The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, 16 May 1918, Page 3

The Storyteller

(By Cardinal Wiseman.)

FABIOLA; OR, THE CHURCH OF THE CATACOMBS

CHAPTER 11.

M. ANTONI VS. RESTVTV S. FECIT, YPO GEVSIBI. ET SVIS. FIDENTI BVS. IN. DOMINO*

It seems to us as though we had neglected one, whose character and thoughts opened this little history, the pious Lucina. Her virtues were indeed of that quiet, unobtrusive nature, which affords little scope for appearing on a public scene, or taking part in general affairs. Her house, besides being, or rather containing, a title or parochial church, was now honored by being the residence of the supreme Pontiff. The approach of a violent persecution, in which the rulers of Christ’s spiritual kingdom were sure to be the first sought out, as the enemies of Caesar, rendered it necessary to transfer the residence of the Ruler of the Church, from his ordinary dwelling, to a securer asylum. For this purpose Lucina’s house was chosen; and it continued to be so occupied, to her great delight, in that and the following pontificate, when the wild beasts were ordered to be transferred to it, that Pope Marcellus might feed them at home. This loathsome punishment soon caused his death.

Lucina, admitted at forty into the order of deaconesses, found plenty of occupation in the duties of her office. The charge and supervision of the women in church, the care of the sick and poor of her own sex, the making, and keeping in'order of sacred vestments and linen for the altar, and the instruction of children and female converts preparing for baptism, as well as the attending them at that sacred rite, belonged to the deaconesses, and gave sufficient occupatioxx in addition to domestic offices. . In the exercise of both these classes of duties, Lucina quietly passed her life. Its main object seemed to be attained. Her son had offered himself to God ; y and lived ready to shed his blood for the faith. To watch over him, and pray fox' him, were her delight, rather than an additional employment. Early in the morning of the appointed day, the meeting mentioned in our last chapter took place. It will be sufficient to say, that in it full instructions were given for increasing the collection of alms, to be employed in enlarging the cemeteries and burying the dead, in succoring those driven to concealment by persecution, in nourishing prisoners, and obtaining access to them, and finally in ransoming or rescuing the bodies of martyrs. A notary was named for each region, to collect their acts and record interesting events. The cardinals, or titular priests, received instructions about the administration of sacraments, particularly of the Holy Eucharist, during the persecution ; and to each

was intrusted one cemetery or more, in whose subterranean church he was to perform the sacred mysteries. The holy Pontiff chose for himself that of Callistus, which made Diogenes, its chief sexton, not a little, but innocently, proud. The good old excavator seemed rather, more cheery than otherwise, under the exciting forebodings of a coming persecution. No commanding officer' of engineers could have given his orders more briskly or more decidedly for the defence of a fortified city committed to his skill to guard, than he issued his to the subordinate superintendents of the various cemeteries round Rome, who met him by appointment at his own house, to learn the instructions of the superior assembly. The shadow of the sun-dial at the Porta Capena was point-' ing to mid-day, as he issued from it with his sons, and found already waiting the three young men. They walked in parties of two along the Appian Road ; and at nearly two miles from the gate they entered by various ways (slipping round different tombs that lined the road) into the same villa on the right hand.”* Here they found all the requisites for a descent into the subterranean cemeteries, such as candles, lanterns, and the instruments for procuring light. Severus proposed that, as the guides and the strangers were in equal number, they should be divided into pairs : and/ in the division he allotted Torquatus to himself. What his reason was we may easily conjecture. It would probably weary our readers to follow the whole conversation of the party. Diogenes not only answered all questions put to him, but, from time to time, gave intelligent little lectures on such objects as he considered peculiarly attractive. But we believe we shall better interest and inform our friends if we digest the whole matter of these into a more connected narrative. And besides, they will- wish to know something of the subsequent history of those wonderful excavations, into which we have conducted our youthful pilgrims. The history of the early Christian cemeteries, the catacombs as they are commonly called, may be divided -into three portions : from their beginning td the period of our narrative or a few years later ; from this term to the eighth century; then down to our own time, when we have reason to hope that a new epoch is being commenced.

We have generally avoided using the name of catacombs, because it might mislead our readers into an idea that this wasj either the original or a generic name of those early Christian crypts. It is not so, however: Rome might be said to be surrounded by a circumvallation of cemeteries, sixty or thereabouts in number, each of which was generally known by the name of some saint or saints, whose bodies reposed there. Thus we have the cemeteries of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, of St. Agnes, of St. Pancratius, of Praetextatus, Priscilla, Hermes, etc. Sometimes these cemeteries were known by the names of the places where they existed. The cemetery of St. Sebastian, which was called sometimes C(emetenum ad Sonet am (Jcec.iliam , and by other names, had among them that of Afl Catucumhas. The meaning of this word is completely unknown; though it may be attributed to the circumstance of the relics of SS.' Peter and Paul having been for a time buried there, in a crypt still existing near the cemetery. This term became the name of that particular cemetery, then was generalised, till we familiarly call the whole system of these” underground excavation—the catacombs.

