The Objection from Lactantius ceed and take possession of the sanctuary, where the venerable bench of our clergy sit?" About this time also Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, speaks of churches as appropriate to the service of God, resolving this question 53, Whether a woman in the time of her separation might enter into the house of God? It appears further from the Rescript of Gallienus, the emperor, recorded by Eusebius 54, where he restores the Christians their churches, under the name of τόποι θρησκεύσιμοι, worshipping places and from what has been noted before out of the Letter of Aurelian 55, which chides the senate for demurring about opening the Sibylline Books, as if they had been consulting, not in the Capitol, but in a Christian church; as also that other Rescript of his in Eusebius 56, which, at the request of the Council of Antioch, ordered Paulus Samosatensis to be turned out of the house of the church. But the testimony of Eusebius goes far beyond all others; for speaking of the peaceable times, which the Christians enjoyed from the persecution of Valerian to that of Diocletian, he observes 57, ' that the number of Christians so grew and multiplied, in that fifty years, that their ancient churches were not large enough to receive them, and therefore they erected from the foundations more ample and spacious ones in every city.' 16. The only objection against all this, made with any colour, is drawn from some of the ancient apologists, Origen 58, Minucius Felix 59, Arnobius 60, and Lactantius 61, who seem to 53 Ep. Canon. c. 2. (ap. Bevereg.t. 2. part. I. p. 4 e.) Περὶ τῶν ἐν ἀφέδρῳ γυναικῶν, εἰ προσῆκεν αὐτὰς οὔτ τω διακειμένας εἰς τὸν οἶκον εἰσιέναι τοῦ Θεοῦ, περιττὸν καὶ τὸ πυνθάνε σθαι νομίζω. 64 L. 7. c. 13. (v. I. P. 340. 7.) Την 55 See s. I. p. 2. n. 4. 5. n. 20. 57 L. 8. c. I. (v. 1. p. 376. 14.) Πῶς δ ̓ ἂν τις διαγράψειε τὰς μυριάνδρους ἐκείνας ἐπισυναγωγάς· καὶ τὰ πλήθη τῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν ἀθροισμάτων τάς τε ἐπισήμους ἐν τοῖς προσευκτηρίοις συνδρομάς; ὧν δὴ ἔ νεκα μηδαμῶς ἔτι τοῖς παλαιοῖς οἰκοδομήμασιν ἀρκούμενοι, εὐρείας εἰς πλάτος ἀνὰ πάσας τὰς πόλεις ἐκ θεμελίων ἀνίστων ἐκκλησίας. 58 Cont. Cels. 1. 8. p. 389. (t. I. p. 756 e.) Εἰ δὲ καὶ ναοὺς ναοῖς δεῖ παραβαλεῖν, ἵνα παραστήσωμεν τοῖς ἀποδεχομένοις τὰ Κέλσου, ὅτι νεὼς μὲν ἱδρύεσθαι τοὺς πρέποντας τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀγάλμασι καὶ βωμοῖς οὐ φεύγομεν· ἐκτρεπόμεθα δὲ τῷ πάσης ζωῆς χορηγῷ ἀψύχους καὶ νεκροὺς οἰκοδομεῖν νεώς· ἀκουέτω ὁ βουλόμε νος, τίνα τρόπον διδασκόμεθα, Ότι τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν ναὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστί· καὶ εἴ τις διὰ τῆς ἀκολασίας ἢ τῆς ἁμαρτ τίας φθείρει τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὗτος ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀσεβὴς εἰς τὸν ἀληθῆ ναὸν φθαρήσεται. 59 Octav. [c. 10.] p. 29. (p. 61.) bius an 33 say that the Christians in their time had no temples, nor altars, and Arnonor ought to have any. But as Mr. Mede shews at large, this swered. is only spoken against such temples as the heathens pleaded for, in the notion of encloistering the Deity by an idol. For otherwise the very authors from whom the objection is drawn must strangely contradict themselves. For Arnobius 62 owns they had their conventicula, houses of assembly, which he complains were barbarously destroyed in the last persecution. And Lactantius 63 says the same, giving them also the name of the temples of God, which Diocletian ordered to be demolished, when he taught oratory in Bithynia. And Origen himself 64 speaks of adorning the Christian churches, and altars, in one of his Homilies upon Joshua, translated literally by Ruffin. ditional 17. Thus far Mr. Mede goes in his collections and answer to Some adthis objection; to which I shall add a few things which he has collections not observed. Lactantius in another place of his Institutions 65 upon this speaks of one of the Christian conventicula in a town in Phrygia, which the Heathen burnt, with the whole assembly .... Cur nullas aras habent, templa nulla, nulla nota simulacra? 