ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is the simple question of what happened in churches, and the temporal and spatial context of those activities. Chapter 2 includes material relevant to these themes in the third century (2.1, 2.4); this chapter pursues them through the fourth century and beyond. It begins with an example of a church calendar preserved on papyrus (14.1), before turning to the physical setting of church life – first as prescribed in a handbook on church organisation (14.2), and then as reflected in the plans of churches and in an artistic representation (14.3, 14.4, 14.5). An extract from a sermon provides valuable evidence on the character of preaching, and also on the important ritual of baptism (14.6), further reflected in an inscription (14.7) and an example of a baptismal font (14.8). A further extract from a sermon illustrates some of the problems that a preacher could encounter during a service (14.9), while two examples of hymns highlight another dimension of services (14.10, 14.11). Finally, the issue of pictures and images in churches is raised with reference to a textile wall-hanging and a painted icon (14.12). Further reading: Krautheimer 1965; Dix 1945.
