Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/111

 FIRST-BORN

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FIRST-BORN

We thus learn the ckiims (if the pope to impose on the whole Church by his authority as successor of Peter, a custom derived by the Roman Church from Apostolic tradition. Firmilian tells the Africans that with them the custoin of rebaptizing may be new, but in Cappadocia it is not, and he can answer Stephen by opposing tradition to tradition, for it was their prac- tice from the beginning (c. xix) ; and some time since, lie had joined in a council at Iconium with the bishops of Galatia and Cilicia and other provinces, and had decided to rebaptize the Montanists (c. vii and xix). Dionysius, in a letter to the Roman priest Philemon, also mentions the Council of Iconium with one at Synnada " among many". It was presumably held in the last years of Alexander Severus, c. 231-5. Firmil- ian also took part in the two councils of 264-5 at Antioch which deposed Paul of Samosata. He may even have presided. The letter of the third council says he was too easily persuaded that Paul would amend ; hence the necessity of another council (Euseb. Hist. Eccl., VII, iii-v). He was on his way to this assembly when death overtook him at Tarsus. This was in 2GS (Harnack) or 269. Though he was cut off from conuiumion by Pope Stephen, it is certain that the following popes ditl not adhere to this severe policy. He is commemorated in the Greek Jlenaea on 28 Oct., but is unknown to the Western martyrologies. His great successor, St. Basil, mentions his view on heretical baptism without accepting it (Ep. clx.xxviii), and says, when speaking of the expression "with the Holy Ghost" in the Doxology: "That our own Firmil- ian held this faith is testified by the books [X6701] which he has left" (De Spir. Sane, xxix, 74). We hear nothing else of such writings, which were proba- bly letters.

BossuE, in Acta SS., 28 Oct., gives an elaborate dissertation on this saint; Benson in Diet. Christ. Biog.; the genuineness of the letter was arbitrarily contested by MissoRius, In Epist. ad Pomp, inter Cypr. (Venice, 1733), and by Molkenbuhr, BincB diss, de S. Firm. (Munster, 1790, and in P. L., HI, 1357); RiTSCHL, Cyprian v. Karth (Gottingen, 1895), argued that the letter had been interpolated at Carthage in the interests of Cyprian's party; so also Harnack in Gesch. der altchr. Lit. (Leipzig, 1893), I, 407, and Soden, Die cyprianische Brief samm- luna (Berlin, 19041; this was disproved by Ernst, Die Echtheit desBrielesFir7nilin,rv^ 7.- ,/;-. furkath. Theol. (1894), XVIII, 209, a.nd Zur Frail' ' 'i< it des Briefes F.'s an Cyprian

(ibid.. XX, 364). ;il. Ti .. Cyprian (London, 1897), p.

377, and Harnack lai. 1 • ,|.i. ~ - ^1 himself convinced (Gesch., II, ii, p. 359, 1904). .Mu.-,fc.-. ..t i_\i.juene, Hist. Arm., II, l.vxv, attributed to Firmilian ' "many books, among them a history of the persecutions of the Church in the days of Maximus, Decius and later of Diocletian". This is a mistake. It seems there were letters from Firmilian in the published correspondence of Origen, according to St. Jerome's version of the list of Origen's works by Paraphilus and Eusebius; ' 'Origenis, Firmiani [sic] et Gregorii" [ed. by Klostehmann. Sitzunqsberichte der Real-.ikad. (Berlin, 1897); see Harnack, op. ct(., II, ii, p. 47]; the letter to Gregory Thaum. is extant. A fragment of a letter from Origen to Firmilian, cited by Victor of Capua, was published by Pitr.\, Spic. Solesm., I, 268. St. Augustine seems not to have known the letter to (jyprian, but Cresconius seems to have referred to it, C. Cresc, iii, 1 and 3. Theletterisnot quoted by any ancient writer, and is found in at most 28 out of the 431 MSS. of St. Cyprian enumerated by von Soden, op. cit. See also Barden- hewer, Gesch, der altkirchl. Lit., II, 269; Batiffol, Litt. grecque (Paris, 1898); Idem, L' Egli-ie naissante ette Catholicisme CParis, 1909); see also references under Cyprian of Carthage, Saint. John Chapman.

