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Mire industriæ adque bonitatis cert(a) innocentia preditus, Flavio) Aur(elio) Leoni, neofito, qui vixit ann (os) V., m(enses) VIII., dies XI. Requev(it) VI., non(as) jul(ias) Filippo et Sallia cons(ulibus) Leo piissim(us).*

The next earliest is found in the following inscription, which dates from the year 371:—

ROMANO, NEOFITO BENE MERENTI, QUI VIXIT ANNOS VIII., D(IES) XV. REQUIESCIT IN PACE D(OMINI) N(OSTRI). FL(AVIO) GRATIANO AU(GUSTO) II. ET PETRONIO PROBO C(ON)S(ULIBUS).

"To Romanus, a well-deserving Neophyte, who lived eight years and fifteen days. He reposes in the peace of our Lord. Flavius Gratian Augustus II. and Petronius Probus being consuls."

The next after this dates from the year 374. follows:

It is as

BENE MERENTI IN PACE LIBERA(E) QUE (V)IXIT AN(NIS) VIII., NEOFITA DEP(OSITA EST) DIES III. NONAS† MAIAS, CONS(ULIBUS) GRATIANO III. ET EQUITIO.

"To the well-deserving in peace, Liberia, who lived eight years, a neophyte, buried on the third day of the nones of May, Gratian III. and Equitius being consuls." In the cemetery of Agnes we find the following inscriptions:

:

Πιστὸς ἐκ πιστῶν Ζώσιμος ἐνθάδε κείμε, ζήσασ ἔτεσιν β', μη(νὶ) α', ἡμε(ραῖς) κέ.

"Believer descended from believers, I Zosimus lie here, having lived two years, one month, and twenty-five days. FURIA(E SEP)TIMIAE INN(O)CENTI NEOFITE, VIXIT ANNIS DUOBUS, MENSES V, DIEBUS XXV, DEPOSITA

QUAE

The letters placed between the brackets are wanting in the original inscriptions.

Nones, in the Roman calendar, the fifth days of the months. January, February, April, June, August, September, November, and December; and the seventh of March, May, July, and October.

(EST) V IDU(S) JAN(UARIAS). FURIUS CALLISTRATUS ET AUR(ELIA) JUSTA FILIAE DULCISSIME.

"To Furia Septimia, innocent neophyte, who lived two years, five months, and twenty-five days. She was buried on the fifth ide* of January. Furius Callistratus and Aurelia Justa to their lovely daughter."

These two inscriptions bear no indication of the time. at which they were made. It is known, however, that no inscription has been found in this catacomb of an earlier date than the end of the second century; indeed, the greater part of it may be referred to the third and fourth.

In the Catacomb of Calepodus, beyond the gate of St. Pancrazio, we find the following inscriptions, the age of which is unknown:

IN HAC (A)TERNA DOMO RESQUI(ESCIT FLO)RENTINA INNOCES NE(OFITA) Q(AE VIX(IT) ANNO UNO, M(ENSIBUS) X., DEP(OSITA EST) KAL(ENDAS)† AUG(USTAS) IN PACE.

"In this eternal home rests Florentine, blameless neophyte, who lived one year and ten months. She was deposited here on the kalends of August, in peace,'

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FLORENTIUS FILIO SUO APRONIANO FECIT TITULUM

BENE MERENTI, Q(UI) VIXIT ANNUM ET MENSES NOVE(M), DIES QUINQUE. CUM SOLDU AMATUS FUISSET A MAJORA SUA, ET VIDIT HUNC MORTI CONSTITUTUM ESSE, PETIVIT DE ECCLESIA UT FIDELIS DE SECULO RECESSISSET.

"Florentius has made an inscription to his well-deserving son Aspronianus, who lived a year, nine months, and five days. As he was much loved by his grandmother, and she saw that he was about to die, she requested of the church that he might depart from the world a believer."

* The ides were the days near the middle of the months. †The kalends were the first days of the different months.

