been in a degree effaced by others of a later date, and these in turn by still others.' The examples on Christ- ian monuments and in sacred spots are veiy numerous, but the diffi- culty of deciphering them becomes very great, and many valuable facts, undoubtedly concealed under the commingling of characters, still elude the ingenuity of the epigraphist. In some portions of the Christian catacombs of Rome the graffiti have been studied with great zeal, especially by de Rossi, who has given a resume of results in his noted work.^ As in the case of pilgrimages to heathen fanes the devotee was accustomed to inscribe a vow or a prayer, or to leave a record of his visit on or near the ' Notable examples are found at Doo; River, in Syria, Persepolis, and in many parts of Egj'pt. "Those faintly cut emblems of Sesostris, those stern, oold soldiers of Ciialdea, those inscriptions in Persian, Greek, Latin, and Arabic, each embodies a history of itself, or rather tells of one written elsewhere, which we long to possess." Thomson: The Land and the Book, vol. i, p. 59. For Persepolis see especially Fer- gusson : History of Architecture. "^Borna Sotterranea: t. ii, tav. xx.\ii and xxxiii. p INl SEP C rHEODOl* REQVEVIT INPACEDIEPR10IENO^I^ rv;iANo Ave mi et SALVSTIO COHS (.VPICINO ET lOVI/MOC VICTORIES Q AM XXV MARITO FECIT AN XIII ET PVOICITIA OMNIBV ^,A®.. IIRE, SAPIENT lAE. A^j9END0.QUIUIXII, ANM^PLVJS M1N,LXXII. CUMUXORE, FECIT. ANN-XXX,DEPOSIT^S XUl KALrOCTOB^DN ^R,^_ ANO. AV&lltTPaCiBOCON '"^S»< /0(/a,iTA imdci iAUMMu ^EO-ETj-MTiAVl^/Tcm ""■".-', VSTERR^.pOvs-^^j.^^^f/;^";* ' p ' E NOOm CVA\ - |,VMINE- y.AKO 4j SQVAETESEAAPERCEO-DKACTIlt ^ HE5PE«lvs"ir..^;yi,'4-^^™'-"N- QVEMAMICEDEfifN^ DUfTMQlIQMM:? PBOraNCVNVMOKASVBC ILEMQymsVERIS TrriMMaVISTI/'ETEM.I SCWSAfAAmiSllllxl-HU DDNNGMTIAN OYSjri 'iKEaviFMfracra. NDASOTOBMS kiCNTivs HicGrK\n,q3aEsai SE0pOS10AJ.VGG THEODORA QVE VIXIT ANN05 X DXXIIIINPACE^fsrTTso AMPLIFICAM SEQVITJJUVITAMDVMlCAJSTA AERODITE EECIT AD »ST«. A VMM CHRISTI MOjDOCAVDETINAV^l RESTITIT HAEC MV SE.UfES CAELESTIAQyAERENS OPTlMteERVATRIX LECIS I ,.. MA&liTRAjDEDITEGREklAMSANCTISrERicVLnJMINTEMlNDE/HEXIM'lOSPAR/ REC.HA7 OIiORES<.TeApOR£ CONTINVO V!ERWANr;yBI GRAMINA RIVI5 tXPECTATQVE CEVM S/JpeRASQVOSVRCAtaDAVRAsIhOC POSVIT COMVS TVMVLO MORrALIAUNQVEMSI fVNDAVlTOVE I.OCVAA CONIvfjXEVAC-.i .«.TAHS MAXIMA IN PACAECLAEVIXITAM NVsri-VSAMMvsxxxvcoN ss DOMINISNOSTArSONOWonnosEllv, TiCIANOqONSPRlDIAENONASSEPTEJVBHES ANTONIO ETS 5IACRI0C0I L;|ViDLO0VAfiAVTSJLtA^ ^ICTW[VLVSL -.rAEFVEHATl OSCEPABENTVl F.RELVCEM fLATt. Vill — Epllatilis EARLY CHRISTIAN EPIGRAPHY. 289 sacred shrine, so also in visiting the burial i)laces of saints and martyrs the pilgrims were desirous to indicate their feelings. Fig. 123 is a representation of a small wall surface in the cryjit of San Sisto in the cemetery of San Calisto, at Rome. The marks seem to be mere scratches upon the mortar, or in some instances are in pigment. The variety of forms in the letters, the different languages, Latin and Greek, and sometimes the almost In San Calisto. FiK. 133.-GranUi from papal crypt, Sail Sisto, Rome. barl)arous vernacular of a later time, make a jumble of (hates, of sentiments, and of experiences which, if unraveled, might doubtless furnish valuable historic truths to su])ply the hiatuses now so pain- fully felt. The portions whicli have been (h'ci])herc(l arc cnliicly harmonious with the sentiments exjiresscd in the wi'll-un(lerst]iears with equal arms cnclo-ie 1 in a circle. It is not eas}-- to determine how far this may be regartk^d as of Sj'-mbolic import. The extreme sciiool of syndjolists woidd see 270 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. Fig. 124,— Cross in circle with inscriptions. in such forms the teaching of the eternity of the ])erson symbol- ized, as well as tiie continuance in perpetuity of the doctrine and k i n g d o m Avhich He has established. In Fig. 124 we have an example from the first quar- t e r of the tifth century. Probably it was part of a burial mon- ument, and the legend in the circle was descriptive of the persons com- memorated, while the two arms of the cross bear the quite common deposlta in pace, and the agre of the deceased. Unfortunatelv, the mutilated condition of the inscription prevents its satisfactory interpretation. Fig. 125 furnishes an example of the value Epigraphicand of archfeological I'emains in the pictonai aids illustration of obscure points in to history illus- _ _ J^ trated. history. It is a small column found in 1874 among the ruins of the Ba- silica San Petronilla, Rome.' This ruined basilica has already been described (see pp. 174-1V6) as situated above the cemetery of San Domitilla, and seems to have been built on account of the peculiar sanctity of persons interred beneath. In former times this was known as the Cenieterium DoruitillcB, Nerei et AcJiillei, ad Petronillani Via Ardeatinci. The reasons why Nereus, Achilleus, and Petronilla should be thus associated wath this cemetery were difficult to find, until the discovery of this column and a small frag- ment of a like column with faint indications of the representation of a scene similar to that depicted in Fig. 125. Here is clearly a martyrdom. The pursuing soldier with the deadly weapon Avould slay the retreating victim, ACILLEVS. The further indication of martyrdom is the crown above the cross, the frhimpJnis CJiristi, •' It had fallen through the pavement of the basilica into a lower gnller}' of the cemetery, v. Figs. 76, 77. Fig. 125.— Column from the Basilica of Petronilla. Martyr- dom of Achilles. EARLY CHRISTIAN EPIGRAPHY. 271 which is the symbol of the maityi's August] : Op. cit, B. v, c. 4, ii. * V, Uhlhorn: Conflict of Christianity with Heathenistn,^. 24.. Merivale: Hist. <\f tfu Romans under the Empire, vol. vl, p. 232. EARLY CHRISTIAN POETRY AND II Y.MXOLiXJY. 277 iiiultiplyiiig Bibles, hyiunbooks, ciitt'cliisiiis, etc-., \>y means of the art of printing. The partial exclusion of the private meniliers of the early Chiireli from particii)atioii in the singing is attrilmtable far more to their want of training in the arts of poetry and music than to the arbi- trariness of church officials. While by the fourth century the new religion had made very wide and important co!ioems have been preserved. While he had a reputation among his con- temporaries for great poetic gifts, his poems were but |)oorly adapted to the public religious services, and have never been incor- porated into the authorized collections of the Eastern Church. His influence as a writer of hymns seems to have been considerable, but it was oreatly lessened by the introduction of the philosophic adages ot the pagan schools, and by his too careful imitation of the style of the heathen poets.* In his hymns Platonic notions obscure and well-nigh supplant Christian doctrine. While the surviving poems of Gregory, Synesius, Euthimius, and Sophronius exhibit considerable regularity, and some may be re- duced to metrical order as of anapests and iambics. Decadence of Greek poetry had already fallen into decay, and the sutn-a poetry. Eastern Church had yielded to the prevalent artiflciality and clamor for the strange and the extravagant in poetic form anlantino2')Ie mm V bis XIJ Jahrlmndert. Berlin, 1854. EARLY CHRISTIA:^ ROETRY AND IIVMNOLOGY. 2S:j chauts of this church during the first six centuries furnishes little that can worthily compare with the richer and more devotional spirit of the West.' §4. The Poetry and IIijiiDiology uf the Western Church. To estimate the originality and creative power of the poets of the Western Church it is necessary to make careful discriminations. The ecclesiastical poetry of the first centuries is divided into two distinct classes; namely, the descriptive or narrative, t„-o kinds of frequently employing high panegyric, and the lyric, sacreu poeiry. which took the form of sacred hymns and songs.* The first con- forms quite closely to the then prevalent type and spirit. This style only had been successfully cultivated by the later Roman poets. Both heathen and Christians alike imitated the writers of the classic period, who had made the exploits of gods and heroes the theme of their noblest verse. The descriptive and nar- rative poetry of the Roman world during the first three Christian centuries is, however, characterized by an extravagance of panegyric which is almost entirely wanting in the literature of the golden age. Nor are the Christian writers of the same period seem- ^ ^igii pane- ingly more chaste in style or more sober in the treatment f^y'^^- of their themes. The lives and fate of their martyred heroes and saints being the favorite subjects which they treat, their style is en- tirely conformable to heathen models. To make known to the world the history of those who had given their lives to attest the verity of the new religion, to exhibit the miglity supporting power and completest victory of faith, and to awaken in others a burning zeal for the truth as it was in Jesus, were the high aims of these ' From the splendid qualities of the Hellenic mind, and from the rich inheritance which the Greeks of the first centuries liad entered into, we might antecedently ex- pect much from the hymnology of this churcli. Tiiose expect-vtions are, however, sadly disappointed. Tiie classic age of hymnology in tiie Eastern Churdi did not begin before about A. D. 650, lience lies outside of the period of our inquir}'. The iconoclastic controversy gave inspiration to the hymnology. Tliis Greek snored poetry is of immense volume, filling, according to Neale {v. Ilijiuns of the Eastern Church, Introduction, p. xli), 4,000 closely printed, double-column quarto pages. Tliis mass of material is becoming somewhat bolter known to the West through llie devoted labors of Neale in England, Canliual Pitra in Italy, Vormbanm (Donirr.s Thesaurus, vol. iii) and Christ in (Jormany. Yet the judgment of Nealo with regard to the Menmi (tiie books containing the services for each month) is generally accepted as just: "They contain a deluge of worthless compositions; tautology till it becomes almost sickening; the merest commonplace again and again decked in the tawdry shreds of tragic language, and twenty or thirty times repeating the same thought in slightly varying terms." v. Op. cU., 4ih od., p. 88. 'Bahr: Geschichle der romische LUerntur, bd., iv, §1. 284 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. narrative and descriptive poems. Somewhat later is noticed a ten- dency to set the Christian doctrine to i>oetic measure, Christian doc- ^ . . . , rii trine iu poetic and to clothe the biblical narratives m poetic garb, lo ^"'"™' supply the lack of copies of the sacred books, their most important truths were taught to the Christian congregations in the poi)ular hexameter verse. The chief difference between the lieathen and Christian poets was that the latter adhere strictly to the truths of history, and there was in their writings a spirit which could be inspired only by a system that cared for the sufferings of humanity, and could cast light on the destiny of the race.' The other class of Christian poetry was wholly different. Even Lyric poetry an in the goldeu age of Roman literature lyric poetry seems exoticiuRome. ^q have been an exotic,^ while during the first period of the history of the Christian Church it had become almost totally neglected : it was revived through certain noted poems which belong to its hymnology. It was animated by a spirit wholly novel, and it evinced a noteworthy richness and originality. Its Hich character introduction into the common services of the Church of Christian required that it be simple, earnest, and populai". Some lyric. ^^ ^Yi^ descriptive and narrative poetry of the fourth century is in imitation of the masters of the best period of Roman literature, while the lyrics are original not only in their spirit and depth of feeling,^ but in their rhythmic forms as well. In this species of literature the Christian Church of the fourth c-entury stands out in bold and honorable relief.'' The poems sometimes ascribed to TertuUian, because in some manuscripts they are associated with his name, are probably the production of a later author. Several works of this nature, as ' "The old liymns, from Ambrose to Gregory the Great, still bear in their earnest and powerful lineaments the portrait of the conquering martyr period of the Church. Their entire content is derived from the new and sublime view of the world which, in opposition to the scope of lieathen i bought, sustained and filled the souls of the Christians. Subsequently there was developed much that was more delicate and cul- tiu'ed, but seldom, if ever, has there been seen any thing of greater purity and sim- plicity." Wackernagel : Das deufsche Kirchenlied, Treface. '^Biilir: Gesch. d. rom. Lit, Bd. iv, s. 2. *Bahr: Op. cit, Bd. iv, s. 10. AugusU: Denkwiirdu/keiten, Bd. v, s. 292. *"The hymnology of the Western Church may be conveniently divided into th:ee Three eras of principal eras. The first, wiiich, borrowing a term from architecture. Latin hym- we may name the Romanesque period, extends to the conclusion of no ogy. (.]jg pontificate of Gregory the Great, and is, as a general thing, dis- tinguished by the absence of rhyme. ... In this period the Church was unsliack- ling herself from tlie fetters of metre; in the second she was bringing out all the ca- pal)iliiics of rhyme; in the third she submitted to tlie slavi.sh bondage of a revived paganism." Nealc: Mediceval Hymns and Sequences, Loxxdon, 1851, Introduction. EARLY CHRISTIAN POETRY AND IIYMNOLOGY. 28.-> Marcio, clejucUcio Domini, Genesis, iSodoma, etc., both from inti-r- Jial evidence of style and content, as well as from posi- poems atirtb- tive testimony, must be assigned to a period considerably ^^^ ^ '^'^^' , , ^ . "^ tiilllan not gen- later than tljat of Tertullian. Many poems bcarint^ his nine. name can no more be attributed to him than to Vir<^il or Homer.' If this opinion is well founded, then must Coramodianus, who lived about A. D. 220-250, be regarded as the earliest Latin /ii-j- ,1 ,1 1 T9T- Coinmodlanus. C/hristian j)oet whose works have been preserved.'' v eiy little is known of his personal history. According to his own testi- mony, he was a native of Gaza, of heathen parentage, but by the reading of the sacred Scriptures was converted to Christianity. From his use of the Latin language and his manifest acquaint- ance with its literature we infer his Roman descent. Even the place of his labors is not certaiidy known, but his zeal for Chris- tianity, as against both Jews and heathen, is apparent in the poems which have been preserved. Only two are known to exist: the Instructio)ies, and the Carmen Apohf/etictun adversus JudcBOS et Gentes. The former, Avhich appeared about A. D. 249,^ shows a careless indifference to the laws of prosody, and appeals to the tastes of the less educated classes. It is, as its name indicates, a collection of teachings, in acrostic forai, addressed in part to the heathen, pointing out the vanity of their worship of the gods, and exhorting them to seek a better system. In part it is addressed to the Jews, to Avin them to Christianity; while the last part is prepared for the Christians them- Ti,eir charac- selves. The whole writing evinces strong moral con- tw and value, viction and Christian zeal for the truth, but contains doctrinal errors which seem to have been disavowed by the Church nutliorities at a later period.* The Carmen Apolof/eticum, a later production, con- sisting of more than one thousand lines, is of somewhat greater value both in style and treatment. It furnishes a valuable contribu- tion to the history of Chiliasm, and of the doctrine of the Trinity during the third century. Several poems have been attributed to the celebrated chiirch father, Lactantius, many of whose writings have been ' ' ' . -. . ... Lactantliis. preserved. These are often bound up with edit kjus oi his works, thus expressing the opinion of the editors respecting their 'Dupin: BUdiotheca nova Audornm Ecrlesicusticorum, i, p. 141. Translation under tlie title A New History of Ecclesia.stiral Writas, vol. i, p. 87. 'Bernhardy: Grundriss dvr romischen Likratur, 5te Art/g.. s. 986. Biilir: Op. cit., Bd. iv, §g 8, 9. •'Teuflel, W. S. : Geschichte der romischen Literatur, 4te. aufl., Leipzig. 18S2, S3. 899-902. r> J Increaslns at- more cherished. Every act was sought to be perpetu- tentioii to lii- ated. The monuments were adorned with inscriptions, "'"K"^'*- and churches covered the spots where the sacred dust reposed. These resting-places of the holy departed became sacred shrines.* Among the most zealous promoters of this work was Dainasus, bisho]) of Rome, Avho was born about the beginning of the fourth century. His zeal for the doctrines and ritual of the Church was wellnigh consuming. To him is attrib- uted the regulation of the morning and evening In'mns. lie was among the most earnest promoters of the hymnology of tlie Latin Church, and zealous for its orderly arrangement. The number of his poems still extant cannot be determined with j;,,,,,,,,.^ and certainty, but more than thirty are of unquestioned ciiaiiKtcr of genuineness. Among these are but two of a lyric '^ >yii>ns. character; one to St. Andrew, the other to St. Agatha. These are constructed upon a model almost entirely unknown to the Chi'istian poetry of that period, since the latter is in rhyme, and has, on this ' According to Xeale he begins tlio second period of LiUin hymnology. * The discussion of tliose attempts belongs to the iiistory of Clnircli cniions and liturgies. Tliese subjects are ably treated in snch works as Bovcridgo: C'"^^- they are compared with the poetry of Ausonius or of Claudianus they are to be preferred both for their perfection of rhythm and earnestness of spirit.'"' They are of the form of iambic dimetre, which seemed best suited to this service, but avoid all attempt at rliyme. They glow with a pure devotion, and place their renowned author very high among hymnologists of the ancient Church. Both Catholics and Protestants have appropriated tliese hymns for the enrichment of tlieir service,^ Very prominent as a poet, and in the discussion of the principles which should regulate poetic writing, was the Spaniard, Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, who flourished in "' *^° '"*' the last half of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. Until his fiftieth year his life was passed in public service, chiefly as an advocate. He then resolved to withdraw from the affairs of state and devote himself exclusively to the Church. In common with so many others of the teachers of the fourth and fifth cen- turies he clearly perceived what service poetry might render for the education and edification of the Christian assemblies, and for the defence of doctrine. His poems were of both a didactic and lyric character. Of his clearly authenticated writings there have been preserved more than ten thousand lines. Of these His works and his Cathemerinon, a collection of twelve hymns origi- theircharacujr. nally designed for daily use in the worship of the Church which the poet frequented, was widely accepted by the Latin fathers, and. incorporated into the earl}' hymnology. These poems are characterized by simplicity of diction, sublimity of thought,* and a 'Daniel: T/iesaur. hymn., Bd. i, p. 12, adds largely to the number griven by tiie Dominicans. Mone : Lateinische IJymnen, Bd. i, has ascribed to liim three others. So also Rambach: Antholorjie, Bd. i, s. 60. and Wackernagol: Das deutiche Kirchenlied, are inclined to increase the number of geiniine Ambrosian hymns. Neale: The Ecclesiastical Latin Poetry of the Middle Ages, reduces them to ten. ^Biihr: Op. cit , Bd. iv. ' Among the most valued of his hymns are the celebrated doxology, Te Deum laudamus, Veni, Redemptor gentium, and Detut Creator omnium. Tlicy liave found their way through translations into many modern collections. His Veni, Rtdempior gentium has been translated by Luther, "Nun kommo. dcr Heiden Heiland ; " by John Franck, " Komm, Heiden Heiland. Losegeld ; " by J. M. Neale, "Come, tliou Re- deemer of the earth ; " by Ray Pahner, " 0 tliou Redeemer of our race." His A solis ortHs cardine has been well translated, v. Schafl": Chrial in Song. * Bahr: Op. cit, Bd. iv, s. 77. 