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322

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speaks of the absurdity of going to prayer with washedhands and a polluted soul. A similar custom still prevailsin the Romish church, borrowed doubtless from primitivepractice, although differing in the intention and object forwhich it is observed. The fountain is called, indifferently,<pptap, nymphtmm, cantharus, and leontarium, thelatter term supposed to have been applied from the spoutsbeing sometimes in the form of lions’ heads. Socrates ,

| speaking of the skirmish between the Catholics and theJ Macedonian heretics, says, “ Such a slaughter was made, thatj the court (avX»j) was filled with blood, insomuch that the! fountain ( fptnp ) was overflowed therewith, and ran through] the adjoining cloisters (oroai) even into the street.” Exam-; pies of the atrium in its primitive shape are yet preserved[ in the churches of San Clemente, San Lorenzo, San Paolo,j San Georgio in Yelabro, Sta Maria in Trastevere ; remodelledin San Giovanni Laterano , and Sta Maria Maggiore, andrebuilt in modern shape in St. Peter’s. At San Ambrogio,

; Milan , the atrium is fully as large as the nave.

, Entrance was obtained from the atrium into the pronaosor narthex, through three gates, of which the central onewas frequently the largest and most important. The narthexformed the first division in the body of the church, and wasused as the station for the catechumens, and such of thepenitents as came under the title mcovoptvoi, or hearers, socalled from the circumstance of their being allowed to listento the lessons and sermon, to which privilege also Jews ,heathens, heretics, and schismatics were admitted, in thispart of the church. Here also, somewhat in advance, stoodthe substrati or third class of penitents, so called from thecustom of prostrating themselves before the bishop, after1 sermon was ended, to receive his benediction. There werefrequently more nartheces than one in a church, that ofSta Sophia is said to have had no less than four.

We have now arrived at the vaog, or nave, the principaldivision of the church, in which the body of the faithful,i those who were under no censure, and in full communionwith the church, were congregated. This part was separatedfrom the narthex by rails of wood, and was entered by gateswhich are distinguished by writers as irvXcu KaXcu or fiatnXimi,the beautiful or royal gates, so named perhaps from thecircumstance of kings laying aside their crowns at this place,ere they proceeded further into the church. Leo Grammaticusnotices it as a flagrant want of reverence in the emperorMichael, that “ when he came to the royal gates, he did notlay aside his crown, as kings were used to do.”

It was a practice with the early Christians to separate thesexes in public service, one-portion of the church being allottedto the males, and another to the females. The author of theApostolical Constitutions speaks of this separation as usualin his time, for he says, “ Let the doorkeepers stand at thegate of the men, and the deaconesses at the gate ofthe women;” and S. Cyril says, “ Let men be with men, andj women with women, in the church.” Socrates also remarks! of Helena, that “she always submitted to the laws of thej church in this respect, praying with the women in the! women’s place.” In some cases, the women were placed onj the north side of the church, but probably this was not anI universal practice ; in the Greek church the galleries werereserved for the women. Besides this, there was a furthersubdivision, distinct positions being allotted to virgins,widows, and matrons. In the Apostolical Constitutions, thevirgins, widows, and aged women were placed in the highestrank, and the matrons, behind them. In this manner werethe communicants disposed in the nave, but besides them thefourth or last order of penitents were admitted into this partof the church; they were called Consistentes , and were

allowed to remain during the celebration of thealthough not to participate. , j c j, iV‘ l3