First-Born. — The word, though casually taken in Holy Writ in a metaphorical sense, is most generally u.sed by the sacred %vriters to designate the first male child in a family. The first-cast male animal is, in the English Bibles, termed "firstling". The firstlings, both human and animal, being considered as the best representatives of the race, because its blood flows purest and strongest in them, were commonly believed, among the early nomad Semitic tribes, to belong to God in a special way. Hence, very likely, the custom of sacrificing the first-cast animals; hence also the pre- rogatives of the first-born son; hence, possibly, even some of the superstitious practices which mar a few pages of the history of Israel.

Among the Hebrews, as well as among other na- VI.— 6

tions, the first-born enjoyed special privileges. Be- sides having a greater share in the paternal affection, he had everywhere the first place after his father (Gen., xliii, 33) and a kind of directive authority over his younger brothers (Gen., xxxvii, 21-22, 30, etc.); a special blessing was reserved to him at his father's death, and he succeeded him as the head of the family, receiving a double portion among his brothers (Deut., xxi, 17). Moreover, the first-birthright, up to the time of the promulgation of the Law, included a right to the priesthood. Of course this latter privilege, as also the headship of the family, to which it was at- tachcil, continued in force only when brothers dwelt together in the same house ; for, as soon as they made a family apart and separated, each one became the head and the priest of his own house.

When God chose unto Himself the tribe of Levi to discharge the office of priesthood in Israel, He wished that His rights over the first-born should not thereby be forfeited. He enacted therefore that every firsts born should be redeemed, one month after his birth, for five sides (Num., iii, 47; xviii, 15-16). This re- demption tax, calculated also to remind the Israelites of the death inflicted upon the first-born of the Egyp- tians in punishment of Pharaoh's stubbornness (Ex., xiii, 15-16), went tothe endowment-fund of the clergy. No law, however, stated that the first-born should be presented to the Temple. It seems, however, that after the Restoration parents usually took advantage of the mother's visit to the sanctuary to bring the child thither. This circumstance is recorded in St. Luke's Gospel, in reference to Christ (ii, 2'2-3S). It might be noted here that St. Paul refers the title primogenitus to Christ (Heb., i, 6), tlie "fu'st-born" of the Father. The Messianic sacrifice was the first- fruits of the Atonement offered to God for man's re- demption. It must be remembered, however, con- trary to what is too often asserted and seems, indeed, intimated by the liturgical texts, that the "pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons" mentioned in this connexion, were offered for the purification of the mother, and not for the child. Nothing was especially prescribed with regard to the latter.

As polygamy was, at least in early times, in vogue among the Israelites, precise regulations were enacted to define who, among the children, should enjoy the legal right of primogeniture, and who were to be re- deemed. The right of primogeniture belonged to the first male child born in the family, either of wife or concubine; the first child of any woman having a legal status in the family (wife or concubine) was to be re- deemed, provided that child were a boy.

As the first-born, so were the firstlings of the Egyp- tians smitten by the sword of the destroying angel, whereas those of the Hebrews were spared. As a token of recognition, God declared that all firstlings belonged to Him (Ex., xiii, 2; Num., iii, 13). They accordingly should be immolated. In case of clean ani- mals, as a calf, a lamb, or a kid (Num., xviii, 15-18), they were, when one year old, brought to the sanc- tuary and offered in sacrifice; the blood was sprinkled at the foot of the altar, the fat burned, and the flesh belonged to the priests. Unclean animals, however, which could not be immolated to the Lord, were re- deemed with money. Exception was made in the case of the firstling of the ass, which was to be re- deemed with a sheep (Ex., xxxiv, 20) or its own price (Josephus, Ant. Jud., IV, iv, 4), or else to be slain (Ex., xiii, 13; xxxiv, 20) and buried in the ground. Firstlings sacrificetl in the temple should be without blemish; such as were "lame or blind, or in any part disfigured or feeble", were to be eaten unconditionally witliin the gates of the owner's home-city.

W. II. Smith, The Religian of the Semites (2d ed., London, 1907); Talmud, Bekhoroth; Philo, De proemiis sacerdotum; Reland, Antiqiiitntes sacrce (Utrecht, 1741); SchOrer, Ge- schichtedes Jud..Volkes im Zeit, J. C. (Leipzig. 1898), II, 253-54,

Chaeles L, Souvay.