Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

the very

were not so very strict in this discipline of concealing their served in sacred mysteries from the knowledge of the catechumens. For first ages of he thus argues against the antiquity of the book called the the Church. Apostolical Constitutions: The last words,' says he 25, which forbid the publication of those eight books, do plainly show, that they were not written in the first age; for the Christians of the first age did never make any scruple of publishing their mysteries, as appears from the writings of Justin Martyr.' Mr. Aubertine 26 observes the same out of Athenagoras and Tatian; and Daille 27 joins in opinion with Albaspinæus, and

25 Observat. 1. 1. c. 13. p. 38. (ad calc. Optat. p. 28 d.).... Postrema verba, quibus cavetur, Ne octo libri Constitutionum Apostolicarum publicentur, aperte indicant, eas primis sæculis factas non esse, cum primi sæculi Christiani sua lubentes mysteria, ut vel ex Justino constat, enuntiarent.

26 De Eucharist. 1. 2. (p. 709 ad dextr.) Incertissimum enim est, utrum Justini temporibus jam de more fuisset, sacramentalia signa haud initiatis occultare. Nec enim, vel ipse, vel Tatianus ejus discipulus, vel Athenagoras, vel Theophilus, vel Irenæus, hujusce occultationis ullibi, quod equidem sciam, meminerunt.

27 De Script. Ignat. 1. 1. c. 22. (p. 142.) Nullæ enim usquam in horum sæculorum, ac ne in tertii quidem, veris certisque auctoribus, cum verba de sacramentis faciunt, hujusmodi reperiuntur aposiopeses, sive reticentiæ; quod ego quidem meminerim. Hi et baptismi aquam, et lotionem, et oleum, postquam in usu esse cœpit, et unctionem, et eucharistiæ panem ac vinum, esum et potum liberrime, quoties fert occasio, sine ullis ambagibus efferunt, neque quicquam auditoribus vel lectoribus suis de iis rebus divinandum relinquunt; ut ex Justini in Apologia locis videre est, in quibus utrumque sacramentum totum apud homines non modo non initiatos, sed etiam profanos et Gentiles, Augustos scilicet et senatores Romanos, planissime exposuit. Neque Tertullianus aliter baptismum in libro, qui totus hujus tituli est, explica

vit; nullo dissimulato, aut obscuris vocibus adumbrato hujus sacramenti ritu. Sed neque vel in Irenæo, Clemente Alexandrino, Origene, aliisque Græcis, vel in Cypriano, et Latinis anno Domini 260. anterioribus, ullum uspiam deprehenditur illius arcani vestigium. Unde certo ac necessario concludimus, totam hanc illius arcani, quarto adulto, et toto quinto sæculo, solennem et notissimam disciplinam primis et Apostolorum proximis sæculis nondum apud nostros fuisse cognitam; quam scilicet, si jam tum obtinuisset, plane est incredibile vel violaturos fuisse Justinum et Tertullianum, homines religiosissimos, vel cæteros eorundem temporum scriptores, qui satis multi sunt, penitus tacituros, indictamque prætermissuros fuisse. Albaspinæus, Aurelianensis non ita pridem episcopus, antiquitatis ecclesiasticæ solertissimus indagator, assentitur, scribens, Primi sæculi Christianos sua lubentes mysteria, ut vel ex Justino constat, enuntiasse. Atque hinc ille probat Constitutiones, quæ vulgo dicuntur Apostolicæ, primis sæculis factas non esse, quia scilicet postremis harum verbis cautum est, ne octo earum libri publicentur. Ergo, inquam, qui hoc sacramentorum arcanum tam diligenter, et aliis præcipit et ipse servat hierarchiæ scriptor, non modo non Areopagitici, id est, Apostolici, sed ne tertii quidem sæculi homo fuit; vel hoc uno indicio satis prodit, se vel quarto exeunte, vel quinto sæculo, vixisse; quo maxime illa viguit sacramentalis arcani religio.

