It is clear that Jesus condemned2 only the hypocrisy3 of the Jews, in saying: “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish4 the sepulchres of the righteous.” Thus orthodox Christians5 have an equal veneration7 for the relics8 and images of saints, and I know not what. Doctor Henry ventures to say that when bones or other relics are changed into worms, we must not adore these worms; the Jesuit Vasquez decided9 that the opinion of Henry is absurd and vain, for it signifies not in what manner corruption10 takes place; “consequently,” says he, “we can adore relics as much under the form of worms as under that of ashes.”
However this may be, St. Cyril of Alexandria avows11 that the origin of relics is Pagan; and this is the description given of their worship by Theodoret, who lived in the commencement of the Christian6 era: “They run to the temples of martyrs13,” says this learned bishop15, “some to demand the preservation16 of their health, others the cure of their maladies; and barren women for fruitfulness. After obtaining children, these women ask the preservation of them. Those who undertake voyages, pray the martyrs to accompany and conduct them; and on their return they testify to them their gratitude17. They adore them not as gods, but they honor them as divine men; and conjure18 them to become their intercessors.
“The offerings which are displayed in their temples are public proofs that those who have demanded with faith, have obtained the accomplishment19 of their vows12 and the cure of their disorders20. Some hang up artificial eyes, others feet, and others hands of gold and silver. These monuments publish the virtue21 of those who are buried in these tombs, as their influence publishes that the god for whom they suffered is the true God. Thus Christians take care to give their children the names of martyrs, that they may be insured their protection.”
Finally, Theodoret adds, that the temples of the gods were demolished22, and that the materials served for the construction of the temples of martyrs: “For the Lord,” said he to the Pagans, “has substituted his dead for your gods; He has shown the vanity of the latter, and transferred to others the honors paid to them.” It is of this that the famous sophist of Sardis complains bitterly in deploring23 the ruin of the temple of Serapis at Canopus, which was demolished by order of the emperor Theodosius I. in the year 389.
“People,” says Eunapius, “who had never heard of war, were, however, very valiant24 against the stones of this temple; and principally against the rich offerings with which it was filled. These holy places were given to monks25, an infamous27 and useless class of people, who, provided they wear a black and slovenly28 dress, hold a tyrannical authority over the minds of the people; and instead of the gods whom we acknowledge through the lights of reason, these monks give us heads of criminals, punished for their crimes, to adore, which they have salted in order to preserve them.”
The people are superstitious29, and it is superstition30 which enchains them. The miracles forged on the subject of relics became a loadstone which attracted from all parts riches to the churches. Stupidity and credulity were carried so far that, in the year 386, the same Theodosius was obliged to make a law by which he forbade buried corpses31 to be transported from one place to another, or the relics of any martyr14 to be separated and sold.
During the first three ages of Christianity they were contented32 with celebrating the day of the death of martyrs, which they called their natal33 day, by assembling in the cemeteries34 where their bodies lay, to pray for them, as we have remarked in the article on “Mass.” They dreamed not then of a time in which Christians would raise temples to them, transport their ashes and bones from one place to another, show them in shrines36, and finally make a traffic of them; which excited avarice37 to fill the world with false relics.
But the Third Council of Carthage, held in the year 397, having inserted in the Scriptures38 the Apocalypse of St. John, the authenticity39 of which was till then contested, this passage of chapter vi., “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain40 for the word of God”— authorized41 the custom of having relics of martyrs under the altars; and this practice was soon regarded so essential that St. Ambrose, notwithstanding the wishes of the people, would not consecrate42 a church where there were none; and in 692, the Council of Constantinople, in Trullo, even ordered all the altars to be demolished under which it found no relics.
Another Council of Carthage, on the contrary, in the year 401, ordered bishops43 to build altars which might be seen everywhere, in fields and on high roads, in honor of martyrs; from which were here and there dug pretended relics, on dreams and vain revelations of all sorts of people.
