The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-09-16

The results of the labors of the arch
aeologians have contributed much to
throw light upon the practices of the
early Church. The writings of the
Fathers have been subjected to most
critical scrutiny in these last years
not only by Catholic scholars but even
more by Protestants and by those
commonly known as Rationalists.
1t is now commonplace of history
that the Catholic cult of the saints
traces it's origin to the very first days
of Christianity. That the Blessed
Virgin was held in especial honor is
shown from the fact that a fresco of
the Mother and Child, called the
Madonna of the STAR" in the cata-
combs of Priscilla III Rome dates from
the beginning of the second century
(Marucchi, lie Catacombe Romano, p.
45D. This is the oldest picture of
the virgin in existence.
1t is easy enough to sneeringly
assert that the devotion to the saints
is the result of medieval superstition.
But such assertions will never be
made by one who has once visited
the Roman catacombs, the burial
grounds of the Christians of the first
four centuries. Wandering down
those dark irregular galleries, one
sees by the wavering glimmer of a
taper the marble slabs which close the
cavities cut into the walls on either
side and upon which are inscribed the
epitaphs which preserve to our own
day the testimony of the faith of those
early heroes. ASK for us in thy
prayers because we know thou art in
Christ reads one. "Beseech for thy
the tomb of martyr. 1--WE commend
to thee, o holy one, Basilla Crescen-
titus and Micena, our daughter is the
inscription placed upon another tomb
of a martyr by two pious parents.
! (Kraus, Real. Encycl. art. Gebet)
Another kind of proof may be taken
from the practice of celebrating the
holy sacrifice of the Mass upon the
tomb, or near it, on the anniversary
of the death of the saint. To pre-
serve the exact day, the date of his
confession" or sacrifice of life for
the faith, was preserved upon the slab
closing the tomb. This custom is
probably not older than the third CEN
tury-at least the archaeological evil
dence points that way.
The genuine Acts of the Martyrs
abound in testimonies. The Acts of
the Martyrs of Scylla (year 202)
speak of them as interceding after
death before our Lord. st. Theodotus
before his death said: I'm heaven I
will confidently pray for you to God. y
Pious men built a sepulchre to the
martyrs Trypho and Respicius, com
mending their souls to the patronage
of the holy martyrs" These and
similar testimonies may be found in
the critical editions of the Acts of the
Martyrs of Ruinart or in the later
work of Leclerc. All point to the
fact that the martyrs, as chosen
friends of God, should be held in
especial honor and that they could
intercede for us. In those early days
this was not considered to be deroga-
tory to the dignity of Christ.
1t was not till later period, the
early fifth or the late fourth century,
that evidence is forthcoming to the
veneration of other saints than mar.
tyrs. At first only the ascetics,
those whose whole life was compar-
able to a martyrdom for Christ, were
especially and by name honored. The
great apologize scholar, John of
Damascus, thus enumerates those
who should be honored by the Church !:
First, the Blessed Virgin; next John
the Evangelist and the apostles !;
next the martyrs; then also "our holy
fathers and ascetic monks who have
endured a longer and more bitter
martyrdom for conscience sake -
| (Fidei Orthodoxae, Lib. ", Cap. 49,
Later on also other saints were given
the official honor of the Church, as
is evidenced by the writings, espe-
cially the panegyrics, of the Fathers
of the fifth century.
In the beginning, as is only natural
when communications between the
various churches we're difficult and
uncertain, local churches would ven
crate only the local saints, except of
course the apostles, who belonged to
all the churches. But soon after the
peace of Constantine, the custom of
honoring certain saints throughout
the universal Church became wide
spread. Even to this day there is
preserved a trace of this local devo-
ton to saints in the so-called pat
rons" Of certain villages in the old
country.
The canonization of the saint was
comparatively simple matter in the
first ten centuries of the Church.
The bishop of the place where the
saint had lived would institute an in
quiry into the merits of the reputed
saint. If the evidence was satisfac-
tory and especially if miracles could
be offered in proof, the name was
inscribed in the diocesan calendar of
saints. Copies of the testimony would
be sent to the other churches and
| particularly to Rome. Universal
veneration could be paid to certain
reputed saint only with the especial
permission of the Pope Owing to
the grave danger of abuse, the Popes
made several efforts in the eleventh
century to restrict the naming of
saints to the courts of Rome alone
The legislation was gradually effected
and decree of Alexander III (about
1160l coomod IN o1oco tho Ynotfor