These inscriptions reveal the fact that the doctrine of the saving efficacy of baptism had already penetrated into the church. When we take into account that the Catacombs of Rome served as places of refuge and of worship to the earliest followers of our faith during the persecutions they had to suffer under the predecessors of Constantine, and of repose after death to thousands of Christians down to the sixth century; when we remember, moreover, that the catacombs were repeatedly repaired and embellished by order of the reigning popes, we are not surprised that they should contain paintings and inscriptions that are a faithful reproduction of the errors which have crept gradually into the church. Thus we find the first indications of the intercession of saints in the following inscriptions discovered in the Catacomb of Priscilla and that of Domitilla:

ANATOLIUS FILIO BENEMERENTI FECIT, QUI VIXIT ANNIS VII, MENSIS VII, DIEBUS XX. SPIRITUS TUUS BENE REQUIESCAT IN DEO; PETAS PRO SORORE TUA.

"Anatolius made (this inscription) to his well-deserving son, who lived seven years, seven months, and twenty days. May thy spirit rest well in God; pray for thy sister."

Κατάθεσις) τῆ πρὸ ιγ' καλανδῶν) ἰουνίων). Αὔγενδε, ζήσαις ἐν Κυρίω καὶ ἐρώτα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.

"Burial on the thirteenth kalends of June. Augende, live in the Lord, and pray for us."

To return to our subject, we will remark that while

Paintings were made in the Catacomb of Priscilla by order of Pope Celestine, who reigned in A.D. 422. This catacomb, that of Nerea and Achillea, and others, were restored by John I., who was pope in A D. 523. It is said of John III. (A.D. 560), that "amavit et restauravit cœmeteria sanctorum martyrum." The same may be said of Paul I. (A.D. 757) and Leo III. (A.D. 795).

some of the epitaphs in the catacombs clearly allude to the fact that baptism had been in a few exceptional instances administered to infants in articulo mortis, hundreds of inscriptions which relate to children make no reference whatever to baptism. baptism. Examples of these epitaphs may be found in the following:

CYRICUS ANIMA DULCIS, IN PAC(E), VIXIT ANNUM . I, D(IES) LXXIII.

"Cyricus, lovely spirit, in peace, lived one year and seventy-three days."

INNOCENTISSIMO PAULO, QUI VIX(IT) M(ENSES) X., D(IES) XIII DEPOSIT(US EST) PRID(IE) NON(AS) DECE(MBRES) IN PACE, CONSTANTIO III ET CONSTATE II CONS(ULIBUS).

"To the most pure Paul, who lived ten months, thirteen days. He was buried on the day before the nones of December, in peace, Constantius and Constans being consuls." That is, in 342 A.D.

QUIRIACÆ, QUÆ VIXIT ANNOS N(UMERO) QUATOR. "To Quiriace, who lived four years."

HIC POSITA EST ANIMA DULCIS, INNOCUA, SAPIENS ET PULCHRA, NOMINE QUIRIACE, QUE VIXIT ANNOS III, M(ENSES) III, D(IES) VIII. D(E)P(OSITA EST) IN PACE IIII ID ́US) JAN(UARIAS), CONS(ULIBUS) DOMINO) N(OSTRO) TEUDOSIO AUG (USTO) II ET MEROBAUDE VIRO) C(LARISSIMO) III.

"Here was deposited a lovely spirit, blameless, wise, and fair, Quiriace by name, who lived three years, three months, and eight days. She was buried in peace on the fourth ide of January, Theodosius Augustus and Merobaud, a celebrated man, being consuls." (A.D. 388.)

ASELLU, BENE MERENTI, QUI VI(XIT ANNU(S) SEX, MENSIS OCTO, DIES XXVIII.

"Asellu, well-deserving, who lived six years, eight months, and twenty-eight days.”

These inscriptions, which might be indefinitely multiplied, do not contain the slightest allusion to baptism.

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Fig. 17. BAPTISM OF CATECHUMENS AND INFANTS. From a MS. of ninth

The children are

century.

styled "innocent, well-deserving,

lovely," and all that a parent's fondness would naturally

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