Commonly divided into which way their churches stood, but yet the most usual custom was for Christians to pray toward the east, and therefore the greatest part of the churches were built with a respect to that custom.' But St. Patrick in Ireland, as Bishop Usher 53 observes out of Jocelin, the writer of his Life, varied from all others; for he built a church in Sabul, hard by Down in Ulster, which fronted neither east nor west, but stood from north to south,-ab aquilonali parte versus meridianam plagam. So that ecclesiastical history affords us instances, if we make a curious inquiry, of churches standing in all postures. 3. Next to consider the several parts of the ancient churches, three parts, we are to observe, that as in the temple of God, at Jerusalem, and some- not only the Holy and the Most Holy were reckoned parts of the times four or five. temple, but also the outward courts, and even the court of the Gentiles, which is expressly called the house of God and the house of prayer; so in Christian churches, which were built with some regard to the Jewish temple, the whole ambitus or circumference about them was esteemed in a large sense as part of the church; and accordingly when churches became asylums, or places of refuge, under Christian emperors, not only the inner buildings, but the outer courts and boundaries were reckoned a sufficient sanctuary, as we shall see in the latter part of this Book. Now hence arose a twofold division of churches, as taken in a stricter or a larger sense. In the strictest sense, including only the buildings within the walls, they were commonly divided into three parts: 1. The narthex, or ante-temple, where the penitents and catechumens stood; 2. The naos, or temple, where the communicants had their respective places; and 3. The bema, or sanctuary, where the clergy stood to officiate at the altar. But in a larger sense there was another ante-temple or narthex without the walls, under which was comprised the рóпνλоv, or vestibulum, the outward porch; then the atrium, or area, the court leading from that to the temple, surrounded with porticoes or cloisters, as we shall presently see in the temple of Paulinus. There were also several exedra, such as the baptisterium, the diaconica, the pastophoria, and other adjacent buildings, which were 53 Let. 49, to Selden, (as at n. 50, preceding.) And particularly with us here in Ireland, &c. reckoned to be either without or within the church, according as it was taken in a stricter or a larger acceptation. subdivided exterior narthex, or included 4. Eusebius in describing the church of Paulinus takes it in And these the largest sense, and therefore he begins his description with into other the Teρíßoλov, or wall that enclosed the whole circumference parts. The of the outward courts, which we may call the ante-temple, or narth exterior narthex, to distinguish it from the narthex within the ante-temple church. In the front of this sacred enclosure toward the east, first the at some distance from the church, the first building that πρόπυλον, sented itself was a great and lofty porch, which Eusebius and lum, the other Greek writers call the ρónvλov μéya, and the Latins porch. vestibulum magnum, the great porch, to distinguish it from the lesser porches, which joined to the church. He calls it also пρúτηv elσodov, the first entrance, to distinguish it from the second, which were the gates of the church. pre or vestibu or court, surrounded coes or 5. Between this porch and the church was a large area The atrium, or square plot of ground, which Eusebius 54 calls aieptov, or the area, and Paulus Silentiarius avλn in his Description of Sancta before the Sophia 55. The Latins term it atrium and impluvium, be- church, cause it was a court open to the air without any covering, with portisave only on each side of the square, which was surrounded cloisters. with porticoes or cloisters, (σroaì, Eusebius calls them,) and these built upon columns; whence, as Du Fresne 56 observes, this place is called sometimes Terpáσtvλov, and quadriporticus in modern authors. In this place stood the first class of penitents according to Eusebius 57, who says expressly, it was the mansion of those, who were not allowed to enter 54 L. 10. c. 4. (v. 1. p. 473. 