St. Augustine relates that towards the year 415, Lucian, the priest of a town called Caphargamata, some miles distant from Jerusalem, three times saw in a dream the learned Gamaliel, who declared to him that his body, that of Abibas his son, of St. Stephen, and Nicodemus, were buried in a part of his parish which he pointed44 out to him. He commanded him, on their part and his own, to leave them no longer neglected in the tomb in which they had been for some ages, but to go and tell John, bishop of Jerusalem, to come and dig them up immediately, if he would prevent the ills with which the world was threatened. Gamaliel added that this translation must be made in the episcopacy of John, who died about a year after. The order of heaven was that the body of St. Stephen should be transported to Jerusalem.
Either Lucian did not clearly understand, or he was unfortunate — he dug and found nothing; which obliged the learned Jew to appear to a very simple and innocent monk26, and indicate to him more precisely45 the place where the sacred relics lay. Lucian there found the treasure which he sought, according as God had revealed it unto him. In this tomb there was a stone on which was engraved46 the word “cheliel,” which signifies “crown” in Hebrew, as “stephanos” does in Greek. On the opening of Stephen’s coffin47 the earth trembled, a delightful48 odor issued, and a great number of sick were cured. The body of the saint was reduced to ashes, except the bones, which were transported to Jerusalem, and placed in the church of Sion. At the same hour there fell a great rain, until which they had had a great drouth.
Avitus, a Spanish priest who was then in the East, translated into Latin this story, which Lucian wrote in Greek. As the Spaniard was the friend of Lucian, he obtained a small portion of the ashes of the saint, some bones full of an oil which was a visible proof of their holiness, surpassing newly-made perfumes, and the most agreeable odors. These relics, brought by Orosius into the island of Minorca, in eight days converted five hundred and forty Jews.
They were afterwards informed by divers49 visions that some monks of Egypt had relics of St. Stephen which strangers had brought there. As the monks, not then being priests, had no churches of their own, they took this treasure to transport it to a church which was near Usala. Above the church some persons soon saw a star which seemed to come before the holy martyr. These relics did not remain long in this church; the bishop of Usala, finding it convenient to enrich his own, transported them, seated on a car, accompanied by a crowd of people, who sang the praises of God, attended by a great number of lights and tapers50.
In this manner the relics were borne to an elevated place in the church and placed on a throne ornamented51 with hangings. They were afterwards put on a little bed in a place which was locked up, but to which a little window was left, that cloths might be touched, which cured several disorders. A little dust collected on the shrine35 suddenly cured one that was paralytic52. Flowers which had been presented to the saint, applied53 to the eyes of a blind man, gave him sight. There were even seven or eight corpses restored to life.
St. Augustine, who endeavors to justify54 this worship by distinguishing it from that of adoration55, which is due to God alone, is obliged to agree that he himself knew several Christians who adored sepulchres and images. “I know several who drink to great excess on the tombs, and who, in giving entertainments to the dead, fell themselves on those who were buried.”
Indeed, turning fresh from Paganism, and charmed to find deified men in the Christian church, though under other names, the people honored them as much as they had honored their false gods; and it would be grossly deceiving ourselves to judge of the ideas and practices of the populace by those of enlightened and philosophic56 bishops. We know that the sages57 among the Pagans made the same distinctions as our holy bishops. “We must,” said Hierocles, “acknowledge and serve the gods so as to take great care to distinguish them from the supreme58 God, who is their author and father. We must not too greatly exalt59 their dignity. And finally the worship which we give them should relate to their sole creator, whom you may properly call the God of gods, because He is the Master of all, and the most excellent of all.” Porphyrius, who, like St. Paul, terms the supreme God, the God who is above all things, adds that we must not sacrifice to Him anything that is sensible or material, because, being a pure Spirit, everything material is impure60 to Him. He can only be worthily61 honored by the thoughts and sentiments of a soul which is not tainted62 with any sinful passion.
In a word, St. Augustine, in declaring with na?veté that he dared not speak freely on several similar abuses on account of giving opportunity for scandal to pious63 persons or to pedants64, shows that the bishops made use of the artifice65 to convert the Pagans, as St. Gregory recommended two centuries after to convert England. This pope, being consulted by the monk Augustine on some remains of ceremonies, half civil and half Pagan, which the newly converted English would not renounce66, answered, “We cannot divest67 hard minds of all their habits at once; we reach not to the top of a steep rock by leaping, but by climbing step by step.”
