them might deserve the reproaches of avarice and intemperance-of avarice, which they gratified with holy plunder; and of intemperance, which they indulged at the expense of the people, who foolishly admired their tattered garments, loud psalmody, and artificial paleness." A small number of temples was protected by the fears, the venality, the taste, or the prudence of the civil and ecclesiastical governors. The temple of the Celestial Venus at Carthage, whose sacred precincts formed a circumference of two miles, was judiciously converted into a Christian church; 33 and a similar consecration has preserved inviolate the majestic dome of the Pantheon at Rome.34 But in almost every province of the Roman world, an army of fanatics, without authority and without discipline, invaded the peaceful inhabitants; and the ruin of the fairest structures of antiquity still displays the ravages of those barbarians who alone had time and inclination to execute such laborious destruction. The temple Alexandria. In this wide and various prospect of devastation, the spectator may distinguish the ruins of the temple of Serapis, at Alexof Serapis at andria. 35 Serapis does not appear to have been one of the native gods, or monsters, who sprung from the fruitful soil of superstitious Egypt.36 The first of the Ptolemies had been commanded, by a dream, to import the mysterious stranger from the coast of Pontus, where he had been long adored by the inhabitants of Sinope; but his attributes and his reign were so imperfectly understood, that it became a subject of dispute whether he represented the bright orb 32 Libanius pro Templis, p. 10-13. He rails at these black-garbed men, the Christian monks, who eat more than elephants. Poor elephants! they are temperate animals. 23 Prosper. Aquitan. 1. iii. c. 38, apud Baronium; Annal. Eccles. A.d. 389, No. 58, &c. The temple had been shut some time, and the access to it was overgrown with brambles. Donatus, Roma Antiqua et Nova, 1. iv. c. 4, p. 468. This consecration was performed by pope Boniface IV. I am ignorant of the favourable circumstances which had preserved the Pantheon above two hundred years after the reign of Theodosius. 35 Sophronius composed a recent and separate history (Jerom, in Script. Eccles. tom. i. p. 303), which has furnished materials to Socrates (1. v. c. 16), Theodoret (1. v. c. 22), and Rufinus (1. ii. c. 22). Yet the last, who had been at Alexandria before and after the event, may deserve the credit of an original witness. 36 Gerard Vossius (Opera, tom. v. p. 80, and de Idololatriâ, 1. i. c. 29) strives to support the strange notion of the Fathers, that the patriarch Joseph was adored in Egypt as the bull Apis and the god Serapis." Modern writers are agreed that the worship of Serapis was not so strange to the ancient Egyptians as the narrative of Tacitus would imply. Serapis appears to have been worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as the god of the lower world, and hence to have been identified under the Ptolemies with the Jupiter, Dis, or Pluto of Hinope. He was the Osiris of the lower world, and among the Greeks and Romans took the place of this deity. See Guigniaut, Serapis et son Origine, Paris, 1828; also in the fifth volume of Bournouf's translation of Tacitus, and in the second volume of Orelli's Tacitus; Bunsen, Egyptens Stelle in der Weltgeschichte, vol. i. p. 502.-S. wwww 37 The of day, or the gloomy monarch of the subterraneous regions.3 Egyptians, who were obstinately devoted to the religion of their fathers, refused to admit this foreign deity within the walls of their cities, 38 But the obsequious priests, who were seduced by the liberality of the Ptolemies, submitted, without resistance, to the power of the god of Pontus: an honourable and domestic genealogy was provided; and this fortunate usurper was introduced into the throne and bed of Osiris,39 the husband of Isis, and the celestial monarch of Egypt. Alexandria, which claimed his peculiar protection, gloried in the name of the city of Serapis. His temple, 40 which rivalled the pride and magnificence of the Capitol, was erected on the spacious summit of an artificial mount, raised one hundred steps above the level of the adjacent parts of the city; and the interior cavity was strongly supported by arches, and distributed into vaults and subterraneous apartments. The consecrated buildings were surrounded by a quadrangular portico; the stately halls and exquisite statues displayed the triumph of the arts; and the treasures of ancient learning were preserved in the famous Alexandrian library, which had arisen with new splendour from its ashes. After the edicts of 37 Origo dei nondum nostris celebrata. Egyptiorum antistites sic memorant, &c. Tacit. Hist. iv. 83. The Greeks who had travelled into Egypt were alike ignorant of this new deity. 38 Macrobius, Saturnal. 1. i. c. 7. Such a living fact decisively proves his foreign extraction. 39 At Rome, Isis and Serapis were united in the same temple. The precedency which the queen assumed may seem to betray her unequal alliance with the stranger of Pontus. But the superiority of the female sex was established in Egypt as a civil and religious institution (Diodor. Sicul. tom. i. 1. i. [c. 27] p. 31, edit. Wesseling), and the same order is observed in Plutarch's Treatise of Isis and Osiris ; whom he identifies with Serapis. 40 Ammianus (xxii. 16). The Expositio totius Mundi (p. 8, in Hudson's Geograph. Minor. tom. iii.), and Rufinus (1. ii. c. 22), celebrate the Serapeum as one of the wonders of the world. 