Epitaphs Of The Catacombs; Or, Christian Inscriptions In Rome During The First Four Centuries

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

Universal use of epitaphs ; their purpose ; their brevity ; usefulness and interest — Number of ancient Christian epitaphs known; not a seventh part of what once existed — Causes of their destruction in ancient, mediaeval, and modern times — Dispersion of those which were preserved, in churches, convents, museums — Existing collections in Rome — Action of the Popes with reference to them — The plan of a Lapidarian Gallery projected, lost sight of, and at last badly executed — Christian Museum at the Lateran projected by Gregory XVI., and executed by Pius IX. — The inscriptions there, whence obtained by De Rossi ; how arranged — Importance of this sketch — Roman inscriptions copied by scholars of the eighth and ninth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries — Other collections by Bosio, Fabretti, Boldetti, Marangoni, and others — De Rossi undertakes to publish a complete collection — First volume appears in 1864 — Its contents arranged not topographically, nor theologically, but chronologically, 1

CHAPTER II.

A VISIT TO THE LATERAN MUSEUM.

Some general features of the inscriptions collected there — (I.) Different style of engraving ; some excellent, some very bad, executed by unprofessional hands ; some only painted ; several in the Catacombs scratched in the mortar — (2.) Mixture of languages, even on Pagan monuments — The use of Greek ordinarily a token of antiquity — (3.) Corrupt forms of spelling — (4.) The presence of the letters D.M. — (5.) Minute measurement of length of life — General arrangement of the inscriptions — Columns I. — III. Public sacred inscriptions — IV.- VII. Chronological — XVIII.-XXIV. Topographical — XXI. - XXIV. Not from the Roman Catacombs — XVIII. Of single names only, and painted, not engraved, from St. Prisciila — XX. Quite in classical style, from Coemeterium Ostrianum — XIX. All Greek, from Praetextatus, 17

CHAPTER III.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE INSCRIPTIONS.

Proportions of dated and undated inscriptions of first six centuries — Their chronological distribution — Present book confined to first four centuries — Dated inscriptions extraordinarily rare during this period — Mode of distinguishing undated inscriptions — Two great classes of Christian epitaphs known by certain tokens — In the most ancient, no note of length of life or day of death, but ancient symbols, Greek language, short pious acclamations, special phrases — In the later class, laudatory epithets of deceased ; other special phrases ; monograms, crosses, &c. — Reasons of this difference — Its reality proved by examples — Another point of difference in names — Occasional exceptions — Other differences determined by geographical, not chronological, limits — Examples — Important results obtained by observing these distinctions, 37

CHAPTER IV.

PAGAN EPITAPHS.

Necessity of studying Pagan epitaphs — Points of contrast — To Pagans, death was without hope ; an eternal farewell — Yet imaginary exchange of salutations between the living and the dead — Sepulchres — Sententise sepulchrales on the vanity of life expressed under a variety of images — Different views taken of life ; sensual, practical, trifling, enigmatical, serious — Testimony given by the epitaphs to the state of domestic life in Rome — Strong expressions of natural affection — Parents and children — Impatience at untimely death — Husbands and wives — Some titles of praise or affection perhaps only conventional — Yet the facts recorded are true and very creditable — Domestic virtues praised in women, 58

CHAPTER V.

THE TEACHING OF CHRISTIAN EPITAPHS ABOUT DEATH AND THE DEAD.

Contrast between Pagan and Christian epitaphs — Christian epigraphy perfected by degrees, but its general character shown from the first ; simple, hopeful, and joyous ; less religious in the fourth and later centuries — Life and love, characteristics of the most ancient epitaphs — Some exceptions, chiefly of later date — An episcopal instruction on death in the third century — Language of epitaphs denotes belief in future resurrection — Acclamations for the dead ; of life in God, peace, refreshment — These phrases and some others explained — The same prayers found in the Liturgies, ancient and modern — Prayers addressed to the dead by surviving friends and relatives — Religious character of these prayers, and their orthodoxy, 73

CHAPTER VI.

DOGMATIC ALLUSIONS.

Unreasonable to look for an exposition of Christian doctrine in epitaphs, yet some allusions to it may be expected — This expectation realised with reference to belief in one God, in Christ, and in the Holy Ghost — Some peculiar phrases with reference to the Holy Trinity — Devotion to the Saints, 97

CHAPTER VII.

THEIR TESTIMONY TO CERTAIN POINTS OF DISCIPLINE AND PRACTICE.

Evidence from the inscriptions of the Catacombs to — (i.) The hierarchy, pope, bishop, priest, deacon, exorcist, lector, fossor or ostiarius — (2.) Widows and virgins — (3.) The laity, fideles, fratres, neophytes, catechumens — (4.) The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Holy Eucharist, 110

CHAPTER VIII.

THEIR MORAL AND SOCIAL ASPECT.

Interest of ancient inscriptions as records of mere human thought and feeling — Special interest of ancient Christian epitaphs — Acts of the Martyrs, the only other records of the same period — Importance of these two witnesses when they agree, e.g., in omitting all mention of titles, parentage, country — Of slaves ; freedmen ; alumni ; love of the poor ; of labour ; of chastity ; innocence — Practical conclusions, 138

CHAPTER IX.

INSCRIPTIONS WITH SYMBOLS.

Epitaphs with symbolical ornamentation — Three classes of symbols — I. Religious : The Good Shepherd, Noe's ark, dove, fish, anchor, peacock, lighthouse, crowns, horse, cross, monogram in varieties of form, crux gammata — II. Civil : Marble cutters, carpenter, blacksmith, fisherman, dentist, surgeon, soldier ; III. Nominal ; Pagan as well as Christian examples, 155

CHAPTER X.

CONCLUSION.

Inscriptions of Pope Damasus — Chief characteristics of Christian epitaphs, their hopefulness — They reflect contemporary history and general state of Christian thought and feeling at different periods — Ancient Christian epitaphs in other countries ; Great Britain, Spain, and Gaul — Conclusion, 176

Index of Greek Names and Words, 189

Index of Latin Names and Words, 190

Index of English Names and Words, 194

EXPLANATION OF MARGINAL REFERENCES, &c