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| Want of room the cause, precedent the justification.
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15. Want of room the
cause, precedent the justification.
Believe me, Sire, and let Truth be my witness in
this also, when I declare that in the congregations held during the
season of Lent, in consequence of the narrow limits of the places, and
the vast multitude of people assembled, a great number of children, not
a few of the younger and very many of the older women, besides several
young men, suffered so much from the pressure of the crowd, that they
were obliged to be carried home; though by the Providence of God, no
one is dead. All however murmured, and demanded the use of the great
Church. And if the pressure was so great during the days which preceded
the feast, what would have been the case during the feast itself? Of
course matters would have been far worse. It did not therefore become
me to change the people’s joy into grief, their cheerfulness into
sorrow, and to make the festival a season of lamentation.
And that the more, because I had a precedent in
the conduct of our Fathers. For the blessed Alexander, when the other
places were too small, and he was engaged in the erection of what was
then considered a very large one, the Church of Theonas1332
| 1332 S.
Epiphanius mentions nine Churches in Alexandria. Hær. 69.
2. Athan. mentions in addition that of Quirinus. Hist. Arian.
§10. [See the plan of Larsow, appended to his Fest-briefe.]
The Church mentioned in the text was built at the Emperor’s
expense; and apparently upon the Emperor’s ground, as on the site
was or had been a Basilica, which bore first the name of Hadrian, then
of Licinius, Epiph. ibid. Hadrian had built in many cities
temples without idols, which were popularly considered as intended by
him for Christian worship, and went after his name. Lamprid. Vit.
Alex. Sev. 43. The Church in question was built in the
Cæsareum. Hist. Arian. 74. There was a magnificent Temple,
dedicated to Augustus, as ἐπιβατήριος, on the harbour of Alexandria, Philon. Legat. ad
Caium, pp. 1013, 4. ed. 1691, and called the Cæsareum. It was
near the Emperor’s palace, vid. Acad. des. Inscript. vol.
9. p. 416. [Vid. supr. note 5b, and cf. Apol. de
Fuga 24.] | , held his congregations there on account of the
number of the people, while at the same time he proceeded with the
building. I have seen the same thing done at Treveri and at Aquileia,
in both which places, while the building was proceeding, they assembled
there during the feasts, on account of the number of the people and
they never found any one to accuse them in this manner. Nay, your
brother of blessed memory was present, when a communion was held under
these circumstances at Aquileia. I also followed this course. There was
no dedication, but only a service of prayer. You, at least I am sure,
as a lover of God will approve of the people’s zeal, and will
pardon me for being unwilling to hinder the prayers of so great a
multitude.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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