INSTITUTION AND USAGES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
By Elder I. E. Kimball
The church of the third century stood out distinctively Catholic as against schismatics. The Roman Church, according to Pope Fabian, and authors already quoted, now gave the example in things sacred, styling herself "the Mother." From the days of Justin, A.D. 150, to Cyprian, A.D. 250, we read of the supper as a continuation of Christ's sacrifice upon the cross, and it is made to "release from the burden of sin." A rule of faith was adopted for the detection of heresy. A line of bishops, link within link, marked the course of the true church. These bishops were understood to have the "gift of truth," for the Holy Ghost abode within the church, not outside of it. The sacrament of penance, of which Cyprian spake, seems to have originated from the custom of requiring all excommunicated persons to take a seat apart from the congregation, and to go through a certain routine of public humiliation before they were again received into the communion of the church. Thus sins were expiated by "due satisfactions." The early church of apostolic times was indeed "called into liberty," without temples, priests, altars, victims, or a ceremony. Consequently to the heathen eye they were "infidels." But in the second and third century, to lure to the fold the Jew and the heathen, who were accustomed to ritual of no little pomp, the church took up the idea. She conceived of her ministry as a priesthood. Under this sacerdotal idea came the separation into higher and lower orders,—clergy and laity. The chief priest (the bishop) in many places put on the dignity of a king, surpassing all the conceptions of Jewish or pagan priest, so that one of the Roman emperors swore he would annihilate the office. Bishop Coxe supposes the philosopher's robe, which Justin ever wore, and which was commonly worn by the philosophic church, teachers of these times, to be still doing service in the ritualistic churches of Christendom. In addition to a gaudy ceremonial, "mysteries," to comport with the heathen "mysteries," were introduced. Egyptians, Persians, Grecians, Indians,—all nations,—delighted themselves and groveled in what they termed the "mysteries." Nothing so sacred to them, nothing so much to be so abhorred by us! They were a species of "dark, recondite" worship, altogether repugnant to virtue and modesty. In their dark sittings, all sorts of libidinous excess were indulged, and foul orgies kept. The Christian saw fit to imitate this. So the baptism and the Lord's Supper were made to bear the aspect of mysteries. Two services were held, the one public, common to all, the other secret. The baptized were initiates, the unbaptized and catechumens, who had enrolled themselves as candidates, were held in the dark as to the mysteries, for silence was imposed upon the church with reference to it. The initiation of the catechumens by baptism was as follows: Exorcism, by which demons were expelled, then the anointing of the entire body with oil. While the priest was thus engaged, the bishop sanctified the water by invocation and thrice pouring in from the holy chrism, in a manner to represent the sign of the cross. Then the water was holy, and would make holy and cleanse the initiates. The priest attended to this after the anointing, if the bishop were not present. Tertullian mentions this as the practice of his times. Then came baptism; three times they were plunged into the holy font; then the kiss, then milk and honey were given; following this came the laying on of hands, and the sign of the cross marked upon the forehead. Such was baptism, and such was "holy water," and such the extravagances of those times. As soon as they came into the baptistry, men and women alike put off their garments, signifying the putting off of the old man, with his deeds. Such, probably, were the heathen mysteries, of which the Christian was but an image. Chrysostom makes it certain that women and infants alike were undressed. No wonder it became a dark, hidden procedure. The supper was the second mystery, and came to be called "mass" from missa, the Latin word signifying dismissed, for all were dismissed but the baptized. The cross, which seems to have been the very "power of God unto salvation" in their estimation, by no means originated with Christianity, for it was known in Egypt, Syria, India, Rome, and even by the American Indians—a world-old and almost universal sign. It was the sacred sign of the Hindu god, Agni, "the light of the world." It was everywhere seen in the Egyptian temples, and worn upon necklaces by the ladies. (Dr. Newton, in Forum for March, 1886.) Incense was at first a heathen abomination, unallowable, but finally came to be used at funerals, then allowed at the installment of a magistrate or bishop, and finally allowed to temper and sweeten the bad air in public worship. Crowded assemblages in hot countries may have been blessed thereby, but incense and noonday candles ought never to have been taken up and made a part of religion. I should in this connection say something on the growth of the episcopate. To the early church it seemed needful to submit to a single rule as the only means of continuing in harmony.—Clementinae, Homilies. In some places the bishop (the apostle's successor) was but a nominal superior; elsewhere he was a ruler, a king, to whom tribute should be brought. All agree that in the early church the words "bishop" and "elder" were used synonymously. Paul called the Ephesian elders overseers, or, as it is in the Greek, bishops. See also in Titus 1:5, where the original word is bishop. The presbytery was but the board of elders. Passing the threshold of the second century, we have a threefold ministry; but even now the bishop is sometimes called a presbyter. The Greek episcopus, or bishop, signifies an overseer, and is familiar to readers of the Septuagint. Jerome, even, acknowledged bishops and presbyters to have been originally one; but, that the thickets of heresy might be laid low, a superintendency was laid upon one. Thus the episcopal dignity arose. At first the bishop was taken from the presbyter without reordination. Presbyters, or elders, were sent out from the central cities into the various districts; churches were raised up by them, but the city church, with its head in the bishop, was looked to as parent. Thus the metropolitan bishop came to control many provinces, and dioceses were formed. Archbishop, the name first applied to metropolitans, was finally restricted to metropolitans of first-rank cities, who finally came to be called "primates," and "patriarchs," corresponding to the emperor's vicars governing imperial provinces. Such were the bishops of Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. New orders were formed, subdeacons, lectors, doorkeepers, acolytes, exorcists, and bishop's attendants. The great Cyprian of Carthage—a bishop of bishops—advocated and agitated consecration to virginity. This was but following the example of the celestial virgins of Pagan Rome. The foul, pestilential notion spread, and later on it became customary to wear a dark-colored dress, and to be invested with a bridal veil by the bishop, signifying marriage to Christ. Festival days were numerous; services were held on the fourth and sixth days, commemorative of Christ's betrayal and crucifixion, and were uniformly held on the seventh day also, of which we shall hereafter speak. The first day, the resurrection day, became a festival very early, and in Tertullian's day business was largely deferred, as an infringement upon church services. Aside from this, all business transactions were lawful. The Roman Saturnalia, celebrated at the winter solstice, corresponding to the Yule feast of the Germans, and marked in the Julian calendar for the 25th of December, was transported bodily into the church. Also Easter, the most ancient festival of the spring, was remodeled into a Christian institution. Candlemas day, a joyous festival in honor of the goddess Neith, is now held upon the day marked for it in the Julian calendar; and Lady day is also the old-time day in honor of the mother of gods, celebrated on just the same day now as anciently. The festival of the conception of the Virgin Mary also holds to the identical day upon which the Roman festival of the conception of the "blessed Virgin Juno" was held. These may not have been altogether brought in so early471 as in the period I am describing. Some of them were, and Tertullian reveals the secret of the transference. He upbraids church members for celebrating with the heathen "the feasts of Saturn and of Janus, and of the winter solstice, and the feast of Matrons," in piquant tones declaring, "We are not afraid lest we be openly declared to be heathen." At the same time he remarks that the heathen would not celebrate with them the feasts of the church, lest they be accounted Christians.