E C C

316

K G C

i

being, according to their manner of building, as the mostlarge and capacious of any other, so likewise the most retiredand freest from disturbance, and next to heaven, as havingno other room above it. For such uppermost places we findthey were wont then to make choice of, even for privatedevotions, as may be gathered from what we read of St.Peter, (Acts x. 9,) that he went up to the housetop to pray;for so cwpa signifies ex usu Hellenistarum, and is accordinglyhere rendered by the vulgar Latin , in superiora.

“ Such an Hyperoon as we speak of, was that rememberedby the name of • Ccenaculum Sion, where, after our Saviourwas ascended, the apostles and disciples assembled togetherdaily in prayer and supplication, and where, being thusassembled, the Holy Ghost came down upon them in cloventongues of fire at the feast of Pentecost. Concerning whichthere hath been a tradition in the church, that this was thesame room wherein our blessed Saviour, the night before hispassion, celebrated the Passover with his disciples, and insti-tuted the mystical Supper of his Body and Blood for thesacred rite of the gospel: the same place where, on the dayof his resurrection, he came and stood in the midst of hisdisciples, the doors being shut, and, having showed themhis hands and his feet, said ‘ Peace be unto you,' &c: theplace where, eight days, or the Sunday after, he appeared inthe same manner again unto them, being together, to satisfythe incredulity of Thomas, who the first time was not withthe rest: the place where James the brother of our Lordwas created by the apostles, bishop of Jerusalem : the placewhere the seven deacons were elected and ordained ; theplace where the apostles and elders of the church at Jerusalem held that council, and pattern of all councils, for decision ofthat question—whether the Gentiles which believed were tobe circumcised or not: and for certain, the place of thisCoenaculum was afterwards enclosed with a goodly church,known by the name of the church of Sion, upon the top ofwhich it stood; insomuch that St. Jerome , in his EpitaphioPaula, made bold to apply that of the Psalm to it, ‘ Her founda-tions are upon the holy hills ; the Lord loveth the gates of Sionmore than all the dwellings of Jacob.’ How soon this erec-tion was made, I know not; but I believe it was much moreancient than those other churches erected in other places ofthat city by Constantine and his mother, because neitherEusebius, Socrates, Theodoret, nor Sozomen , make anymention of the foundation thereof, as they do of the rest.It is called by S. Cyril, who was bishop of the place, theupper church of the apostles ; and says he, ‘ The Holy Ghostdescended upon the apostles in the likeness of fiery tongues,here in Jerusalem , in the upper church of the apostles’

“ If this tradition be true, it should seem by it that thisCcenaculum, from the time our blessed Saviour first hallowedit by the celebration of his mystical Supper, was thenceforthdevoted to be a place of prayer and holy assemblies. Thisis the more easy to be believed, if the house were the posses-sion of some disciple at least, if not of kindred also to ourSaviour according to the flesh, which both reason persuades,and tradition likewise confirmeth it to have been.

“And if this were so, why may not I think that thisCcenaculum Sion, or upper room of Sion, was that oIkoqwhereof we read, concerning the first Christian society atJerusalem , that ‘ they continued daily in the Temple, and,breaking bread (car ohcov) in the house, ate their meat withgladness and singleness of heart ?’ the meaning being, thatwhen they had performed their devotions daily in the templeat the accustomed times of prayer there, they used to resortimmediately to the Ccenaculum, and there having celebratedthe mystical banquet of the Holy Eucharist , afterwards tooktheir ordinary and necessary repast with gladness and single-

ness of heart. For

_ _ _ so car oikov may be ren ^ e '^gjs e , 99

iv oiKia, and not domatim or per domos, house by xenfc*we translate it, and so both the Syriac and Arab it, and the New Testament elsewhere uses it.” , gee g a 0It would seem from this last passage, that Me e flI1 th®difficulty in reconciling the attendance of the apost e ositio"public service of the Jewish Temple, with the. 8 VK r

that they likewise celebrated a common worship m

their 0

or

chapels or consecrated places; and if we look into the } ,etthis double service will not appear extraordinary, *°^ thethey adhered to their Master’s practice of worshipP irl ° u |iafTemple, while at the same time there were man 7A t\\e1and distinctive services in their new religion, wncould not perform in the Temple. For instance, the 9tion of the Holy Eucharist was an essential no ® ^ e yefipeculiar rite, which they would not have been a ^°' V rp e a)pl® ’supposing them willing, to have celebrated in the * ^ inthey were necessitated therefore to fulfil this c°® - or 0 e& 9their own places of worship. This seems to havecontinuation and completion of the Temple service. ^ th e“ Such as these, I suppose,” continues Mede, 0 ^

places at first set apart for holy meetings, much ^ for s °private chapels now in great men’s houses, thougugeneral an use. . ■„cre a - ’

“ In process of time, as the multitude of believers 1 ^ u3g o fsome wealthy and devout Christian gave his who e j t)mansion, either while he lived, if he could s P‘ gt)t ap 11 *bequeathed it at his death, unto the saints, to _ e ^ g uge s. ^and accommodated for sacred assemblies and rebg or e ,I '“ At length, as the multitude of believers sti th ecreased, and the Church grew more able,

structures of purpose, partly in the cemeteries ^_.

partly in other public places ; even as the ne ve |,£ ) .religion was no more the empire’s than theirs 11 ^ er e tl*less, their synagogues in all cities and placeslived among the Gentiles.” perio^t

The following quotations from writers °‘ 1 g ^

give some insight into the general use and natu ce ntU Jg

places of worship in their days. In the sec p* s 3 f‘j I)

Ignatius speaking to the Mngnesians, says, 111 pray elalluded to above, “ All of you meet togethei ^one place, let there be one common prayer, £],rist> - thope in love, in the immaculate faith in J esUS run tog et £ j l0which nothing is better. All of you as one I P aI ^ g Q[ni st ’to the temple of God , as to one altar, to one J es . g

High Priest of the unbegotten God .” _ j i6 gtute 0 Q 0 iIn the third centuryHippolytus, describing teffl pies ° |,e

world at the coming of antichrist, says, “ the ^ gliashall be as common and ordinary houses^; . j ure s sl > 9utterly demolished everywhere ; the c hurch eS

despised : thus showing the esteem in " hie j,o

then held. _,„r£us,

qtU l*e> ’

Gregory of Neoctesarea, surnamed .^fpli^

lived in the middle of the third century, e t ] l6 d’ sC gI1 ce)degrees or admission of penitents according of V e °‘ tP {^of his time, says, 1st. Weeping (the first t l,e 0,0 n t

they a*

was without the porch of the oratory, ~ t j,ey ■■stood, and begged of all the faith u deg 1 '®

• /.i.„ second “ °

where

■e)

to pray for them. 2d. Hearing (the s ^°"l eX , th ® Ewithin the Porch, in the place called J- t j, e f p s>where these penitent sinners (being now “ n , e ca tech u gocensure of the church) might stand near to. ^ we r ® t¥and hear the Scripture read and expounde , a i 0 nff _out before them. 3rd. Prostration or y l a j, n itte ci ,te'Church-pavement. These prostrate ones we wi qU ot

what further into the church, and went o ^ peoychumens. 4th. Standing or staying w

\