Jerome. LECT. I. himself from it.' And Jerome says, 'Our whole religion is indigenous in that province and city.' However much, therefore, other Churches may contend for the primacy, the first and mother of all Churches was that of Jerusalem. LECTURE II. ACTS III. 1 To V. 16. I. WHEN the first members of the Church, al- LECT. II. ready above three thousand, were conducting all things at Jerusalem under the direction of the Apostles, and when through the Apostles many wonders and signs were being wrought, one circumstance is especially worthy of remark. Peter and John, a pair in eminence, went up into Acts iii. 1. the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour: Peter, who greatly loved Christ; and John, whom Christ chiefly loved; who were sent together by Christ to prepare the Last Supper; who Luke xii. 8. followed Christ, after he had been taken and bound, into the hall of the High Priest; who John xviii. went together to the sepulchre of Christ; whom John xx. 3. the other Apostles afterwards sent into Samaria ; Acts viii. 14. these two, I say, went up together into the temple. Thus, as S. Chrysostom observes, 'Every- Chrysost. where these two appear to have been most on the Acts. unanimous.' II. But they went up into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Although Moses in the law had not expressly prescribed any prayers, yet the pious Jews used to pray, 15. Hom. VIII. LECT. II. especially at the time when the sacrifices were offered. The continual sacrifice was morning and evening: the evening began at the ninth hour, and at that time prayers began. The Apostles therefore went at that hour to the temple, that they too might observe in their devotions the same place and time as the Jews. Heb. x. 25. Barnabas. III. Hence they cite the precedent of stated hours, which they call canonical, in ecclesiastical devotions; and they contend indeed that three such were observed at the beginning by the Apostles themselves, and were recommended to the Church. But this tradition is not at all to be relied on. The Apostles at Jerusalem went up to the temple, and there observed those hours of devotion which were customary with the Jews. When the Apostles were living away from Jerusalem, and even when they were dead, the primitive Christians assembled together in one place: but we nowhere read that they always kept to the same hours. Thus S. Paul cautions the Hebrews not to 'forsake the assembling of themselves together,' and makes no mention of the hour. S. Barnabas says, 'Ye ought not to withdraw yourselves into privacy, as if ye were alone justified, but coming together in one place ye ought to enquire what is useful and profitable for those who share in a common love.' S. Ignatius writes, c. 7. 'But let there be one prayer in common, one LECT. II. supplication; let all meet as at the temple of Ign. Magn. God, as at one altar.' Pliny at the same period of time observed that the Christians of his province on a stated day meet together before Plin. B. x. dawn, and sing among themselves a hymn to Christ as God.' That stated day, not long afterwards Justin Martyr testifies, was Sunday. Ep. 97. Just. 1. Ap. c. 67. de Cypr. on Prayer, c. 34. IV. The first1 who has made any mention of 'hours' is Tertullian, and that when he was already Tee. 10. a confirmed Montanist fiercely disputing against the Church and shewing that the Catholic assemblies closed at the ninth hour, which is foreign to the question. After Tertullian S. Cyprian the Lord's specifies the sixth and ninth hours; but he derives them from Daniel, not remarking that the Dan. vi. 10. ninth hour was observed by the Apostles. Those afterwards who clung strongly to monastic institutions brought forward every passage of Scripture they could, in order to establish as many hours of prayer as possible; for instance, S. Basil2, Jerome3, Cassian1, and the author of the Homily on Virginity, under the name of Athanasius 5. 1 Clem. Rom. Ep. c. 40, states the necessity for 'determinate times and hours' of divine service, but does not assert that one hour has any claim above another to be thus set apart. 2 Basil, 'Sermo Asceticus,' Vol. I. p. 449, e. Garnier. 1839. 3 Jerome, Epistles VII. VIII. XXI. XXVII. 4 Cassian, de Monach. Instit. Lib. III. 5 Athanasius, Vol. I. p. 1051, A. Paris. 1627. LECT. II. Acts iv. 4. V. At the ninth hour, therefore, while the evening sacrifice was being prepared, and when pious Jews were engaged in prayer, Peter and John went together to the temple; and a man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful. This man, whom they all knew, S. Peter immediately healed; and as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. But Peter speaking very freely, admonishes the Jews that stood by, and teaches them that the lame man was healed through faith in that Christ whom they had crucified. And many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of men was about five thousand; in which number it is doubtful whether the three thousand who were converted at the former speech are included or not. VI. And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them. For in the castle of Antonia which joined the temple, 'there always lay a Roman legion;' 'those Roman soldiers,' as Jewish War, Josephus testifies, watched the people lest they should attempt any innovations.' The prefect of these soldiers approached as soon as the people began to crowd together, apprehensive that a sedition might arise. The priests joined them Joseph. L. v. c. 5. §8. |