The Early Christians in RomeSpence-Jones, H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice)
History
The Early Christians in Rome
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice)
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600; Rome (Italy) -- Church history
“Then Pudentiana went to God. Her sister (Prassedis) and I (Pastor)
wrapped her in perfumes, and kept her concealed in the oratory. Then
after 28 days we carried her to the Cemetery of Priscilla and laid her
near her father Pudens.”
(Then follows an account of the death of Novatus, who, according to
the Note in the Liber Pontificalis (2nd Recension) in the account of
Pope Pius I, was apparently a brother of the two sisters; he
bequeathed his goods to Prassedis, who proceeded to erect a church in
his Baths.)
“At the end of two years a great persecution was declared against the
Christians, and many of them received the crown of martyrdom. Prassedis
concealed a great number of them in her oratory.... The Emperor
Antoninus heard of these meetings in the oratory of Prassedis, and many
Christians were taken.... The blessed Prassedis collected their bodies
by night and buried them in the Cemetery of Priscilla.... Then the
Virgin of the Saviour, worn out with sorrow, only asked for death. Her
tears and her prayers reached to heaven, and 54 days after her brethren
had suffered, she passed to God. And I, Pastor, the priest, have buried
her body near that of her father Pudens.”[130]
To sum up the general tradition, which the recent investigations in the
Church of Pudentiana and in the Catacomb of S. Priscilla largely bear
out:
A disciple of the Apostles Peter and Paul, one Pudens, a Roman of
senatorial rank and rich, received S. Peter in his house, which
became a meeting-place for Christian folk at Rome in very early days.
This subsequently became the Church of S. Pudentiana. Pudens had
two daughters, Pudentiana and Prassedis. Later the Baths of Novatus
(who was brother of the two sisters), which apparently formed part
of the house or palace of Pudens, became a recognized meeting-place
for Christians, and this subsequently was termed the Church of S.
Pudentiana.
The Cemetery of S. Priscilla on the Via Salaria also belonged to this
Christian family, and was no doubt constructed on the property of the
same Pudens. Pudens and his two daughters were buried in this cemetery.
One portion of this catacomb was used as the burying-place of the
illustrious family of the Acilii Glabriones which evidently numbered
many Christian members.
De Rossi believes that Pudens, the father of the two sisters Pudentiana
and Prassedis, belonged to this illustrious house of the Acilii
Glabriones.
There was also evidently a near connection between the Aquila and
Priscilla so closely associated with S. Paul and the family of Pudens.
It has been suggested with great probability that Aquila was a
freedman or client of Pudens, and that Aquila and his wife Priscilla
were intimately connected with the noble family we have been speaking
of, Priscilla, S. Paul’s friend, being named after the older Priscilla.
All these, we know, were buried in the Cemetery of Priscilla. The
Priscilla who has given her name to the catacomb was the mother of
Pudens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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