41 See Mémoires de l'Acad. des Inscriptions, tom. ix. p. 397-416. The old library of the Ptolemies was totally consumed in Cæsar's Alexandrian war. Marc Antony gave the whole collection of Pergamus (200,000 volumes) to Cleopatra, as the foundation of the new library of Alexandria." a The statements of Gibbon, both in the text and in the note, require some modification. There were two libraries of Alexandria under the Ptolemies, the larger one in the quarter called Bruchium, and the smaller one, named the daughter, in the Serapeum, which was situated in the quarter called Rhacôtis. The former was totally destroyed in the conflagration of the Bruchium during Cæsar's Alexandrian war; but the latter, which was of great value, remained uninjured. (See Matter, Histoire de l'Ecole d'Alexandrie, vol. i. p. 133, seq., 237, seq.) It is not stated by any ancient writer where the collection of Pergamus was placed, which VOL. III. Antony gave to Cleopatra (Plutarch, Anton. c. 58); but it is most probable that it was deposited in the Bruchium, as that quarter of the city was now without a library, and the queen was anxious to repair the ravages occasioned by the civil war. If this supposition is correct, two Alexandrian libraries continued to exist after the time of Cæsar, and this is rendered still more probable by the fact that during the first three centuries of the Christian era the Bruchium was still the literary quarter of Alexandria. But a great change took place in the time of Aurelian. This emperor, in suppressing the revolt of Firmus in Egypt, A.D. 273, is said to have 2 E Its final destruction, A.D. 389. Theodosius had severely prohibited the sacrifices of the Pagans, they were still tolerated in the city and temple of Serapis ; and this singular indulgence was imprudently ascribed to the superstitious terrors of the Christians themselves: as if they had feared to abolish those ancient rites which could alone secure the inundations of the Nile, the harvests of Egypt, and the subsistence of Constantinople. 42 At that time13 the archiepiscopal throne of Alexandria was filled by Theophilus, the perpetual enemy of peace and virtue ; a bold, bad man, whose hands were alternately polluted with gold and with blood. His pious indignation was excited by the honours of Serapis ; and the insults which he offered to an ancient chapel of Bacchusb convinced the Pagans that he meditated a more important and dangerous enterprise. In the tumultuous capital of Egypt, the slightest provocation was sufficient to inflame a civil war. The votaries of Serapis, whose strength and numbers were much inferior to those of their antagonists, rose in arms at the instigation of the philosopher Olympius, 45 who exhorted them to die in the defence of the altars of the gods. These Pagan fanatics fortified themselves in the temple, or rather fortress, of Serapis ; repelled the besiegers by daring sallies and a resolute defence; and, by the inhuman cruelties which they exercised on their Christian prisoners, obtained the last consolation of despair. The efforts of the prudent magistrate were usefully exerted for the establishment of a truce till the answer of Theodosius should determine the fate of Serapis. The two parties assembled, without arms, in the principal 42 Libanius (pro Templis, p. 21) indiscreetly provokes his Christian masters by this insulting remark. 43 We may choose between the date of Marcellinus (A.D. 389) or that of Prosper (A.D. 391). Tillemont (Hist. des Emp. tom. v. p. 310, 756) prefers the former, and Pagi the latter." Tillemont, Mém. Ecclés. tom. xi. p. 441-500. The ambiguous situation of Theophilus-a saint, as the friend of Jerom; a devil, as the enemy of Chrysostom-produces a sort of impartiality; yet, upon the whole, the balance is justly inclined against him. 45 Lardner (Heathen Testimonies, vol. iv. p. 411) has alleged a beautiful passage from Suidas, or rather from Damascius, which shows the devout and virtuous Olympius, not in the light of a warrior, but of a prophet. destroyed the Bruchium; and though this statement is hardly to be taken literally, the Bruchium ceased from this time to be included within the walls of Alexandria, and was regarded only as a suburb of the city. Whether the great library in the Bruchium, with the museum and its other literary establishments, perished at this time, we do not know; but the Serapeum for the next century takes its place as the literary quarter of Alexandria, and becomes the chief library in the city. Hence later writers erroneously speak of the Serapeum as if it had been from the beginning the great Alexandrian library. See Matter, ut supra, p. 300, seq.-S. a Clinton (Fast. Rom. vol. i. p. 522) places the destruction in 390.-S. b Sozomen (vii. c. 15) calls it a temple of Bacchus; but we may conclude that it was a temple of Osiris, as the Greeks gave to this deity the name of Bacchus. Socrates (v. 16) calls it a Mithreum; and Rufinus (xii. 22) simply says basilica quædam. See St. Martin, vol. iv. p. 398; Matter, ut supra, vol. i. p. 320.