294 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. spirit of ardent piety; they have been cherished by the universal Church as expressive of the believer's richest experiences. His Peristephanon is a like collection of fourteen poems in celebration of the praises of the martyrs who have won their heavenly crown. The growing honor paid to the witnesses for the truth here finds expression. The spirit animating these poems is born of a high and holv faith, but they cannot take rank among the foremost Christian writings of the first six centuries. In his Apotheosis, consisting of one thousand and eighty-five hexameter verses, he attempts to set forth and defend the orthodox doctrine of the true divinity and humanity of Christ as against the Sabellians, the Jews, the Manichieans, the other heretical sects. In his PsycJwtnachia, of about one thousand verses, the conflict of virtue with vice in the human soul is portrayed. This poem contains some truly eloquent passages which rise almost to the intensity of the dramatic. The attempt of Symmachus to reinstate heathen worship, by re- building the altar of Victory, has already been referred to [v. p. GG). The Christian apologist was temporarily successful. But the spirit of the old faith was not thus easily subdued. The too common view that heathenism was already effete is evidently erroneous. A crit- ,, ical examination of the teachings of the leading minds The tenacity o V of heathen of heathen Rome from A. D. 150 to A. D. 450 will show thought. ^Yyqx the number of atheistic and purely materialistic thinkers was quite insignificant. Kven Lucian substantially con- firms this view, though his interest is evidently against it/ Thus while the triumph of Ambrose seemed at the time complete, and Theodosius refused to reinstate the altar of Victory, Symmachus renewed this attempt under the reigns of Arcadius and Ilonorius. This was probaby the occasion for Prudentius to write the Librl duo contrci St/mmadMm, in the first book of which he most zeal- ously defends the excellencies of the Christian faith as against the absurdities and defects of heathen philosophy, and showed that the evils which the empire was suffering were the direct effect of the corruptions and moral delinquencies of the heathen teachei-s. In the second he refutes the arguments of Symmachus." The intelli- gent zeal of the writer appeai-s most conspicuously in this poem. While at times indulging in extravagant statements, it must be ranked among his most vigorous writings. The works of I^i'udentius mark a new period in the history of ' Jnp. Tmgced., quoted by Friedlander : Dwstdhm^en avs. (L SiUengeschichte RoniSy 6te Ausor., Bd. iii, s. 552. «Tcuffeh Op. ciL,_s, 1029. EARLY CriRISTIAN POETRY AND IIYMNOLOGY. 295 Christian poetry. Ills influence was lasting, and tlie ]N[iddle Ages cherished most carefully his poems and imitated his treatment.' His peculiar themes initiated him into an almost uncx- His influence plored department of literature. His early training ])Ut ii^sting. him into sympathy with classical writers, and led him to incorporate into his poems classic constructions. Yet the spirit of the new religion and the. sublimity of the themes introduce into these poems a novel and, at times, almost grotesque inharmoniousness.'^ Wliili* his talent was so great, it was, however, insufficient to found a new school of poetry.^ Another eminent writer of the sixth century, whose j)oems have been preserved in the hymnology of the Church, was Venantius Fortunatus. Both from the references found in the works of Gregory of Tours and of Paul Diaconus, as well as from his own writings, we gain a fair idea of the char- acter and works of this renowned Christian poet. The date of his birth is unknown. According to his own account he was educated in Ravenna, the seat of superior schools for training the young in the principles of the Roman law. He afterward journeyed into Austrasia, where he became the friend and adviser of King Sigibert. He wrote the KpithalaiHiam on the occasion of the marriage of Sigibert with Brunihild, daughter of Athani- gild, king of the West Goths. Soon after he was appointed superior of a cloister of nuns at Poitiers. Here he took up his residence, and became bishop of Poitiers toward the close of his life. He died in the latter part of the sixth century, and was buried in the Basilica of St. Hilarius. He was of noble character, and his name was held in highest veneration by the media'val Church. His poems, like those of most of his con- „, temporaries, were largely narrative and panegyric, tiieir ciiiiracter In this respect, as well as in the form of his poetry, *° " '"'*"'^®- he was in harmony with the fashion of the time. Of the eleven books of his poems, the largest, as de vita S. Martini, de excidio Thnringim, etc., are descriptive and eulogistic. John of Fritten- heim f^peaks of seventy-seven hymns composed by Fortunatus, but scarcely more than a dozen have been }»rescrved to our time.* Some have gone into the hymnology of the general Church, and are of ' Biihr : Op. ciL. Bd. iv, s. 8G. * Bernhai-dy: Gescli. d. Kmn. Lit., s. 995. 3 SchafT: Christ in Song, lias pronounced tlic Jam mcesta quiesce querela liis master- piece. It has been very beaiitif\illy translated by Mrs. Charles — "Ah I hush now your mournful complainings," etc., and by many others. * Teuffel: Op. cit., ss. 1177-1181. Biilir: Op. cit., Bd. iv, s. 155. 296 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. great excellence and breathe the spirit of a pure devotion. The beautiful hymn on the Nativity, Agnoscat onine s(Bculum, and the two in celebration of the passion of the Lord, Pange lingua gloriosi, and Vexilla regis prodeant, are still greatly prized. Their spirit of simple piety is in strong contrast with most of his de- scriptive poems and panegyrics,' In some of his works there is a close imitation of the style and metre of the earlier classic poets, while occasionally the influence of Claudianus is clearly discernible. Close attention is not always given to the measure and rhythm, while all traces of what we understand by rhyme are wanting. The Church has placed very high value on the few gems contributed by this author to her hymnology. As a theologian, scholar, and pub- licist he held high rank among the men of his century; while as poet he is scarcely excelled by either heathen or Christian of his time. The genuineness of most of the hymns once attributed to Gregory the Great is now questioned. The Veni, Creator Spiritus, formerly reckoned among his noblest productions, is now believed to be the work of another; so, also, the All Saints' hymn, Christe, nostra nunc et semper, the Advent hymn, Christe, redemptor omnium, and the Baptismal hymn, Ora primum tu pro nobis, A few which are believed to be genuine are found in the hymnology of the modern Church. His morning hymn, Eccejam tenuatur umbra, with No. 15 of the appended doxologies, has been translated by Caswell: "Lo, fainter now lie spread the shades of night, And upward shoot the trembling gleams of morn." Other writers, as Augustine and Caelius Sedulius, wa-ote a number of hymns of considerable excellence; but the genuineness of much which was formerly attributed to them has been seriously ques- tioned, and their influence upon the hymnology of the West has been comparatively unimportant. We give six specimens of doxologies used in the Latin Church during the first six centuries. They are taken from Wackernagel's work. Das deutsche Kirchenlied, and are numbered as they there stand: 1. Deo patri sit gloria, Eius que soli filio Cum spirito p'araclito Et nunc et in perpetuum. ' Some of his hymns have been frequently translated, notably by Neale, Caswell, and Mrs. Charles, and have been very widely used by the modern churches. EARLY CHRISTIAN POETRY AND IIVMNOLOGY. 25)7 4. Gloria et liouor dco usque quo allissimo, UiiM patri filioque, iiidito paraclito, Cui laus est et potestas per elerna saicula. 6. Gloria palri ingenilo eiiis que uuigeuiio Una cum sanclo spiritu iu sempiterna sa^cula. 11. Lau!«, honor, virtus, gloria, deo patri cum filio, Saiicio siniiil paraclito in sempiterna stKCula. 15. Pra^stet hoc nobis deltas beata patris ac nati, pariter sancli Spirilus, cuius reboat in oniui gloria ranndo. 18. Sit laus. perennis gloria deo palri cum tilio, Sancto simul paraclito iu sempiterna stecula. 298 ARCILEOLOGY OF CPIIUSTIAN ART. CHAPTER IX. P: A R L Y CHRISTIAN MUSIC. The strict religious education received by every Jew put liim in sympathy with the history, the trials, and the hopes of Educational J 1 J . . . , ^ . value of Jewish his people. 1 he repetition or the synagogue service ceremonies. three times a day, the duty of private prayer, the cere- monial at every meal, the imposing ritual on the occasion of new moons, new years, feasts and fasts, and the great national festivals celebrated with unequaled pomp and solemnity, must have kept alive in every Jewish heart a warm affection for his nation, and thoroughly indoctrinated him in the truths which were regarded as essential to life and salvation.' It is not, therefore, surprising that the converts from Judaism to Christianity were sometimes slow to distinguish between the symbol and the reality, and clung with fondness to what had become so venerable from age, and had per- vaded their history as the chosen people of God. Every part of the temple and synagogue service had been prescribed with the utmost minuteness, and maintained with scrupulous care. It is therefore Hebrew music someAvhat disappointing that no records of the Hebrew •o*^- music have been preserved to our time. The contrary opinion of De Sola ^ relative to the great antiquity of some of the Hebrew melodies, as, for example, " The Melod}^ of the Blessing of the Priests" (No. 44 of his collection), "The Song of Moses" (No. 12 of his collection), etc., can scarcely be accepted by the best historic criticism. It is likewise true that no tune from the first two centuries of the Christian Church has come down to our time. In the absence of actual examples by which a comparison may be ' V. Edersheim : The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, bk. ii, chap. ix. Geikie : Life and Words of Christ, vol. i, chaps, xiii, xiv, Shiirer : The Jewish Church in the Time of Christ, Clark's Foreign Theological Library, vol. ii, §§ 27, 28. ^ Tlte Ancient Melodies of the Liturgy of the Spanish and Portuguese Jevjs, by E. Aguilar and D. A. de Sola, p. 15, ei al. The attempts of Delitzsch: Physiologie tc. Musikinihren Bedeutung fiir die Grammatik, besonders die hebrdische, Leipzig, 1868; Saalschiitz : Geschichte u. Wilrdigimg der BTiisik hie den Hebrdern, Berlin, 1829, and many others, have failed to convince the imprejudiced that any remnant of the old temple music has been preserved. The traditions in the East and West do not at all agree and the methods of service of the Jews in Germany, in England, and ia Spain are widely different. EARLY CHRISTIAN 3IUSIC. 299 instituted, we must betake ourselves to other sources of in formation relative to the early Christian music. The first converts to Christianity were Jews. Tlun- were there- fore entirely familiar with the Jewish forms of worshii). mi e • f 1 /-^i • • First Christians The few notices of early Christian assemblies found in familiar witu the New Testament indicate that the infant Church ^'^'^'*^^ f'^'"'"*- largely observed the services of the synagogue, and that little peculiar or original was at first introduced. Prayer, the reading of the Scriptures, the chanted i)salm, and the exposition and ex- hortation by some chosen rabbi or educated member of the congre- gation constituted the chief features of the Jewish synagogue service. But what was the character of the music then used ? The char- acteristic chanting or singing called caniiUation, so canti nation af- widely practiced by oriental peo^jles, as well as the fix- l".!!;'^,,,,'!!"^ [„ "^e edness of the oriental type both of music and instru- audeui music. ments, might at first sight seem to furnish a suggestion of the probable character of the Hebrew music in the time of Christ. But to suppose that the Jewish music of that period was fhe music practiced in the Solomonic temple service, or even in that of Zerub- babel, would be misleading. By the wide conquests of Alexander Greek influence had been disseminated throughout the subject na- tions. For three hundred years prior to the Advent „ , " , . i . . Greek influ- Greek thought had been powerful in modifying the Jew- ence a power- ish philosophy and literature. Not only in Alexandria '"' factor, and other chief Greek cities where the Jews had congregated, but in Jerusalem, and especiall}^ in Samaria and Syria, this (ircck iuHuence was felt. The Sej)tuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures is a conspicuous illustration of the mutual interpenetration of Greek and Hebrew thought.' ]\Iany of the Hellenistic Jews acquired such aptitude and ease in the Greek i)oetic art that they competed with Greek masters, and produced remarkable p(K'ms whose subjects were derived from their own history and religion. The truths of the Hebrew Scriptures were tlius cast in a (4reek mould. Frequently their teachers assumed the costume of the ancient (4reek i>oets and philosophers. This syncretism of thought continued into the ear- lier years of Christianity, and must have seriously affected the po- etic and musical art of the Jews.' ' For the ex'ont of ihe Dispersion and Us infiiienco on Jewish llionpflit, religious observances and manners, anionj;: others v. Sliiiror: Op. cit, ^ 31: Friedlaiidcr: Die Siltewje-srhicldp. lioms, 1881, ss. 570-584; Westcott: article '^Dispersion," in Smith's Diet, of the Bible. 2 V. Ewald: The IliMnry of Tsrael. translated by J. Estlin Carpenter, London, 1S74, vol. V, pp. 260-2G2, uiid vol. iii, p. 283. '•The music of the temple services was 300 ARCILEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. The old temple service, in which the prescribed forms were ob- The old temple Served with scrupulous inflexibility, served, indeed, as a servile a par- p^i-tJai breakwater to this insetting tide of Greek inno- ticil couserva- i • i i tor. vation. " The old Hebrew music must nave been re- sumed in the new temple of Zerubbabel, and pursued with great zeal. This is plain from the superscriptions of many of the Psalms, which were then collected afresh, and from the historic representa- tions of the Chronicles. But the Greek translators of the Psalter evince only an imperfect and obscure knowledge of the art terms of the ancient music, which clearly proves that the whole of this an- cient art suffered severely through the entrance of Greek music, and by degrees entirely disappeared." ' The purity of the temple service, including music, thus lost under the Greek conquerors, was not recovered under the Roman. The Asmonean princes sedulously cultivated the friendship of their new masters. Only by Roman protection and sufferance, indeed, was this house perpetuated. Moreover, the grand old festivals, which in the time of religious fervor had been celebrated with such pomp, had been partially displaced by others of more recent origin. The Influence of retirement from public life of the most devout sect, the Jewish sects. Essenes, the proud holding aloof from state affairs by the Sadducees during the period immediately prior to the advent, and the obscuration of the law by the teaching of the Pharisees, tended to the neglect of the temple worship, and strengthened the desire for a Graeco-Roman style of music. The magnificent temple of Herod, though reared in accordance with the requirements of the law, and by the encouragement of the priests while wearing their sacred vestments, failed to restore the purity of the service. The temple itself had originated in selfish ambi- tion; its architecture was essentially Greek; its ritual had become contaminated. The first converts to Christianity probably adopted the modified music then in use in the temple and synagogues. The music used in the celebration of the heathen rites could not be tolerated by doubtless conducted on a splendid scale, after Solomon's regulations, in all tlie sub- sequent centuries; and we know for certain that Solomon set a great value on mu- sical instruments of costly workmanship (1 Kings x, 12). . . . All knowledge of it was, however, graduallj^ lost after the Greek period, and cannot now be recovered; for even the Chronicles, from which we derive most light for understanding it, con- tains no more than faint reminiscences of the ancient music." Contra, Martini, G. B. : History of Music, vol. i, p. 350. Saalschutz : Geschichte u. Wiirdigung der Musik bei den Htbraern, § 61. ' Ewald: Op. cit., vol. v, p. 267. EARLY CIIRISTIAX MUSIC. 301 converts who liad been saved from the polluliii':,' [)ructices oT heathenism.' Paul probably refers to the then extant teni]>le and sj^nagogue music when he exhorts the churches wliicli he had The first planted "to be tilled with the Spirit : si)eakinaronius seems to regard it as a positive prohibitioji of the laity to engage in the public singing, thus confining this part of the service to an official class. IJingham^ is inclined to the same view from the fact that from the f)p,„,„„ ^pj^, time of this council the singers were regarded as officers tiveio iiiis ai- of the Church, being called KavoviKol ipaXrai, canonical """" singers. He, however, believes that this was only <»f tcni])orary authority. Neander,^ on the contrary, regards this as nothing more than a prohibition of the laity to attemi>t the office of the ' Jlist. Eccl, 1. ii, c. xix. " Hi prirni, psallentiuin clioris in pnrtcs divisis, liymnos Davidicos alternis canere docnerimt." i'Theodoret saj'S: " Ubiqiie dcincepsobtiiuiit, et ad ultiraos tfrnf fines pervasit " {in loc. cit). ^ Antiquities of the Church, b. iii, c. vii. * History of the Church, b. ii, p. 674, n. 4, Torrey's trans. 304 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. regularly appointed singers in conducting the church music. He believes that such prohibition of the laity to engage in the singing would have been in direct contradiction to the instruction of the most noted Church fathers, as Basil, Chrysostom, etc., and the almost universal practice of the Eastern Churches. The opinion of Nean- der is entitled to great respect, since it seems to find confirmation in the teaching and practice of these saintly men. It is certain that Basil, during his education at Antioch, came to enter- asi opimon. ^^.^ ^^^ ardent love for the forms of worship there preva- lent, so that when he was installed bishop of Caesarea, in Cappado- cia, he introduced the Antiochian music into his own diocese, and greatly encouraged it both by practice and public teaching. From the account preserved in his own writings we may suppose that the singing in the assemblies of Cresarea in Basil's day somewhat re- sembled the informal praise service, or service of song, The character . \ i • t • i i of the singing in modern social religious gatherings, barring the har- service. niony, which was not yet known. Nevertheless, we are not too hastily to conclude that the use of simple melody by an entire congregation was necessarily less effective to awaken re- ligious emotions than the more involved harmonies of later times, since it has often been remarked that by the uncultivated ear the simple succession of sounds may be better appreciated than the more involved, which may be pitched above the popular comprehension.' When he became bishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom likcAvise cultivated the music to which he had earlier become accustomed at Antioch. In the severe contest with the Arians, he, Chrysostom. ti t-. -i n i i i • i i t i like basil and others, used the new music to hold the people loyal to the orthodox faith. But in those times of passion- ate and brutal encounters the services of the Church were fre- quently interrupted by exhibitions of anger and party strife entirely at variance with the spirit of Christian worship. Only with greatest difficulty could the people be restrained even by the entreaties and authority of this most eminent and spiritually minded father. Thus it seems fairly probable that the more serious and success- ful attempts to improve the music of the public services Conclusion. • • . \ • ^ c^ • , ■, -,, loi- originated m the hyrian churches, and that the feyrian modes were to a greater or less extent adopted by the East and West. To St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, has usually been attributed the further reform and improvement of the music which was afterward ' V. "Wallis : Philosophical Transactions (Abridgment), vol. i, p. 618. EARLY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. 