Epitaphs Of The Catacombs
Subtitle: Or, Christian Inscriptions In Rome During The First Four Centuries
Publisher: Longmans, Green, and Co.
Published: 1878
Place of publication: London, England
Language: eng
Number of pages: 196
Table of contents: title: CONTENTS.; title: CHAPTER I.; title: INTRODUCTORY.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER II.; title: A VISIT TO THE LATERAN MUSEUM.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER III.; title: CHRONOLOGY OF THE INSCRIPTIONS.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER IV.; title: PAGAN EPITAPHS.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER V.; title: THE TEACHING OF CHRISTIAN EPITAPHS ABOUT DEATH AND THE DEAD.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER VI.; title: DOGMATIC ALLUSIONS.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER VII.; title: THEIR TESTIMONY TO CERTAIN POINTS OF DISCIPLINE AND PRACTICE.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER VIII.; title: THEIR MORAL AND SOCIAL ASPECT.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER IX.; title: INSCRIPTIONS WITH SYMBOLS.; title: 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; title: CHAPTER X.; title: CONCLUSION.; title: 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; title: Index of Greek Names and Words, 189; title: Index of Latin Names and Words, 190; title: Index of English Names and Words, 194; title: EXPLANATION OF MARGINAL REFERENCES, &c