15. Want of room the cause, precedent the justification.

Believe me, Sire, and let Truth be my witness in this also, when I declare that in the congregations held during the season of Lent, in consequence of the narrow limits of the places, and the vast multitude of people assembled, a great number of children, not a few of the younger and very many of the older women, besides several young men, suffered so much from the pressure of the crowd, that they were obliged to be carried home; though by the Providence of God, no one is dead. All however murmured, and demanded the use of the great Church. And if the pressure was so great during the days which preceded the feast, what would have been the case during the feast itself? Of course matters would have been far worse. It did not therefore become me to change the people’s joy into grief, their cheerfulness into sorrow, and to make the festival a season of lamentation.

And that the more, because I had a precedent in the conduct of our Fathers. For the blessed Alexander, when the other places were too small, and he was engaged in the erection of what was then considered a very large one, the Church of Theonas51    S. Epiphanius mentions nine Churches in Alexandria. Hær. 69. 2. Athan. mentions in addition that of Quirinus. Hist. Arian. §10. [See the plan of Larsow, appended to his Fest-briefe.] The Church mentioned in the text was built at the Emperor’s expense; and apparently upon the Emperor’s ground, as on the site was or had been a Basilica, which bore first the name of Hadrian, then of Licinius, Epiph. ibid. Hadrian had built in many cities temples without idols, which were popularly considered as intended by him for Christian worship, and went after his name. Lamprid. Vit. Alex. Sev. 43. The Church in question was built in the Cæsareum. Hist. Arian. 74. There was a magnificent Temple, dedicated to Augustus, as ἐπιβατήριος, on the harbour of Alexandria, Philon. Legat. ad Caium, pp. 1013, 4. ed. 1691, and called the Cæsareum. It was near the Emperor’s palace, vid. Acad. des. Inscript. vol. 9. p. 416. [Vid. supr. note 5b, and cf. Apol. de Fuga 24.], held his congregations there on account of the number of the people, while at the same time he proceeded with the building. I have seen the same thing done at Treveri and at Aquileia, in both which places, while the building was proceeding, they assembled there during the feasts, on account of the number of the people and they never found any one to accuse them in this manner. Nay, your brother of blessed memory was present, when a communion was held under these circumstances at Aquileia. I also followed this course. There was no dedication, but only a service of prayer. You, at least I am sure, as a lover of God will approve of the people’s zeal, and will pardon me for being unwilling to hinder the prayers of so great a multitude.

15 Πίστευε γὰρ, βασιλεῦ, καὶ περὶ τούτου πάλιν μάρτυρα δέξαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ὅτι ἐν ταῖς συνάξεσι τῆς Τεσσαρακοστῆς, διὰ τὸ τῶν τόπων στενὸν καὶ τὸ πολὺ πλῆθος τῶν λαῶν, πλεῖστα παιδία, καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγαι νεώτεραι γυναῖκες πλεῖσταί τε γραΐδες καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγοι νεανίσκοι θλιβέντες ἀπηνέχθησαν εἰς τοὺς οἴκους· καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρασχόντος, τέθνηκε μὲν οὐδείς· πάντες δὲ ἐγόγγυσαν, καὶ ἠξίωσαν διὰ τὴν μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς προεόρτοις τοσαύτη γέγονε θλίψις, τί ἂν ἐγεγόνει ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἑορτῇ; Πάντως που τὰ ἔτι τούτων χαλεπώτερα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπρεπεν ἀντὶ χαρᾶς λύπην, ἀντ' εὐφροσύνης πένθος, ἀντὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς κλαυθμὸν τοῖς λαοῖς γενέσθαι· εἰδὼς καὶ μάλιστα τύπον ἔχων τῶν πατέρων. Ὁ γὰρ μακαρίτης Ἀλέξανδρος, στενῶν ὄντων τῶν ἄλλων τόπων, καὶ οἰκοδομῶν τὴν τότε μείζονα νομιζομένην ἐκκλησίαν τὴν καλουμένην Θεωνᾶ, συνῆγεν ἐκεῖ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ συνάγων οὐκ ἠμέλει τῆς οἰκοδομῆς. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν Τριβέροις, καὶ ἐν Ἀκυληΐᾳ γενόμενον ἑώρακα· κἀκεῖ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς διὰ τὸ πλῆθος, ἔτι τῶν τόπων οἰκοδομουμένων, συνῆγον ἐκεῖ· καὶ οὐχ εὗρον τοιοῦτον κατήγορον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ μακαρίτης σου ἀδελφός, ἐν Ἀκυληΐᾳ, τοιαύτης οὔσης συνάξεως, συνήχθη. Οὕτω κἀγὼ πεποίηκα, καὶ γέγονεν οὐκ ἐγκαίνια, ἀλλὰ σύναξις εὐχῆς. Σὺ μὲν οὖν, εὖ οἶδα ὅτι, φιλόθεος ὤν, τῶν μὲν λαῶν, ἀποδέχῃ τὴν προθυμίαν, καὶ συγγινώσκεις ἐμοὶ μὴ, κωλύσαντι τοσούτου λαοῦ τὰς εὐχάς.