30S- extensively used in the Latin cluirc-lies. Tliis attempted modi- fication dates from the last quarter of the fourth century. The Ciottus Ambrosianns has come to be applied to a style of music which Ambrose is said to have arranged for his own Ambrosiaa cathedral, and which, in modified form, is believed by chant, some to have continued in the Western churches to the present time. The subject is beset with difficulties, and opinions are at variance with respect to the originality, nature, and extent of the reform introduced by Ambrose. As to its originality, it must be recollected that the Cliurcli had now emerged from the catacombs, and had received the protection and patronage of the imperial governinent. Instead of obscure upper rooms, private houses, subterranean retreats, or humble churches, the Christians now had well-built and snliMidid ^, ^ edifices, to whose erection even emperors felt honored cmtisiaiices of in making contribution. The circumstances necessi- "i« cimrch. tated a change in the church appointments. The ceremonial now assumed a splendor and an impressiveness before unknown. This, is evident from the notices of contemporary writers both Christian- and pagan, Christianity was now the state religion. Its votaries, occupied the highest positions of trust in the government. Meir thoroughly versed in the heathen philosophy were now high office- bearers in the Church. Prejudice against the literature and the art of heathendom had been greatly allayed. The introduction of art forms into the churches had long ceased to be regarded as sinful or misleading. All that was truly useful and educating was now pressed into the service of Christ, and thus be- came sanctified. Every analogy of the other arts which we have traced is convincing that the Christians of the fourth Appropriation century freely appropriated whatever might contribute "' '""'• to the effectiveness of public worship. If they had not been offended by the statue of Hermes, the ram-bearer, if they had pictured upon the walls of the catacombs Orplieus as a type or heathen prophecy of the subduing power of Christ, if they had adopted the Greek style in the sculpture of their sarcophagi, if from their general convenience of form the heathen basilicas fur- nished suggestions for church archite(!ture, it cannot be reasonably supposed that music alone, of all the fine arts, was an exception to this general Christian appropriation and use. With respect to music and poetry, as to philosophy and the arts of foriii, it was but natural that the attention of the Christian fathers sli<)u] Greeks. drama, as well as the melody of sounds. It was inti- mately connected with moral, intellectual, and even physical train- ing; it was not, therefore, chiefly studied as a fine art. It ranked rather among the disciplines necessary to the best and completest education, and was regarded more as a means to an end than as an independent art. Based upon certain harmonic and rhythmical pro- portions, it was believed to contribute to the best mental training and the highest moral development. There is an essential agreement among the best historians that during the most flourishing period of Grecian art instrumental music had no separate existence. Mu- sic, recitative, and poetry were inseparably united. Musical rhythm was governed by the poetical cadence. Musicians were the poets; and poets invented melodies to which the}^ chanted their verse at the national games. The early music of the Greeks had no higher aim than to supply the language of the poet with melody and mus- ical accents. They never strove to invest m.usic with a dignity that should make it independent of poetry.^ It was only in the later his- tory that music and poetry attained to a separate existence. Yet Plato complains of this divorce, and argues that it is a departure from the original lofty ethical aim of music, and it is certain that as an independent art Greek music thus suffered a real decadence. Music and po- Its close association with epic and lyric poetry in the etry associated, religious life and ceremonial had dignified and inspired it. The decay of religion brought, therefore, like decay to poetry and music. The departure of the spirit left the body lifeless, as in- stitutions do not long survive the wants and the spirit that call them into being. With the prevalent scepticism came the neglect of all which religion and devotion had devised to aid in their cultivation and expression.^ ' Kiesewetter : Ge.Khichie der europceisch-ahendliindischen oder unser lieutigen Musik. Leipzicf, 1816, p. 2. Ambros: Geschichte der Mimk, vol. ii, pp. 9, 10. ' Naiimann: History of Music, translated from the German hy F. Praeger, London, 1885, p. 137. * Schliiter: Allgemeine GeschicJiie der Musik, etc., Leipzig, 1863, p. 4. EARLY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. 307 While Christianity alone has brought music to its highest perfec- tion as a fine art, expressive of the deepest si)iritual XheGrpt'ksfiir- emotion, the Greeks, nevertheless, developed a most nishedamusir- complicated and ingenious system of musical nota- ^'^o^^i'""- tion, whose influence was felt far into the centuries of tlie Christian era. Their writers on music were the mathematicians, who treated it as a mathematical science.' The drama was little more than a musical recitative, while the chorus was intoned. Their theatres being open, roofless areas, where thousands gathered, it was often necessary to resort to the use of metallic masks to increase the sonorousness of the voices of the actors. The systems thus developed were complex and difficult in the ex- treme, and were capable of being understood and prac- xhe notation ticed by only a favored few, who must give years complicated, of study to their mastery. Moreover, there was little attempt to popularize these systems and to bring them into general use. On the contrary, there seems to have been a design on the part of those who treated this subject to make it the property of the few who were initiated into the mysteries of the science as it was taught by the philosophers. Their musical notation was, therefore, most in- volved and perplexing. The characters invented by the Greek writ- ers on musical harmonics have been placed as high as sixteen hundred and twenty.* Since these were no better than so many jjere arbitrary arbitrary marks or signs placed on a line over the words signs, of the song, and had no natural or analogical signification, the sys- tem must have imposed on the memory an intolerable burden.'' Be- fore the advent of Christianity the Greek system had somewhat fallen into disuse, and the practical spirit of the conquer- ing Romans was unfavourable to the cultivation and not patmns of patronage of the fine arts. Their great men were en- '^"" gaged in the affairs of state, and in developing and perfecting political policies for a now practically unified nation. They had, indeed, rejected the complex musical notation of the Greeks, which had been the product of refined speculation, and in place of the six- teen hundred and twenty characters had substituted the first fifteen letters of their own alphabet. Thus the eiihannonic and even ' Hawkins: A General niitory of the Science and Pmctice of .\fu.iir, London, 1853, vol. i, p. 103. With this view aprec Dr. Wallis and many other liijrh authorities. ^ Some authoriiies place the number al twelve liuudrcd and forty. It is very dif- flcnlt to determine, but fortunately the question is of slight archaeological imports ance. * Hawkins: Ftistwy of Music, vol. i, p. 104. 308 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. chromatic scales had fallen into disuse, and the more natural The diatonic diatonic with its greater simplicity and sweetness had itdopted. been accepted. The old Greek music had virtually perished in its childhood, and the world lost little or nothing. It is highly probable that the Western Church first developed a truly Christian music, such as contributed to the highest edification of believers, when it com- l)letely broke away from Greek influences.' The art of Greece (ireece had no was largely objective. In music, therefore, the Greeks high music. ^[^ not attain to those grand results which in sculp- ture, architecture, and poetry have been entireh^ incomparable. The best authorities are in substantial agreement that they were not acquainted with music in consonance, or with harmony in its. modern sense. Their music was simply a succession, and not a harmony, of sounds." But with Christianity began an era of feeling and contemplation, chrstanit From the study of government and the state it directed flrst developed attention to the life, obligations, and destiny of the in- "■ dividual. This tendency to introspection, and to the study of the condition of the feelings, gave occasion for their expression by methods in harmony with this new view of individual life and duty. Music is the art which of all others is expressive of the feelings of the soul.^ Unlike poetry, architecture, sculpture, or painting, music can express itself freely and completely without the aid of other arts.* Hence it might be supposed that each nation and each independent religious or psychical de- velops its pe- velopment would have its own music to express its cuhar music, peculiar emotional condition, just as each nation or tribe has had its own language or idiom. ^ Since ever^^ religion has had much to do with the sentiments and emotions — Christianity most of all — this new revelation of God to man in Jesus Christ would greatly quicken the emotional nature and lead its followers to devise means for its appropriate expression. ' Kiesewetter : Geschichte der europM^ch-ahendlandischen oder wiser htutigen Mu- fdk, s. 2. '■ This has been a subject of protracted controversy. Doubtless the lack of clear definition has been one cause of the great diversity of opinion. The preponderance of autliority is in favour of the statement of the text. ' ^ Haweis : Music and Morals, p. 10. " "The musician has less connection with the outward world than any other artist. He must turn the thought inward to seek the inspiration of his art in the deepest recesses of his own being." Goethe: Wilhelm Meister, bk. ii, cap. ix. Brendel: Geschichte der Musik, s. 8. * P. Clement: Histoire generale de la Musique Eeligieuse, p. 4. EARLY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. 309 In obedienct' to this [)riiiciitk' Ambrose was led to devise a more appropriate music for his clmrches. It is to be deeply regret- ted that we have such scanty materials by which to judi^e of the character and extent of the Ambrosian reform. From the few his- toric notices, and from the musical traditions of the Latin Church, it is believed that he simplified the then prevalent Ptolemaic sys- tem by reducing the seven recognised modes to four. Reduced th.- lie deemed these sufficient for the proper conduct of the modes U) fou:. Church service. lie believed that thus the various tunes which had been hitherto in use could be reduced to systematic form, and yet be so simple that the congregation inight use them to their own i>rofit and to the common edification. The four modes which he thus borrowed are indicated as follows: The Antique. Mediaeval. Ambrosian. Plirygiim D to D WHS the Dorian \Vi is llie 1st tone or mode. I>oriMii K to K Phry<;iau 2d •• loniuu V to K •' •• Lydiaii :{d Hypoplirygi iaii ( ; to u Mixoiydiau ' ' 4th " These seem to have been distinguished from one another oidy by the i)lace of the half tones in the gamut, thus: 1st mode D. eTf. (i. A. VI. C. D. 2d " \Cf. C. a. IIM". D. E. Scheme. 3d " F. G. A.J^. 0. D hiTp. 4tli " G. A. H. C. D. E. F. G. In this reform the tetrachonl system was abandoned, and the metric of the poetry determined the musical accent. It is believed that attention was given only to the pitch, and not to the volume or length of note. In the time of Charlemagne an attempt was made to displace the Ambrosian by the Gregorian chants. Thus the Ambrosian notation was lost. It is not even known whether Am- brose devised an independent notation, but since his .system was of Greek derivation, it is conjectured that the Greek nota- Fell mto (li*- tion was retained in so far as was consistent with his "••«'• purpose. The notation found in tlie so-called *' " •' •' f3.G.A.h7c.D.E. " " -.'d *' H.C.D.E.F.G.A.H. 3d F.G.A.nic.D.ErF. " " "Jd " C.D.E.F.G.A.H.C. 4th ' G.A.h'!c.D.EF.G. " " 4th " D.E.F.G.A.H.C.D. ' That Gregory was not tlie inventor of tlie Lutin notation is shown by Fetis : Histoire generale de la Musique, t. iii, pp. 521-528. *Maimbour£r: Histoire du Pontifical de St. Oregoire, Paris, 168(j, pp. 330. 3.11. ' Johannes Diaconus : in Vita Greg., lib. ii, cap. vi. 313 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. The following modern notation is believed to represent these Au- thentic and Plagal modes: 1st Authentic. 1st Plagal. 2d Authentic. »7rr"rf 2d Plagal. '^ ^'^'r-'Prg P^^f^ 3d Authentic. / §^ 3d Plagal. 4th Authentic. 4t]i Plagal. With Ambrose, Gregory exchanged the irrational system ol' the Greek tetrachord for the system of the octave, which is now recognised as the only natural system. He also liberated the melody from the metric accent, thus allowing to the melody a more free and independent development according to its own laws.' ' Kiesewetter : Op. at, Bd i, p. 5. Reissmann : Gregorianischer Gesang in Musi- calischea Conversations- Lexicon, Bd. iv, ss. 346, 347. In a melodic sense (Gregory be- ing unacquainted with liarmony) an authentic mode was a melody moving from Touica to Tonica. It is thought that by such modes the ancient Christians gave expression to firmness, deep conviction, or abounding joy. Those melodies that EARLY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. 31:} The contribution to the improvement of music by this increase of tones can be better appreciated by observing the change effected in the place and use of the Dominant and the Final note. Tlie Ambrosian chant recognized but four modes, or eiglit sounds in a natural or diatonic order of progression, proceeding from Mature of uiis 1), E, F, and G to the octave of the same. This sys- rcf">"""- tern required the chant to begin and end on the same note. Tlic Dominant (so called from the note which was most [jrominent in tlie rendering of the chant, " the note on which the recitative is madr in each psalm or canticle tune") did not, therefore, accord with the fundamental or key note of modern nmsic, upon which all the har- mony must be based. In the Ambrosian chant the frequent return to the fundamental note was necessary in order to keep the voices of the chanters and of the congregation in unison by being sustaine*! at the proper pitch, and holding to the mode to which the chant was set. The Gregorian chant differed from the Ambrosian also in the place of ending. While the latter must return to the note of begin- ning, the former permitted the final to be other than the lowest note, thereby giving a greater variety to the ending of the chants. " Each of the Plagal modes added by Gregory is ajourth below its corresponding original, and is called by the same name, with the pre- fix /lypo ( vTTo) heloio, as follows: 5. Ilypodorian; 0. ll3'pophrygian; 7. Ilypolydian; 8. llypomixolj'^dian. Each scale here also consists of a perfect fifth and a perfect fourth, but the positions are re- versed; the fourth is now below, and the fifth above. In the Plagal scales the Final is no longer the lowest note, but is the same as that in the corresponding Authentic scale. Tims the final of the Ilypodorian mode is not A, but D, and a melody in that mode, though ranging from about A to A, ends regularly on I), as in the Dorian. . . . The semitones in each scale naturally vary as before. The Dominants of the new scales are in each case a third below those of the old ones, C being, however, substi- tuted for B in the Hypomixolydian, as it had been before in tlie Phrygian, on account of the relations between B and the F abo\(' and below." ' This system was subsequently developed by the ad- further devei- ... «^ 1 » 1 • * 1 11 1 ^1 * T- 1- opinent. dition of two other Authentic modes, calle^i tlie .holian and the Ionian, and of their corresponding Plagals — the IIypox>olian moved around the Tonica wore called Plapral. Tliese are believed to Iiiivo been expressive of variable emotions, or of a more pensive and subdued state of religions fcelinpc. 1 V. Rev. Thon-.as Ilelmore in Grove's Mu.'iical Dictionary, vol. i, p. 626, article '• ("Jrcgoriao Modes." 314 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. and the Ilypoionian. Thus resulted a complete scheme which has powerfully influenced the ecclesiastical music of the Western Church. The Ritual Service books have been a means of preserving this im- proved system, so that in most churches of Western Europe the psalm and canticle tunes, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Benedictus, the Anti- phones, the Nicene Creed, the Processions, etc., are based essentially on the scheme which Gregory devised, and on whose strictest observ- ance he so strongly insisted/ Gregory also invented a system of notation for his improved Gregorian Au- niethod. Tradition says that his Antlphonarlum, the tiphonarium. book containing this notation, was kept chained to the altar in the Basilica of St. Peter's at Rome, in order that it might be immediately consulted in case of any suspected inno- vation in the choral service. In order to conform the music in the churches of his empii'e to this standard it is claimed that Charlemagne, in A. D. 790, applied to Pope Adrian I. for a copy of this manuscript Antiphonarium, The copy is now one of the most valued treasures in the library of the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland.'^ Plate IX represents the first page of Lambillotte's facsimile of this famous manuscript. It contains portions of Psalm xxv; on this page are parts of verses 1, 2, 3, 5.^ The extreme care with which this work was prepared proves the thoroughness of the Gregorian re- form. The various marks connected with the words, The numsB. i • n n i i- • i i technically called numm, have elicited the most careful and patient study; but their meaning and use have not yet been determined. Whether they were a system of musical notation, or were indications to the singers of variation in quality and volume of tone, is still a matter of debate. Already in the time of Guido of ' Helmore: Op. cit., vol. i, p. 627. ^ This copy at St. Gall was most faithfully facsimiled under tlie direction of the zealous Jesuit, Lanibillotte, in 1848 (v. his work Antiphonaire de Saint Gregoire, Fac- simile du Manuscript de Saint-Gall, VIII' Siecle, Paris, 1851, 4to.) He claims that the manuscript is authentic, and contains the system as it was instituted by Gregory. Against the objections to its authenticity urged by Dunjou, Fetis, and others (who claim that it is of a later origin) Lambillotte gives what he regards abun- dant evidence, both external and internal, of its genuineness. The art work con- nected with the Antiphonarium would point to an origin not later than the tenth century, possibly considerably earlier, u. also Coussemaker: Histoire de Vharmonie an moyen age. ; and Schubiger : Sdngerschule St. Gallens vom achten bis zwblften Jahr- hunderte. ^ The text is sufficiently clear to most readers: Ad te levavi animam meam, Deus mens, in te confido non erubescam. [Psalm us.] Vias tuas, Domine [ad repeten- dum], dirige me in veritate tua [responsorium graduale]. Universi qui te expectant non confuudentur, Domine. Vias tuas, Domine, etc. LEVA 4 NIMAM. m£a u'jf m" lyTEcoNfiao t' nonerut./>r- PsxlMUS" \>.ar".»r Jn% |H k f^. A -^^ ■'^'' rzOn coTJfLnc/eTvru^ -Dcmime. <^ fz^ Platk IX.— Facsiiullf of tUe flrst puRe of tlu' Aiiii|ilj..ii.iniiiii or tir.k'"i'.v lUi- (.n EARLY CHHISTIAX MUSIC. 315 Arezzo (eleventh century) their .signitication had been lost.' Much learned comment upon them has ai)i>eared, ani^ uirtTU- ^cTc I ^ i| J*A ;iF^ e virtu Tecum princi pi un\ in. di No. -1. Plate X.— Facslinllles of eiirllest luusit-ul iiuinustTlpts. EARLY CIIHISTLVN MUSIC. 