Their origin was, in the last century, a subject of controversy. Following two or three vague and equivocal passages, some learned writers pronounced the catacombs to have been originally heathen excavations, made to extract sand, for the building of the city. These sand-pits were called oven-aria-, and so occasionally are the Christian cemeteries. But a more scientific and minute examination, particularly made by the accurate F. March!, has completely confuted this theory. The entrance to the catacombs was often, as can yet be

seen, from these sandpits,’ which are themselves underground, and no doubt were a convenient cover for the cemetery; but ’ several circumstances prove that they were never used for Christian burial, nor 'converted into Christian cemeteries. . -v ~~ ; ' , The man who wishes to get the sand out of the ground will keep his excavation as near as may be to the surface; will have it of easiest possible access, for drawing out materials; and will make it as ample as is consistent with the safety of the roof, and the supply of what he is seeking. And all this we find in the a/enaria still abounding round Rome. But the cataalUhese 1 " C ° nStrUcted on P rinci P J es exactly contrary to

fT iJ h ! C f taCb , dlves at once > generally by a steep flight of steps, below the stratum of loose and friable sand, f into that where it is indurated to the hardness of a tender, but consistent rock; on the surface of which every stroke of the pick-axe is yet distinctly tiaceable. When you have reached this depth you are in the first story of the cemetery, for you descend again by stairs, to the second and third below, all constructed on the same principle. A catacomb may be divided into three parts its passages or streets, its chambers or squares, and its churches. The passages are long, narrow galleries, cut with tolerable regularity, so that the roof and floor are at right angles with the sides, often so narrow as scarcely to allow two persons to go abreast. They sometimes run quite straight to a great length ; but they are crossed by others, and these again by others, so as to form a complete labyrinth, or network, of subterlanean corridors. To be lost among them would easily

But these passages are not constructed, as the name would imply, merely to lead to something else. They are themselves the catacomb or cemetery. Their walk as well as the sides of the staircases, are honeycombed wi i graves; that is, with rows of excavations, large and small of sufficient length to admit a human body from a child to a full-grown man, laid with its side to the gallery. Sometimes there are as many as fourteen sometimes as few as three or four, of these rows, one above the other. They are evidently so made to measure that it is probable the body was lying by the side of the grave, while this was being dug When the corpse, wrapped up, as we heard from Diogenes, was laid in its narrow cell, the front was hermetically closed either by a marble slab, or more frequently by several broad tiles, put edgeways in a groove or mortice, cut for them in the rock, and cemented all round. The inscription, was cut upon the marble, or scratched in the wet mortar. Thousands of the former sort have been collected, and may be seen in museums and churches ; many of the latter have been copied and published, but by far the greater number of tombs are anonymous, and have no record upon them And now the reader may reasonably ask, through what period does the interment in the catacombs range, and how are its limits determined. We will try to content him as briefly as possible. There is no evidence of the Christians having ev»r buried anywhere anteriorly to the construction of catacombs. Two principles as old as Christianity regulate this mode of burial. The first is, the manner of Christ’s entombment. He was laid in a grave in a cavern,' wrapped up in linen, embalmed with spices, and a stone, sealed up, closed His sepulchre. As St. Paul so often proposes Him for the model of our resurrection, and speaks of our being buried with Him in baptism, it was natural for His disciples to wish to be buried after His example, so to be ready to rise with Him. T hls m wait for resurrection was the second thought that guided the formation of these cemeteries. Bvery expression connected with them alluded to the rising again. The word to bury is unknown in Chris-

tian inscriptions. [‘Deposited in peace,” "the deposition of - — are' the expressions "used; that is, the dead are but left there for a time, till called for again, as a pledge, or precious thing, entrusted to faithful but temporary keeping. The very name of cemetery suggests that it is only a place where many lie, as in a dormitory, slumbering for a while, till dawn come, and the trumpet’s sound awake them. Hence the grave is only called “the place,” or more technically, "the small home,” of the dead in Christ.