60 Cont. Gent. 1. 6. (p. 190.) Quod cum ita se habeat, qui possumus judicari deos habere contemptui? quos nisi sunt recti et magnarum mentium admiratione laudabiles, deos negamus existere, nec potestatibus posse cœlitibus applicari? Sed templa illis exstruimus nulla, nec eorum effigies adoramus, non mactamus hostias, non tura ac vina libamus. Et quid amplius possumus vel honoris eis tribuere vel dignitatis, quam quod eos in ea ponamus parte, qua rerum caput, ac Dominum, summumque ipsum regem, cui debent divina [al. dii una] nobiscum, quod esse se sentiunt, et vitali in substantia contineri? Numquid enim delubris aut templorum eum constructionibus honoramus? 61 Instit. 1. 2. c. 2. (t. i. p. 116.) Cur ad parietes, et ligna, et lapides potissimum, quam illo spectatis, ubi eos esse creditis? Quid sibi templa? Quid aræ volunt? 62 Cont. Gent. 1. 4. p. 152. See before, s. 7. p. 12. n. 61. 63 Instit. 1. 5. c. 2. s. 6. p. 9. n. 42. BINGHAM, VOL. III. See before, 64 Hom. 1o. in Josh. (t. 2. p. 423 b.) Sunt quidam in ecclesia credentes quidem et habentes fidem in Deum, et acquiescentes in omnibus divinis præceptis; quique etiam erga servos Dei religiosi sunt, et servire eis cupiunt, sed et ad ornatum ecclesiæ vel ministerium satis prompti paratique sunt; in actibus vero suis. et conversatione propria obscœnitatibus et vitiis involuti, nec omnino deponentes veterem hominem cum actibus suis, sed involuti vetustis vitiis et obscœnitatibus suis, sicut et isti pannis et calceamentis veteribus obtecti, præter hoc, quod in Deum credunt, et erga servos Dei vel ecclesiæ cultum videntur esse devoti, nihil adhibent emendationis vel innovationis in moribus. [al. mores.]-Ibid. (d.) Sciendum est... quod si qui tales sunt in nobis, quorum fides hoc tantummodo habet, ut ad ecclesiam veniant, et inclinent caput suum sacerdotibus, officia exhibeant, servos Dei honorent, ad ornatum quoque altaris vel ecclesiæ aliquid conferant, &c. 65 Instit. 1. 5. c. 11. See before, s. 7. p. 12. n. 60. D head. in it. And in his book, De Mortibus Persecutorum, published since Mr. Mede's death, he gives a more particular account of the destruction of churches throughout the world. For he not only mentions the demolishing the stately church of Nicomedia 66, but intimates that the same fate attended the churches over all the world. For even in France, where the mild Constantius ruled, the persecution went so far as to pull down the churches 67, though the men, the true temples of God, were spared, and sheltered under his gentle government. Lactantius lived in France at this time, being tutor to Crispus, the son of Constantine, and grandson of Constantius, and therefore he could not be mistaken in his relation. So that we must interpret Eusebius 68 by him, when he says Constantius destroyed no churches; that is, he gave no positive orders, as the other emperors did, to destroy them, but he connived at such as pulled them down, in policy to satisfy the other emperors, and make the walls compound for the life and safety of the persons. However it was, both Eusebius and Lactantius agree in this, that there were churches in France before the last persecution. We have the like account of the churches of Britain given by Gildas 69, who says in general of the last persecution, that it occasioned churches all over the world to be destroyed, and particularly in Britain; for 70 fanum illud editissimum paucis horis solo adæquarunt. 