But introduced about

for other reasons

the Roman

ists pre

tend.

cites his authority with approbation: and Basnage 28 is so far from thinking that the Apostles concealed their mysteries from the catechumens, that he rather supposes they administered the sacraments in their presence. Upon which supposition the whole fabric, which Schelstrate builds upon the Disciplina Arcani, is ruined at once: for then it is certain the Apostles had no such fear or caution upon them, lest the catechumens should come to the knowledge of the Christian rites or doctrines, as is pretended. And indeed any one that looks into the writings of the Apostles, may perceive with half an eye that they were far enough from concealing their opinion about the worship of angels, saints, and images: for they expressly write against it. And when they speak of the mysteries of baptism and the eucharist, they do it with the greatest freedom, without any fear or apprehension of giving offence to the catechumens.

[ocr errors]

3. Nay, and when this discipline was first introduced into the time of the Christian Church, it is very evident it was done for difTertullian, ferent reasons than those which the Romanists pretend. The first beginning of it seems to have been about the time of Terthan what tullian; for he is the first writer that makes any mention of it. He says 29, there was a secrecy and silence observed in all mysteries; and he blames the heretics of his own times for not regarding something of this discipline. They made no distinction,' he says 30, between believers and catechumens, they all met together, they all heard together, they all prayed together; and if heathens chanced to come in upon them, they gave that which was holy to dogs, and cast their pearls, such as they were, before swine.' Here it is plain the Church now made several distinctions between catechumens and believers, which heretics did not. The place of the catechumens was now in a separate part of the Church; they heard sermons, but not all that believers were allowed to hear; they had

28 Exercit. in Baron. an. 44. (p. 489.) Alta de mysteriis religionis silentia non agebant Apostoli, nec catechumenos arcebant sacramentorum conspectu.

29 Apol. c. 7. (p. 8 a.) Ex forma omnibus mysteriis [al. omnium mysteriorum] silentii fides debeatur [al.

adhibetur].

30 De Præscript. c. 41. (p. 217 b.) In primis quis catechumenus, quis fidelis, incertum est: pariter adeunt, pariter audiunt, pariter orant: etiam ethnici, si supervenerint: sanctum canibus, et porcis margaritas, licet non veras, jactabunt.

prayers for themselves, but were not admitted to hear the prayers of the faithful, which were peculiar to the celebration of the eucharist, from which catechumens were excluded. But all this was, and might be done, without favouring in the least the vain pretences of the modern Arcanists: for in all this there was no design to conceal such mysteries as the worship of saints, and angels, and images, from the knowledge of the catechumens; but, on the contrary, Tertullian speaks openly of these kinds of worship, and with indignation condemns them as superstitious practices, belonging only to heathens or heretics, and not to the mysteries of the Church.

a

ticular ac

the things

which they

from the ca

Which

were, first,

4. And in the following ages, no writer that mentions this This proved discipline, among all those that give us a more particular ac- from a par count of what things were concealed from the knowledge or count of inspection of the catechumens, ever so much as intimates that we the worship of saints and images was in the number of the concealed mysteries of the Church which they concealed from them. But techumens. the mysteries which they were so careful in some measure to hide from them were,-First, the manner of administering bap- the manner tism. Second, the unction of chrism, or confirmation. Third, of admithe ordination of priests. Fourth, the manner of celebrating baptism. the eucharist. Fifth, the liturgy or divine service of the Church. Sixth, for some time the mystery of the Trinity, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer, till they became greater proficients, and were ready for baptism.

In the first place that they were careful to conceal from them the manner of administering baptism, appears from this, that catechumens were never so much as suffered to enter, or look into the baptistery, or place where baptism was administered, according to the order of the first Council of Orange31. St. Basil 32 therefore says, ' Baptism, the eucharist, and the oil of chrism, were things that the uninitiated were not allowed to look upon.' And St. Austin 33, putting the question, 'What things were kept secret, and not made public in the Church?'