317 coiulition of absolutism in the state, and of superstition in the Chureh, was most unfavorable to the development of poetry and music, as well as of painting and seulpture. Hence, too, the simple and impres- sive Gregorian modes were never introduced into the Greek Church. New and extravagant modes were devised, and the singing of the processions and of the Church services was intermingled with the braying of trumpets and the clangor of horns. Only eunuchs were admitted to the choirs, whose very dress was an example of degen- erate finery. Thus every thing in the Greek Church, Decadence of after the sixth century, took on that type which is the iecauencr^'of sure effect, as well as evidence, of a decadence of faith art. and manners.' The bondage of art to false and degenerate Church standards repressed all vigor and originalit}'^ in the artists. The iconoclastic spirit declared war against sculptured images, while a subsequent degrading superstition came to attach special sanctity to the most grotesque and repulsive pictures.* ' K;irl_v Christian music is a subject of peculiar difficulty. Tiie researcjies of the historians have been most thorough; 3-et with respect to some features of the sub- ject tliere seems to be little promise of substantial agreement. The immense liter- ature of the subject, down to near the end of the eighteentii ceritur}', as given by Forkel: Allgemeine Litero.tur der Musik, etc., Leipzig, 1792, and by other writers since his da\', may well induce modesty of opinion respecting many controverted points. - "The ruder the art the more intense the superstition. The perfection of the fine arts tends rather to diminish tiian promote sucii superstition. . . . There is more direct idolatry paid to the rough and ilishapen image, or the flat, unrelieved, or star- ing picture — the former actually clothed in gaudy or tinsel ornaments, the latter with the crown of goldleaf on the head, and real or artificial flowers in the hand — than to the noblest ideal statue, or the Holy Family with all the magic of light and shade." Milman: Latin Christianit}/, ii, pp. 30.3, 304. "These miraculous images were not admitted to be the work of man, but were proclaimed to have fallen from heaven, to liave been dug from the bowels of the earth, or obtained in some similar mysterious manner. Others were said to be as old as the religion itself, such as the picture of Ciirist in Edessa, given by the Saviour himself to the messengers of King Al)garus, and the many portraits of the Madonna painted by the evangelist Luke, etc. Idolatry of this k'nd excited the ridicule of the unbelieving, the serious disapprobation of the Church, and, finally, the forcible inter- ference of the temporal powers. This destruction of earlier artistic monuments, and interference with the customary pictures, resulted in a change in the traditional manner of representation, and gave to all succeeding By/.antine art a somcwhn', different characior. Tlie ol)jection had not been raised against painting itself, but .igainst the portrayal of Christ, of the Virgin, and of the saints: thus the attention of the artists was diverted from sacred subjects to other themes, and the merely decorative treatment of tlie ecclesiastical edifices again became of importjince." Reber: History of Mediceval Art, New York, 1887, p. 92. "Let us be thorotighly penetrated with the thought that art is also to itself a kind of religion. God manifests himself to us by the idea of the true, by the idea of the 318 ARCHEOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN ART. good, by the idea of the beautiful. Eacli one of them leads to G-od, because it comes from him. True beauty is ideal beauty, and ideal beauty is the reflection of the infinite. So, independently of all official alliance with religion and morals, art is by itself essentially religious and moral ; for, far from wanting its own law, its own genius, it everywhere expresses in its works eternal beauty. . . . Every work of art, whatever may be its form, small or great, figured, sung, or uttered — every work of art, truly beautiful or sublime — throws the soul into a gentle reverie that exalts it toward the infinite. Tiie infinite is the common limit after wliich the soul aspires upon the wings of imagination as well as reason, by the route of the sublime and beautiful as well as by that of the true and the good. The emotion that the beau- tiful produces turns the soul from tiiis world; it is the beneficent emotion that art produces for humanity." Cousin: The True, the Beautiful, and the Good, p. 164. BOOK SECOND, The Arch/eology of the Constitution and Government OF the Early Christian Church. THE ARCHEOLOGY OF CHURCH CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. CHAPTER I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ITS IDEA AND ORIGIN. § 1. New Testament Idea of the Church. Christ taught his disciples to pray, " Thy king(h)in coine " (Matt.. vi, 10). lie designates his (^hurch as "the kingdom of God," Tfjv fiaaiXeiav tov Oeov (Matt, vi, 38; Jolm iii, :!, "^ '""' et al.); "the kingdom of heaven," i] (iacLXeia rcov ovQavo>v (Matt.. V, 3; xi, 11; xviii, 1, et al.); or simply "my kingdom," or "the king- dom," 7] (iaaiXeia fiov, rriv (3aaiXetav (Matt, xiii, 38; Luke xii, 32; Luke xxii, 30, et al.). The terra £«:«:A7/a/a is used by Christ (Matt, xvi, 18) to describe the unified and collected body of his disciples; in Matt. ,„ . . xvui, 17 this term seems to be restricted and localized in its reference.^ The term is applied by Luke to the company of the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii, 47); and to an ordinary town assembly (Acts xix, 41). In other passages in the New Testament it signifies the whole body of sanctified Christian believers (Eph. v, 27; Phil, iii, 6; Col. i, 18, 24, et (il.)\ an organ- ized church placed under pastors (1 Cor. xii, 18; Phil, iv, 15, et al.); the separate societies of a district or province (Gal. i, 2; 2 Cor. vii, 19); and sometimes the Christians gathered for wor- ship, or the assemblies of these societies (1 Cor. iv, 17; xiv, 19-28, et al.). In all these passages the word measurably preserves its radical signification, KaXelv, to call, to invite/ KXfjatg, a call, a c( filing, "the divine invitation to embrace salvation in the kin ff do in of God'''' (Thayer's Grimm Wilkie, .s. ?>.); kXtjtoI, the called, ^^ the invited to saloation," etc. The futidamental notion thus suggested by this word is the body or assembly of those called or " invited to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God through Chri.-it^^ (Thayer's Grimm Wilkie, s. v.). 'On the genuineness of Matt, xvi, 18, and xviii, 17, miicli diversity of opinion exists. 21 'd-22 ARCH-EOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND aOVERNMENT. Another characterization quite frequent in the epistles is acbfia The body of XgiOTov (> Cor. xii, 27; Eph. iii, 6; iv, 4, et al). "Ye Christ. jvi-e the body of Christ,'''' and this " body is one," of which " Christ is the Saviour." The Church is also represented under the figure of a " spiritual liouse," olKoq -rrvevfiariKog (1 Pet. ii, 5), which is composed ^""'''' of all God's people, and which he makes his dwelling- place (1 Cor. iii, 16, 17; 2 Cor. vi, 16; Rev. xxi, 3, et al.); of "a liouse, a holy temple in the Lord," elg vabv ajLov kv Kvg'utt (Eph. ii, 21, 22). It is also spoken of as the Bride, of whom Christ is the Bride- groom, rfjv yvvatKa ttjv vvii(f>7]v rov dpviov (Eph. v, 31, 32; Rev. xxi, 9); the Light of the World, to (pCog rov Koofiov (Matt. V, 14), et al. From such characterizations it is evident that the vital element of the Churcli is spiritual. Its inspiration is from above; its essential life comes from direct contact with its Head and Lord. It is more than the aggregated life of those Avho have been sanctified by the Spirit through faith in Christ; it is a living organism, in which each feels the inspiration of the entire body, and the whole is sustained and invigorated by the abiding holiness of the individual members. Nevertheless, like the Holy Scriptures, it contains a divine and a human element — a spirit and a body. While the life is spiritual, it must have a medium of manifestation. The visible Church is this body of divinely called or invited men and women, organized for moral and religious ends, and which is to become the channel through which, ordinarily, redemption is brought to fallen men, and they are fitted for the companionship of the Church triumphant.' The Church is therefore the outward form which results A visible form. „ ^ r^^ • • T n 1 • • • -1 IT 1 1 from the Christian lite, as this is inspired and developed by the divine Spirit, and modified by providential environments (Matt, xviii, 15-18; John x, 16; 1 Cor. xii, 27; Eph. iv, 25, et al). § 3. Tlte Names applied to its Memiers. The terms applied to its individual members will further illus- trate the orio^inal conception of the Church. In the PisciplHs. , evangelists they are known only as " disciples," fiadrjTai. of Christ; those Avho are in the relation of learners to a master, ' This triumph and completion of the "kiti,Q:clom of iieaven " would be fully real- ized onl}^ at the reappearing of Christ on earth. Tlie powerful influence of this ex- pectation of the speedy second coming of the Saviour is seen in various passages of the apostolic writings. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ITS IDEA AND ORIGIN. im wliose (loctriiie they seek to iiii(U'rstand and lu'artily emhnicc. They are belie vers, -nioroi, who appreheiul the Messiahship of Christ tlirough his words and works. They are breth- B«"evHr«. ren, ddeA0ot, who are born of the same spirit, and are associated in most intimate fellowship witli tlieir Lord and witli each .•I . <• -I Brethren. Other, as m a common lamily. In tlieir epistles the apostles frequently speak of the members of the Church as the "holy," dyioi, set apart to sacred uses; the "elect," knXeKToi, chosen for good works to the honor of his name ; " a chosen generation," to ytvog eKkeKTOv ; " a royal priesthood," (iaaiXnov lepaTevna • " a holy nation," idvog dytov (I Pet. ii, 9). In Antioch they were first called "Christians," Xptariavoi, that is, the dei)endents, the clients of their master, Christ.' Their Jewish enemies apj)lied to them opprobrious epi- thets, as Nazarenes, Na^wpaZot (Acts xxiv, .5); Gali- opprobriou>' leans, TaXiXaloi,^ expressive of the low popular esti- epithets. mate placed upon the city and province where w^as the home o\ Christ and his first followers (Acts ii, 7). § 3. The Apostolate. While the institution of a church by Christ is unquestionable, and its essential nature and design are clearly revealed, we search in vain in the acts and words of our Lord for any traces of an eccle- siastical constitution. He spoke of a kingdom; he chose us triumph as- and trained apostles to preach the truth pertaining to sured. it; he prescribed the conditions of citizenshij) therein; in the last Supper he provided a centre of worship, and of possible future organization. The Church shall not lack an infallible Guide, for " when he, the Spirit of truth, is conu*, he will guide you into all truth" (John xvi, 13). Nor shall the kingdom which Christ has established fail ; rather must it "accomplish that which he please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto he sent it" (Isa. Iv, 2). But what specific form it is to assume in fulfilling the purpose of its institution is not given by tlie Founder ; no type of organization ' The oriffin of this iinme is not altofjotlier certain. Prob:il)ly it was Ih-st applied to the disciples by the heathen residents of Antioch. It is only in harmony wit'i other examples in the history of the Christian Chnrch, where a name that was m first used derisivelj'^ was afterward accepted by the parties themselves. F'or exam- ple, Beghards, Methodists, etc. v. Lipsius: Ueher Ursprung u. GeUmucJi den V/ui.^- tennamens, Jena, 1873. " The Emperor Julian "countenanced, and probably enjoined, the u.se of the U;sk honourable appellation of Galileans. . . . contemptible to men and odious lo ilic- gods." V. Gibbon: Decline and Fall, etc., chap, xxiii. ;j24 archeology OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. is anywhere revealed. The single suggestion relative to the treat- ment of offenders seems to recognise the body of the Church as No inspired tlie depository of all governing and disciplinary power form. (Matt, xviii, 17); and the decisions of the early church, thus guarded from error by the Holy Ghost, were to be tiual with respect to faith and morals (Matt, xviii, 18; John xx, 23; Gal. ii, 7-9, €t ul.). B}^ virtue of their receiving divine enlightenment, of sharing the divine nature, and of the impartation of those special charisms by which they could discern the character of spirits, the apostles and the primitive church were qualified to bind or loose (deetv, Xvuv)^ to remit or retain (d(f)ievai, Kpavelp), the sins of the people. The lack of a distinct and thorough organization is likewise manifest from the continued participation of the apostles and dis- ciples in the temple service after the ascension of Christ. They still observed the Jewish ordinances, and acknowledged the rightful authority of those in Moses' seat. While often meeting by them- selves to listen to the preaching of the apostles, to pray, and to The early con- celebrate the communion in the breaking of bread, verts adhered ^|^gy nevertheless regarded themselves as still within to the leiiiple • ^ service. the pale of the Jewish church, fulfilled the obligations thereby imposed, and revered the temple as the sanctuary of the Most High God. Notwithstanding the prevalence of the new spirit of brotherly h)ve, which led them to hold all things in common, and to sell their estates and place the price in the apostles' hands; and notwithstand- ing the rapid increase of the number of the disciples, from about six hundred at the date of the ascension to five thousand within forty days thereafter, there is no evidence of an ecclesiastical organi- zation. The apostles appear prominent as actors in the history, but the spirit of prophecy rests upon the body of believers as well. The pungent preaching of Peter is scarcely more effective than the ex- christ alone ercise of the varied gifts of the Spirit bestowed u])on thT aToSes ^°^^ ^^^ ^"^ women. The statement that the multi- were disciples, tude who were converted under the preaching of Peter ''continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts ii, 42) might at first appear to clothe the apostles with the authority of original teachers, to whom the others stood in the relation of dis- <;iples (iiaOrjrai). This view appears, however, untenable from the positive injunction of Christ himself, "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your master, 6 JtrSda/raJLo^, even Christ; and all ye are brethren," o'l ddeA^ot (Matt, xxiii, 8). The apostles im])osed no doc- trines of their own origination ; they claimed no power to found THE CIIHISTIAN CIIURCII IN ITS IDEA AND ORIGIN. 325 schools or makf disciples; ' rather were tliey, and all wlio sliould 1k- lieve on Christ through their preaching, alike diseiples (iiaOr]rai) of one common Master, This view was strongly emphasized by Paul when he rebuked the Corinthian believers for their factious attach- ment to different teachers, thus fostering contention and reach the Gospel as they had received it from their Master, and inspire in the hearts of men faith in the doctrines which Jesus had taught them, and in the kingdom which he had come to establish (Matt. X, 7, et seq.; Acts ii, 32; iii, 15, 16; xiii, 31; xxvi, 22, 23; 1 Cor. iv, 5; P]ph. iii, et al). The bond existing between the early disciples was, in its es- sential nature and purpose, far other and much more wide-reach- ing than that implied in a " school," or " guild; " it was best ex- pressed by the word "fellowship" [Koiv(M)via);^ they being par- takers of a like faith in Christ, which was the inspira- ,.,,,. ... 1 1 • • A fellowship, tion or all their activities, and having a consciousness of common citizenship in the kingdom of God. This helps us t«» understand the fact already hinted at ; namely, that the apostles and first disciples did not wish to be considered apostates from the old faith, but because they remained Jews they regarded themselves subject to the local authorities, and recognised the Sanhedrin as the supreme court.' A special and independent constitution was not yet thought of. The apostolate was originally instituted as a means of extending the Church through the preaching of doctrines which ^^^^ ^. ,,^^. had been communicated by the infallible Christ (]\Iark funiKT iiius- xiv, 15). Its original number corresponded to that of the twelve tribes of Israel, and was, therefore, chosen in deference to tlie history and prejudices of the existing Jewish church (Matt. xix, 28; Luke xxii, 30). By careful training the twelve had l)eei\ fitted to become the j)reachers and custodians (»f the truth which "•Jesus was no founder of a sect. Tie had no desire to found a school: hi- ministry was directed to the people as a nation." v. Weiss: Life of Clirist. Chirk* trans., vol. ii, pp. 259, 260. " He was oonsoioiis of beinj» in the strictest sense ilie Kin? of humanitv. and of founding a kingdom." Lauu'e: Li/f of Chri.'^t. Kdinbin-pli. 1864, vol. ii. p. ISS. "Compare Acts ii, 42 wiili Gal. ii, 0; also Act.'* i. 13, ,vf/.. reveal.^ the real bond of the first believers, and the simplicity of their assembly. ^Weizsiicker; Da.s apostolisclte Zeitalter der chruiUichen A'trcA*, Freiburg, 18SG. »«. 36-38. 32G ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. was to be accepted by all who would become the disciples of their Master.' The term " apostles " was in familiar use among the Jews. In the various centres where the Jews of the Dispersion had settled, large sums of money were contributed for the maintenance of the tem})le service at Jerusalem ; and after the destruction of the temple by Titus this tribute was still collected by messengers, drToo- roXoi, sent out by the patriarch of Jerusalem for this purpose. These are referred to by the early Christian writers and were the occasion of legal enactments.' It has also been well Apostles . ^ T-1 known to the established that there was a Jewish propaganda for the Jew isi) Church, (jigggu^ination of correct religious knowledge among the heathen, as well as for the preservation of the true faith among the Jews.^ Nor can it be doubted that the Christians may have ac- cepted the institution of apostles and their work from the then existing Jewish apostolate, and not the contrary.'' The account (Acts xi, 2V-30) of the work of Barnabas and Saul in bringing aid to the suffering brethren at Jerusalem reminds us directly of the functions of the Jewish apostles, so that before they are called apos- tles (Acts xiii, 14) they are doing the identical work which fell to these officers in the Jewish church. When, therefore, Jesus used the word " apostles " to designate the disciples whom he called to a special work, the term was not new nor unfamiliar to his hearers.^ By the spiritual endowments vouchsafed to them in virtue of be- ing witnesses of the resurrection, and by the promised aid of the Holy Spirit, they were to be the representatives of Christ with re- spect to matters of life and doctrine. They were to be ovei-seers and guides of no single society or diocese, but were themselves to be the pillars of the whole Church, Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. Their work was peculiar, their relation was unique. They were without predecessors; they were to have no succes- ' Tlie exact lime and circumstances of the call of the apostles are not readily de- termined, since it is not easy to harmonize the statements of the Synoptists. It is very probable that tiiey were called at different times, as Jesus found men who were judged fit to be trained to become preachers of his doctrine. ^ V. Schiirer: The Jewish People in the time of Jesus Christ, Edinburgh, 1885, vol. ii, pp. 269, 289. S. quotes the following authorities; Eusebius: Comment ad Jesaj., xviii, 1. Epiphanius: Haer, xxx, 4, 11. Jerome: ad Gal, i, 1. Codex Tlieodos., xvi, 8, 14. ^v. Hausrath: Xeutestamentliche Zeitgeschichte, Bd. ii, ss. 95, seq., 101, seq.; Shiirer: f)p. cit, pp. 297-307 ; and the authorities cited by S., pp. 304, 305. Harnack ; Lehrhuch der Dogmenfjeschichte, Freiburg, 1886, bd. i, ss. 73-75. *v. Lightfoot: Com. on Galatians, p. 94, note 1. 'f. Seufert: Lev Vrsprung u.die Bedeutung des Apostolates, etc., s.. 13. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ITS IDEA AND ORKilN. 