ECO

323

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alta r ---

* 1 ° t hino- '*f. eat we stand is by nature only common stone,*»a(l e atl( j Feient from other stones, whereof our walls are

‘y alf'', Cu ' ate altar, which may not promiscuously be touched

our

in the time of divine ser-a decree was passed at the

■m — pavements formed ; but after it is consecrated

a H i n , ICil ted to the service of God , it becomes a holy table,

>"• - palate altar, which may ..

but only by the priests«°U„ eil a the next century,

^it Sl , | Epone, that no altars should be consecrated,a ltai. s j 1 as were of stone. The Pontificals speak of silver^I'e s - e . cat ed by Constantine. The early wooden altarsW°y e ,j ^'btr in shape to tables, but when stone was em-^Peuri ° r t '*' s P ur P ose > they assumed a somewhat different* r <il pjg r ce > consisting either of slabs supported by a cen-° r bjtai/ ° r a structure built up similar to a sarcophagus.

I'Wtiti * ar Was covere( f by a canopy, supported by pillars,:''e y twelve in number, in allusion to the number ofri es > an d having their capitals adorned with silver' v ith a ■'•be canopy, which was spherical, was surmountedv, -ils. ,., ( j r . 0ss ! and the space between the pillars hung with

Vf.;/ d<dl served to conceal the altar.

H 8 "

■cus li --- These are ’ P erha P s >

hsec,. . a “ u ded to by Chrysostom , where, speaking of theV< =il s ‘° n °f the elements, he says, “ When you see theai 'Sela .] 1< t | ‘awn, then think you see heaven opened, and the

in r . < ii Cen, ^ n S from above.” Curtains , however, weret<ie < r>

1 ine nt t|

_ 0 16r P arts °f the church, before the doors, and at

i°('n,. ( j an ? <! to the sanctuary, which were sometimes richlye r< dt a | Vlth gold, as was that given by Chosroes to thej^eil g -Antioch. Epiphanius relates his tearing to piecesti^ a P i ct Petlded the doors of the church, because it

tli Ure - 0n ’ and -Athanasius , speaking of the enormi-

Se a t s le -Arifins, says, “ They took the bishop’s throne, anda tli e \ tbe presbyters, and the table which was of wood,^ c Hr r i V j ds the church, and whatever else they could,c ? v e ^ 11 them out and burned them.” Sometimes a silver

n* 0r iun, SUs P e nded over the altar. The canopy was termedhe al tl ’ 0r “ ‘

8,

tk^en

nr >, nv pyog. In later times, crosses were set upon’ Du t the time of their introduction is not known :

Pr,

Evagrius are amongst the first who allude toThe altar was covered with a linen cloth, as

S^ti Ce .

» ”6^ i ,J C til l a I Wclo l/UVcIcU Willi cl illlCU UUUlj do

Ha? ens ion ei1 ^ ^ptatus, who, in allusion to the extravagantty 1 * be etl °f the Donatists , in purifying everything that'•tw kdlut a , Uc J le< f by the Catholics , says, “ that if anythinglita a( ids t?’ raust be the covering, and not the tablesSUg] aat; they pretended to wash these palls. Some-tii ' r<!| lce { Cover ings were of richer stuff, for Palladius hassome Roman ladies, who bequeathed their silks

J,

/kin

e tw er . in S 8 Por t * ie a ^ ar - The sacred vessels were ofhi 0,lQe tl er ' ids ‘ We learn from Irenasus, Epiphanius , andchalices were made of glass in their time ; butkilled f 6 110 doubt that silver and gold were frequentlyiw° ar this purpose; for it is related of Laurentius,tl le ( i'*li Vet , a *'tyred in the time of Valerian, that he would\ kct'e,] 11 P the plate in which they were used to celebratettv ttysteries ; and in an inventory delivered up at

- of ’°d> by Paul, bishop of Cirta, we find mention

^Is

I i *D|} 8> on

i sr

of t V ,° S°ld cups, six silver cups, and various otherHiany Sa me materials.

•^churches, besides the altar, was a side-table, in a

"■'in 6 ° ae s 'de of the bema, where the offerings of breadere received, and which is called by various

ar P«7rt£a, prothesis, paratorium, oblationarium,'viii.. t be ^ f n the recess on the opposite side of the bema,Vt 'be *^Phylacium, which was a sort of vestry intq^onts j Sts r obed, and where the deacons brought theIt; vesse ' s from tbe Diaconicum, previous to' Vas likewise called the Diaconicum Bematis, to

distinguish it from the larger building of the same name anduses outside the church.

Under the general term exhedrw, are comprehended allthe buildings that were contained within the outermost en-closure, but without the walls of the church, properly socalled: these were many in number, consisting of schools,residences for the priests, &c.; but we shall here only takenotice of the more important.

The Baptistery , during the first five centuries, formed aseparate building outside the church, as we gather fromEusebius, Paulinus of Nola, and Gregory of Tours . It wasa large and capacious edifice , containing several apartments,some perhaps for the catechumens, and was not unfrequentlyoctagonal in plan. It was necessary that these buildingsshould be somewhat extensive, for the sacrament of baptismwas but seldom celebrated, the two seasons set apart for thepurpose being Easter and Pentecost ; so that a large numberof persons were congregated together at the same time; andthere is reason to suppose that there was but one baptisteryto each city, however numerous the churches may have been.

In the centre of this building was the font, which was largeenough for immersion.

The Secretarium, or Diaconicum, was a building in whichall the property belonging tq the church, such as vestments,vessels, offerings, &c., were deposited when not in use, andwhence they were carried into the church when required.

It was called diaconicum from the fact of the deacons havingcharge of all matters contained therein. i

Another outbuilding was the Library , as we learn from .Eusebius , who tells us that he was greatly indebted to thatfounded by Alexander, bishop of Jerusalem , in procuring !materials for the compilation of his history; and JuliusAfricanus is said to have founded another at Csesarea. Thelargest library was probably that belonging to the church ofSta Sophia, Constantinople , which is said to have containedone hundred thousand books, and was burned down by thefiring of the city in a popular tumult. That Schools wereattached to the church, we may know from what Socrates says of Julian, “ that, in his youth, he frequented the church,where, in those days, the schools were kept.”

Amongst the exhedrse are likewise reckoned the mita-torium, gazophylacium, and pastophoria, but of these weknow little or nothing.

As regards the decoration of the interior of the church,we may gather, that the walls were sometimes coated withmarble, and most frequently adorned with inscriptions ofpassages of Scripture, or other religious writings appro- jpriately disposed. Thus S. Ambrose speaks of the text, I“ There is a difference between a wife and a virgin,” &c.,being written on the walls near the virgins’ seats; Paulinus ,mentions several passages applied to the same purpose, as doalso Sidonius and Apollinaris. The roofs were enriched withmosaic, or what is called lacunary or panel-work, and in thiscase gilding and colour were employed ; in the church ofSta Sophia, is an instance of the former practice, and in thatof Constantine at Jerusalem , an example of the latter, wherethe roof was panelled, and covered with gold. S. Jeromelikewise speaks of lacunary golden roofs, walls adorned withmarble, pillars with capitals of shining gold, gates inlaid withivory and silver, and altars set with precious stones and gold.Such was the arrangement and decoration of an early Chris-tian church.

We have already considered the question relative to theconversion of heathen temples to the purposes of Christian worship ; but there is yet another building in use amongst thepagans, which lays claim to the same honour, and with somegreater show of probability, it is the basilica. The Roman