Pagan and Christian Rome | Page 8

particular,
are noted for their great tolerance in matters of religion, which
sometimes degenerates into apathy and indifference. Whether it be a
sign of feebleness of character, or of common sense, the fact is, that
religious feuds have never been allowed to prevail among us. In no part
of the world have the Jews enjoyed more freedom and tolerance than in
the Roman Ghetto. The same feelings prevailed in imperial Rome,
except for occasional outbursts of passion, fomented by the official
persecutors.
[Illustration: Inscription in a tomb of the Via Severiana at Ostia.]
An inscription was discovered at Ostia, in January, 1867, in a tomb of
the Via Severiana, of which I append an accurate copy.
The tomb and the inscription are purely pagan, as shown by the

invocation to the infernal gods, Diis Manibus. This being the case, how
can we account for the names of Paul and Peter, which, taken
separately, give great probability, and taken together give almost
absolute certainty, of having been adopted in remembrance of the two
apostles? One circumstance may help us to explain the case: the
preference shown for the name of Paul over that of Peter; the former
was borne by both father and son, the latter appears only as a surname
given to the son. This fact is not without importance, if we recollect
that the two men who show such partiality for the name of Paul belong
to the family of Anneus Seneca, the philosopher, whose friendship with
the apostle has been made famous by a tradition dating at least from the
beginning of the fourth century. The tradition rests on a foundation of
truth. The apostle was tried and judged in Corinth by the proconsul
Marcus Anneus Gallio, brother of Seneca; in Rome he was handed over
to Afranius Burro, prefect of the prætorium, and an intimate friend of
Seneca. We know, also, that the presence of the prisoner, and his
wonderful eloquence in preaching the new faith, created a profound
sensation among the members of the prætorium and of the imperial
household. His case must have been inquired into by the philosopher
himself, who happened to be consul suffectus at the time. The modest
tombstone, discovered by accident among the ruins of Ostia, gives us
the evidence of the bond of sympathy and esteem established, in
consequence of these events, between the Annei and the founders of the
Church in Rome.
Its resemblance to the name of the Annei reminds me of another
remarkable discovery connected with the same city, and with the same
question. There lived at Ostia, towards the middle of the second
century, a manufacturer of pottery and terracottas, named Annius
Ser......, whose lamps were exported to many provinces of the empire.
These lamps are generally ornamented with the image of the Good
Shepherd; but they show also types which are decidedly pagan, such as
the labors of Hercules, Diana the huntress, etc. It has been surmised
that Annius Ser...... was converted to the gospel, and that the adoption
of the symbolic figure of the Redeemer on his lamps was a result of his
change of religion; but to explain the case it is not necessary to accept
this theory. I believe he was a pagan, and that the lamps with the Good

Shepherd were produced by him to order, and from a design supplied to
him by a member of the local congregation.
[Illustration: Lamp of Annius Ser......, with figure of the Good
Shepherd.]
Another question concerning the behavior of early Christians has
reference to their military service under the imperial eagles, and to the
cases of conscience which may have arisen from it. On this I may refer
the reader to the works of Mamachi, Lami, Baumgarten, Le Blant, and
de Rossi,[13] who have discussed the subject thoroughly. Speaking
from the point of view of material evidence, I have to record several
discoveries which prove that officers and men of the cohortes prætoriæ
and urbanæ could serve with equal loyalty their God and their
sovereign.
In November, 1885, I was present at the discovery of a marble
sarcophagus in the military burial-grounds of the Via Salaria, opposite
the gate of the Villa Albani. It bore two inscriptions, one on the lid, the
other on the body. The first defies interpretation;[14] the second
mentions the name of a little girl, Publia Ælia Proba, who was the
daughter of a captain of the ninth battalion of the prætorians, and a lady
named Clodia Plautia. They were all Christians; but for a reason
unknown to us, they avoided making a show of their persuasion, and
were buried among the gentiles.
Another stray Christian military tomb, erected by a captain of the sixth
battalion, named Claudius Ingenuus, was found, in 1868, in the Vigna
Grandi, near S. Sebastiano. Here