17.) Μέσον αἴθριον ἠφίει εἰς τὴν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κάτοψιν, λαμπρὸν καὶ ταῖς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀκτῖσιν ἀνειμένον ἀέρα Taрéxov.-De Vit. Constant. 1. 3. c. 35. (ibid. p. 598. 3.) Διέβαινε δ' ἑξῆς ἐπὶ παμμεγέθη χῶρον, εἰς καθαρὸν αἴθριον ἀναπεπταμένον. 55 Part. 2. v. 174. (ap. Byzant. Hist. Scriptor. t. 13. p. 190 b. 4.) Τέτρασιν αἰθούσησι περίδρομον ὄψεαι αὐλὴν, Ων μία μὲν νάρθηκι συνάπτεται, αἴγε 56 In Paul. Silent. 1. c. p. 536. (ibid. p. 204. n. 20.) Ubi observan 6 dum, exteriorem vestibuli porticum 57 L. 10. c. 4. (v. 1. p. 473. 23.) In the middle of which stood a fountain the church, tharus and phiala in some au thors. 6 further into the church; that is, they stood either in the porch or the porticoes, to beg the prayers of the faithful as they went into the church. Or, perhaps, if they were more notorious criminals, they were cast out of these also, and obliged to wait in the court or open air, and stand there exposed to the weather, as part of their penance: which seems to be intimated by Tertullian 58, when speaking of some monstrous sinners, he says, they were expelled not only from the doors of the church, but from every place that might afford them any shelter or covering.' So that the atrium was always an open place or court before the church; and therefore those authors who confound the atrium, or vestibulum and porticus into one, wholly mistake the form of the ancient churches; for these, as I have shewed, were distinct parts of the ante-temple. 6. It is further to be noted, that in the middle of the atrium there was commonly a fountain, or a cistern of water, for people to wash their hands and face before they went into for washing as they en- the church. Eusebius expressly mentions this in the temple. tered into of Paulinus. He says 59, ' In the court over against the church called can- he placed кpývas, fountains of water, as symbols of purification, for such to wash as entered into the church.' Paulinus, bishop of Nola, takes notice of the same thing, but gives it the name of cantharus 60, which signifies any capacious vessel that will hold much water, and sometimes a statue made to spout out water at its mouth: as Du Fresne has observed, that in some places the fountain was surrounded with lions thus spouting out water, whence this place has the name of leontarium in some modern Greek writers. It is also called by some nymphaum, ἐμβάτης, and κολυμβεῖον, which all signify a fountain. Paulus Silentiarius, in his description of Sancta Sophia, gives it the name of piáλŋ, phiala, which we may English, the basin. And Socrates calls it opéap, the spring: for speaking of a skirmish that happened between the Catholics and Macedonian heretics in the church of Acacius, at 58 De Pudicit. c. 4. See before, ch. 1. s. 17. p. 37. n. 82. 59 [L. 10. c. 4. (ibid. p. 473. 19.) Ἱερῶν δὲ ἐνταῦθα καθαρσίων ἐτίθει σύμβολα κρήνας ἄντικρυς εἰς πρόσωπον ἐπισκευάζων τοῦ νεώ, πολλῷ τῷ χεύματι τοῦ νάματος, τοῖς περιβόλων ἱερῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔσω προϊοῦσι τὴν ἀπόρρυψιν παρεχομένας. Grischov.] 60 Ep. 12. ad Sever. (p. 153.) Sancta nitens famulis interluit atria lymphis Cantharus, intrantumque manus lavat amne ministro. €1 6 Constantinople, he says tr, such a slaughter was made, that the avaǹ (the atrium, or court of the church) was filled with blood, insomuch that the φρεὰρ (the fountain, that stood in it) was overflowed therewith, and ran through the adjoining στο (the portico or cloisters) even into the street. St. Chrysostom 62 also speaks of these fountains, as of things of common use in the atria, or courts before the churches. And frequently in his popular discourses 63 alludes to the custom of washing their hands before they went into church. Which is also done by Tertullian 6+, who exposes the absurdity of going to prayers with washed hands, whilst men retained a filthy spirit and polluted soul. In like manner Synesius 65 speaks of the cisterns or vessels of water set for washing in their ante-temples. 7. The writers of the Church of Rome, Baronius 66 and whether others, commonly derive and defend the use of their holy stitious use the superwater from this ancient custom; but Du Fresne 67 seems to of holy wa 61 L. 2. c. 38. (v. 2. 148. 30.)