66 De Mort. Persecut. c. 12. (t. 2. p. 199.) Ille dies primus leti primusque malorum causa fuit, quæ et ipsis et orbi terrarum acciderunt. Qui dies cum illuxisset, agentibus consulatum senibus ambobus octavum et septimum, repente adhuc dubia luce ad ecclesiam præfectus cum ducibus et tribunis et rationalibus venit; et revulsis foribus simulacrum Dei quæritur. Scripturæ repertæ incenduntur, datur omnibus præda. Rapitur, trepidatur, discurritur. Ipsi vero in speculis (in alto enim constituta ecclesia ex palatio videbatur) diu inter se concertabant, utrum ignem potius supponi oporteret. Vicit sententia Diocletianus, cavens ne, magno incendio facto, pars aliqua civitatis arderet. Nam multæ ac magnæ domus ab omni parte cingebant. Veniebant igitur prætoriani, acie structa, cum securibus et aliis ferramentis ; et immissi undique 67 Ibid. c. 15. (p. 202.) Constantius, ne dissentire videretur a majoribus præceptis, conventicula, id est, parietes, qui restitui poterant, dirui passus est, verum autem Dei templum, quod est in hominibus, incolume servavit. 68 L. 8. c. 13. (v. 1. p. 396. 22.)... Καὶ μήτε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοὺς οἴκους καθελών, μήθ' ἕτερόν τι καθ ̓ ἡμῶν καινουργήσας, τέλος εὐδόκιμον καὶ τρισμακάριον ἀπείληφε τοῦ βίου. 69 De Excid. Britann. (Bibl. Magn. t. 5. p. 393 d. 13.) Ad persecutionem Diocletiani tyranni novennem, in qua subversæ per totum mundum sunt ecclesiæ, &c. 70 Ibid. (p. 394 c. 11.) Renovant ecclesias ad solum usque destructas, basilicas sanctorum martyrum fundant, construunt, perficiunt, ac veluti victricia signa passim propalant. the Christians built them anew again from the ground when the persecution was over, and founded others beside them, to be as so many public monuments and trophies of their martyrs.' Optatus 71 takes notice of forty churches in Rome, before the last persecution, which being taken from the Christians, were afterward restored to them by the order of Maxentius, as St. Austin 72 more than once informs us. In Afric we read of some churches that were demolished in this persecution, as at Zama and Furni, mentioned in the Acts of Purgation of Cæcilian and Felix 73. Others were taken away, and in the mean time, till they were restored again, both councils and church-assemblies were held in private houses, as Optatus 74 observes of the Council of Cirta; and St. Austin after him, who says 75, It was not to be wondered at, that a few bishops should hold a council in a private house in the heat of persecution, when the martyrs made no scruple, in the like case, to be baptized in prison, and Christians met in prison, to celebrate the sacrament with the martyrs.' But not to multiply instances of this nature, the very tenour of the imperial edicts, which raised the last persecution, is undeniable evidence, that the Christians in all parts of the world had then their public churches, to which they resorted so long as they had opportunity to frequent them. For Eusebius 76 says, 'the -Vid. Bedæ Hist. Eccles. 1. 1. cc. 6. et 8., who speaks almost in the words of Gildas. 71 L. 2. p. 49. (p. 39.) Non enim grex aut populus appellandi fuerant pauci, qui inter quadraginta, et quod excurrit, basilicas, locum ubi colligerent, non habebant. 72 Brevic. Collat. die 3. c. 18. (t. 9. p. 574 f.).... Gesta alia recitarunt, in quibus legebatur Melchiades misisse diaconos cum literis Maxentii imperatoris et literis præfecti-prætorio ad præfectum urbis, ut ea reciperent, quæ tempore persecutionis ablata memoratus imperator Christianis jusserat reddi. Et cum his quoque gestis nullum Melchiadis crimen et cognitori et Catholicis defensoribus appareret, dixerunt Donatistæ, Stratonem diaconum, quem cum aliis Melchiades ad recipienda loca ecclesiastica miserat, superiori bus Gestis recitatum esse traditorem; &c.-Ad Donatist. post Collat. c. 13. (t. 9. p. 590 g.) where the same words are read. 73 Gesta Purgat. ad calc. Optat. p.276. (p. 96 b.)