CITIES OF THE DEAD.

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1927, Page 3

CITIES OF THE DEAD.

CATACOMBS OF ROME. REMAINS Ob’ 5,000,000 DEAD. (By Frderick Stubbs, F.R.G.8.) I have oecil down the coal mines ol Durham, the tin mines of Malaya, the gold mines of Australia and South Africa, but never before had I experienced such an uncanny sensation —a sensation compounded of both awe and (shall I confess it?) fear —as when 1 visited the Catacombs of Rome. .l-’oi these subterranean Cities of the Dead are in parts 70ft below the surface ol the earth; extend 544 miles; and originally contained tiie remains of about 5,000,000 people. (One authority say.*4,000,000, while another gives 6,000,000. As is customary with me, 1 take the middle path and strike a mean of 5,000,000, but candidly confess I did not count the bodies. I could not, foi most of them had disappeared!). For

300 years the entire Christian population of Rome was buried here. Most of the Catacombs belong to the third and fourth centuries, but burials took place there until the fifth century, when they ceased. Christianity had triumphed. It was no longer necessary to use. the Catacombs. And thus they became neglected and presently for-j gotten until the. eighteenth century.l when they were rediscovered, opene d up and explored by archaeologists. It is a mistake to think that The early Christians lived in the Catacom im They could not have done so lor long. The atmosphere is such that I was glad to get out of it myself. But they were used occasionally as refuges from per secution, wliore, surrounded by their dead—many of them martyrs to their faith—they could meet for worship aud instruction. The Greeks and (at one time) the Romans cremated their dead. It was contrary to the Christian ciogrm 1 of the Resurrection to burn th? body (though I suppose thousands of war- ’ tyrs have been burned), so the Roman ■ Christians utilised and extended tin 1 subterranean passages that were al ready existent. THE CATACOMBS DESCRIBED. The Catacombs were composed of hundreds of miles of narrow passages cut out. of earth and rock, with occasional chambers where altars wer< ■ erected and worship took place. These subterranean passages —perfectly dark ' of course, rose tier upon tier like the 1 corridors of a theatre, and along the sides niches were ent —hundreds ul thousands of them—rising also tier by tier, like the berths in a ship, to receive !he bodies which were buried there with all their ornaments, one is surprised to find, for this was a pagan practice. What use these would be in the spirit world I have never been able to discover, but the custom was a common one. The apertures were then hermetically closed with slabs of marble or of terra-cotta, on which the names were inscribed, frequently with tin words “Tn Paco” added. For wealthier families larger spaces were rP ’ .

served. The bodies of the richer Christians had the advantage even after death: they are not permitted to bo made uncomfortable by crowding. Be/ I the words of Jesus respecting Hioir [souls is not quite so encouragi ig. Nevertheless, most of us, 1 suspf<r, would have chosen, to bo numbered among the wealthy. Some of the slabs did double duty, having a Pagan in Iscription on one side and a Christian or 1 the other. I presume that in such cases a member of the family had fail *.I to become a Christian. Air was introduced by means of vertical shafts, but the passages must have been very unwholesome and the air is by no means pleasant to-day, notwithstand ing modern attempts to freshen it. There are said to be 45 catacombs in all, but most of them are small, and I did not attempt to visit these, confining my attention to the larger. The largest and best known is that of St. Callixtus, which I visited, eight years ago. On my ringing a bell a monK appeared, who furnished me with a torch, and then conducted, me into the catacomb. As we proceeded I could not help reflecting on what would be Imy fate should my guide desert me. Here were miles upon miles of subterranean passages and chambers, \,ithout a single ray of light except that afforded by our torches. Even f one had a torch, it would be ini possible to find one’s way out without a guide, and what if the elderly monk were taken ill? It was not a pleasant thoughr, and I confess I was not sorry to sec Hie light of day again.

ANCIENT DRAWINGS AND ! N SCRIPTIONS I found the Catacombs Dill >f iut4 esting drawings and inscription.-’ There are said, indeed, to be 70,000 of these. They are of unique import 1-ice because they show what were tue ideas and beliefs of the Christians of the first four centuries, and comd not bo easily altered and corrupted, as the text of the Scriptures certainly was. Th «re arc both Pagan and Christian 'ns-rip-tions, the latter, of course, being 1 ucr. more numerous, and also bright< .-.nd more hopeful than the former. Some of the names arc those of famous patrician families. Looking at the inscriptions as a while, they show that Christian life and character were regarded even then as of more importance than Christian dogma. Many ot the inscriptions are symbolic represen tatlons of Old Testament and New Testament events, the oldest dating from the First Century, ami showing the adaptation of Pagan forms to Christian ideas. No distinction is made between the Canonical books and the Apocryphal. Thus we have are presentation of the story of Susannah and the Elders, as well as the storie of Noah and the Ark, o'f the sacrificof Isaac, of Moses striking the rock of the three Hebrew children in th den of lions, of Daniejr of the resurrec tion of Lazarus, of the Good Shepherd of the Last Supper. Tn the story of Jonah, which is de picted in a fresco on the ceiling, we se I the prophet being put out of .% srnal boat by a naked sailor, who has holt of his legs, while below is seen an ex fiaordinnry animal much like an anti diluvian, with long, thick neck and open mouth, wailing lo receixc him

and in the next picture donah is tied to a rock. In one catacomb (not the Callixtus) there is a iresco of the Last Supper Seven guests are depicted (the mystical number). A fish is upon the table, symbolising Christ, and seven baskets of food, in allusion to the miracle of the loaves and fishes. In the Catacomb of San Pontianus a drawing depicts the baptism of .Jesus, iin which he is seen standing in water while John the Baptist pours water on to his head. The Baptistery itself was deep enough for immersion, though in all probability the rite was conferred as depicted in the fresco. Water was supplied from a subterranean spring. VERBAL INSCRIPTIONS. Coming to verbal inscriptions, some are simply epitaphs with the sign of a ship, or a dove, or a r?prig of olive, with the words “Requiescat in Pace.” Some are most touching, as 11 Farewell, farewell, O Most Sweet for ever and ever, farewell!” (probably expressing a Pagan lover’s grief for a Christian maid). Another shows that the (!«•- ( ceased had quite a good conceit of himself, for it reads: “I have been pious and holy; I lived long as I could (which most of us do) ; I have never had any lawsuit or quarrel or gambling debt, (which some of us would like tn Im able to say): 1 have always been faithful to my friends (which I hope we can all say); I had a small fortune and a groat mind (here, too, most 6f u. are in the same case as tTic writer, tor have wo not small fortunes, but —we flatter ourselves —great minds!)” Many of my married readers will appreciate this: “She never gave a bad word to her husband; she never committed a fault save in dying.” One Christian sarcophagus bears an imprecation that does not sound quite Christian. “Whatsoever impious man -violates this sepulchre, may he die the last of his own people.” Ko child, no grandchild, no one to care for him in his old ago; no one to preserve his name or his money; no one to carry on jhis business or philanthropies—it wa« svrelv a severe and unchristian late to desire for the disturber of his peace. I It is distinctly remarkable that—so, far as one could learn —there are no representations of the Crucifixion oor of the Virgin Mary in the most ancient inscriptions, nor any allusion to those. How they camo to bo omitted T must leave others to determine. Nor does there appear to have been any altar, and the sexes were separated as in the Moravian and some Anglican churches to-day. For the dates at which various changes took place in Christian worship, the reader, who is interested, must consult historians of the period.