327 soi-s.' The preaching of the word, the care of all the churches aii.l their grounding in the truth, the careful guarding of the doctrine which they had received from all admixture of error, the care of souls, and the relief of the pressing needs of the poorer brethren were the distinguishing features of the apostolic function. With the apostolic age this function ceased. The term apostle was not, however, confined to the original twelve, but otht-r minis- was extended to those who had been intimately associ- ^^■ ated with them, and with Paul and Barnabas, in the extension of the (xospel and in the care of the churches. At this time the word seems to have had a broader application. Paul calls Titus aiul his fellow laborers "apostles of the churches," dnoaroXoi hKlrjaiibv, (2 Cor. viii, 23) ; and he speaks of himself, Timothy, and Sylvanus, as the "apostles of Christ," dnooTo^oi Xqiotov (1 Thess. ii, 6); he is associated with Barnabas under tlie expression, avi> rolg aTrooTO- koig (Acts xiv, 4); Barnabas and himself are equal to the other apostles, the brethren of the Lord and Cephas, oyg Kai oi Xoinoi dTToaroXoL K.r.A., in matters of Christian freedom and privilege ( I Cor. ix, 5); and James seems to be reckoned among the ai)ostles, treqov de ribv dfTooToXoyv kt.X. (Gal. i, 19). From these passages, as well as from the statements in the apos- tolic fathers, and of the " Aidax^] ribv SojSeKa 'ArroaTc^Aojr," ^ it must be inferred that there was no strict limitation of the term apostle to the number of twelve. "The twelve" was applied to Tiie twelve— the apostles of the circumcision as representative of itssiKtiiucam*-. the twelve tribes of Israel, and continued to be the leading idea in the Apocalypse, whose whole imagery is essentially Jewish.' Paul (1 Cor. XV, 5, 7) distinguishes, however, between " the twelve" and " all the apostles," rolg dnooroXoig -rrdaiv, who had seen the Lord. His statement may help to understand the ground of the extension of the term "apostle" to the seventy whom Christ had sent fortli, and to those who had seen him after his resurrection, and were therefore competent witnesses to this vital truth. While these various persons were performing duties wliich might characterize them as "the sent," they were, nevertheless, in the opinion of the Jewish Christians, lacking in some of the y llie Loni for lli:il end, occupied a position in tlie Churcli tliat could be tilled by none tliat came aCter lliem. Tliey were the foundation stones on wliicli tlie walls of tlie Clnireh were built. They sat, so to spealc, on cpiscopMl thrones, judr, uniding, rulinjj the twelve tribes of the true Israel of God, the holy commonwealth embracing all who professed faith in Christ." r. Bruce: Training of the Tivdve, pp. 257, 253. « Teaching of t/if Tirdv>; cti. .\i. 3 Lightfoot : Epistle to the Galntlatts, j). 05. 328 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. tions essential to the real apostolate. As Paul here informs us, these had " seen the Lord," but had not been immediately chosen by him for their work, nor i-eceived from him special instruction in the truth, both of which were regarded by the Christians of the circum- cision as among the peculiar marks of an apostle. The er apos es. ^^^.^.^^j^g ^^lus referred to as apostles, together wath Mark, Timothy, Silas, Apollos, Trophimus, and others, were probably evan- gelists, itinerant preachers,' fellow-labourers with "the twelve," ministers of the word, or delegates entrusted with some special mis- sion to the churches. Others, as Barnabas,' Manaen, Agabus, etc., were specially en- dowed with prophetic gifts, and had the peculiar power of dis- cerning the qualities and spiritual condition of those to whom im- portant functions were to be entrusted. They thus possessed another indispensable requisite for an apostle, to which Paul appealed in his conflict with the Judaizing opposers of his own claim to be of equal rank, dignity, and authority with even the Theflrsttestof "pillar apostles," namely, success in preaching the word apostieship. and in building up the kingdom of the Messiah (1 Cor. ix, 1,2). When this important test of the apostolic ofiice is applied to those whom Paul calls apostles, it may be safely inferred that only by the Christians of the circumcision could this term be limited to " the twelve," while in the thought of those who had embraced the universalism of the apostle to the Gentiles the apostolate was of broader scope and deeper import. This struggle between narrow and exclusive limitations on the part of the Judaizing sects and the Gentile Christians continued in the second century, long after the death of the original twelve. ' It is interesting to notice the use of the term "apostle," aTrdoro/lof, in tlie '•Teaching of the Twelve," which probably belongs to the last quarter of the first, or the first quarter of the second century. He is a sort of itinerant preacher, having loss claim to honour than the prophet, Trpo(j)r/rr/g. "But in regard to the apostles and prophets, according to the ordinance of the gospel, so do ye. And every apostle wlio Cometh to you, let him be received as the Lord; but he shall not remain more than one day; if however tliere be need, then tlie next day ; but if he remains three days he is a false prophet. But when the apostle departeth, let him take nothing f'xcept bread enough until he lodge again ; but if lie ask money he is a false prophet." ?'. chap. xi. ^ Barnabas by special ordination (Acts xiii, 3), and by intimate association with Paul (Acts xiv, 12; xv, 2; Gal. ii, 1, et al), stands specially near the twelve in dig- nitv and lionour. APU610L1C CllLliCH— irs CUMPU61T10N AND OFFICERS. 3>9 CHAPTER II. THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH— ITS COMPOSITION AND OFFICERS. § 1. The AposlU'S and Deacony. In the earliest stage of the history of Ciiristiunity scareelv a trace of a distinctive organization is noticed. The Christian imperfect oi- church, as sliarply distinguished from the Jewish, did Bauuaiion. not yet exist. Of a distinctive church office, and of a formal church constitution, there is as yet no evidence. The apostles were, for the most part, the mouthpiece and representative authority of the Christian community while it was yet one and undivided at Jerusalem. To them the freewill offerings were brought, through their word the first ecclesiastical discipline was inflicted pjrst discipline in the death of Ananias and Sapphira.' As helpers in i"flictea. the performance of mere manual labcjr they appear to have had some younger men, ol veoyrepoi, of the company (Acts v, C-IO), whose service was voluntary rather tliaii official. This superiority and leadership, and the consequent limitations of the authority of the body of believers, seemed due rather to the personal endowments of the tw^elve, their authority derived from Christ, and the manifest success of their ministry, than to the prerogatives attaching to a specific office^ (1 Thess. ii, 7-10; 1 Cor. ix, 2; 2 Cor. xii, 12, etc.). The large accessions to the body of believers, however, early brought with them the necessity for a more methodical adminis- tration. The diversity of elements already found in the Christian society occasioned an unequal distribution of the charities wliicli had been so liberally provided under the first impulse of a new faith and experience. To remove the cause of complaint, the recommen- dation of the twelve that "seven men of honest report, . ' First offlcers. full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom (Acts vi, 3), be appointed to this business, resulted in a division of labour most sim- ple and salutar^^ The choice of the " multitude of the disciples," ' Thierscli calls tliis punislimniit '• tlie fearful act of divine ecclesiastical disci- pline." V. Die Kirche tin aposlolischen ZtUnlter, 3te AiiH., 1870, a. 75. ''Among others v. Bickell: Gtschichte des Kirchenrtchts, Frankfort, 1849, 8. 71. Neander: Planting and Tiaining, etc., trans, by Ryland, New York, 1844, p. 3:{. Weizsacker: Op. n't., s. Gil. Lechler: Dun apo,slolische u. nachapusiulu,cJie Ztilalter, Leipzig, 1885, s. 91. :J30 archaeology OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. '^the whole multitude," fell upon seven devout men "whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed they laid their hands upon them" (Acts vi, 6). Such was the occasion and such were the circumstances of the institution of the earliest distinct class of officers — the deacons.' While the terms diaKovia, SiaKovelv, etc., are used both in the New Testament ' and by the early Christian fathers * in connection with any one who ministers, it is likewise applied to presbyters and bishops, and even to the apostles themselves. From the history But one order given in the Acts of the Apostles, no conclusive evi- at first. deuce appears that in the apostolic Church there was more than one order of ministers, aside from the apostles.* While there is a variety of terms, these are neither clearly defined nor are the duties easily determinable. This was in harmony with the existing conditions of religious activity and devotion, and is entirely analogous to other institutions in the incipient stages of their organization. Not until the second century is the term deacon used with absolute precision of reference and function. Who were the Nevertheless, when Irena3us^ marks with definiteness this deacons? term, he also insists that the order instituted by the apostles was identical with that of his day. The almost uniform traditions sustain this view, while the Latin Church, in deference to the apostles' institution, long restricted the number of deacons in a single church to seven. At a later period, when the organization of the Church had become more formal, the original functions of "the seven" were more clearly limited to the deacons, until the in- stitution of hospitals, almshouses, orphanages, etc., transferred to others the services at first assigned to them. The qualifications for this office, as enumerated by Paul (1 Tim. Gravity of their iii> 8, seq.), are just of that nature to fit them for min- functions. gling with the church in most familiar relations, to as- certain and relieve the wants of the poorer members with delicacy, appropriate reticence, and freedom from temptation to avaricious greed. It is noticeable that gravity, honest words, temperance, un- selfishness, probity in themselves and in their households, and an honest faith outrank " aptness to teach," which in the context is said to be an indispensable qualification of the presbyter or bisho{i. ' While Luke does not call the seven "deacons," the word was evidentl}' derived from diaKovla, the distribution of alms, which was their original function. « Acts i, 24; 1 Cor. iii, 5; 2 Cor. vi, 4; Eph. iii, 7, et al. ^ Clirysostom : Horn. 1 in Phil, i, 1, et al. •* Neandor : Op. cit, p. 33. * Irenaeus, i, 26, 3; iii, 12, 10. APOSTOLIC CHURCII-ITS COMPOSITION AND OFFICERS. :5:;| There its abundant evidence that this office, first instituted in Jerusalem in a church com|)<)sed almost excUisivelv c T • I , . " Adopted by thtf or Jewish converts, was also widely adopted by churches (amiiiu church of Gentile origin. At Corinth and Rome, likewise in '''*" the societies of Asia Minor, are met those "helps," avTiXippeiq (I Cor. xii, 28), and "ministrations," elte <5iaKoviav ev tij 6iaKoria (Rom. xii, 7), which were the peculiar duty of the deacons.' The office seems to have been generally recognized, although tlu-re are intimations that it was not regarded as absolutely indispensable.' A little later in the apostolic period is noticed a further provision for the more complete oversight and care of the poor. " The strict seclusion of the female sex in Greece and in some Oriental countries necessarily debarred them from the ministrations of men; and to meet the want thus felt it was found necessary at an early date to admit women to the iliaconate. A , ,, . , , ,p/,i Iteicones-sei). woman deacon belonging to the church ot Cenciirea' is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans.^ . . . Again ])assing over an interval of some yeai's we find St. Paul, in the First Epistle to Timothy (1 Tim. iii, 8, seq.), about A. D. 66, giving express directions as to the qualifications of men-deacons and women- deacons alike."* Thus it is seen that to the deacons and deaconesses was assigned primarily the duty of ministration to the poor, and the oversiglit of the temporal affairs of the Christian societies, yet the deacons retaining, as in the case of Stephen and Philip, the right to teach and baptize.* "The deacons became the first preachers of Christian- ity; they were the first evangelists, because they were the first to find their way to the homes of the poor. They were the construc- tors of the most solid and durable of the institutions of Christianity, namely, the institutions of charity ani EpLslh- t^i the Philip- pians, 8th edition, London, 1885. p. 191. ' V. Titns i, 5, seq. ' Chap, xvi, 1. ^oijirjv tijv aAehpijv r//iiJv, ovaav du'iKovov Tt/q tKK^J/aiaq K.r.A. * Ligiitfoot: Op. cm id. ' Acts vii ; viii, 35-40. « Stanley: Christian Institution. New York. 1881, pp. 210, 21 1. ' Vitrinfia: de Syn. Vet. p. BS.--.. seq., ospocinlly insists tluil tlio doacon of llio Ohristian Church finds its su,'i,'estioii in the clinzim of liio synagogue. 332 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. pelled its institution. It was almost entirely independent of all then extant models and precedents, and in nature and function was original and unique.' To their humbler work of the administration of charities were united, in the case of some, at least, certain spiritual functions. Stephen, a Hellenist, " with a remarkable depth of historical per- spective," shocked the narrow exclusiveness of the orthodox Jews bv clear intimations that the temple miarht not remain Theyalso*' . i-ii preached the the center of the national worship, but that the prin- ^'^''^' ciple expressed by Christ to the Samaritan woman might be an accomplished fact in the history of the favored people (John iv, 21-23). His powerful preaching precipitated a crisis, and the iiis churches, the care of souls, the warning and encourage- at unsi tiie ment of individual njembers, etc. Nevertheless, Paul P'''-^'^'''^'"''^"- in his letter to the Corinthian church, in which ecclesiastical order and the functions of rulers are discussed at length, nowhere rejire- sents these as pertaining to an office, but recognises in them a class of duties which depend upon the ])ossession of special gifts and charisms.'^ With the excejition of his latest epistles to the Philip- pians, to Titus, and to Timothy, he never mentions deacons, ]»res- byters, or bishops. Even when he enumerates the teachers given l>y God to the Church, according to their gradations and jieculi- arities, the names of deacons, presbyters, and bishops do not occur. In so important a church as Corinth there seems to have been in» bishop,* and it may be reasonably questioned whether in any other than the latest e])istles can be found any mcJition of the office in connection with the Gentile church.' In all of his earlier writings he speaks of gifts and not of offices. From the apostles to the hum- blest ministers the ruling thought is that of spiritual t'Mdowmeiits. and not of official functions.* So manifest is this in the early ap(." ' Baiir: Christenthum, s. 241 : Ritsclil : Op. rit. r. 362. * Liglitfoot: Op. cit, p. 195. 3 Weizsacker: 0/). «■<.. s. G.'l.S. Biinscn ; lijiuiliiia u. scini' Zfil, s. lO.I. Linliifooi; Op. cit., p. 205. n.ifrlitfoot: Op. cit., p. 198. ' DollinKer: Tlie First Age of the Chnrrh, vol. ii, pp. 104, lO.'i. Rilsclil : Ojh cit., p. 1547. Heinrioi: Kirchengemeinde Korinlh.s u. die religioscn Genossefv^dinften der (riiecken in the Zeitschrift far wissoischaftl. Jheologif, 1876, 8,478. 342 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. tolir C'liurch that the function of teaching was not contined to the presbyters or bishops, but extended to tlie hiity as well, and in cases of extreme necessity the latter could administer baptism and cele- brate the eucharist,' Even in the writings of John the bishop is still a minister of the society and not a church official, and there is no evidence of a distinct ordination or contirmation to a distinctively episcopal office. Aside from the statements found in the New Testament, the first ei)istle of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians is about the only contemporary authority.'* In this letter the distinction between No distinction bishops and presbyters is no more clear than in the iaciemeut. canonical Scriptures, and these offices and their duties are generally noticed as synonymous.' No priestly authority or function is delegated to them. They are in the strictest sense min- isters and stewards appointed to teach, to preach, and care for the discipline and charities of the local churches. No irresponsible or sovereign authority is attached to their office, but the bod}^ of believers is the real depositary of power.'' Nor is there a trace of the subordination of one bishop to another, any more than in the apostolic college a primacy, aside from personal character and influence, is found. While in the pastoral epistles (v. 1 Tim. V, 17, 19, 20) there seems to be a slight tendency to centralization, and the idea of a special office is somewhat more clearly developed, it may, nevertheless, be regarded as historically certain that prior to the destruction of Jeinisalem the officers of the Church and their functions were not fully differentiated, but, on the contrary, a great diversity of practice and a plastic condition of church government were prevalent throughout the empire. 'Hatch: Op. cit, pp. 117-119. "In regard to baptism tliere is no positive evi- dence, but there is the argument a /or^zo?7 which arises from the fact that even in later times . . . baptism by an ordinary member of tlie church was lield to be valid," etc. '^Tlie chronology of the Aidaxr/ is not so satisfactorily determined as to make it a strictly original autiiority for the history of the apostolic churcli. ^v. cc. 42—44. ■'Bannerman: TJie Scripture Doctrine of the Church, Part vi, cliap. iv, seems too strongly to insist on a settled and fixed ecclesiastical S3'stem in the ('orinthian cliurch during the second period of apostolic Churcli history. Such condition of this church ill a distinctively presbyterial form of government is demonstrable neither from the Pauline epistles nor from the letter of Clement of Rome. THE POST-APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION. Ui CHAPTER III. THE POST-APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION FROM TIIK DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM TO IREN^US. § 1. I/iJltieiice of the Death of the Apostles f these investijfalors. after a criticism of the different opini-.ns, seems entirely truthful. " UndoiibU-dly the questions of the Clementiiie'< need ev^n yet a further di-cussion." f. Ulhorn . Article " Clementinen." in Ilerzog's /,'eal-Ennykloprulie, Bd. iii, s. 286. ' Ep. ad Jacob., suprascriptio. * Ep. adJaroh., llom. iii, 65. ' V. especially Baiir: Ur/tprnng rf-»r Episropats, Tubingen, ISliS, sa. 122, 148, et al. * V. Baur: Das Chriatmthuin, etc., s. 283. 348 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. bishops are no longer identical with the presbyters, and the lay function is distinct from the clerical.' Polycarp's letter falls in just that period when a number of Phil- ippian churches had preserved their autonomy, and hence the devel- opment of the monarchical episcopacy was yet incomplete. There are evidences of a vigorous organization, and the officers of the Church are recognised as clothed with authority to exercise theii- functions; for he strongly exhorts the believers to be obedient to the presbyters and deacons as to God and Christ, cjg deco km Xpiaru).'' From the manner in which the term presbyter is here used, it has been argued that Polycarp recognised the identity of bishops and presbyters.' By some this passage has been construed to teach "the supreme oversight of the presbyters in all matters of administra- tion," * while others have from it inferred the absence of bishops from the Philippian church.