... Et Zamæ et Furnis dirui basilicas et uri scripturas vidi. 74 L. 1. p. 39. (p. 16.) Apud Cirtam Civitatem, quia basilica necdum fuerunt restitutæ, in domum Urbani Carisi consederunt, &c. 75 Brevic. Collat. die 3. c. 17. (t. 9. p. 574 b, c.) Non esse incredibile, quod in privatam domum pauci illi episcopi persecutionis tempore convenerunt, ut, fervente persecutione, etiam in carcere doceantur baptizati martyres, et illic a Christianis celebrata sacramenta, ubi Christiani propter eadem saeramenta tenebantur inclusi. 76 L. 8. c. 2. (v. 1. p. 377. 36.) Tôv edicts were sent over all the world, commanding the churches to be levelled with the ground, and the bibles to be burnt.' Which is also noted by Theodoret 77, St. Jerome 78, and the Acts of Purgation of Cæcilian and Felix 79, at the end of Optatus. So that a man might as well question whether the Christians had bibles, as whether they had churches before the last persecution. The defenders of the contrary opinion here always give up the cause, and contradict themselves; for when they have urged the authority of Arnobius and Lactantius, against Christians having any temples, they are forced to confess from the foresaid evidences, that they had churches whilst Arnobius and Lactantius lived, that is, within the third century which is to grant and deny the same thing, and load both themselves and those ancient authors with a manifest contradiction. To the testimonies cited by Mr. Mede in the middle of the third century, the reader may add that remarkable story told by Eusebius 80, concerning the martyr Marinus, μὲν προσευκτηρίων τοὺς οἴκους ἐξ ὕψους εἰς ἔδαφος αὐτοῖς θεμελίοις καταρριπτουμένους, τὰς δὲ ἐνθέους καὶ ἱερὰς γραφὰς κατὰ μέσας ἀγορὰς πυρὶ παραδιδομένας αὐτοῖς ἐπείδομεν ὀφθαλμοῖς. 77 L. 5. c. 39. (v. 3. p. 239. 15.) Πάσας καταλύσειν τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἠπείλησε, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ τέλος ἐπέθηκεν οἷς ἠπείλησε. 78 In Zachar. c. 8. (t. 6. p. 841 d.) In tantam rabiem persecutorum feritas excitata est, ut etiam conciliabula nostra destruerent. 79 Gesta Purgat. p. 277. (p. 96 d.) Ubi scripturæ inveniuntur, ipsa domus diruitur. 80 L. 7. c. 15. (v. I. p. 341. 9.) Τιμὴ τίς ἐστι παρὰ ̔Ρωμαίοις τὸ κλῆμα, οὗ τοὺς τυχόντας φασὶν ἑκατοντάρχους γίνεσθαι. Τόπου σχολάζοντος, ἐπὶ τοῦτο προκοπῆς τὸν Μαρῖνον ἡ τοῦ βαθμοῦ τάξις ἐκάλει ̇ ἤδη τε μέλλοντα τῆς τιμῆς ἔχεσθαι, παρελθὼν ἄλλος πρὸ τοῦ βήματος, μὴ ἐξεῖναι μὲν ἐκείνῳ τῆς ̔Ρωμαίων μετέχειν ἀξίας κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς νόμους, Χριστιανῷ γε ὄντι καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι μὴ θύοντι, κατηγόρει αὐτῷ δὲ ἐπιβάλλειν τὸν κλῆρον· ἐφ ̓ ᾧ κινηθέντα τὸν δικαστὴν, ̓Αχαιὸς οὗτος ἦν, πρῶτ τον μὲν ἐρέσθαι, ποίας ὁ Μαρίνος γνώμης εἴη; Ως δ' ὁμολογοῦντα Χριστ τιανὸν ἐπιμόνως ἑώρα, τριῶν ὡρῶν ἐπιδοῦναι αὐτῷ εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν διάστημα· ἐκτὸς δῆτα γενόμενον αὐτὸν τοῦ δικαστηρίου, Θεότεκνος ὁ τῇδε ἐπίσκοπος ἀφέλκει προσελθὼν δι ̓ ἡμιλίας καὶ τῆς χειρὸς λαβὼν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν προσάγει· εἴσω τε πρὸς αὐτῷ στήσας τῷ ἁγιάσματι, μικρὸν τε παραναστείλας αὐτοῦ τῆς χλανί δος * καὶ τὸ προσηρτημένον αὐτῷ ξίφος ἐπιδείξας, ἅμα τε ἀντιπαρατίθησι προσαγαγὼν αὐτῷ τὴν τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων γραφήν κελεύσας τῶν δυεῖν ελέσθαι τὸ κατὰ γνώμην. Ὡς δ ̓ ἀμελλητὶ τὴν δεξιὰν προτείνας ἐδέξατο τὴν θείαν γραφήν· Ἔχου τοίνυν, ἔχου, φησὶ, πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεότεκνος, τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τύχοις ὧν εἷλου, πρὸς αὐτοῦ δυναμούμενος, καὶ βάδιζε μετ' εἰρήνης. Εὐθὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανελθόντα αὐτὸν κῆρυξ ἐβόα καλῶν πρὸ τοῦ δικαστηρίου· καὶ * [Τῆς χλανίδος. Lego, της χλαμύδος. Chlamys enim et balteus erant insignia militantium.... Plerumque tamen pro chlamyde xλavis passivo errore scribitur. Vales. in loc.—Χλανὶς was an upper garment of wool, of finer texture than the χλαίνα. It was worn by women as well as by men, and was more for ornament than for use. ED.] |