A Treatise on Relics Part 15

_ 26 Translator's Note._-The time when the church is to accomplish this purification has, alas! not yet arrived.

27 Beugnot, vol. ii., book xii., chap. 1, pp. 261-272.

28 The opinions of different writers on the number of Christians in the Roman empire at the time of Constantine's conversion greatly varies.

The valuation of Staudlin ("Universal Ges.h.i.+chte der Christlichen Kirche," p. 41, 1833) at half of its population, and even that of Matter ("Histoire de l'Eglise," t. i. p. 120), who reduces it to the fifth, are generally considered as exaggerated. Gibbon thinks that it was the twentieth part of the above-mentioned population; and the learned French academician. La Bastie ("Memoires de l'Academie des Inscripter," &c.) believes that it was the twelfth. This last valuation is approved by Chastel ("Histoire de la Destruction du Paganisme en Orient," 1850, p. 36) as an average number, though it was much larger in the East than in the West. The celebrated pa.s.sage of Tertullian's "Apology," in the second century, where he represents the number of Christians in the Roman empire to be so great, that it would have become a desert if they had retired from it, is considered by Beugnot (vol. ii. p. 188) as the most exaggerated hyperbole which has ever been used by an orator.

_ 29 Translator's Note._-Expression of St Jerome, Op. iv. p. 266. It would be curious to know what this father of the church would have said of the present Rome.

30 Beugnot, vol. i., p. 86.

31 "Ludorum celebrationes, deoram festa sunt."-Lactantius, _Inst.i.tutiones Divin._, vi., 20, _apud_ Beugnot.

32 "Adite aras publicas adque delubra, et consuetudinis vestrae celebrate solemnia: nec enim prohibemus preteritae usurpationis officia libera luce tractari."

33 The _labarum_ was a cross, with the monogram of Christ.

34 The Graeco-Russian church has, however, given him a place in her calendar on the 21st May, but only in common with his mother Helena.

This was done only a considerable time after his death.

35 Beugnot, upon the authority of Ausonius, vol. i., p. 321.

36 Thus Symmachus, one of the leaders of the old aristocracy of Rome, celebrated for his learning, virtues, and staunch adherence to the national polytheism, was invested by Theodosius with the dignity of a consul of Rome; the well known Greek orator, Libanius, was created prefect of the imperial palace; and Themistius, who had been invested with the highest honours under the preceding reigns, was created by Theodosius prefect of Constantinople, received in the senate, and entrusted for some time with the education of Arcadius.

These distinguished polytheists never made a secret of their religious opinions, but publicly declared them on several occasions.

Many of Theodosius' generals were avowed Pagans, but enjoyed no less his confidence and favour.

37 Fallmerayer, "Geschichte der Morea," vol. i., p. 136.

_ 38 Vide supra_, pp. 30-32.

39 I think that it will not be uninteresting to my readers to know how the Roman Catholic Church explains this prohibition, and which may be best seen from the following piece of ingenious casuistry, by one of her ablest defenders in this country:-"Canon x.x.xvi. of the Provincial Council held in 305, at Eliberis, in Spain, immediately refutes the error of Bingham. (Bingham maintained the same opinion on the images which is expressed in the text.) The pastors of the Spanish church beheld the grievous persecution that Diocletian had commenced to wage against the Christian faith, which had for a lengthened period enjoyed comparative repose, under the forbearing reign of Constantius Caesar, father of Constantine the Great. They a.s.sembled to concert precautionary measures, and amongst other things, they determined that, in the provinces under their immediate jurisdiction, there should be no fixed and immovable picture monuments, such as fresco paintings or mosaics, no images of Christ whom they adored, nor of the saints whom they venerated, on the walls of the churches which had been erected and ornamented during the long interval of peace which the Christians had enjoyed.

'Placuit,' says the council, 'picturas in ecclesia esse non debere, ne quod colitur et adoratur, in parietibus depingatur,' (Con. Elib., _apud Labbeum_, tom i. p. 972.) This economy was prudent and adapted to the exigency of the period. The figures of Christ and of his saints were thus protected from the ribaldry and insults of the Pagans. But this well-timed prohibition demonstrates, that the use of pictures and images had already been introduced into the Spanish church."-_Hierurgia, or Transubstantiation, Invocation of Saints, Relics, &c., expounded by D. Rock, D.D._, second edition, p. 374, _note_. There can be no doubt that the enactment in question proves that images were used at that time amongst the Spanish Christians, as a law prohibiting some particular crimes or offences shows that they were taking place at the time when it was promulgated; but the opinion that the above-mentioned enactment was not a prohibition of images, but a precautionary measure in their favour, must be supported either by the other canons of the same council, which contain nothing confirmatory of this opinion, or by the authority of some contemporary writer, and is without such evidence quite untenable, and nothing better than a mere sophism, I have given this explanation of the Council of Elvira by a Roman Catholic writer as a fair specimen of the manner in which all other practices of their church, derived from Paganism, are defended.