At the farther end of the nave, was the choir, w we r0

he stk 3

4

divided from it by a low wall or wooden partition ; j g ,located the singers, and here also the gospel anwere read from the ambo or pulpit. This was an . ft[1desk, ascended by several steps, which S. ^Pj se vvh erepulpitum and tribunal ecclesiai, and which was e oVe tb atcalled (3r)pa yvoiaraiv. Bona cites Prudentius to p ll lpibthe bishops and priests made their sermons from 1 “ c j el itl/but this seems to be a mistake, for the bishops a saddressed the congregation from the steps of the 3 p f esP xevident from Valesius. S. Chrysostom, it appears, 1 plot®from the ambo, but only in order that he might be oin , ^audible to the people ; such was not the usual cu^ o f th every perfect example of the form and arrange# 1choir still remains in the church of San Clemente- , (0

ate'

tli®

We now arrive at the last division, which answe 1 ,

holy of holies of the Jewish temple, being a PP r j 0 jfice s °.the priests and the celebration of the most sacie ^ jt ithe church. Eusebius calls this place ayiatrp a ’j^ins c ‘\_elsewhere named ay tor, or the sanctuary. . nl0l -e p 9 ^it sacrarium. The term Svoiaorripioy, which 13 ^ defi 0ticularly applied to the altar, is sometimes u se 0 f 1 'the whole sanctuary, as is evident from the de - n g 1

council of Laodicea, which forbid lay persons en^ ^ jjtfj.Svoiacrrripiov. A more common appellation ^nf this P'^ofwhich is so employed from the circumstance o ^ ge rieS ^the church being elevated above the nave by 0 f r»’steps. A further separation was effected by n 16 ^ ch a,>C ^ }or lattice-work, named cancelli-, whence ° ur T?liae i ) i 113 s ** r y

, n 1113 idescription of the church of Paulinus , Eusei# 1 ' ,the office of these cancelli to be the rendering the s ‘ y,-iiinaccessible to the multitude; and the council 0 en tt-directs, “that no layman whatsoever be permits . glJ l/ 3

» ...v, »tp.ror>

the place of the altar, excepting only the en>P <;1 ^J / ,; t .n t

CUS'

netf 1 ’; be eH

makes his oblation to'the Creator, according to i*-

om. A similar order of the council of Laodicea j tli®given above. From this practice, tiie sanctuary ob a ^ t jiepithet aSvra, arafiaru, inapproachable. This P 9 . echurch was usually of a semicircular plan, ar ? ull j 3 U,cuinference of which, in close proximity toranged the seats for the bishop and clergy. The w

the bishop was in the centre, immediately beh ! n „ reS b? tel~" J . . ....those of the P^K^'

G^S° V) '

up 1

on

in]

; 2 I>

and raised to a greater elevation than thosewhich were ranged on either side of him-anzen speaks of himself, as bishop slt 1 tlI '° nn eith er ^nt

throne, with the presbyters, on lower benches, ce ] f

3lde, t

The altar was situate in the centre

of the bishop’s thrano ,e of the chance* - ,

tt ; it was named as t0 “bow of a passage a )tt i

fiapos ; the latter , ' f erentl y ara, altare, 9v‘ riaff lf io!t^ L er, however, qualified by the a< H

*. «i* ors were of v> r °° ’ .herb

$0*

' I --» 7 _

GVGtjJciKTQy. r pJ 7 ” ~ • —7 x

learn from several „!° St ancient altars were w - Ql „.

Austin , speakin,? aS r aSea in the Others: among**

a Catholic bishon ° ° an outrn ge by the Donate 3 e i v

a «d suchlike tveT; JS ’ “ The y b « at >‘ iln elwU f''1^

the wood of tl J and at iast with the broke 0 P ^ (

Conatists, says' “Th V '\ °, ptatus ’ a ^ ain ’would afford thL bra,;e the altars m such P ^ et e

there was a scar™ p eat y of wood to make new;a Scartlt y of wood, they contented

iation :”. hi tl^fi!!

scraping them, by way of pretended ex P iatlo /’i n ; a'jaltars began to be employed, is very uncer matei’ 1111 ’ 1)"“be determined upon this point i 9 > tba J-, .'^ry of *use for such purpose in the time of GiCe g p ea ki n » a '1‘ >Ihow long before, we cannot tell. ^ re f?°!pure,sacred character of the church and its lu in