Kourion Complex Palace (Mosaics) Fales, c. 1955 (1 of 2)De C. Fales (probably)

65

The custom of demanding something in return for baptism was spread widely [handwritten: in] through [handwritten: Christendom] the Christian world. It was [handwritten: an] forebidden not only in the council of Elvira but that of Braga. Gelasius in 494 [handwritten: condemned] [handwritten: Nasiannо] condemned it in Sicily and southern Italy. [handwritten: Gregory of Nyssa] Gregory [handwritten: of Nyssa] deprecated [handwritten: it] as an excuse for delaying [handwritten: baptism baptism] baptism the lack of renumeration. In the Armenian tradition there is a prohibition similar to that of the council of Braganothing is be demanded but what is freely given is to accepted. In the [handwritten: Ancient] custom as described in the council of Elvira, the coins were probably placed in the [handwritten: 2] footbath. In the drain from the/baptistery next to the so-called Ourvarov Basilica in the Crimean Chersonesus, there were found a goodly [handwritten: n] number of coins. They date from Valentinian I (364-375) to Maurice (582-602). There can be little doubt that they were thrown into the font as part of the baptismal ceremony, formal or informal. This custom is probably analogous to the present day one in which the godfather distributed [handwritten: money] money in the house of the baptized. In the past, [handwritten: probably] probably the god-father throw the money into the font as he who was about to be baptized had to be absolutely naked. Now in the drain from room (41), the probable [handwritten: font] font were found many coins, mostly of the fifth century. [handwritten: Since they] They can only have reached this drain from the font, room (41) [handwritten: of] or from the footbath in front of it.