^ Whatever may have been the facts, it seems certain that in the teaching respecting the exalted position which is assigned to the bishop there is not yet found the concej>- tion of a church office in that specific sense which later obtained. When, therefore, in the Ignatian epistles the expression is met, " where the bishop is found there is the congregation. No catholic ^ . . . . . ^ Church yet even as where Christ is there is the catholic Church,"" existing. there is manifestly wanting to the idea of the catholic Church an element which was supplied in the next century, namely, that of unified doctrine. In the absence of this factor there could properly be no officer of the catholic Church, and in the writings of The bishop the the first half of the second century the bishop bears only unifying power, t^g character of a ruler of the congregation. Never- theless, by the extension of this office over all congregations, the episcopate becomes the instrument of the unification of the Church. This was to be effected both by correspondence between the soci- eties, and by conferences or synods of the bishops themselves. The first was only in imitation of the custom of the apostles, and was a most natural means of fostering the spirit of unity and of conserv- ing a common doctrine. The catholicity of the Church was further promoted by givino: certificates of Church membershi]» Church letters. ^ t . , , , or commendation, ypd/Xjuara rervrroiixeva, to those who were travelling into foreign parts, by means of which the bearer was admitted to the sacraments and privileges in other societies. The}'^ were also proofs, ypdjifiara kolvmvlkcl, of the agreement and fellowship of the bishop who gave, with him who received them. ■ Pastor; Vis. iii, 5, 6. 2 j^^i^f (,^i pj^^i ^ 5 * V. especially Ritsclil: Op. ciL, s. 402; Hase: KirchmgeschicMe. s. 42. * Hatch: Op. cit., p. 67. s Bunsen: Ignatius, s. 109. THE POST-APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION. ;!4'.) Added to all this was the custom of each society to inform every other of all im})ortaiit affairs of its communion, and of each hisho[( to publish to every other bishoj) the fact of his election and conse- cration, that he might in turn receive the assurance of their approval and cooperation. It has already been seen that the a|)ostolic Church recognise<] no priestly function or authoritv on the part of its minis- „ _, . ters of any kind or grade. The New Testament teach- msfa by the ing that the whole body of believers are priests unto "'"'" (iod, and that one alone, Christ, is the Ilighpriest, making offering of himself for the sins of the world, is clear and unquestioned (I Tim. ii, 5; Heb, iii, 1; v, 10; ix, 11, et ul.). This continued until after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem. That epoch- making event marks the introduction into the Christian Church of two new ideas which were familiar alike to Judaism and to the Gentile-Christian churches; namely, the idea of an offering or sacri- fice, and the idea of a priesthood. These correlative notions were not foreign to the Gentile-Christian congregations. They had been converted from a religious system which was thoroughly acquainted with the thought and practice of sacrifice, and of a priesthood whose functions included the care of the offerings. The smoking or garlanded altar, the procession leading the victims, njse of sacer- and the officiating priests, were most familiar sights in •i'>t:'iis'»- every province of the Roman Empire. True, this priestly runction in the Churcli was not that strong and conqilete sacerdotalism which was victorious in the following century; but the references to the priestly office of the bishop are now more frequent. While not exclusive or absolute, it is evident that even the partial and limited recognition of the priestly office of the bishop may be regarded as among the most im{)ortant facts in the history of Church government and worship in the second century. The effect was to limit the spiritual authority of the presbyter. While he might baptize, yet the complete endowment of faith ri'sfed witli the bishop; the bringing of the eucharistic offering was only by ej/is- copal sanction; the institution of the clergy by ordination, and the confirmation of the baptized, were the exclusive jirerogatives of the l)ishops. They were entrusted with the oversight of the ^^^ ^^^^^ clergy; they were the shephenls of the Hock, who were to teach the ignorant, lift up the fallen, an.l punish the incorrigible. The presbyters wei'e the governitig Ixxly <»r council; teaching was at first not their necessary or even usual function. The Clcmentme writings make a distinction between doctrine and morals— the lushop teaching the former, the presbyters enforcing the lattir. The 350 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. archaic document, Aidax?) rcbv dojdsKa 'ArroaTO/MV, " The Teaching of tlie Twelve Apostles," Avhich seems to be firmly placed in the fii-st, or early part of the second century (95-130), speaks of a more simple condition of things. Yet the representations of the functions of Church officers are not in contradiction with those already de- sGribed. The aijostles and prophets are only itinerant The view of ^ / ^ \ "The Teach- preachers who are to tarry but a day or two in a place, '"^- to receive sustenance, but not money, except for gen- eral charities. The genuineness of the apostle's teaching function is to be judged by his conformity to his own doctrines.' The Church is instructed to appoint for itself ^ bishops and deacons Avorthy of the Lord, men meek and not avaricious, and sincere (aXrjdeXq) and tried. Such are worthy of honour for their works' sake. § 5. Tlie Form of Oovernment. The ecclesiastical government which generally prevailed by the middle of the second century was that of the indepen- A conRrega- , *' ^ tionai episco- dent congregation, governed by a college of presbyters, P^*^^" whose president was the bishop, and whose servants or ministers were the deacons. Each congregation had, therefore, its separate bishop, its own governing body, its ministering servants, and its private members. At each gathering (H^ery element of this congregation was theoretically present,^ and the whole body were the depositary of power and authoritative government. The presence of a bishop in each congregation explains how at first the teaching power of the presbyter was limited, and the celebration of the sacra- ments of baptism and of the eucharist was practically confined to the bishops, although the presbyter had from the first the right to bap- tize, and probably, also, the authority to celebrate the eucharist.* The change of opinion respecting the endowments required in an office-bearer is important to mention. As before said, in the apos- ' V. Chap, xi, "But not everj' one who speaketh in the spirit is a prophet, but only if he have the ways of the Lord. . . . And every prophet who teacliclh the trutli, if he do not that which he teacheth, is a false propliet." "^ V. Chap. XV. The expression x^'^P'^'''^'^^'^'^'^ ^^'^ eavrolc kTriaKOKovq. etc., is vari- ously translated. If tliis writing- is earlier than the middle of tlie second century, the term ;t;e«po-oi'£(j, in ap:reement wilii its general meaning in the New Testament, in Josephus, and in the Ignatian epistles, should be translated " appoint." But if it is believed to belong to the third century, the word would naturally follow the changed moaning in the "Apostolic Canons" and in the ''Apostolic Constitutions," and be translated "ordain by laying on of liands." =* V. Hatch: Op. cit, p. 79. ■* This certainly is tlie view maintained a little later by TertuUiau in the Mouta- nistic controversy. THE POST-AP(JST()LIC CONSTITUTION'. :r,l tolic Churcli incn held ottii-o aiil piTforiiUMl diities Ijy virtue of certain spiritual gifts, or cliari -iiis. Tiie l)ourposes. About the middle of the third century, liowever, the office is no longer tenable by virtue of these charisms alone, but rather the charisni . »,.,.. The charlsm a 18 a natural consequence or the niduction into oHice. n-suit of iim Ordination comes not in consequence of the spiritual "'^''"''" gift, but the gift is imparted in the act of ordination. This radical change in the conception of ordinati(jn was a consequence of the prevalent idea of a priesthood.' The clergy has assumed the pre- rogative of mediation between God and man, and has become the channel of salvation through the dispensation of the sacraments.' Another important change noticed near the close of the second or the beginning of the third century is in the method of xi,e thoice of the election of bishops. Previously the bishop had been bishops, chosen by the people and api>r()ved by the presbyters;' now the neighbouring bishops, in connection with the }n'esbytery, nominated the candidate and the people gave their assent; but even this degen- erated into a mere right of protest against those who were regarded as improper candidates.'' A like change is observed in the method of ordination. In the first century this was performed by the apos- tles or their representatives, associated with the presbyters of the congregation over which the bishop was to preside; but in the sec- ond century the episcopate, as the depositary of si)iritual gifts, was summoned to the consecration of the individual bishops. The ear- lier participation of the presbyters in this ordination was gradually lost in all the churches except the Alexandrian. The diocesan episcopate was certainly a matter of development. The question of its origin has been much debated. It tik- <>pi.scopaoy can with confidence be said that no other than a congre- " pnient. gational episcopacy is met before the middle of the second i-entury. A society embracing but a single city is the realm of the authority of the early bishop, and he was so tiioroughly identilied with this single congregation that his removal to another could bi- allowed only in rare and exceptional cases. To the question. What was the relation of the bishops and their ' Ritschl: Op. ciL, s. 39-1, e( al. * Gieselor: Kirchengeschirhte, 4te .Vun., Bd. i, ss. 228-'2.•^^. lla^rcnbncli: Dojmen- geschichte, 5te Aufl., s. 157. ' Even Cyprian rccosnises this rijr'it. "Plobs ips« mrtxim.im linbet potcstAm vol clegendi dignos sacerdotes. vel indignos rcciisandi."— Kp. 08. v. Rliciiiwald: Die hirchliche Archmlogie, s. 31. * Kp- 67, cc. 4, 5. 353 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. congregations or dioceses to each other? it may be answered: In the second century these possessed and maintained a gen- Ilelations of ' • i i t> i • i i ' i i.jshops to each era! autonomy or independence, but this could not be ""'•'''• absolute. This has already been noticed in the case of nomination and ordination. The severe pressure of foes from with- out, and the threats of heretical teachers from within, compelled a closer union of the various congregations for mutual protection against both these dangers. This resulted in a kind of synodical or confederated authority, by which the purity of doctrine and life might be guarded and the heretical and incorrigible be exscinded. While the essential autonomy of the congregations had not been infringed, the synodical authority was justified on the ground of Bishop of defence against a common danger. In this college the Kome. Bishop of Romc had already, in the second century, assumed special prominence, so that it became a recognised prin- ciple that the individual bishops should be in harmony Avith the Bishop of Rome on all questions of doctrine and discipline. At the close of the century, Victor " was the first who advanced those claims to universal dominion which his successors in later ages have always consistently and often successfully maintained." ' The changes which the presbyterate underwent during the first centurv are most interesting and important to notice. Cliange in . . . picsbyterial The gradual increase in the prerogatives of the bishops power. necessarily diminished the authority and dignity of the presbyterial body. Its former significance had been lost. More- <^ver, the deacons had claimed many privileges which before had belonged to the presbyters. Not until near the beginning of the third century were their prerogatives regained, when the deacons were placed in strict subordination to the presbyters. The distinc- tion which was afterward so prominent is already beginning to as- sert itself. While presbyters, as well as bishops, administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, they do it by a differ- ent authority. The bishop acts upon an original and independent authority; the presbyter upon authority derived from the sanction or permission of the bishop. So with preaching, reconciliation of ])enitents, confirmation of neophytes, consecration of churches, etc. The right to ordain seems to have been very rarel}'', if ever, con- ceded to the presbyters in the second century.'' ' Liglitfoot: O}-). cit. p. 224. ^ Biusliam: AntlquUies of the Christian Church., bk. ii, chap. iii. The e.xceptions iirqred by others in the practice of the Alexandrian Church are nndexstood l)y Bins:- hani to refer to election, and not to ordination. This view, liowever, has been trravely questioned, and is by some regarded untenable. CHURCH CONSTITUTION— niEN.^US TO CONSTANTINE. 353 CHAPTER IV. THE CHURCH CONSTITUTION FROM IRRN^US TO THK ACCESSION OF CONSTANTINE. § 1. The Theory of Irenmis. The circumstances of tlic Cliurch toward the close of the second century were peculiar. Fearful persecutions had visited some of tlie jjrovinces, and some of the most prominent leaders had sealed their faith by a martyr's death. Its internal state was no more assuring. The prediction of Paul that after his departure " shall ' . * Peculiar condl- i^rievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the tions of the Hock " (Acts XX, 29), had been fulfilled, and his exhorta- '^'^"'■'■''• tion to Timothy " to shun profane and vain babblings, for they wilT increase unto more ungodliness" (2 Tim. ii, 16), had alread}'- been shown to be urgently needed. Teachers had arisen who, by wrench- ing the Scriptures from their natural and appropriate meaning, had constructed systems no less fantastic and paradoxical than they were- disturbing to Christian faith and corrupting to Christian morals. The system of allegorical interpretation which, through the school of E^hilo, was powerful at Alexandria, had become wide- q.,,e onostir spread through the influence of the Gnostic teachers, thnats. Whether this phenomenal manifestation is best accounted for from the syncretism of Jewish and Christian thought with (ireek specu- lation,' or whether, like the orthodox societies themselves, the Gnostics, by consulting the Greek mysteries, sought a practical end, ^ the danger which they brought to the very life of Christianity was real and fearful. While each party recognised the fact that Christianity had originated with Christ and was pronudgated by his apostles, and also that they had left certain authoritative teach- ings which must be heeded, nevertheless each laid claim to personal freedom in the inten)retation of this teachin 1 <• .r ,1 • 1 1- 1 • Divisions. ready to attach to the words of Christ and ol Ins apos- tles the meaning which was most accordant with its own opinions. Thus was the Church of Christ no longer an organism, such as had been so vividly portrayed by Paul (1 Cor. xii, 12-27; Kph. 'v. Joel: Blicke in die Rdii/ion.iffeschichfe, Efrurms If. Die Gnosis. Rreslau, 1880. ^ V. Weingarten: in Von Sybel's Ilistoriche Zcitschrift, Bd. xlv. 1881. 23 354 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. iv, 25), knit together by faith in one common doctrine and com- pacted by ii common life, but the teaching of Gnosticism plainly resolved Christian doctrine into a confused conglomeration of human opinions, and Church government and ordinances into mat- ters of individual caprice. Hegesippus vividly pictures the condi- Testimony of tion of things. From these (the various Gnostic sects) Hegesippus, sprang the false Christs and false prophets and false apostles who divided the unity of the Church by the introduction of corrupt doctrines against God and against his Christ.' Irenjieus, also, is powerful in his portraitures, and unsparing in irenseus's testi- ^^^^ denunciation of false teachers. His apprehension mony. for the safet}' of the Church is conspicuous throughout his entire treatise.^ All the energies of his vigorous nature seem enlisted in this effort to throttle the foes who were threatening the life of the Church, and to settle its doctrine upon firm foundations. What, then, is the principle which Irenaeus recognised and main- The principle tained in the controversy with the Gnostic sects ? and of irena?us. what influence did this exert upon the constitution of the Church ? The answer to the first is easily found in the writings of Irenaeus himself, and is so often reitei'ated that we cannot be in doubt respecting it. In the midst of the conflict of opinions aris- ing from the freedom of individual interpretation of the Script- ures, he maintained that the supreme and only standard of Christ- ian teaching was that which was given by the apostles to the churches in their day. This teaching of the different apostles was essentially harmonious, and was authoritative throughout the Christ- ian world during their lifetime. "We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation than from those through apostolic teach- whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did '""■ at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be ' the ground and pillar of our faith' (1 Tim. iii, 15). . . . For, after our Lord rose from the dead, they (the apostles) were invested with power from on high, when the Holy Spirit came down, were filled from above and had perfect knowledge; they departed to the ends of the earth preaching the glad tidings of good things from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven to men, who indeed do all equally and individually possess the Gospel of God.'' It is within the poAver of all, therefore, in every church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles raani- ' Kiisebiiis: Hist. EccJes., iv, 22. ^Adversus flm-eses: Last edition hy Harve}', Cambridge, 1857, 2 vols. * Adversus Hcereses, iii, 1, 1. CHURCH CONSTITUTION-IREN^US TO CONSTANTINE. 355 fested throuijfliout tlic whole world." ' lint to wliom urged away, he who was not in the ark of Noah could not be saved by water, so can he neither appear to be saved by baptism who has not been baptized in the Church which is established in the unity of the Lord according to the sacrament of the 1 o o Church. the priesthood of the whole body." * But by Cyprian a new and most important phase of the sacerdotal question is developed. From his time the bishop is truly , ^ ^ . , , , . . Cyprian svlew. the priest, and the separation between clergy and laity is real and significant. All the duties and prerogatives that pertained to ' V. de unitate ecclesice, c. 5. Episeopatus iinus est cuius a singulis in solidiuii par.ri!;licans. It is also advocated by Bunsen, Rollie, Thiersch, and a few other Protestant scholars. -Abridged from Schaff: Op. ciL, vol. ii, pp. 135-139. Rotho is the most able modern defender of this theory. 364 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. tions. The following considerations are urged by this school: 1.) It is well known that in the more important cities single eory. £^j^^j^pg gathered in the house of a well known disciple, and thus were formed the so called family societies or churches (eKicXrjaia kut' oIkov). 2.) The foremost person among the disciples thus banded together was called to extend his patronage or pro- tection to the society thus formed. This family patronage is men- tioned in the Scriptures,' as well as in the letters of Ignatius.* It seems to have been quite generally recognised at Rome, and there are clear intimations of its prevalence at Corinth. ° Afterward, when these family churches, over each of w^hich such patron presided, were united into one congregation, a college of presbyters or patrons would thus be formed, to whose president was given the title of bishop, k-niaKOTToq. In this manner the episcopate originated.* 3. A third theory has been well formulated as follows: "The episcopate was formed not out of the apostolic order by localization, but out of the presbyterial by elevation; and the title, which originally was common to all, came at length to be appropriated to the chief among them." ^ In other words, the episco- pate, as a distinct office, w^as of post-apostolic origin, was not a dis- tinctively divine institution, and therefoi'e not an office necessary to the existence of the Christian Church. It was the result of peculiar circumstances, a development from the needs which the early Church felt for unification of government and docti-ine, and for the more careful oversight and administration of its charities. The facts urged by the advocates of this theory are: 1.) The almost universally conceded identity of bishops and pres- byters in the writings of the New Testament. 