31 C. 19. (t. 3. p. 1450 c.) Ad baptisterium catechumeni nunquam admittendi.

32 De Spir. Sanct. c. 27. t. 2. p. 352. (t. 3. part. 1. p. 76 b. n. 66.) Α οὐδὲ ἐποπτεύειν ἔξεστι τοῖς ἀμυήτοις.

33 In Ps. 103. [al. Serm. 1. in Ps. 103.] (t. 4. p. 1140 d.) Quid est quod occultum est, et non publicum in ecclesia? Sacramentum baptismi, sacramentum eucharistiæ. Opera enim nostra bona vident et pagani, sacramenta vero occultantur illis, &c.

nistering

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

answers, 'The sacrament of baptism, and the sacrament of the eucharist; for even Pagans may see our good works, but the sacraments are kept hidden from them.' And as they did not admit catechumens to see baptism administered, so neither did they ordinarily discourse of it before them in plain terms, but in a mystical way, or else wholly excluded them from such discourses as incompetent hearers. We do not speak openly,' says St. Cyril 34, 6 of the sacraments before the catechumens, but deliver many things covertly, that the faithful who know them, may understand us, and they who know them not, may receive no harm.' So Theodoret 35: We discourse of mysteries obscurely because of the unbaptized; but when they are gone we speak plainly before the initiated.' In like manner Nazianzen speaking of baptism: 'You have heard," says he36, so much of the mystery as we are allowed to speak publicly in the ears of all, and the rest you shall hear privately, which you must retain secret within yourself, and keep under the seal of baptism.' A great many other passages may be read in Chrysostom 37, Theodoret 38, Cyril of Alexandria 39, the author under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite 40, and the Apostolical Canons 41, with many others to the same purpose. From all which we learn, that though the Ancients acquainted the catechumens with the doctrine of baptism so far as to make

34 Catech. 6. n. 16. [al. 29.] (p. 106 c.) Οὐδὲ τῶν μυστηρίων ἐπὶ κατηχουμένων λευκῶς λαλοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ πολλάκις λέγομεν ἐπικεκαλυμμένως, ἵνα οἱ εἰδότες πιστοὶ νοήσωσι, καὶ οἱ μὴ εἰδότες μὴ βλαβῶσι.

35 Quæst. 15. in Num. t. I. p. 149. (t. I. part. I. p. 230.) 'Ασήμως γὰρ διὰ τοὺς ἀμυήτους περὶ τῶν θείων διαλεγόμεθα μυστηρίων, τούτων δὲ χωριζομένων σαφῶς τοὺς μεμυημένους διδάσκομεν.

36 Orat. 40. de Bapt. (t. I. p. 672 d.) Εχεις τοῦ μυστηρίου τὰ ἔκφορα, καὶ ταῖς τῶν πολλῶν ἀκοαῖς οὐκ ἀπόρρητα· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα εἴσω μαθήσῃ, τῆς Τριάδος χαριζομένης, ἃ καὶ κρύψεις παρὰ σεαυτῷ σφραγίδι κρατουμένα.

37 [Hom. 46. in Act. Apost. (t. 9. P. 349 e.). . . ."Αλλο μὲν οὐδὲν, τὰ δὲ τῶν μυστηρίων μόνον, ὡς μηδὲ τοῖς ἀμυήτοις συγχωρεῖν παρεῖναι.—Conf. Hom. 40. in 1 Cor. (t. Io. p. 379 a.)

[ocr errors]

Καὶ βούλομαι μὲν σαφῶς αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν, οὐ τολμῶ δὲ διὰ τοὺς ἀμνήτους· οὗτοι γὰρ δυσκολωτέραν ἡμῖν ποιοῦσι τὴν ἐξήγησιν, ἀναγκάζοντες ἢ μὴ λέγειν σαφῶς ἢ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐκφέρειν τὰ ἀπόρρητα, κ. τ. λ. ED.]

