Monuments of the early church . of theChurch; it was afeast in which all,rich and poor, sharedalike from the com-mon stock. It wasoriginally the supperwhich preceded theEucharist. Variousgrave disorders, con-nected with the agape, but especially the breach of the prin-ciple of charity and brotherhood, obliged S. Paul to regu-late the eucharistic practice of the Corinthian Church. Wemay suppose that his settlement of the matter amounted toa definite separation of the Eucharist from the agape, thoughthe change was not accomplished everywhere at the sametime. The agape continued to maintain its p
Monuments of the early church . of theChurch; it was afeast in which all,rich and poor, sharedalike from the com-mon stock. It wasoriginally the supperwhich preceded theEucharist. Variousgrave disorders, con-nected with the agape, but especially the breach of the prin-ciple of charity and brotherhood, obliged S. Paul to regu-late the eucharistic practice of the Corinthian Church. Wemay suppose that his settlement of the matter amounted toa definite separation of the Eucharist from the agape, thoughthe change was not accomplished everywhere at the sametime. The agape continued to maintain its place as an or-dinary feature of the celebration of the Lords Day; but inconsequence of this separation, the Eucharist was celebratedearly in the morning and the agape in the evening. Theletter of Pliny to the Emperor Trajan about the Christians ofBithynia helps us to realize how, under stress of the suspi-cion of the Imperial authorities, the celebration of the agapeas an ordinary function of the Church had to be Fig. 12. Tombstone with graffito, in the MuseoKircheriano. 62 CEMETEBIES And we can readily represent to ourselves how it might stillbe legally continued as a funeral feast at the cemeteries, sinceassociation for this object was permitted by Koman law. Atall events, the agape as we know it after the second centuryhad become distinctly a funeral feast, and it is not unlikel}^that the pagan practice had some influence in determining itsform as well as insuring its continuance. Its similarity tothe Roman silicernium was, indeed, very great; and it is notto be wondered that j)agan writers drew attention to the differences, however, were also well marked; and theChristian apologists were prompt to point them out. , in reply to Faustus the Manichean, says, Ouragapes feed the poor — a testimony which proves that thefeast had not lost its original character as a charity. By thefifth century the refrkjeriam, which in the agape was providedfo
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