Fitz Jenő (szerk.): Religions and Cults in Pannonia. Exhibiton an Székesfehérvár, Csók István Gallery 15 May - 30 September 1996 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: A. sorozat 33. (1998)

from the 3rd century on, though we have several data for the presence of Christians from the 3rd century on.13 Logically we can declare - when we will not negate the presence of Christianity altogether - that in Pannónia baths must have served for baptizing. It is a task of research to state which these baths could have been. I have to remark here that we can count with the presence of Jews in several towns. Summing up the churches and taking into consideration other buildings serving for liturgy we can state the followings: 1. The basilica as style gains ground late. 2. Horrea are transformed into Christian churches but they can be rebuilt also as synagogues. We can count with a Jewish community in Aquincum and Intercisa in all certainty. We may speak of Jewish influences even in the case when a community was later christianized, as it can be supposed in Pécs. For the interior equipment of churches we have data in the objects excavated in Sophianae (Pécs), and this is the "Priesterbank" standing free. The situation of Pécs is exceptional. Most Christian relics of the province came to light in this town, they are partly burial vaults, partly churches. These churches are, though, not earlier than the 6th century. I should like to connect their building not as much with the Romanized population surviving as with the Germans emerging here. 3. We have to distinguish between communities Ecclesia exgentibus and Ecclesia ex circumcisionibus. We can count in Pannónia with both. The denomination Ecclesia Sirmiensis denotes evidently not only the place but also the people who were Christianized - Jews or pagans. In the case of Sirmium they came from the latter ones. 4. Lobular buildings are not used typically by Early Christians, though it is indiscutable that they spread in the early Christian times. In Pannónia we find similar ones in Pécs. The so-called "cella trichora" of Aquincum is no cella trichora, at least the trichora cannot be described. This object is one of the problems which, in lack of a confirming excavation and the elaboration of the small find material cannot be solved. The small find material, as lamps, lamp holders, rings, pottery fragments, tombstones, tomb inscriptions etc. cannot be evaluated only in their own connection. To this connection the find place, its circumstances which can be followed and the chronology belongs. Scrutinizing together the small finds, the building and the written data at our disposal certain historical relations can be stated. We cannot forget, though, the difference in the mentality which characterized the Early Christians or generally the people of Antiquity. They had a way of thinking quite different from ours. They had a different opinion on the Christians as well. Let us sum up this shortly. c.) The beginnings had problems of their own. Christianity was at its starting point only one of the possible religions of the period, in fact one of the mystery religions as it had a doctrine of salvation of its own. We have to stress the fact, nevertheless, that this does not mean a syncretism, not an identity either. We would sooner say that "several ancient" traditions, inserting in the Christian current of events, obtained "redemption" (ELIADE 1955,319). The "loan" of linguistic expressions, of ritual acts belong to the sphere of interpretation Christiana.TM Outlining the initial difficulties, the disputes, the settling and the period of evolvement we could progress according to the following aspects: eschatology; expressions of the mysteries; the Gnostics and the evolution of theology; the realizing in the Roman Empire of the fact that Christianity is different from all other mystery religions; Christianity gains ground and heathenism is driven into the background. Eschatology means the doctrine on final happenings, i.e. the fate of Soul after death.The doctrine of a postexistence, the judging of Soul, its punishment or rewarding were not unknown in pagan world (RUHL 1903). People who became Christians might have known these pagan doctrines as well. Their reflections might have led them astray.15 The notions of these last things did not originate - similarly to other cases - only in pagan beliefs but they were derived from the Old Testament as well, where but it is written: "whatever to do, think of your death and you will never commit a crime." (Sir. 7, 40). The memorare novissima is not as dismal as modern man would suppose. The man of our age wants to be happy on Earth, man of Antiquity and the Christian in the Otherworld. Terminology. According to Heraclite, Creation is one and finished but World in this finished state undergoes always a rebirth. So World is always the same, though always different. Fire flams to measure and dies to measure. Measure is the canon which is nothing but order. Order is in ancient tradition the order of striving towards the centre. Unity is in the centre of things, where Art16, Myth and Science meet. For the men of Antiquity myth is a real story, science on the other hand is not as much a rationality scrutinizing the relation of cause and effect, but much more the knowledge of ultimate 13 When they remembered earlier persecutions in the times of persecutions under Diocletian they would mean those of Decius, as stated by A. Mócsy. I would make a further step: if Christians were executed under Decius here in Pannónia, Christianity could not begin as late as the 3rd century in this region. 14 Symbols belong to these as well. On their evaluation the possibility of their intepretability, J. Janssens read a paper recently. XIII. Congressus Internationalis Archaeologiae Christianae, Split-Porec 15.9.-1.10.1994. The paper is entitled: L'arte e l'archeologia cristiana come fonti teologiche. 15 We should not always search in ancient heresies for a conscious negation. Often it is only the "not seeing" of the difference between Christianity and its antecendents. From a distance of two thousand years this, too, is evaluated from a different angle. 16 Art was no activity in its present meaning. Real art was creation. The product was sufficient for the purpose aimed, and at the same time it suited the necessity which brought the aim along. If you like it, these criteria give the soul of art, while appearance, the exterior, filled the requirements of the pulcher. Nothing can be beautiful, nevertheless, ifit is not true. This is Veritas. 45