The Name Altar, Section 1
SECTION I.
HAVING made ſo long a Tractation about the Euchariſt or Chriſtian ſacrifice, I hold it not unfit, before I paſſe to another Theme, to ſpeake ſomewhat of the ſeate or raiſed fabricke whereon this holy myſtery hath beene celebrated; as an appendix to my former diſcourſes thereof: And the rather, becauſe ſome queſtions and ſcruples are moved thereabout. And though others commonly pronounce of theſe things according to vulgar opinion and hear-ſay, without further ſearch and enquiry; yet it becomes not us, who live in the Schools of the Prophets, to doe ſo; but to give our verdict, when we doe give it, out of judgement and due examination.
To come then to the matter; The ſeat or raiſed fabrick, appointed for the ſetting and celebration of this holy myſterie, was The HOLY TABLE or ALTAR: for by both theſe names hath that ſacred Biere (as I may call it) of the body and bloud of Chriſt bin ever promiſcuouſly and indifferently called in the Church. Of the name TABLE there is no queſtion; it is granted by all: But concerning the name ΘΥΣΙΑΣΤΗ'ΡΙΟΝ, or ALTAR, many will not beleeve it. Let us therefore ſee, what may be alledged for the antiquity of the uſe of it, as well as of that of TABLE. And take notice, that I ſpeake not here, either of the matter or form (wherewith men are wont to entangle this queſtion) but of the name and notion onelyonly, whatſoever the forme or matter were.
I will begin with Tertullian, Tertullian An. 200.the moſt ancient of the Latine Fathers now extant; who flouriſhed about 100. yeares after the death of St Iohn the Evangeliſt, and 200. after the birth of Chriſt. Hee in his booke De Oratione, in fine, See alſo c. 10.reprehending their ſcrupuloſity, who thought it not ſo lawfull to partake the Euchariſt upon their ſtation or weekly faſt-dayes, leſt their faſt thereby ſhould be diſſolved, expreſſes himſelfe after this manner.
Similiter de ſtationum diebus, (ſaith he) non putant plerique ſacrificiorum orationibus interveniendum, quòd ſtatio ſolvenda ſit accepto corpore Domini. Ergo devotum Deo obſequium Euchariſtia reſolvit, an magis Deo obligat? Nonne ſolennior erit ſtatio tua, ſi & ad ARAM Dei ſteteris? Accepto corpore Domini & reſervato, utrumque ſalvum eſt, & participatio ſacrificii, & executio officii.
Againe, in his De exhortatione caſtitatis, c. 10▪ endeavouring to prove (though erroneouſly) that a ſoule conſcious of the act of the mariage bed, could not be fit for the duties of prayer and devotion, he ſpeakes thus; Si ſpiritus reus apud ſe ſit, & conſcientia erubeſcit, quomodo audebit orationem dicere ad Altare?
Theſe two places ſhew, that in Tertullians time, as the name ſacrifice was uſed for the Euchariſt; ſo was that of ALTAR for the HOLY TABLE: Beſides that, the prayers of the Church uſed there to be offered up unto God.
Within 50. yeares after Tertullian lived St Cyprian, Cyprian An. 250.BP of the ſame Church, where Tertullian was Presbyter: To whom this language was ſo familiar, that I have obſerved it ten times at leaſt in his Epiſtles onelyonly: but whether he ever uſeth the name TABLE, I know not. I will recite onelyonly 5. or 6. of the moſt pregnant and evident places, and not eaſie to be eluded.
And firſt, that in his XLII. Epiſt. or 2, Ad Cornelium; where, to ſhew, that he favoured his part againſt Novatianus, at the beginning, though he was not fully enformed then of the lawfulneſſe of his election; he relates, That, having read his letters in the Church aſſembly, he refuſed to publiſh thoſe Libellous criminations againſt him, which Novatianus had ſent by his meſſengers to be there read. Honoris (ſaith hee,) communis memores, & gravitatis ſacerdotalis ac ſanctitatis reſpectum tenentes, ea quae ex diverſo in librum ad nos tranſmiſſum congeſta fuerant, acerbationibus criminoſis, reſpuimus; conſiderantes pariter & ponderantes, quòd in tanto fratrum, religioſoque conventu, conſidentibus Dei ſacerdotibus, & ALTARI POSITO, nec legi debeant, nec audiri? Tis a deſcription or periphraſis of an Eccleſiaſticall aſſembly, or, as he calls it, religioſus conventus.
