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HOME Forword Selected sources |
THE EARLY CHRISTIANS “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. Luke 2.1 Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet and teacher who criticized the Jewish religious hierarchy. His message of forgiveness and salvation appealed to many people, especially the poor who found hope in the promise of eternal life in Heaven. His followers spread his teachings after he was crucified by the Romans. The new faith did not recognize the sovereign authority of Rome and from the time of Emperor Nero (AD 54-68) Christians were persecuted and put to death. This led to the cult of martyrs which in turn strengthened the faith of the growing Christian community. By Late Antiquity, Christianity had become one of the most important and influential religious movements in the Empire. EARLY CHRISTIAN BURIALS Although early Church fathers wanted to ensure that Christian rituals clearly differed from those of other religions and cults, ordinary Christians did not easily abandon their old traditions and their burial practices often resembled those of the local culture. There were, however, exceptions. Perhaps the most important was that a Christian funeral was not just a family affair. Priests played an active part in the rites. Obviously, Christian priests unlike their non-Christian counterparts, did not fear contamination from death. The dying received the last Eucharist and there is also evidence that the Host was given at the moment of, or even after, death. The washing and laying out of the body may not have differed much from the rites of other religions. Lamentation also took place, although the Christian authorities were much against it. Prayer, the reading of holy texts and the singing of hymns and psalms all played an important role in Christian funerals. In order to dissociate themselves from other religions, early Christians forbade the use of instrumental music at funerals. Burial was an important duty of the congregation, and Christians who could not afford a funeral received help from their brethren. Although cremation may have been practiced by some Christians in the earliest times, inhumation became mandatory in the 2nd century AD. There is evidence that services were performed at the grave and grave gifts were sometimes given, but these were never ostentatious or costly. Like all their contemporaries, Christians held funeral feasts directly after the funeral, but these too were conducted with modesty and restraint. At anniversaries and other special occasions, commemorative gatherings with prayers, hymns and feasting were held at the tombs. At the beginning of the 4th century AD, Constantine made Christianity the accepted religion of the Roman Empire, and burial customs were altered to reflect the Christian belief in the resurrection of the body. Many of the graves of the early Christian period are simple, while others merely re-use earlier sarcophagi, sometimes with a Christian inscription added on the rim. This ambiguity is typical of the burial practices of Antiquity. No matter how uniform practices may appear to be, there are exceptions to every rule, as there were in life in itself in Classical Antiquitey CHRISTIAN FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS
Photo: © The Museum of Cultural History Christian grave inscriptions from Syria og Judaea do not differ significantly from Jewish ones, and it is often difficult to distinguish between the two, as both religions used many of the same symbols and set phrases. This inscription for example shows a roughly incised tabula ansata that reads “Here rests faithful Brasidia”. A tabula ansata is a table with triangular handles which was commonly used for funerary inscriptions by pagans and Jews as well as Christians. Earlier scholars identified the inscription as Christian, as they assumed that the Greek name Brasidia was more likely to have been used by a Christian than a Jew. But names do not always reflect religious affiliation, and Jews could also have names which derived from Greco-Roman gods.
Photo: © The Museum of Cultural History Unmistakably Christian is the inscription from Beersheba, where we see crosses at the beginning and end of the text. The inscription mentions Prokopios who died in 516 AD.
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