... Καὶ γίνεται φόνος ἀνθρώπων πολλῶν· ὥστε τὴν αὐλὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκείνης αἵματος πλήρη γενέσθαι, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ φρέαρ ὑπερβλύσαι τοῦ αἵματος, ἐκρεῖν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐχομένην στοὰν, ἄχρι τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς. 62 Hom. 57. t. 5. Edit. Savil. p. 390. 12. (t. 3. p. 298 d.) . . . Κρήνας εἶναι ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τῶν εὐκτηρίων οἴκων νενόμισται, κ. τ. λ. ἄγε. εἰ γὰρ ἀνίπτους αὐτὰς οὐκ ἐπι- 64 De Orat. c. II. (p. 133 c.) Cæ- 65 Ep. 121. ad Anastas. (p. 258 b. 66 An. 57. nn. 107-111. (t. I. p. 63 Hom. 52. [al. 51.] in Matth. (t. 7. p. 526 b.) Kai yàp ev [Tŷ] ἐκκλησίᾳ τοιοῦτον ὁρῶμεν ἔθος κρατοῦν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς, καὶ ὅπως μὲν καθαροῖς εἰσέλθοιεν ἱματίοις σπουδάζονται, καὶ ὅπως τὰς χεῖρας νίψαιντο, κ. τ. λ.—Hom. 72. [al. 73.] in Joan. (t. 8. p. 433 c.) Εἶτα χεῖρας μὲν νιπτόμεθα εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσιόντες, τὴν δὲ 67 In Paul. Silent. p. 539. (ubi καρδίαν οὐκέτι; Εἰπέ μοι, ἆρα ἂν supr. t. 13. p. 205. n. 22. ad calc. col. ἕλοιο χερσὶν ἀνίπτοις τῇ θυσίᾳ προσ- dextr.)... Hæ fontium aquæ quoελθεῖν; οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι· ἀλλ ̓ ἐθέ- tannis in pervigilio sacrorum Theoλοις ἂν μηδὲ ὅλως προσελθεῖν, ἢ ῥυ- phaniorum, interdum in ipso festo παραῖς χερσίν.—Hom. 3. in Eph. die, consecrabantur et benediceban(t. II. p. 22 d.) Εἰπέ μοι, ἆρα ἂν tur, quarum benedictionis ordo haἔλοιο χερσὶν ἀνίπτοις τῇ θυσίᾳ προσ-betur in Euchologio: unde νόσων ελθεῖν, κ. τ. λ. [Conf. ibid. p. 23 d. et f. ED.]—In Ps. 140. (t. 5. p. 431 d.) Κάθαιρε τοίνυν αὐτὰς χεῖρας] ἐλεημοσύνῃ, φιλανθρωπία, προστασία δεομένων, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰς εἰς εὐχὰς ἀπελαστικαί δαιμόνων φυγαδευτικαί ruption of this ancient custom. ter be a cor- speak more properly when he says, their lustral water rather succeeded in its room. For the washing of the Ancients had nothing of expiation in it, but was only an indifferent ceremony of corporal decency; or, at most, but an admonishing emblem of that purity of soul with which men ought to enter the courts of the most holy God. And therefore any one that compares these matters nicely together, must conclude, that the latter custom is but a fond imitation, or mere corruption, of the former; if it owe not rather its original to a worse fountain, the Teрɩррavτýρia, or sprinkling with holy water, so often spoken of among the Heathen. The things are so like one another, that some modern transcribers of Sozomen have mistaken them for one another. For, whereas, Sozomen 68, speaking of Julian's going into a temple to sacrifice, in Gaul, with Valentinian to attend him, says, the priest sprinkled them with water as they went in, according to the heathen custom.' Valesius 69 has observed, that in some copies it is read, according to ecclesiastical custom, instead of heathen custom, which he imputes to some modern transcribers, who were minded to make church-holy-water of it; whom he ingenuously chastises for their ignorance or impudence in corrupting good authors, as they justly deserved. The atrium, ante-tem 8. But to return to the business of the ancient churches. Whilst we are speaking of the ante-temple it will not be and porticoes in the improper to observe, that for many years after buryingple, only places were allowed in cities, they were still kept out of made use of that which was strictly and properly called the church, and for burying the dead. only allowed in those parts of the ante-temple, the atrium and porticoes which we have been describing; as appears from a canon of the Council of Nantes 70, anno 658, which successere, præsertim apud Latinos, 68 L. 6. c. 6. (v. 2. p. 226. 16.)... 69 [In loc. supr. citat. (ibid. n. 1.) Quod idcirca hic retuli, non quod scripturam eam probem, sed ut studiosus lector perspiciat, quam peri culosum sit conjecturæ suæ indulgere. Etenim antiquarius, qui codicem illum descripsit, cum aspersionis aquæ mentionem fieri videret hoc loco, id more ecclesiastico factum esse credidit. Quasi non et Pagani hujusmodi aspersionibus aquæ lustralis usi fuerint diu ante Christianæ religionis exordium. Nota sunt veterum Græcorum πЄрiрparrηpia. Grischov.] 70 C. 6. (t. 9. p. 470 a.) Ut in ec |