The reply of the same pope to Constantina, the daughter of the emperor Tiberius Constantine, and the wife of Maurice, who demanded of him the head of St. Paul, to place in a temple which she had built in honor of this apostle, is no less remarkable68. St. Gregory sent word to the princess that the bodies of saints shone with so many miracles that they dared not even approach their tombs to pray without being seized with fear. That his predecessor69 (Pelagius II.) wishing to remove some silver from the tomb of St. Peter to another place four feet distant, he appeared to him with frightful70 signs. That he (Gregory) wishing to make some repairs in the monument of St. Paul, as it had sunk a little in front, and he who had the care of the place having had the boldness to raise some bones which touched not the tomb of the apostle, to transport them elsewhere, he appeared to him also in a terrible manner, and he died immediately. That his predecessor also wishing to repair the tomb of St. Lawrence, the shroud71 which encircled the body of the martyr was imprudently discovered; and although the laborers72 were monks and officers of the church, they all died in the space of ten days because they had seen the body of the saint. That when the Romans gave relics, they never touched the sacred bodies, but contented themselves with putting some cloths, with which they approached them, in a box. That these cloths have the same virtue as relics, and perform as many miracles. That certain Greeks, doubting of this fact, Pope Leo took a pair of scissors, and in their presence cutting some of the cloth which had approached the holy bodies, blood came from it. That in the west of Rome it is a sacrilege to touch the bodies of saints; and that if any one attempts, he may be assured that his crime will not go unpunished. For which reason the Greeks cannot be persuaded to adopt the custom of transporting relics. That some Greeks daring to disinter some bodies in the night near the church of St. Paul, intending to transport them into their own country, were discovered, which persuaded them that the relics were false. That the easterns, pretending that the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul belonged to them, came to Rome to take them to their own country; but arriving at the catacombs where these bodies repose73, when they would have taken them, sudden lightning and terrible thunder dispersed74 the alarmed multitude and forced them to renounce their undertaking75. That those who suggested to Constantina the demand of the head of St. Paul from him, had no other design than that of making him lose his favor. St. Gregory concludes with these words: “I have that confidence in God, that you will not be deprived of the fruit of your good will, nor of the virtue of the holy apostles, whom you love with all your heart and with all your mind; and that, if you have not their corporeal76 presence, you will always enjoy their protection.”
Yet the ecclesiastical history pretends that the translation of relics was equally frequent in the East and West; and the author of the notes to this letter further observes that the same St. Gregory afterwards gave several holy bodies, and that other popes have given so many as six or seven to one individual.
After this, can we be astonished at the favor which relics find in the minds of people and kings? The sermons most commonly preached among the ancient French were composed on the relics of saints. It was thus that the kings Gontran, Sigebert, and Chilperic divided the states of Clotaire, and agreed to possess Paris in common. They made oath on the relics of St. Polyeuctus, St. Hilary, and St. Martin. Yet Chilperic possessed77 himself of the place and merely took the precaution of having a shrine, with a quantity of relics, which he had carried as a safeguard at the head of his troops, in hopes that the protection of these new patrons would shelter him from the punishment due to his perjury78. Finally, the catechism of the Council of Trent approved of the custom of swearing by relics.
It is further observed that the kings of France of the first and second races kept in their palaces a great number of relics; above all, the cap and mantle79 of St. Martin; and that they had them carried in their trains and in their armies. These relics were sent from the palaces to the provinces when an oath of fidelity80 was made to the king, or any treaty was concluded.
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1
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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garnish
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| n.装饰，添饰，配菜 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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avows
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| v.公开声明，承认( avow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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disorders
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| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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deploring
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的现在分词 ) | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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cemeteries
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| n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 ) | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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authenticity
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| n.真实性 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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consecrate
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| v.使圣化，奉…为神圣；尊崇；奉献 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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paralytic
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| adj. 瘫痪的 n. 瘫痪病人 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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exalt
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| v.赞扬，歌颂，晋升，提升 | |
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impure
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| adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的 | |
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worthily
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| 重要地，可敬地，正当地 | |
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tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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pedants
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| n.卖弄学问的人，学究，书呆子( pedant的名词复数 ) | |
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artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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divest
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| v.脱去，剥除 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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corporeal
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| adj.肉体的，身体的；物质的 | |
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77
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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78
perjury
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| n.伪证；伪证罪 | |
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79
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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80
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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