38 Hæret. Fabul. 1. 5. c. 18. (t. 4. part. I. p. 442.) . . . ̓Αλλὰ γὰρ μυστι κωτέρων δεῖ λόγων ἐνταῦθα.

39 Adv. Julian. 1. 7. (t. 6. p. 247 e.) Ινα τοίνυν μὴ εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀμυήτων ἀκοὰς ἐκφέρων τὰ κεκρυμμένα προστ κρούσαιμι λέγοντι τῷ Χριστῷ . . . τῶν βαθυτέρων ἀφέμενος.

40 Eccles. Hierarch. c. 2. part. I. n. 2. p. 251. (t. I. p. 167 c.) Εξῆς δὲ τὰ θεῖα τῆς θεογενεσίας ἐποπτεύο σαμεν σύμβολα καί μοι μηδεὶς ἀτέλεστος ἐπὶ τὴν θεὰν ἱέτω.

41 C. Apost. 85. (Cotel. [c. 76.] v. I. p. 449.).... Kai ai diarayai... ἃς οὐ χρὴ δημοσιεύειν ἐπὶ πάντων, διὰ τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς μυστικά.

them understand the spiritual nature and design of it, yet they never admitted them to the sight of the outward ceremony, nor so much as to hear any plain discourse about the manner of its administration, till they were fitted and prepared for the actual reception of it.

the manner

5. And they observed the same discipline in reference to the Secondly, holy unction or chrism, which the Latins call imposition of of adminishands, or confirmation. St. Basil 42, speaking of the oil which tering the was used to be consecrated and used in this ceremony, says, holy unc'it tion, or conwas one of those things which the uninitiated were not allowed firmation. to look upon:' and Pope Innocent the First 43, writing to another bishop about confirmation, and the form of words used in the administration of it, says, 'he could not repeat the words, lest he should seem to disclose the mystery, rather than answer the question proposed.'

[ocr errors]

ordination of priests.

6. A third thing which they concealed from the catechumens Thirdly, the was the ordination of priests. The Council of Laodicea has a canon 44 to this purpose, that ordinations shall not be performed in the presence of the hearers,' that is, the catechumens. And Chrysostom, speaking of this office and the solemn prayers used at the consecration, delivers himself in an obscure and covert way, because of the catechumens. He that ordains,' says he 45, 'requires the prayers of the Church, and they then join their suffrage, and echo forth those words which the initiated know. For we may not speak them openly before the uninitiated catechumens.'

7. A fourth thing which they concealed from the catechu- Fourthly, mens was the public liturgy, or solemn prayers of the Church. the liturgy, or public For one rank of the catechumens, the audientes, or hearers, prayers of the Church, were only permitted to stay and hear the sermon, but not any such as the prayers of the Church. Another sort, called kneelers, or pros- prayers for trators, had the prayers of the Church particularly for them- mens, peniselves, but no others. And the competentes stayed only to tents, and

42 See n. 32, preceding.

43 Ep. 1. ad Decent. Eugub. c. 3. (CC. t. 2. p. 1246 d.) Verba vero dicere non possum, ne magis prodere videar, quam ad consultationem respondere.

44 C. 5. (t. I. p. 1497 a.) Περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν τὰς χειροτονίας ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ

ἀκροωμένων γίνεσθαι.

45 Hom. 18. in 2 Cor. p. 872. (t. 1o. p. 568 a.) . . . Ο μέλλων χειροτονεῖν καὶ τὰς ἐκείνων εὐχὰς καλεῖ τότε, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπιψηφίζονται, καὶ ἐπιβοῶσιν, ἅπερ ἴσασιν οἱ μεμνημένοι· οὐ γὰρ δὴ θέμις ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμυήτων ἐκκαλύπτειν ἅπαντα.

the energu

the faithful.

« PoprzedniaDalej »