_ 40 Translator's Note._-And yet the same writer has defended this manner of recruiting the church.-_Vid. supra_, p. 17.

_ 41 Translator's Note_.-And yet this system of concession has been called by the same author _true wisdom._-_Vid. supra_, p. 18.

_ 42 Translator's Note._-It dated from the time when the Christian church began to make a compromise with Paganism.

43 Who would defile themselves by the impious superst.i.tion of the idols.

44 An ecclesiastical writer of the fifth century.

_ 45 Translator's Note._-Importing usually into the Christian church that leaven of Paganism which is mentioned in the text.

_ 46 Translator's Note._-Retaining meanwhile, however, the thing itself.

_ 47 Translator's Note._-It is a great pity that the author leaves us in the dark about the time when this great improvement in the Roman Catholic Church to which he alludes took place.

48 St Augustinus relates, in the fourth book of his Confessions, chap, iii., that he was diverted from the idea of studying astrology by a pagan physician, who made him understand all the falsehood and ridicule of that science.

49 A similar custom is still prevalent is Russia. _Vide infra_, "On the Superst.i.tions of her Church."

_ 50 Author's Note._-In 1215, Buondelmonte was murdered by the Amidei at the foot of the statue of Mars. This murder produced at Florence a civil war, which, gradually spreading over all Italy, gave birth to the factions of the Guelphs and Ghibelines.

51 Basnage, "Histoire de l'Eglise," p. 1174.

52 An interesting account of Vigilantius was published by the Rev. Dr Gilly, the well-known friend of the Waldensians.

_ 53 Vide supra_, p. 8.

54 Gibbon's "Roman Empire," chap. xlix.

55 The Greeks and Russians wors.h.i.+p their images chiefly by kissing them, and it was probably on this account that it was ordered to raise them to a height where they could not be reached by the lips of their votaries, because this means could not prevent them from bowing to them.

56 It is related that the women were the most zealous in defending the images, and that an officer of the emperor, who was demolis.h.i.+ng a statue of Christ placed at the entrance of the imperial palace, was murdered by them.

57 Gibbon and some other writers think that Constantine survived for some time the loss of his eyes, but I have followed in the text the general opinion on this event.

58 Irene was a native of Athens.

59 Vol. ix. p. 429, _et seq._

60 Extracts from the works of this celebrated monk, and his life, _apud_ Basnage _Histoire de l'Eglise_, p. 1375.

61 Theodora, on being appointed by her husband regent during the minority of her son, was obliged to swear that she would not restore the _idols_. The Jesuit Maimbourg, who wrote a history of the iconoclasts, maintains that, in restoring the wors.h.i.+p of images, she did not commit a perjury, because _she swore that_ she would not restore the _idols_, but not _images_, which are not idols.

62 I may add, as well as the Russo-Greek Church, which, as I shall have an opportunity to show afterwards, is no less opposed to Protestantism than her rival, the Church of Rome.

63 Thus, for instance, the well-known work of the celebrated patriarch Photius, written in the ninth century, contains extracts from and notices of many works which have never reached us.

64 "Edinburgh Review," July, 1841, p. 17.

65 According to the author of "Hierurgia," Ca.s.sia.n.u.s suffered martyrdom under the reign of Julian the Apostate; we know, however, from history, that no persecution of Christians had taken place under that emperor. Ca.s.sia.n.u.s' body is still preserved at Imola, but according to Collin de Plancy he has besides a head at Toulouse.

66 "Hierurgia," by D. Rock, D.D., second edition, p. 377, _et seq._

67 Prudentius was known as a man of great learning, and had filled some important offices of the state.

68 The t.i.tle of this book is-"Opus ill.u.s.trissimi Caroli Magni, nutu Dei, Regis Francorum, Gallias, Germaniam, Italiamque sive harum finitimas provincias, Domino opitulante, regentis, contra Synodum quae in partibus Greciae, pro adorandis imaginibus, stolide sive arroganter gesta est."

69 I think that it has recently been completed at Brussels.

70 The t.i.tle of Ruinart's work is-"Acta primorum Martyrum sincera et selecta ex libris, c.u.m editis, tum ma.n.u.scriptis, collecta eruta vel emendata." 4to, Paris 1687, and several editions afterwards.

71 The most important of these Apocrypha of the New Testament, some of which have reached us, whilst we know the others from the writings of the fathers, are the Gospels according to St Peter, to St Thomas, to St Matthias, the Revelations of St Peter, the Epistle of St Barnabas, the Acts of St John, of St Andrew, and other apostles.

72 Mabillon on the Unknown Saints, p. 10. _Apud_ Basnage, p. 1047.