Likewiſe in his LV. Epiſt. where declaming againſt ſome lapſed Chriſtians, who in time of perſecution having ſacrificed unto Idols, were yet ſo proud and inſolent, as to endeavour by threats and violence to be received again into the Church, without undergoing publique penance, and the ſatisfaction accuſtomed; he ſpeakes on this manner: If ſuch inſolency as this be tolerated, and thoſe who ſacrifice unto Idols, once come to be received againe into the Church, without due ſatisfaction; Quid ſupereſt, quàm ut Eccleſia Capitolio cedat, & recedentibus ſacerdotibus, ac Domini noſtri ALTARE removentibus, in Cleri noſtri ſacrum venerandumque CONSESSUM *Conſeſſus here notes the place as in Greeke foreign.(i. e. in Presbyterium, ſeu foreign) ſimulachra atque Idola cum ARIS ſuis tranſeant?
Againe, in his LXIV. Ep. againſt one Fortunatianus a Biſhop, who having lapſed in the time of perſecution, would nevertheleſſe returne to the office of a Biſhop, hee hath theſe words: Cum debeat ſatisfacere & ad Dominum exorandum diebus ac noctibus, lachrymis & orationibus & precibus incumbere; audet ſibi adhuc ſacerdotium, quod prodidit, vindicare, quaſi poſt ARAS Diaboli accedere ad ALTARE Dei fas ſit. And in the ſame Ep. Ne tales ad ALTARIS impiamenta & contagia fratrum denuo redeant, omnibus viribus excubandum eſt. In theſe two laſt places note, 1. The name ALTAR uſed for the HOLY TABLE. 2. That thoſe Fathers, when they would diſtinguiſh betweene the ALTAR of the true God, and the ALTARS of Idols, doe uſually call the one ARA, and the other ALTARE; of which more hereafter.
A fourth teſtimony is to be found in his LXX. Epiſt. ad Ianuar. & caeteros, where to prove that Heretikes cannot give true Baptiſme, he reaſons thus; Porro autem (ſaith he) Euchariſtia, &, unde Baptizati unguntur, oleum, in ALTARI ſanctificatur. Sanctificare autem non potuit olei creaturam, qui nec ALTARE habuit nec Eccleſiam. Vnde nec unctio ſpiritalis apud Haereticos poteſt eſſe, quando conſtet, oleum ſanctificari, & Euchariſtiam fieri apud illos omnino non poſſe.
A fift teſtimony of this uſe of ſpeech we may have in his LXIII. Epiſt. Ad Caecilium, where he ſaith, Sed & per Salomonem Spiritus ſanctus typum Dominici ſacrificii ante praemonſtrat, immolatae hoſtiae, & panis & vini; ſed & ALTARIS, & Apoſtolorum faciens mentionem. Sapientia, inquit, aedificavit ſibi domum, & ſubdidit columnas ſeptem, mactavit ſuas hoſtias, miſcuit in cratera vinum ſuum, & paravit menſam ſuam, & miſit ſervos ſuos, convocans cum excelſa praedicatione ad crateram, dicens, &c.
A like paſſage whereto is to be found alſo in his Teſtimoniorum adverſus Iudaeos, Lib. 2. c. 2. Quod ſapientia Dei Chriſtus, & de Sacramento incarnationis ejus, & paſsionis & calicis, & ALTARIS, & Apoſtolorum qui miſsi praedicaverunt [Teſtimonium extat] apud Salomonem in paroemiis: Sapientia aedificavit ſibi domum, & ſubdidit columnas ſeptem, mactavit hoſtias ſuas, miſcuit in cratera vinum ſuum, & paravit ſuam menſam, &c.
