Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 2.djvu/65

 ATHENRY

43

ATHENS

high regard for human hfe which leads the Christian to detest the crime of abortion (xxxi-xxxvi). The treatise on the "Resurrection of the Body", the first complete exposition of the doctrine in Clu'istian literature, was written later than the "Apology", to which it may be considered as an appendix. Athe- nagoras brings to the defence of the doctrine the best that contemporary philosophy could adduce. After meeting the objections common to his time (i), he demonstrates the possibility of a resur- rection in view either of the power of the Creator (ii-iii), or of the nature of our bodies (iv-viii). To exercise such powers is neither unwortliy of God nor unjust to other creatures (ix-xi). He shows that the nature and end of man demand a perpetua- tion of the life of body and soul.

M.\RCH and Owen, Douglass' Series of Christian, Greek and Latin Writers (New York. 1876). IV; Harnack History of Dogma, tr. Buchanan (Boston, 1903). II, 188-190. An Eng- lish translation is found in Ante-Nicene Fathers (New York, 1903). II. 129-162; in vol. X (ibid.) pp. 36-38, is an extensive bibliography (to 1890). The best editions are those of Otto, Corpus Apologetarum (.Jena, 1857), VII, and the Benedictine Mahanus in P. G. (Paris, 1857), VI, 889-1024. See also Schwartz in (3ebhardt and Harnack. Texte und Unter- suchungen (Leipzig, 1891). IV, 2; Harnack, Geschichte d. altchristlichen Lileratur (Leipzig, 1893-97), I, 256-258; 11,317- 319; Bardenhewer, Geschichte der atlkirchlichen Literatur (Frei- burg, 1902), I, 267-277; Idem, Patrologie (ibid., 1901) 57-58. JoHX B. Peterson.

Athenry, a small inland town in the county Gal- way, Ireland, anciently called Athnere, from Ath-na- Riagh, the king's ford, or the abode of the king. It was the first town established by the Anglo-Norman invaders of Connaught, and at a remote period be- came a place of importance. A Dominican monas- tery was completed there in 1261 on a site granted by Meyler de Bermingham. In time it became ex- tensive and wealthy and was used as the chief burial place of the Earls of Ulster and the principal families of the adjoining territory. Indulgences for the benefit of the monastery were granted by the pope in 1400. The church was burned in 142.3, and in 1427 two subordinate houses were established. In 1445 Pope Eugenius IV renewed the decree of Pope Martin V to encourage the repairing of the church, at w^liich time there were thirty inmates in the monastery. A Franciscan friary was also founded there in 1464 by Thomas, Earl of Kildare, and chapels erected by his wife and the Earls of Desmond and O'TuIly. The place was sacked in 1577 during the Elizabethan wars, but repaired in 1585. The northern Irish burned the town in 1596 but the abbey escaped. The Dominican establishment was revived in 1644 as a university, the town, however, never regained its ancient prestige. The Cromwellian period ruined the ecclesiastical buildings, of which the tower and east window remained in good condition to tell of the ancient extent and beauty of the foundation. The Board of Works in 1893 made extensive repairs to the ruins to preserve them.

Lewis, Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (Dublin. 1839). Thomas F. Meehan.

Athens, Christi.\n. — Christianity was first preached in Athens by St. Paul. He came to Athens from Bercea of Macedonia, coming probably by water and landing in the Peirseevs, the harbour of Athens. This was about the year 53. Having arri\-ed at Athens, he at once sent for Sila-s and Timotheos who had remained behind in Beroea. While awaiting the coming of these he tarried in Athens, viewing the idolatrous city, and frequenting the synagogue; for there were already Jews in Athens. He also fre- quented the agora, and there met antl conversed with the men of Athens, telling them of the new truths which he was promulgating. Finally, at the Areopagos, he spoke to them the sermon which is preserved in the seventeenth chapter of the Acts. The Athenians did not enthusiastically accept this first preaching of Christianity. The Acts mention,

however, that a few believed in Paul's teaching. Amongst these were Dionysios, a member of the Areopagite court, and Damaris, or Thamar possibly, who may have been a Jewess. A tradition asserts that St. Paul wrote from Athens liis two letters to the Christians of Thessalonika. Even if this be so, liis stay in Athens was not a protracted one. He departed by sea, and went to Korinth by way of Kenchreae, its eastern harbour. It seems that a Chris- tian community was rapidly formed, although for a considerable time it did not possess a numerous mem- bership. The commoner tradition names the Areo- pagite as the first heatl and bishop of the Christian Athenians. Another tradition, however, gives this honour to Hierotheos the Thesmothete. The suc- cessors of the first bishop were not all Athenians by lineage. They are catalogued as Narkissos, Publius, and Quadratus. Narkissos is stated to have come from Palestine, and PubUus from Malta. In some lists Narkissos is omitted. Quadratus is revered for having contributed to early Christian literature by writing an apology, which he addressed to the Em- peror Hadrian. This was on the occasion of Had- rian's visit to Athens. Another Athenian who defended Christianity in writing at a somewhat later time was Aristeides. His apology was directed to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Athenagoras also wrote an apology. In the second century there must have been a considerable community of Chris- tians m Athens, for Hygeinos, Bishop of Rome, is said to have written a letter to the community in the year 139. It is probable that the early Church of Athens did not have many martyrs, although Dionysios himself graces the martyrs' list. Under Decius, we find recorded in the catalogue of martyrs the names of Herakleios, Benedimos, Pavlinos, and Leonides with liis followers, the holy woman Char- issa, and her companions. One reason why the martyrs were few is that the Christians were also few. Besides, the spirit of the Athenian pagans and philosophers was not one of blood; and it is prob- able that the persecutions in Athens were rather of the social and scholastic kind. This would account for the writings of the apologists who thus would defend themselves by weapons similar to those which their opponents used. The philosophers of the Athe- nian schools did not indeed admire Christianity, as they understood it ; nevertheless there is some ground for believing that amongst the teachers wlio occupied the official and historic chairs of philosophy at Athens there later was at least one who was a Chris- tian, Prohijeresios, the sophist. Be this as it may, it is certain that the teaching of the philosophers was not rudely anti-Christian. Otherwise the pres- ence of Christians amongst the students could not be understood. Sixtus II, or Xystos, who suffered martyrdom in Rome about a. d. 258, also may have studied in Athens and is called "the son of an Athe- nian philosopher". But the most noted men who frequented the schools here were Basil from Kssareia, and Gregory from Nazianzos, about the middle of the fourth century. These schools of philosophy kept paganism alive for four centuries, but by the fifth century the ancient rehgion of Elevsis and Athens had practically succumbed. In the Coun- cil of Nikaea there was present a bishop from Athens. In 529 the schools of philosophy were closed. From that date Christianity had no rival in Athens. Down to the time of Constantine, and later, there were no large Christian temples in Athens. Like the Jews, whose synagogues in pagan towns were small and unpretentious, the first Christians did not erect sumptuous temples. With their worship they did not associate splendour of temple and sanctuary as indispensable. In the time of Basil and Gregory, there were surely numerous church edifices in Athens, but they were not spacious temples. They are called