CTKESIS

Last edited on Mon Jun 11th, 2007 11:01 am by Jackie

Last edited on Sat Jun 23rd, 2007 11:36 am by Jackie

Here lies Paschasius, born with the name Severus, in Eastertide, Thursday 4th April. . . lived 6 years, received the grace on 21st April and left his white baptismal vestments in the sepulchre on the Octave of Easter.
 There are many examples of chidl baptism and also Baptismal baths in the Catacombs.

The witness of the literary texts of the early church fathers, councils and apologists for the practice of infant Baptism in the first Christian centuries receives valuable confirmation from the catacombs and cemeteries of the Middle East, Africa and southern Europe.


Rich in information on conferring the Sacraments is the epigraph cut on the sarcophagus of the couple Flavius Julius Catervius and Septimia Severina. Besides references to Baptism and Confirmation, there is added one to the Sacrament of Matrimony Confered by a Priest which is couched in poetic terms full of shining hope in the resurrection.


The Lord Almighty who with equal merit has joined you in the sweet bonds of Matrimony looks forever after your sepulchre, O Catervius. Severina is happy to be united with you forever. May you be raised together, with the grace of Christ, O you blessed ones, whom Probianus, the priest of the Lord washed with Baptism and anointed with sacred chrism."


In the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le mura near Rome was uncovered an epitaph (12) which affirms that verus in altari cruor est vinum (the wine on the altar is authentic blood) showing an explicit allusion to the teaching of Transubstantiation (Theol) Conversion of whole substance of eucharistic bread and wine into body and blood respectively of Christ. (The Oxford Dictionary).

The epigraph of Abercius , bishop in Phrygia who lived in the second century. Recalling his visit to Rome, he affirmed that he was assiduous in receiving the Eucharist. In the text is found symbolism of the fish that represents Christ that can be seen in many inscription.

"Christ brought me to Rome to contemplate the royal palace. . .Faith guided me everywhere and whenever I came to the banquet I was nourished with fish from the fountain, grown pure from the Holy Virgin, and given to friends that they might always be nourished.

.Requests for intercession of saints is as old as Chrisitanity itself.

I came upon a wall of hundreds of inscriptions asking the martyred Peter and Paul to pray for them. It was very moving.

Photo: Catacomb of St. Sabastiano: Fragments of a wall plaster from the triclia with
numerous graffiti that ask for the prayers of the martryed appostles, Peter and Paul.

St .Ignatius born in Syria, around the year 50; died at Rome between 98 and 117.  received his episcopal consecration at the hands of the Apostles themselves.

He constitutes one of the most important links between the Apostles and the Fathers of the early Church. Receiving from the Apostles themselves, whose auditor he was, not only the substance of revelation, but also their own inspired interpretation of it; dwelling, as it were, at the very fountain-head of Gospel truth.

The Theology of the Seven Epistles of St. Ignatius the whole system of Catholic doctrine may be discovered in outline.  Among the many Catholic doctrines to be found in the letters are the following: the Church was Divinely established as a visible society, the salvation of souls is its end, and those who separate themselves from it cut themselves off from God , the hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ (lntrod. to Philad.; Ephes., c. vi); the threefold character of the hierarchy (Magn., c. vi); the order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood (Magn., c. vi, c. xiii; Smyrn., c. viii; Trall., c. iii); the unity of the Church (Trall., c. vi; Philad., c. iii; Magn., c. xiii); the holiness of the Church (Smyrn., Ephes., Magn., Trall., and Rom.); the catholicity of the Church (Smyrn., c. viii); the infallibility of the Church, (Philad., c. iii; Ephes., cc. xvi, xvii); the doctrine of the Eucharist (Smyrn., c. viii), which word we find for the first time applied to the Blessed Sacrament, just as in Smyrn., viii, we meet for the first time the phrase "Catholic Church", used to designate all Christians the Incarnation (Ephes., c. xviii); the supernatural virtue of virginity, already much esteemed and made the subject of a vow (Polyc., c. v); the religious character of matrimony (Polyc., c. v); the value of united prayer (Ephes., c. xiii); the primacy of the See of Rome (Rom., introd.). He, moreover, denounces in principle the Protestant doctrine of private judgment in matters of religion (Philad. c. iii), The heresy against which he chiefly inveighs is Docetism. Neither do the Judaizing heresies escape his vigorous condemnation.
 
for Ignatius and the Asian churches to which he writes, it is taken for granted that each local Christian community is led by a single bishop assisted by a council of pres­byters (priests) and several deacons.  According to Ignatius, “you cannot have a church without these” (Tral. 3:1).  This is significant in light of the many Protestant Reformers who denied the apostolic foun­dation of different ranks of Christian ministers and accuse the Church of later times of inventing such a hierarchy.