The Church in the Catacombs, a Description of the Primitive Church of Rome (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846 Excerpt: ... for marriages and deaths. At length the anniversaries of martyrdom became the chief occasion of its celebration. These days were called natalitia, or birthdays, because the saints were then born to heaven from the world. As long as persecution was likely to befall the Church, there was policy in commemorating annually the triumphs of her heroes. To meet by lamplight over the grave of a departed friend, and there to animate each other's faith by mutual exhortations; to partake together of the funereal meal before the tablet which covered his bones; in all this the faithful of that age found a constant stimulus to fortitude and zeal. But the natalitia, celebrated after the conversion of Constantine, tended to secularise religious worship in a lamentable degree: the festival was thrown open in the hope of obtaining converts; and many of the Pagan poor, after having been fed at the expense of the Church, became suddenly convinced of the truth of Christianity. The Agape was also further desecrated by a less justifiable measure--an attempt to replace the Pagan festivals by corresponding Christian solemnities. Augustine gives this account of the matter: "When peace was made, the crowd of Gentiles who were anxious to embrace Christianity, were deterred by this, that whereas they had been accustomed to pass the holidays in drunkenness and feasting before their idols, they could not easily consent to forego these most pernicious, yet ancient pleasures. It seemed good then to our leaders to favour tbis part of their weakness, and for those festivals which they relinquish, to substitute others, in honour of the holy martyrs, which they might celebrate with similar luxury, though not with the same impiety." To form a just idea of a ceremony so changed in char...