2.) This identity of terms continues to the close of the first centur^^, and even into the second; at least there is no clearly conceived difference, and they seem to be used interchangeably or very loosely. 3.) From the first century down to tlie beginning of the third it was the custom of the influential Church of Alexandria to recognise twelve presbyters. From this number the body elected and consecrated a president, to whom they gave the title of bishop. They then elected one to take his place in the presbyterial body. It is also probable that to the ' Rom. xvi, 14, 15 ; 1 Cor. xvi, 19. ' Ad Ephes., c. 5, 6, 8, 13, 20 ; ad Smyrn., c. 1, 2, 7, 8, et al. M Cor. i, 16; xvi, 15, 19. *For the influence of these house or fnmily societies upon tlie development of ecclesiastical architecture, v. bk. i, eh. vi. This is substantially tlie theory of Baur. Kisi, Weingarteu, Heiurici, Hase, and others, v. especially Baur : ijber den Urspruny des Episcopats, ss. 85, 90, 107, et al. ^Lightfoot: Op. cit, p. 196. OFFICES AND OFFICERS OF POST-APOSTOLIC CHURCH. -Mr, end of the second century the I)isli()j) of Alexandria was tlie ojiiv bishop in all Egypt,' 4.) Jerome distinctly attirms that the Church was originally governed by a body of i)resbyters, and that the bishop was elected at a later period to secure unity of doctrine and government. In other words, it was a prudential measure and not a divine institution. § 2. The Presbi/ters, Deacons, Deaconesses, etc. The eflfect of tiie efforts of Irenjcus and TertuUian to secure a unified and authoritative doctrine, reyula Jidei, and of Cyprian, Calixtus, and Ilegesippus to realize the idea of "a holy Catholic Church," througli the sui)ervision of bishops who should exercise their prerogatives by virtue of an unbroken succession from the apostles, Duties and pn- necessarily conferred upon the episcopal office a dignity rogaiivts. and an importance before unknown. The difference between them and the body of presbyters and the deacons became more dis- tinct, and the duties and prerogatives of each were more sharply defined and carefully guarded. The division of the Church intt> clergy and laity became more positive than before. The clergy are MOW ])riests to serve at the altar, to minister for the j)eople. liut l)oth clergy and laity are alike subject to the authority of the bishop. Cyprian had also the energy to enforce these provisions. The rights which all members of the Church had enjoyed in the first and early part of the second century were, umler Irena'us and Cyprian, largely ignored, and in the times after Cyprian the constitu- tion of the Church more and more disallowed the claims ,,.,,. Limitation of of the laity to a participation in government. These rights of the privileges of private members were curtailed to almost '""^' the same degree as the influence of the bishops increased.^ The laity could be present at the assemblies of the church, and could approve any decision which had been reached liy the presbyterial council. But this was oidy a matter of form, and their faihire to approve was not of the nature of a veto, since the prevailing theory was that the presbyterial council was under the special guidance of the Holy Si)irit, and hence that its conclusions were not to be set aside. The presbyters now perform their duties l)y virtui' of being a constituent part of the presbytery. In this association with the liishop they are sometimes called co-presbyters. In one of Cyprian's letters' they are represented as united with the bisliop in jtriestly ' The rapid growtii of the diocesan principle is, liowever, seen in tlie fact that by the middle of the tliird century Kjrypt hud more than a score of bisliops. «Otto Ritschl: Cyprian von Carthago, etc., Gottingcii, 1885, ss. 211, 'J12. * Ep. Gl, 3. Episcopo sacerdotale honore conjundi. 3GG ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. honor. This has been cited by some to show his belief in the equality of bishops and presbyters. But this view does not com- port with the general teaching and conduct of Cyprian, nor is it in accord with the spirit of the " Apostolic Constitutions." Rather must this and other someMhat similar expressions indicate the priestly character of the presbyters by virtue of their prerogative to bring the offering in the eucharist. This is made more clear from the advice given in case of lapsed or heretical presbyters Functions of who souglit readmission into the Church. They were presbyters. to be received as private members.' The presbyters were to officiate at the altar in the absence of the bishop, and they with the deacons were to care for the interests of the Church. - In case the Church was so widely scattered that its members could not assemble in one place, the presbyters were accustomed to celebrate the eucharist in the distant districts. The priestly power was not held by virtue of their office as presbyters, but because they were the agents and representatives of the bishops. The original functions of the presbyters as rulers were now en- larged, and what had at first been regarded with a degree of jealousy became at the close of the third century ordinary and unquestioned." In Cyprian's day the presbj^ters had an advisory voice in the council. The preliminary examinations and the first bringing of causes before the council were left to their decision. In the third century a special class of presbyters, presbyteri doc- tores, is met, whose duties have given rise to considerable debate. It seems most probable, however, that they were merely teachers of the catechumens and of those who returned from the heretical sects, as at an earlier period they instructed those who passed from heathendom to Christianity. The office and duties of the deacons underwent like transforma- changesinthe tions. From ministers for the relief of the poor, and functions ot the companions and advisers of the bishop in the admin- istration of public charities, by the growth of the sacer- dotal notion they came to be regarded as subordinate to bishops and presbyters, sustaining in the Christian economy the same rela- tion as did the Levites to the priests under the Mosaic. The rapid growth of the Church in numbers and the multiplica- Noionperover- *^^^ ^^ ^^^ charities made direct oversight b}^ the dea- seers of ciiari- cons impracticable. They could no longer personally ^^' inspect the individual cases of want and report them to the bishop. Moreover, the founding of asylums, orphanages, guest- ' Kp. 72, 2. 2]5p 5^ 2. Mlatcli: Op. cit., pp. 77, 78; 0. Ritsclil: Op. cit.. s. 232. OFFICES AND OFFICERS OF POST-APOSTOLIC CHURCH. :5(]7 houses, etc., each maiia<>:e(l by its aiiitropriatc board, materially mod- ified the original liuictions of tiic deacons, and ri'duced them for thi- most part to the position of subordinate ministers of public wor- ship. Nevertheless, they were conceived as sustaining even cIosim- relations to the bishops than the presbyters themselves. When, tlierefore, they were constituted a college under a i)resi(U'nt, known as the archdeacon, this officer became intimately associated with the bishop in the administration of affairs.' In the time of C3q)rian tlie deacons manifestly bore the consecrated elements to the confessors who were languishing in prisons, and also aided the bishop in the administration of baptism and of the eucharist. In fine, they seem now to have corrie to be ministrants to the other orders in the Church.' Thus they are permitted to read the Gospel lesson at the communion service; ^ they care for the furniture of the altar in those churches where the inferior officers were forbidden by the canons of the councils to come into the sanctuarium; they re- ceive the offerings of the people and present them to the minister at the altar. They are allowed to baptize by the i)ermis- 1 . /. 1 1-1 1 • • ■ 1 1 May baptize. sion and authority of the bishoj), but it is evident that this Avas differently regarded in different churches, some granting and others denying this function to the deacons.* After the Church had accepted the sacerdotal idea of the ministiy the right of the deacons to consecrate the eucharist was ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^i^^ for the most part denied. Since the eucharist was of the brate the en- nature of a sacrifice, none but a priest could lawfully offer '''""s'- it; and the priestly character of the deacons was not generally recog- nised.^ B}^ the authority of the bishop they were permitted to preacli, and in some instances to read homilies or sermons which had been ju-e- pared by distinguished ministers. They were the especial <, ,.^, ,,.r. servants of the bishops, often accompanying them as vants of the secretaries in their diocesan visits, and on extraordinary '"'*''"i'** occasions became their representatives in the general councils, where, as deputies or proxies, they were permitted to vote on all : in special diocese of the bishop, rendered it necessary that sutution. a s))ecial officer should be appointed for their immediate oversi<;ht. These were called chorepiscopl, Trjr ;^a)paf tmaKOTToi,' or bishops of the country. They were tlie assistants of the bishops in adminis- tration. Whether they were simple presbyters or had presbyters or received episcopal ordination lias divided the oj)inion of bisiiopsv archaeologists. Probably both at times officiated in this capacity; either presbyters directly a[)pointed, or bishoi)s who had been rejected by their dioceses, or had been received agaiji from the number of those who had belonged to a schismatic party." 'hey first appear toward the close of the third century in Asia Minor, and are first recognised by the Councils of Ancyra and Neo- Cirsarea in A. D. 814, and by the Council of Nice in A. D. ."^25. They continued in the Eastern Church until about the ninth cen- tury, and in the Latin Church until the tenth or eleventh century. Thev exercised, at times, most of the functions of the ^^x .1 -111- Funciiims. bishops themselves, \\ e nnd some councus clothing them with authority to ordain all inferior officers in their churches, sometimes even without the permission of the city bishop; but in most instances consultation with the bishop of the city church was (expected, and special leave obtained. The}^ had authority t«» confirm; to give letters of dismission and commendation to the clergy who were about to remove to other parts; to conduct public divine service in the chief church in the presence of the bishop, or by his permission or request. 1 iiey are found in the councils, casting their votes on all (piestions there ' Bingham jrives the approximate notitia of the Church at the close of tlie fourth century. In the patriarchate of Antiocli, correspond! nfr closely with the civil iwtitUi, were fifteen provinces, with the snoie numlmr of metropolitans. In the patriarchnto of Alexandria (liiocese of Ep:ypt) there were six metropolitans; in tlie exarchate of Kphesus, ten metropolitans; in the exarcliate of C.-esarea, eleven: in the exarchate of Heraclea (afterward Constititinople), six; in the exarchate of Thessalonica, six; in the exarchate of Milan, seven; in tiie patriarchate of Rome, ten; in the exarchate ofSirmium, six; in tiic exarchate of Cartilage, six: in thedioce.se of Spain, seven; in the diocese of Gaul, sevcnU-en; in tlie diocese of Britain, five province'*, with cap- itals at York, London, and Cacrleon. In his final index he gives a list of 185 prov- inces or metropolitan districts, and 1.560 episcopal sees. Yet it is prol)ablo that such lists are far from perfect. * This seems the more probable derivation. 3 Such instances are mentioned by Socrates: Hist. Ecd., 1. 4, c. 7 ; and were dis- tinctly provided for by conciliary action, v. Canon 8 of the Council of Nice. 372 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. decided,' and exercising every right pertaining to the episcopal members of the synods or councils. The i)rimate, or metropolitan,' sustained a like relation to the hishops of a province as did the bishop of a city to the Primates. chorepiscopi of his country churches. The time of the introduction of this office is not certain. Like most other ecclesias- tical provisions it was probably created to meet a felt need in the government and oversight of the churches. While some find its Time of origin beginning in the prerogatives exercised by Titus and uncertain. Timothy in the early Church, others as strenuously deny its apostolic origin, and place its beginning as late as the third cen- tury. The Council of Nicpea clearly recognises the office as of long- standing, and treated it as a venerable institution. Cyprian men- tions^ that the bishop of Carthage presided over all the other African bishops, and issued to them mandates. Whether this was indeed the exercise of metropolitan power, or simply has reference to the fact of presidency in the councils, is not very clear. Never- theless, by the fourth century the metropolitan office is fully recog- nised, and is regulated in its functions and privileges by the canons of councils. They were elected and ordained by the bishops of their province. How appoint- Their functions were different at different stages of ed. the history of the Church. Their most important duties and prerogatives were to preside at the provincial councils; to pro- vide for and ordain the bishop to a vacant see; to decide questions between the various bishops, or between individual bishops and their flocks; to assemble synods for the examination of doc- trine and the enforcement of discipline; to publish to the churches of their provinces the conciliary decrees, or the edicts of the emperor, by which doctrine and discipline were to be incul- cated; to issue letters of commendation to the bishops of theii" districts, since these were not permitted to journey abroad without such letters; to hear appeals of presbyters or deacons who had been deposed by the bishop of a diocese.'' The patriarchs were evidently a class of highest dignity and au- , ' Tlie subscriptions of the Council of Niciea clearly prove the presence of clior- episcopi from several provinces, also the subscriptions of the councils of Neocffisarea and Epliesu.«. ^ The distinction between the metropohtan and archbishop is not easy to describe. That iliey were synonymous has been held by some higli autliorities, and denied by others. Sometimes tliey seem to be almost identical, at other periods of the history a plain distinction ia made. v. August! : Op. cit., bd. i, ss. 201, 202. * Ep. 42, ad Cornelian ; Ep. 40 and 45. ■• r. Bingiiam-:. Antiquities of the Ghurch, bk. ii, ch. xiv. OFFICES AND OFFICERS OF POST-APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 373 tliority. During the fourtli century the office Itecame (juite \vi 1. viii, c. 26. - It is doubtful whether tliese appear as a distinct class before the fourth century. SYNODS AND COUNCILS AND TilEIli ALTIlOlilTV. 375 CHAPTER VI. SYNODS AND COUNCILS, AND THKIR AUTHORITY. The council at Jerusalem was the first assembly of the "apos- tles, elders, and brethren," to decide upon doctrines xiie syn.«i of and polity which were to be accepted by the Christian Jerusalem, societies. It is an instructive fact that in this first council are the apostles and elders ^cith the lohole Church, and that the decisions are sanctioned by the entire body . This is in perfect accord with the general spirit of the apostolic age. The entire body of believers were to be guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth, and they were the depositary of ecclesiastical power. Nevertheless, the meetings for consultation upon matters of general interest were in harmony with what was well understood, not only by the citizens of the Ro- man Empire, but by all the ancient world. The Achaian, Thessalian, ^Etolian, Amphictvonic, and other councils and leaijues ... ^ } . ■^ . "^ After the anal- are only familiar examples of the custom of the ancient opy of civil cities and peoples to meet for consultation on interests '^'*"*^^- common to all. We find almost precisely the same terms — ])rovinces, dioceses, metropolitans, s^niods, councils, etc. — used to characterize these assemblies and their members. The assertion of the unity of the Holy Catholic Church necessarily carried with it unity of doctrine and government. Ref- Npcessary to erence has already been made to the intimate relations j][,'jty'^^o( ihe which existed between the different bishops, and the church, means used to maintain these relations for purposes of preserving the unity of the Church. Hence, after the middle of the second century the assembly of delegates from the societies of a province, for the determination and maintenance of the most important questions, is quite common. They appear in Asia Minor and Gaul. These gather- provincial »yn- ings, called provincial synods, became quite general in ^'^• the beginning of the third century, and were generally lu'M al stated times. With respect to these, as to other matters of Church <''overnment, there w^as a gradual decline of the influence and rights of the laity, and a growing jtower of the clergy. The D«'ciine of lay laity, who were at first important factors of the syn- «"""''•""«'• odical assemblies, were of little influence after the middle of the 376 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. third century; and by the beginning of the fourth, the composition of tlie councils was restricted to the three orders of the clergy. Anion o- these the influence of the presbyters declined more and more, and the authority of the bishops soon became exclusive and supreme. A further attempt at preserving the unity of the Church is the Metropolitan extension of the council to include the ecclesiastical au- synods. thorities of a diocese or a patriarchate. Usually these were convoked by the metropolitan or patriarch, and had reference to interests touching a wider district or territory.' In these councils Tberepresenta- the principle of representation seems to have been recog- tive principle, nised to a considerable extent, since the third Council of Carthage, A. D. 398, by its canons provided for the presence of three bishops from every African province excepting Tripoli, which could send but one on account of its small number of bishops. Of still greater significance were the oecumenical or general (Ecumenical councils, which purposed to include in their numbers councils. representatives from the widest possible areas of Chris- tendom. An extraordinary exigency only could lead to the assem- bly of such body; a widespread agitation as, for example, that resulting from the Arian controversy, or some general interest, was the occasion of its meeting. The authority to convoke the councils varied with the times and Who assembled the character of the council itself. When it was of a the councils? district, the bishop assembled the elders, deacons, and people; Avhen of a diocese or province, the metropolitan or patri- arch; when oecumenical, it was usually by imperial edict, with the advice and approval of the chief bishops.^ The bishops' or metro- politans' circular letters for summoning the council went under the name synodicce or tractorioe,; those of the emperors, sacrce. The bishop presided in the district council, the metropolitan Who presided? ^ . . . , ..,,.,, , ^ ., or patriarch in the provincial, while the general councils were under the nominal control of the emperor or his representa- tive; but the presidents proper, Trpoedpoi, were usually chosen from the most influential and venerable members.' The council delib- ' V. Bickell: Op. cit, 2" Lief., cap. 14. ' The delegates to an oecumenical council sometimes journeyed at the public ex- pense. V. Eusebins: De Vita Const, iii, 6, for an account of this in case of the Coun- cil of Niosea. * Eusebius, Sozomen, and Socrates agree in saying, that in the Council of Nicsea Hosius of Cordova, Alexander of Alexandria, Eustathius of Antiocli, Macarius of Jer\isalem, and Vitus and Vincontius, the vicars of the Bishop of Rome, were tlie chief presidents. SYNODS AND COUNCILS AND THEIR AUTHORITY. 