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Seniores Ecclesiæ, which, as I have showed1 in another place, were much of the same nature with our churchwardens and vestry-men. But the Custodes Locorum Sanctorum were the keepers of those particular places in Palæstine, which, if Gothofred judges right, had more peculiarly the title of Loca Sancta, holy places, because they were a sort of memorials of our Saviour; such as Bethlehem, the place of his nativity; and Mount Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion; and his grave or monument, which was the place of his resurrection; and Mount Olivet, the place of his ascension. These places were frequently visited by Christians in those ages, as appears from Eusebius, Gregory Nyssen, St. Jerom, and several others, whom the reader, that is curious in this matter, may find quoted by Gothofred,* who maintains, "that upon that very account those places had a sort of guardians or keepers assigned them, under the title of Custodes Locorum Sanctorum." But however this matter be, it is certain they had such an employment in the Church, as in the eye of the law was reputed a religious service; and accordingly they were entitled to the same privilege as the ecclesiastics had, to be exempt from personal tribute, in regard to this their employment; as appears from a law of Theodosius the Great, by whom this immunity was granted them.

SECT. 3. Of the Sceuophylaces, or Ceimeliarchæ.

Next to these, for the similitude of the name and office, I mention the Sceuophylaces, or, as they were otherwise called, Κειμηλίων φύλακες, keepers of the Κειμήλια, that is, the sacred vessels, utensils, and such precious things, as were laid up in the sacred repository of the Church. This was commonly some presbyter; for Theodorus Lector says, Macedonius was both presbyter and Sceuophylax of

1 Book ii. chap. xix. sect. 19. 2 Gothofred. Not. in Cod. Th. lib. xvi. tit. 2. leg. 26. 3 Cod. Th. lib. xvi. tit. 2. de Epis. leg. 26. Universos, quos constiterit Custodes Ecclesiarum esse, vel Sanctorum Locorum, ac religiosis obsequiis deservire, nullius adtentationis molestiam sustinere decernimus. Quis enim eos capite censos patiatur esse devinctos, quos necessariò intelligit supra memorato obsequio mancipatos? Theodor. Lector. lib. ii.

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the Church of Constantinople; and Sozomen, before him, speaking of the famous Theodore, presbyter of Antioch, who suffered martyrdom in the days of Julian, styles him “ Þúλaka twv kriμŋXíwv, keeper of the sacred utensils;” and says, "he was put to death because he would not deliver up, what he had under his custody, to the persecutors." It will not be improper to give this officer also the name of Chartophylax and Custos Archivorum, because the rolls and archives are reckoned part of the sacred repository of the Church. Whence Suicerus observes, that in Photius the names Sceuophylax and Chartophylax are given to the same person. But I must note, that the modern Greeks have a little changed this office, and added powers to it, which did not belong to it in the primitive Church. For now, as Balsamon3 informs us, the Chartophylax acts as the patriarch's substitute, excommunicating, censuring, and licensing the ordinations of presbyters and deacons, and sits as supreme ecclesiastical judge, under the patriarch, in many other cases relating to the Church; which are things we do not find belonging to the office of a Sceuophylax in the primitive ages.

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Epiphanius takes notice of another sort of officers in the Church, to whom he gives the name of 'Eounνevrai, interpreters, and says, "their office was to render one language into another, as there was occasion, both in reading the Scriptures, and in the homilies that were made to the people." That there was such an office in the Church appears further from the Passion of Procopius, the martyr, published by Valesius," where it is said, "that Procopius had three offices in the Church of Scythopolis: he was reader, exorcist, and interpreter of the Syriac tongue." I

1 Sozom. lib. v. c.8.

3 Suicer. Thesaur. tom. ii. p. 971. Epiph. Expos. Fid. n. 21.

3 Balsam. Not. ad Can. 9. Con. Nic. 2. Ερμηνευταὶ γλώσσης εἰς γλῶσσαν, ἡ ἐν ταῖς ἀναγνώσεσιν, ἢ ἐν ταῖς προσομιλίαις. 5 Acta Procop. ap. Vales. Not. in Euseb. de Martyr. Palæstin. c. 1. Ibi Ecclesiæ tria Ministeria præbebat, unum in legendi officio, alterum in Syri interpretatione sermonis, et tertium adversus Dæmones manûş impositione consummans.

conceive the office was chiefly in such Churches, where the people spake different languages; as in the Churches of Palæstine, where probably some spake Syriac, and others Greek; and in the Churches of Afric, where some spake Latin, and others Punic. In such Churches there was occasion for an interpreter, that those, who understood not the language in which the Scriptures were read, or the homilies preached, might receive edification by having them immediately rendered into a tongue which they did understand. So far was the primitive Church from encouraging ignorance, by locking up the Scriptures in an unknown tongue, that she not only translated them into all languages, but also appointed a standing office of interpreters, who were vivá voce to make men understand what was read, and not suffer them to be barbarians in the service of God; which is a tyranny that was unknown to former ages. ́

SECT. 5.-Of the Notarii.

