has in mind, no doubt, the agonis- tic scene, in wiiich Ciiristians are viewed as running a race, and not the theatre or stage where the eyes of the spectators are fixed on thein. — Smith.
Among the Creeks and the states of Greek origin, the the- atre— the proper appropriation of which was for the celebration of the public games — was also used as the place of assembly for ^E every kind of public business; and served for town-hall, senate- house, forum, etc., and harangues to the people were there deliver- ed. Indeed, all important public business was transacted in these places — war was declared, peace proclaimed, and criminals were executed. Antiochus Epipha- nes introduced public shows and games in Syria (2 Mace, iv, 10- 16); and in a later age theatres and amjihitheatres were erected by the Herods in Jerusalem and other towns of Syria (.iosephus, A nf. XV, 8, 1 ; xvi, 5, 1 ; xix, 7, .5 ; Wa?;\,'2l,S).m which magnifi- cent spectacles were exhibited, princiiyally in honor of the lio- man emperors. The remains of one of these near Ciesar/ea are still clearly traceable (Thomson, Land and Book, ii, 237). For the history and construction of such buildings in that day, see Smith, Diet, of Class. Antiq. s. v. AVettstein well ob- serves that the very situation of the theatre at Ephe- sus would not a little promote and increase the tumult in the case of Paul, since, as we find from the accounts of those who have surveyed the situation of the Temple of Diana, it was within view of the theatre. See Ephk- sus. The shell of this theatre remains unmistakably to be recognised on Mount Priar, though the marble seats have been removed. Its ruins are described by Fellows (Asia Mino7\ p. 274) as "a wreck of immense gran- deur," and it is said to be the largest of any that have come down to us from ancient days. See Lewin, St. Paul,\i,o28; Wood, Discoveries inEiihesits (Loud. 1877), ch. iv.
THEATRE and tiik Cui'RCir. The writers of the early Church were very severe in their invectives against all frequenters of the theatre and public stage plays, and such frequenters were excluded from the
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llic Urc at Bphesua.
THEATRE AND THE CHURCH 304
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privilege of baptism. For this sentiment respecting the theatre there arc two reasons assigned: 1. The sev- eral sorts of heathen games and jilays were instituted upon a religious account, in honor of the gods, and men tliought they were doing a grateful thing to them while thev'were engaged in such exercises. Christians could not" therefore, be present at them as spectators without l)artaking. in some measure, in the idolatry of them. ■i. They were I lie great nurseries of iminirity, where in- cest and adultery were represented with abominable <ibscenity. A'enus was represented in all her lewd be- havior, Mars as an adulterer, and Jupiter no less a prince in his vices than in his kingdom. The theatres, by rea- son of their impurities, were places of unavoidable temp- tation, and were considered as the devil's own ground and property. Tcrtullian {l>e Spectiic. c. 2()) says the devil was once asUed, when a woman was seized by him in a theatre, how he durst presume to possess a Christian, and he answered, conlidently, " I had a right to, for I found her upon my own ground." In the time of Tertullian, and when tlie author of the Constitutions drew up his collections, a Cliristian becoming a specta- tor of these plays lost his title to Christian communion. Later, when the theatres were jmrged from idolatry, but not from lewdness, the fathers contented themselves with declaiming against them with sharp invectives. — Bing- ham, CInist. A ntiq. bk. xi, ch. v, § i); bk. xvi, ch. xi, § 12. It is well known, nevertheless, that the dramatic rep- representation of modern Europe grew up under the wing of tlie Church, and only slowly detached itself from this its earliest slielter. Of the dramatic element which was allowed to find place in its own services we have a curious illustration inVthe maimer in which the offering of the magi was set forth in some churches on the festival of K|iiphany (Binterim, Denkiriirdigkeiten, V, 3I()). Three boys, clothed in silk, with golden crowns upon their heads, and each a goUlen vessel in his hand, represented the wise men of the East. Entering the choir, and advancing towards the altar, they chanted the following strophe:
"O qnam diiriiis celebranda dies ista Inndibus, In quaChrisli genitura pmpalatur geiitibus, Pax terreiiis iiunciatiir, <j;loiia coeleslibus; Novi pai'tu sigiiiini fulget Oiieiitis pairia. Currunt leges Orieiilis stella sibi piievia, Cnrrnnt reijes et adorant Deum ad prseseiiia, Ties adora7it reges uiuini, triplex est oblalio."
During the singing of these verses they gradually ap- liroaclied the altar; there the first lifted up the vessel which he held in his hand, exclaiming,
" Anruni priiuo, Antl the second :
thus secnndo, And the third:
myrrham dante tertio." Hereupon, the first once more :
" Aurnm regum, The second :
thus coelestem, And the third:
mori nntat nnctio."
Then one of them pointed with his hand to the star hanging from the roof of the church, and sang in a loud voice, '"Hoc sigiium magni Regis;"' and all three pro- ceeded to make their offerings, singing meanwhile the responsal, " Eamus, inquiramus eum, et offeramus ei mu- nera, aiirum, thus, et myrrham." At the conclusion of this responsal, a youiiijer boy lifted up his voice, which was meant to imitate the voice of an angel, from bc- liind the altar, and sang, "Xuniium vobis fero de su- pernis; Natus est Christus doniinator orbis In Bethle- hem Jude;e; sic enim prophela dixerat ante." There- upon the three who represented the kings withdrew into the sacristy, singing, "In Bethlehem natus est Rex coelorum," etc.