377 erated and decided respecting matters of Church government, dis- cipline, doctrine, and worship. At the same time it subjects con- constituted a court before which the ck-rgy or tlie hiity sidereu. could bring charges against the bisho})s or others. In the provin- cial councils such complaints were usually lodged with the arch- deacon of the metropolitan church, who, in turn, brought them to the knowledge of the council. The early method of balloting was by heads, the method (jf mo- tions not having been introduced until late in the Middle Ages. Tlie latter was regarded as justifiable only in jj^';''"** °^ ^"^ extraordinary emergencies. In case of ecumenical councils the decrees were of the nature of laws, which the emperors enforced. Thus Constantine Til t • • /.lAx .in -vT. , ,. Enforcement of regarded the decisions of the Council of Nice as obliga- conciiiary Ueci- tory on the subjects of the empire, and hence punished ^"'°^" non-subscription by exile. Like action was taken by Theodosius the Great respecting the decrees of the Constantinopolitan council, by Theodosius II. respecting the decisions of the Council of Ephc- SU8, and by Marcian regarding those of the Council of Chalcedon, in A. D. 451. In matters of discipline, it seems that the decisions of the councils were not unalterable. In respect to articles was their deci- of faith, the principle holding seemed to be that it Avas ^'^^ binding? not the prerogative of a council to enlarge or extend the boun- daries of faith, but to confirm, establish, and make more clear by definition what had been the doctrine of the general Church. The decisions might be abrogated, even with regard to doctrines. Not until near the close of the period of which we treat did con- ciliary decisions assume an authority almost equal to Scripture. Augustine, Gregory the Great, and other champions r.rowinp au- of the Church, while not yielding the supreme author- ^,•',",',1.^ "^^(-d- ity of the Scriptures, nevertheless placed much stress sions. upon the decrees of councils as expressive of the opinion of good men whom God had promised to " lead into all truth." So that in early times the provincial councils imposed their decisions upon those within their jurisdiction as of the highest prudential worth, and the general councils were believed to have formulated doctrine under such favorable circumstances that the decisions were looked upon as of great moral and religious value. Hence we find that the Church generally accepted the decisions of the first six oecumenical councils, and was at times inclined to re- gard them as of almost equal authority with the Scriptures them- selves. 378 AltCH^OLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. CHAPTER VII. CHURCH DISCIPLINE. § 1. Reasons and Degrees of Punislimoit . The Church was regarded as a body of believers on Jesus Christ, bound together by a fellowship most sacred, for the promotion of holiness and the perfection of character (1 Pet. ii, 9, 10). Its relations and duties were voluntarily assumed; its obligations were enforced by moral, not by physical, sanctions. The object of Church discipline, exercised as it was only upon , members of its own communion, was to preserve puritv Designof . . . '^ , '■ Church disci- of doctrine and life.' The apostolic Church imposed '''"^®' but one condition of membership — faith in Jesus as the risen Lord, and baptism into the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Nevertheless, this Church had the clear sanction of an apostle for maintaining sound discipline (1 Cor. v; 2 Cor. ii; Col. ii, 5; Clement. Rom., £^. i, ad Cor., c. 44); and the apostolic fathers are explicit in the inculcation of ecclesiastical order. From the earliest years of Christianity two parties existed in the Church, whose views of discipline were oppugnant and wellnigh irrecon- cilable. One looked upon a fixed and definite ecclesiastical order as the necessary condition of the successful extension of Christi- anity; the other regarded these outward institutions as limitations of the free spirit of the Gospel, and emphasized the fact that the power of the invisible Church is her spiritual life, and not her for- mal organization. These two parties continued in the Church, They were in conflict through the first six centuries.^ Catechumenical training, which was judged to be a necessary catechumeni- condition of the admission of Gentile converts, must lai'er^instftu- ^® regarded as a provision of the Church after she had lion. lost the glow of love felt by the first disciples, and had experienced the contaminating influences of association with a de- praved heathenism. Such preparatory training was deemed a wisely prudential measure to guard the Church against the influx of the worldly and unsaved. • r. Bickell: Geschichtc des Kirchenrechtes, 2'* Lief., ss. 62-71. '^ V. Neander; Antignosticus, ss. 340, 341. CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 379 But by as much more as the conditions of membership were more stringent, by so much more did the guardians of the Churcli feel the necessity of a rigorous discipline. The subscription to and observ- ance of the one rule of faith, regula Jidti, which was t-,,^ reKuu common to all the churches, was the sole test of ortho- "'^«'- doxy. This one rule was expressed in the articles of faith, or the creeds, which the early Church had formulated. He who held these in an honest mind and i)ure heart was a wcjrthy member of the Church; he who denied them, or whose life was not The i.ne stand- regulated by them, was heretical or unworthy. The ^ru. latter were to be exscinded from the body of the Church in order to preserve its purity and peace. It is not possible to determine the exact time when the right and prerogative of discipline came to be almost exclusively exercised by the bishops, nor can the precise behavior of the Church respecting the punishment of offenders during the first one hundred and tifty years be clearly determined. It is, however, certain that the church- disci- deprivation of privileges in the Church had no reference no"^s'of"c[vU to the rights of an offender as a subject of the state. righu>. Only at a later period, in cases where the holding and use of the property of the Church was in question, or in cases of pertinacious disturbers, was the authority of the civil law invoked.' Church discipline proper had respect to several degrees of offence ;uid punishment. The Church was, therefore, com))elled to discrim- inate between the characters of violators of its laws, sins venial and This led to the classification of sins as venial and mor- mortal, tal.' The penalty of the former consisted in either admonition and temporary suspension, or the lesser excommunication A.inionitinn {d(poQioiJ,6g). The latter consisted in withholding from "".'.'.unmuiii- those under the ban of the Church its special privileges, cation, as partaking of the eucharist, etc. Such were not, however, ex- cluded from the ordinary ministrations and ])ublic services. The greater excommunication was visited upon more heinous offenders, or those, generally, who were guilty of mortal ^^^ greater sins. It consisted in a complete exscinding of members e.\<<>minuniru- from the body of the Church, and, therefore, from all ' Reference is not here had to later civil enactments for the punishment of here.-J.v and sedition. Conciliary action was taken ajrainst sneli prcsbj'tors, or bisliops, as were disturbers of the peace by sotting up new churches in opposition to the rejr- ular authorities. Later, the civil power was invoked to suppress such agitators. This does not. however, strictly pertain to Cliurcli discipline. ''v. Tertullian: de pudicilia, c. 19. Pt-rrata mortalia and P,:ccnta v-nuilia. He- reckons seven mortal sins: heresy and .schism, idolatry, fraud, denial of Christ, blas- phemy, homicide, and fornication. 380 ARCHEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. its privileges and associations. When the anathema was uttered, the offender was regarded as one to be shunned by all the faithful, and absolutely deprived of all that was distinctive of the Christian Church, including the rites of Christian burial. This penalty was executed against both sexes, the rich and poor, the subject and the ruler,' alike; in this regard the Christian discipline was characteris- Notice Riven to tically rigid. Notice of such greater excommunication other churciies. ^yas generally given to other churches, and they were expected to concur in the decision, on the theory of the unity of the Church, and, therefore, for the sake of the general good.^ All were forbidden to receive such excommunicate persons; and, by fre- quent conciliary enactment, any bishop thus receiving and harbor- ing the exscinded should himself be regarded as cut off from the Church." The general Church did not however regard the effect of even ^. , , , the greater excommunication as annulling the benefits Did not annul ° . . '=' the benefits of of baptism; SO that when the most heinous offenders baptism. sought readmission into the Church they were not required to be rebaptized. This was contrary to the method of the Donatists, who often received excommunicate persons into their fellowship by declaring them purified by a rebaptism, which this sect freely practised. No one was excommunicated without a hearing and a formal con- Right of ap- viction; any hasty or unwarranted action of a bishop P^*'- was liable to review before a provincial synod, to which the aggrieved pai'ty had the right of appeal. This was judged of such importance that canons to this effect were enacted by various councils.'' § 2. PeniteMtial Discipline. While the persecutions of the Church were not continuous, and never absolutely universal, and while some emperors, as Gallienus, showed many favors to the Christians, going so far as to declare to the bishops that it was his will that they should be undisturbed in ' The well known example of the action of Ambrose toward Theodosins tlie Great, as related by Tlieodoret, is very instructive, not only as illustrating tlie firmness of a Cliristian bishop, but also the feelings of a great emperor respecting the fearfuluess of the ban of the Church. * V. Probst : Kirchliche Disdplin in den drei ersten christlichen JahvTiundertm. Tiibingen, 1873, s. 402. ^v. Canons 2, 4, and 5 of the Coinicil of Antioch; Canon 2, of the second Council of Carthage; also Canon 13 of the Canon. Apost. * V. Canon 5, Council of Nice : Canons 8 and 10 of the second Council of Carthage ; Canon 6 of the Council of Antioch, et al. CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 381 their ministrations, the ban, under whieh Christianity as a reliyio Ulicita rested, was not lifted. It was still a penal offence to be a Christian; and all the dangers and hardships which such leyal dis- ability implied constantly impended over the Church. It is not, therefore, strange that during the sharp visitations of persecution temptations to deny Christ and to offer to idols were most powerful. TJiis strain was especially severe dur- *^ '^^^^ ' ing the Decian persecutions, when multitudes fell away from the Church through the malignity and subtle devices of this emperor and his successors to Gallienus. The provisions of the early Church for the return of the lapsed gave rise to a complicated system of penitential discipline. The rigorous discipline of the Xovatians had refused readmission to those who were guilty of mortal sins. Only in the hour and article of death could they hope that the ban of the Church miglit be removed. Also Cyprian, in the earlier portion of his administration, had been inclined to use great severity in dealing with those who had lapsed from the faith (lapsi) during the Decian persecutions. i>ut in Rome and elsewhere more lenient provisions were made for their return to the Church through a system of penance which must be heartily accepted and practised by the offender. The reason of this imposition was that the Church might be assured of the sincere ])enitence and reform of the lapsed who was seeking admission. A further necessity for this was felt by the Church from the fact that many attempts to interfere with the regular discipline of the Church had been made. Especially those who had gained peculiar sanctity by suffering for the truth's sake abused their intluence by granting certificates of peace or reconciliation without confession or the assurance of penitence. This caused great discontent on the part of such as had remained steadfast, and discipline was thus seriously threatened. To save the Church from disorder and to maintain her purity four orders of penitents were recognised as early, probably, as the middle of the third century. These pour orders of were known among the Latins as Jlentes, or weepers; penitenw. aucUentes, or hearers; siihstrdtl, or kneelers; and coiiftisfc/ifc'i, or co-standers.' The first fell ui)on their faces, imploring the prayers of the Church in their behalf, and that they might be admitted to the first apartment of the church. Then properly their pen- ' V. St. Basil : Can. 22, et at. Tlie first year tliey are to weep before tlio gnte of the church; the second year, to be admitted to hearing; the tliird year, to bending thekuee, or repentance; the third year, to stand with tlie faithful at prayers, but not partake of the oblation. To the same efifect are the teacliings of Ambrose and other fathers. 382 ARCHJaOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. 1 ance began. When they were thus admitted to become hear- ers, permission was granted them to listen to the Scriptures and the sermon, but they were exchided from the more private and sacred portions of the service.' The length of time they were to continue in this order was made the subject of repeated conciliary action.* This depended upon the nature of the offence, and the character of the offender. The third order, suhstrati, or genu- flectentes, were so named from the fact that they Avere permitted to fall on their knees, and remain as participants in the common prayers, and to hear the prayers offered for them by the congre- gation and the bishop. While the hearers were restricted to the narthex or vestibule of the church building, the thii-d order were ad- mitted to the interior, near the ambo, or reading-desk. The fourth order of penitents, the consistentes, or co-standers, were allowed " to stand with the faithful at the altar, and join in the common prayers, and see the oblation offered; but yet might neither make their own oblations, nor partake of the eucharist with them." ' At the beginning of the fourth century the Oriental churches ap- . . pointed a special presbA'^ter to regulate the conduct of tentiai presfey- penitential discipline [presbyter j^oenitentiurius). But '*''^' on account of the continuous restiveness felt by the private members, in their more public life, and through the interfer- ence of the state, this special office was abrogated near the close of the fourth century. Likewise, on the cessation of persecutions, the T^ ,■ . *.- practice of orderly penitential discipline fell into disuse, Decline of the ^ . • ^ ^ . penitential sys- and Cliurcli life became more free and unconstrained. '^™' Also in the West, under like general conditions and at about the same time, the system was so modified that only for more open and public crimes was public penance imposed, w^hile for other offences a private confession to the clergy was judged sufficient.* From this came gross abuses in practice (auricular confession, indul- gences, etc.) and dangerous innovations in Christian doctrine (work righteousness, etc.). The readmission to the Church, after the period of penance, was Ceremony of often accompanied Avith much imposing ceremonial, readmission. -jij^g absolution pronounced by the early Church was not, however, judicial. The prerogative of pardon l)eloiiged to God alone. 'Note the proclamation of the deacon, '-.Ve quis audientium, ne quh inMelium" etc. Apost. ConstiL, 1. 8, c. 5. * V. Council of Nice, Can. 11, 12, and canons of varion.s other councils. ^ V. Bin,a:hani: Antiquities of the Christian Church, bk. xviii, chap. i. * V. Giiericke: Lehrbicch d. ch. kirch. Archmologie, Berlin, 1859, s. 109. CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 883 As there were stages of j)eiuteiitial discipline, so were there vari- eties or stages of absohitioii. Biiigliain ' has arranged Five stages of these as follows: " 1.) The absolution or great indul- absolution, gence of baptism, 2.) The absolution of the eucharist. 3.) The absolution of the word and doctrine. 4.) The absolution of imposi- tion of hands and prayer. 5.) The absolution of reconcilement to the Church and her communion by a relaxation of her censures. The two tii-st may be called sacramental absolution; the third, de- clarator}^ absolution; the fourth, precatory absolution; the fifth, judicial absolution; and all of them authoritative, so far as they are done by the ministerial authority and commission which Christ has given to his Church, to reconcile men to God by the exercise of such acts and means as conduce to that end in a subordinate and minis- terial way, according to his appointment." The earl}^ Church was careful in its treatment of the excommuni- cate. It never claimed the absolute prerogative of par- careoftheear- doii, nor arrogated the power to exclude the offender ly Church, from final salvation, nor to limit the forgiving mercy of God. The acts of the Church were purely ministerial, exercised to guard its purity of doctrine and life. The original system of RespectinR penance had no respect to merit, but was purely penal, pardon, disciplinary, and reformatory.^ Auricular confession, merit of good works, and indulgences were abuses which appeared during a sub- sequent period of the history of the Church. § 3. Discipline of the Clergy. If the early Church was stringent in its discipline of the laity, its treatment of clerical offences was still more severe.' A „ , . More stringent distinction was made between the discipline of the cler- than lay disci- gy and that of the laity. A clergyman might be excom- "^ ""'' municated from his office, with its honours and emoluments, and yet be permitted to enjoy the privileges of the Church conceded to the laity. In case of flagrant crimes the excision was, how- penalties Jn- ever, absolute. The penalties suffered by the clergy f'*"'^*'^- generally had respect to their means of support, their otHcc, or to their persons, in case of corporal punishment; so that the di'priva- tion of their incomes was for lesser offences, the degratlation from office to the condition of laymen for more heinous pppoi,efi piertrv crimes. In the latter case the deposed clergy were rarely mreiy reinstat- reinstated; hence the indelible character of ordination could not have been the governing doctrine." The infrequent ' Op. cit.: bk. xix, pp. 1085, seq. '' Probst: Op. cii., s. 401. * Probst: Op. cit., s. 403. " Probst: Op. oil., ss. 407, 408. 384 ARCHAEOLOGY OF CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. infliction of corporal punishment was generally confined to the inferior clergy; but in criminal causes the superior clergy, after degradation from their office, were also liable to the same.' The ancient Church, through its conciliary canons, exercised a most vigilant oversight over its clergy, and defined with Ancient disci- piine whole- great clearness the offences which should be shunned, some. ^^^^ ^j-^g punishment to be inflicted upon wilful violators of the law. Usually these provisions were eminently wholesome and just. ' Justin. Novel, 123, cap. 20. Corporal puuishmeut seems to have been a later infliction. BOOK THIRD THE Sacraments and Worship of the Early Christian Church. 35 THE SACRAMENTS WORSHIP OF THE EARLY CHURCH INTRODUCTION. The apostles recognised two sacraments as instituted by Christ; they celebrated these with joy, and imposed them as obligatory upon all who would be disciples of the new faith. The deeper sig- nificance of the Christian sacraments is manifest, although existing forms were employed for teaching their profounder truths. What under the former dispensation was a type, found in Christ and the sacraments which he instituted its true antitype; the prophecy of good things to come was herein fulfilled; the circumcision which was outward in the flesh was to yield to the true circumcision of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter (Rom. ii, 28, 29). Christ, the true Passover, was to be sacrificed once for all for men, and henceforth the feast was to be kept not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened l)read of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. v, 7, 8). The Eastern Church characterized all holy or incomprehensible truths or oflices as mysteries, [ivar-qQia, and the Latins, in their trans- lations of the Scriptures, generally used the term sacrament, sa