These two ideas, which are combined in the planning of the catacombs, were not later insertions into the Christian system, but must have been more vivid in its earlier times. They inspired abhorrence of the pagan custom of burning the dead ; nor have we a hint that this mode was at any time adopted by Christians. But ample proof is to be found in the catacombs themselves of their early origin. The style of paintings yet remaining belongs to a period of still flourishing art. Their symbols, and the symbolical taste itself, are characteristic of a very ancient period. For this peculiar taste declined as time went on. Although inscriptions with dates are rare, yet out of ten thousand collected by the learned and sagacious Cavalier De Rossi, about three hundred are found bearing consular dates, through every period, from the early emperors to the middle of the fourth century (A.D. 350). Another curious and interesting custom furnishes us with dates on tombs. .At the closing pf the grave, the relations or friends, to mark it, would press into its wet plaster and leave there a coin, a cameo, or engraved gem, sometimes even a shell or pebble, probably that they might find the sepulchre again, especially where no inscription was left. Many of these objects continue to be found, many have been long collected. But it is not uncommon, where the coin, or, to speak scientifically, the medal, has fallen from its place, to find a mould of it left, distinct and clear in the cement, which equally gives its date. This is sometimes of Domitian, or other early emperors. It may be asked, wherefore this anxiety to rediscover with certainty the tomb ? Besides motives of natural piety, there is one constantly recorded on sepulchral inscriptions. In England, if want of space prevented the full date of a person’s death being given, we should prefer chronicling the year, to the day of the month, when it occurred. It is more historical. No one cares about remembering the day on which a person died, without the year ; but the year, without the day, is an important recollection. Yet while so few ancient Christian inscriptions supply the year of people s deaths, thousands give us the very day of it on which they died, whether in the hopefulness of believers, or in the assurance of martyrs. This is easily explained. Of both classes annual commemoration had to be made, on the very day of their departure, and accurate knowledge of this was necessary. Therefore it alone was recorded.

In a cemetery close to the one in which we have left our three youths, with Diogenes and his sons, were found inscriptions mingled together, belonging to both orders of the dead. One in Greek, after mentioning the “Deposition of Augenda on the 13th day before the Calends, or Ist of June,” adds this simple address—

ZHCAIC ENftb KAI , EPujTA TTTEPHMcoN

("Live in the Lord, and pray for us.”) Another fragment is as follows—

. * . N. IVN—• ivib'as—• IN PACE ET PETE PRO NOBIS

(“. . .Nones of June . . . Live in peace, and V- pray for us.”) This is a third—•

VICTORIA, REFRIGERER [et]

ISgPIRITVS I’VS IN BONO

(“Victoria, be refreshed, and pi ay thy spirit bo in enjoyment” (good), ; 1 f

This last* reminds us of a most peculiar inscription found scratched in the mortar beside a grave in the cemetery of Prgetextatus, not many yards from that of Callistus. It is remarkable, first, for being in Latin, written with Greek letters ; then for containing a testimony of the Divinity of our Lord lastly, for expressing a prayer for the refreshment of the departed. We fill up, the portions of words wanting from the falling out of part of the plaster. ("To the well-deserving sister Bon . . . The eighth day befor ethe Calends of Nov. .Christ God Almighty refresh thy spirit in Christ.”)

BEME MEKENTI SORORI BON I VIII KAL NOB j AC ! OYC CTT, i y pic p,T H i toyc toy I°^ ON N mo ,rEPe r Tec IN * !

In spite of this digression on prayers inscribed over tombs, the reader will not, we trust, have forgotten that we were establishing the fact, that the Christian cemeteries of Rome owe their origin to the earliest ages. , o^o We have now to state down to what period they were used. After peace was restored to the Church, the devotion of Christians prompted them to desire burial near the martyrs and holy people of an earlier age. But, generally speaking, they were satisfied to lie under the pavement. Hence the sepulchral stones which are aften found in the rubbish of the catacombs, and sometimes in their places, bearing consular dates of the fourth century, are thicker, larger, better carved, and in a less simple style, than those of an earlier period placed upon the walls. JBut before the end of that century these monuments become rarer, and interment in the catacombs ceased in the following at latest. Pope Damasus, who died in 384, reverently shrunk, as he tells us in his own epitaph, from intruding into the company of the saints. Restitutus, therefore, whose sepulchral tablet we gave for a title to our chapter, may well be considered as speaking in the name of the early Christians, and claiming as their own exclusive work and property the thousand miles of subterranean city, with their six millions of slumbering inhabitants, who trust in the Lord, and await His resurrection. §

§ So F. Marchi calculates them, after diligent examination. We may mention here that, in the construction of these cemeteries, the -sand extracted from one gallery was removed into another already excavated. . Hence many are now found completely filled up.

(To be continued.)