By which two paſſages it appeares, that the name Altar was ſo familiarly and ordinarily uſed of the Holy Table in his time, that he interprets Solomons *As Athanaſius likewiſe doth D…ſpu…. c…nt. Ar…ium in Con. Nic. p. 30. To. 1. foreign (inquit) foreign.Menſa by that name, tanquam per notius, as by the better knowne. Otherwiſe what need he have expounded Solomons menſa by Altare Chriſti? Menſa Chriſti would have ſerved the turne. I have deduced theſe teſtimonies of Cyprian the more at large, becauſe of thoſe objections wont to be alledged out of Arnobius to the contrary, who notwithſtanding lived 50. yeares after him. And out of Lactantius, who being Tutor to Conſtantines ſon Criſpus, was yonger then he.
Not long after Cyprian, Zeno Veronenſis An. 260.about the yeare 260. lived Zeno Veronenſis, as appeares by himſelf in his book De Continentiâ. Caſaubon calls him Scriptor vetuſtiſsimus & elegantiſsimus. This Author in the 9. of his Paſchal Sermons Ad Neophytos, Invitatione ad Fontem tertia, ſayes of the Church, then a child-bearing mother unto God of many ſons by Baptiſme, that ſhee broughe forth farre cleaner children, than a naturall Mother uſeth to doe, being her ſelfe non faetidis cunis, ſed ſuave redolentibus SACRI ALTARIS faeliciter enutrita cancellis. Here it is not onelyonly ALTARE, but ALTARIS cancelli, the ſepts whereby it was ſeparated from the reſt of the Church, or place of ſacred aſſembly.
And for the dayes of Conſtantine (whoſe raigne began ſome 50.Euſeb. yeares after) Euſebius hath left us a copy of a panegyrick Oration made at the dedication of a ſumptuous and magnificent Church at Tyre: the ſtructure & garniſhing whereof the Panegyriſt deſcribing at large, and amongſt the reſt, the ſeats erected in the Sacrarium or Quire, for the honour (as he ſpeaks) foreign, of the Prelacy, and Prieſtly Order, he adds, foreign, & ſacroſancto ALTARI in medio collocato; iſta rurſus, [foreign] ut à multitudinis acceſſu prohiberentur, foreign, reticulati operis cancellis ex ligno fabricatis circundedit, adeò ad ſummum ſolertis artificii elaboratis, ut mirabile intuentibus praebeat ſpectaculum. Loe here againe, ALTARE, and cancelli ejus.
But the ſame Euſebius in his booke De laudibus Conſtantini, verſus finem, hath a more full paſſage, and which ſhewes this language to have beene at that time common and uſuall. For there, magnifying and ſetting forth the ſtupendious and unparalleled power of Chriſt our Lord and Saviour, teſtified abundantly by that wonderfull & never before exemplified change, which he had then wrought in the world; amongſt other inſtances he hath this paſſage; Quis alius, ſolo Servatore noſtro excepto, coêpulonibus ſuis incruenta & rationalia ſacrificia precibus & arcanâ foreign peragenda, tradidit?Gr. foreign. Quorum cauſâ tum ALTARIA in toto terrarum orbe conſtituta ſunt, tum Eccleſiarum dedicationes factae: ſolique omnium moderatori Deo, divina ſacrificiorum, ſola mente & ratione obeun…orum, miniſteria ab omnibus gentibus exhibita; ſacrificia verò ſanguine, cruore, & fumo peragiſolita—vi quadam occulta & inviſibili, deleta & extincta ſunt. Loe here ALTARIA in toto terrarum orbe conſtituta, for the offering of the Chriſtian ſacrifice.
Where I thought not good to omit,In Demon adv. Iudaeos & Gent. foreign ▪ Edit. Sa…il. Tom. 6. p. 635. that what Euſebius ſpeakes here of the world in generall, St Chryſoſtome affirms in particular of our Britiſh Ilands; foreign (ſaith he) foreign. The Britiſh Ilands, which lie out of this ſea, and are in the Ocean it ſelfe, have felt the power of the Word: for even there alſo Churches and ALTARS are erected.