-S. But when a square; and the Imperial rescript was publicly read. sentence of destruction against the idols of Alexandria was pronounced, the Christians sent up a shout of joy and exultation, whilst the unfortunate Pagans, whose fury had given way to consternation, retired with hasty and silent steps, and eluded, by their flight or obscurity, the resentment of their enemies. Theophilus proceeded to demolish the temple of Serapis, without any other difficulties than those which he found in the weight and solidity of the materials; but these obstacles proved so insuperable, that he was obliged to leave the foundations, and to content himself with reducing the edifice itself to a heap of rubbish, a part of which was soon afterwards cleared away, to make room for a church erected in honour of the Christian martyrs. The valuable library of Alexandria was pillaged or destroyed; and near twenty years afterwards, the appearance of the empty shelves excited the regret and indignation of every spectator whose mind was not totally darkened by religious prejudice. The compositions of ancient genius, so many of which have irretrievably perished, might surely have been excepted from the wreck of idolatry, for the amusement and instruction of succeeding ages; and either the zeal or the avarice of the archbishop' might have been satiated with the rich spoils which were the reward of his victory. While the images and vases of gold and silver were carefully melted, and those of a less valuable metal were contemptuously broken and cast into the streets, Theophilus laboured to expose the frauds and vices of the ministers of the idols: their dexterity in the management of the loadstone; their secret methods of introducing an human actor into a hollow statue; b and their scandalous abuse of the confidence of 46 a 46 Nos vidimus armaria librorum, quibus direptis, exinanita ea a nostris hominibus, nostris temporibus memorent. Orosius, 1. vi. c. 15, p. 421, edit. Havercamp. Though a bigot and a controversial writer, Orosius seems to blush. 47 Eunapius, in the Lives of Antoninus and desius, execrates the sacrilegious rapine of Theophilus. Tillemont (Mém. Ecclés. tom. xiii. p. 453) quotes an epistle of Isidore of Pelusium, which reproaches the primate with the idolatrous worship of gold, the auri sacra fames. " Gibbon seems to think that the whole of the Serapeum was destroyed, but this was not the case. It would appear that it was only the sanctuary of the god that was levelled with the ground, and that the library, the halls, and other buildings in the consecrated ground remained standing long afterwards. Orosius, in the passage quoted in Gibbon's note, is not speaking of the Serapeum, but of some other temples, from which the books had been removed: hodie in templis exstent, quæ et nos vidimus, armaria librorum, quibus, &c. Moreover, if we credit the story of the destruction of the Alexandrian library devout husbands and unsuspecting females 48 Charges like these may seem to deserve some degree of credit, as they are not repugnant to the crafty and interested spirit of superstition. But the same spirit is equally prone to the base practice of insulting and calumniating a fallen enemy; and our belief is naturally checked by the reflection. that it is much less difficult to invent a fictitious story than to support a practical fraud. The colossal statue of Serapis was involved in the ruin of his temple and religion. A great number of plates of different metals, artificially joined together, composed the majestic figure of the deity, who touched on either side the walls of the sanctuary. The aspect of Serapis, his sitting posture, and the sceptre which he bore in his left hand, were extremely similar to the ordinary representations of Jupiter. He was distinguished from Jupiter by the basket, or bushel, which was placed on his head; and by the emblematic monster which he held in his right hand; the head and body of a serpent branching into three tails, which were again terminated by the triple heads of a dog, a lion, and a wolf. It was confidently affirmed, that, if any impious hand should dare to violate the majesty of the god, the heavens and the earth would instantly return to their original chaos. An intrepid soldier, animated by zeal, and armed with a weighty battle-axe, ascended the ladder; and even the Christian multitude expected with some anxiety the event of the combat.50 He aimed a vigorous stroke against the cheek of Serapis ; the cheek fell to the ground; the thunder was still silent, and both the heavens and the earth continued to preserve their accustomed order and tranquillity. The victorious soldier repeated his blows: the huge idol was overthrown and broken in pieces; and the limbs of Serapis were ignominiously dragged through the streets of Alexandria. His mangled carcase was burnt in the amphitheatre, amidst the shouts of the populace; and many persons attributed their conversion to this discovery of the impotence of their tutelar deity. The popular 48 Rufinus names the priest of Saturn who, in the character of the god, familiarly conversed with many pious ladies of quality; till he betrayed himself, in a moment of transport, when he could not disguise the tone of his voice. The authentic and impartial narrative of Eschines (see Bayle, Dictionnaire Critique, SCAMANDRE), and the adventure of Mundus (Joseph. Antiquitat. Judaic. 1. xviii. c. 3 [§ 4], p. 877, edit. Havercamp), may prove that such amorous frauds have been practised with success. 49 See the images of Serapis, in Montfaucon (tom. ii. p. 297): but the description of Macrobius (Saturnal. 1. i. c. 20) is much more picturesque and satisfactory. 50 Sed fortes tremuere manus, motique verendâ In sua credebant redituras membra secures. (Lucan. iii. 429.) "Is it true" (said Augustus to a veteran of Italy, at whose house he supped) "that the man who gave the first blow to the golden statue of Anaitis "was instantly deprived of his eyes and of his life?"-"I was that man" (replied the clear-sighted veteran), "and you now sup on one of the legs of the goddess." (Plin. Hist. Natur. xxxiii. 24.) |