Another office, that must not wholly be passed over, whilst we are upon this head, is that of the Notarii, or Exceptores, as the Latins called them; who are the same that the Greeks call Οξυγράφοι, and Ταχογράφοι, from their writing short-hand by characters, which was necessary in the service they were chiefly employed in. For the first use of them was to take in writing the whole process of the heathen judges against the Christian martyrs, and minutely to describe the several circumstances of their examination and passion; what questions were put to them; what answers they made; and whatever passed during the time of their trial and suffering. Whence such descriptions were called, Gesta Martyrum, the acts and monuments of the martyrs; which were the original accounts, which every Church preserved of her own martyrs. The first institution of these Notarii into a standing office at Rome, Bishop Pearson' and some other learned persons think, was under Fabian in the time of the Decian persecution. For in one

1 Pearson. de Succession. Epis. Rom. Dissert. i. c. 4. n. 3. Fell. Not. in Cyp. Ep. 12.

of the most ancient Catalogues' of the bishops of Rome, Fabian is said to have appointed seven subdeacons to inspect the seven notaries, and see that they faithfully collected the acts of the martyrs. But though it was no standing office before, yet the thing itself was always done by some persons fitly qualified for the work; as appears from the ancient Acts of Ignatius and Polycarp, and several others, which were written before Fabian is said to have instituted public and standing notaries at Rome. In after ages, these notaries were also employed in writing the Acts of the councils, and taking speeches and disputations, and whatever else passed in the synod. Thus Eusebius notes, "that Malchion's dispute with Paulus Samosatensis in the council of Antioch was recorded, as it was spoken, by the notaries, who took it from their mouths :" and Socrates says the same of the disputation between Basilius Ancyranus, and Photinus, in the council of Sirmium. We read, also, of a sort of notaries in councils, whose office was to recite all instruments, allegations, petitions, or whatever else of the like nature was to be offered or read in council. And these were commonly deacons, aud sometimes a presbyter was the chief of them, and thereupon styled Primicerius Notariorum; as in the Acts of the general councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon there is frequent mention of Aetius, deacon and notary, and Peter, presbyter of Alexandria, and chief of the notaries, Primicerius Notariorum. There were also notaries, that were employed to take the discourses of famous and eloquent preachers from their mouths; by which means, Socrates observes, many of St. Chrysostom's sermons were preserved, and some of Atticus, his successor. Bishops also had their private 'Yoуpapɛis, which some call notaries; but Valesius reckons them in the quality of readers. Whatever they were, Athanasius served in this

3 Socrat. lib. ii.

1 Catalog. Rom. Pontif. in Fabian. Hic fecit sex vel septem Subdiaconos, qui septem Notariis imminerent, ut Gesta Martyrum fideliter colligerent. * Euseb. lib. vii. c. 29. Επισημειωμένων ταχυγράφων. c. 30. Οξυγράφων τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν γραφόντων. i. in Actione 1. Con. Chalced. tom. iv. p. 292. It. lib. vii. c. 2.

Vales. Not. in Soer. lib. v. c. 22.

Con. Ephes. Act. Socrat. lib. vi. c. 4.

office, as 'Yroypapevç, under Alexander, and Proclus under Atticus, as Socrates informs us.

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SECT. 6. Of the Apocrisarii or Responsales.

The curious reader, perhaps, will find several other of these lesser offices, which he will think might come into this catalogue; but that I may not seem too minute in small matters, I will only add one office more, which is that of the Apocrisarii or Responsales. These were a sort of residents, in the imperial city, in the name of foreign Churches and bishops, whose office was to negociate, as proctors, at the emperor's court, in all ecclesiastical causes, wherein their principals might be concerned. The institution of the office seems to have been in the time of Constantine, or not long after, when, the emperors being become Christians, foreignChurches had more occasion to promote their suits at the imperial court than formerly. However, we find it established by law in the time of Justinian; for in one of his Novels it is ordered," that forasmuch as no bishop was to be long absent from his Church without special command from the emperor; if, therefore, any one had occasion to negociate any ecclesiastical cause at court, he should prefer his petition, either by the Apocrisarius of his Church, whose business was to act in behalf of the Church, and prosecute her affairs; or else by the Economus, or some other of his clergy, sent on purpose to signify his request." It does not, indeed, appear from that law, that these Apoerisarii were of the clergy, but from other writers we may easily collect it. For Liberatus says, "Anatolius, a deacon of Alexandria, was Apocrisarius, or resident for Dioscorus, his bishop, at Constantinople, by which means he gained a favourable opportunity of being chosen bishop of Constantinople upon the death of Flavian." And Evagrius*

'Socrat. lib. vii. c. 17 et 41. 2 Justin. Novel. vi. c. 2. Sancimus, si quando propter Ecclesiasticam occasionem inciderit necessitas, hanc aut per eos qui res agunt sanctarum Ecclesiarum (quos Apocrisarios vocant) aut per aliquos Clericos huc destinatos, aut Economos suos notam imperio facere, &c. Liberat. Breviar. c. 12. Ordinatus est pro eo (Flaviano) Anatolius Diacónus, qui fuit Constantinopoli Apocrisarius Dioscori. *Evagr. lib. iv.

c. 38. Ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν ̓Αμασείας Επισκόπε διηκονεῖτο, &c.

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