THE ORIENTATION OF SCOTTISH CHURCHES. 1691 III. THE ORIENTATION OF SCOTTISH CHURCHES, ILLUSTRATED BY AN ANALYSIS OP SOME EXAMPLES IN ABERDEENSHIRE AND BANFFSHIRE .. EELES C B . yF , F.R.HisT.S., F.S.A. SCOT. orientatioe Th f ancieno n t churche featura s i s constano es sod -an t familiar that it appears to have escaped investigation in Scotland. A certain amount of attention has been given to it further south, but with no very definite result, except to emphasise the almost universal adoptio e practiceth f o n . With notable exceptions, chiefl Italyn i y , all Christians observe t Reformatiodowde i th o nt n period. Since that time, especiall recenn yi t days e morth , e extreme Protestant then o s - one hand Romad an , n Catholic othere th n ,o st aside i hav t ese , while Anglican and Oriental Christians have continued to maintain it. Orientation include e congregationth s t leas a e officiatinr th o t, g clergy, facing east during prayer e buildinth , f churchege o th d an s placin accorto altargof as d sso wit h this principle buriathe of l and , the dead with the feet towards the east. The principle appears to- belong to natural religion, and not to be peculiar to Christianity. It would seem, however, that the Jews prayed facing west, both in the Temple and in the synagogues. Maimonides, tracing this to Abra- ham praying upon Mount Moriah, considers that it was done in opposi- tion to Gentile practice.1 Tertullian, c. A.D. 205, tells us that the heathen suspecte Christiane dth beinf o s g sun-worshippers, " because they were well known to turn to the east in prayer." St Clement of Alexandria say pagaf o s n temple mose s: " Th t ancient temples looked towards the west (i.e. had their entrance towards the west), that those who stood with their face towards the image might be taught to turn towards the east." 2 There is good evidence of Christians having 1 On Prayer, xi. 1, 2. Cf. orientation in sun-worship referred to in Ezekiel viii. 16. 2 Strom.. 43 § vii , 7 . 0 17 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH P O S , JANUAR , 191412 Y . faced eastward in prayer from very early days. When the world-wide religio Christianitf no y too locaplace e nationakd th th f lan eo l Judaism, the general instinct of turning to the place of sunrise seems to have been accepted without question. Religio e breakinth s ni g fortf o h light in darkness, the sunrise upon human life. Even the Jewish prophet looked deliverea sha r dfo r that should come forth liksune eth , as Malachi said : " Unto you that fear my name shall the sun of right- eousness arise with healing in his wings." 1 St Clement of Alexandria lighe th s t a birthf r o y Fo .write da image e ease th th s: "s f i Th teo which there first f darknesshono t ou e s waxes brighter , like so ,th e e knowledgth f o y trutf da sune o dawne s e hth ,ha thosn do e immersed in darkness. e earliesTh " 2 t Christians believe e immediatth n i d e r Lorreturou df no Jesu s Chris t Epistl 1s reig o t e t gloryth n eni n I . Thessalonianse th o t , written probabl t Pau S A.D n y, i l 65 .bear s witness thiso t , when referencn ,i Secone th o et d Advent saye whice h , s": W h aliv e remaid ar ean n unt comine Lore oth th df g o Thess1 " ( . 15)iv . It was believed that our Lord would come with the clouds of heaven and appear in the east, as the morning star, the sun of righteousness, the light of the world, the dayspring from on high. Later, when Christians had left off expecting the immediate return e Masteroth f , they still testifie theio dt r secon s beliehi n i fd comingn i , whatever way and in whatever time, by turning to the east.3 Had himsele h t no f likene s comindhi lightnino gt easte th ,n gi sayin g: " As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be " (St Matt. xxiv. 27). Here we have a definite mention of the east in connection with e Seconth d Advent, albeit onlsimilea n yi . line Thithoughf th e o s si t followe t JohS y ndb Damasceny b d e 4an Cassiodorus,5 who say that as Christ faced west when on the cross, we i. Mal2 . iv . 2 Strom.. 43 § vii , 7 . 3 St Hilary, on Ps. 67. orthodoxae *D chaptea , 13 fide, . r iv " concerning worshippin east.e th o g"t . 67 . Ps d 5A THE ORIENTATIO F SCOTTISNO H1 CHURCHES17 . face east in prayer; that as lie appeared in the east and then ascended into heaven, so he will reappear in the east, like the lightning in the text quoted above. St Cyri Jerusalef o l otherd m an l s explain tha catechumee th t t na baptism turned fro e west mplacth e th , darknessf eo easte e th th ,o t , place of light and the site of Paradise, which is reopened to him by that sacrament. Some early writers explain that in praying towards the east the soul is seekinhomd ol Paradisen es i git whico t , t hhopei restoree b o st d in Christ.2 t AugustinS earln a s yei witnes prevalence th o st turninf eo g east- wards in prayer in Western Christendom. laten I r times, whe e mediaevanth l arrangemen e largth f eo t choirs had developed and most members of them faced north and south ordinarily during services e rubricth , s prescribed that thos suchn ei , positions should turn eastwards, or rather towards the altar, at certain parts of the service, e.g. the Gloria Patri after the psalms. But whatever be the explanation of its adoption, the antiquity and the universality of the practice remain. As regards the actual church building, the Apostolic Constitutions direct as follows : " And first let house th oblonge eb , turned toward east.same e sth Th e" document also directs the congregation to " rise up with one consent, and looking easte th eastwards.d ,o t praGo o yt rule borns e"i Th 3 e witneso st by Socrates the historian, when he says of the church at Antioch that positios it d ha n "t i inverte altas it r r fo look d; towardt sno easte sth , but towards the west." 4 The most striking of the earlier exceptions occur in Italy, especially 1 Cateoh., xix. 9 ; St Jerome, In Amos, vi. 14; St Ambrose, De initial., 2 ; Lactantius, ii. 10 ; Pseudo-Justin, Quest, ad Orthodox., 118. t Basil2S Spiritue D , Sancto,; Apostoli 7 2 . c c Constitutions vii§ . ii ,; cap 7 5 . t GregS . Nyss., e Homil.Orationed . V Dominica; t S Joh n Chrygostomd a , Danidem, vi. 10; Gregentius, Disputat. cum Herb. Jud., p. 217. 3 ii. vii. § also ,e DidascaliS ,th o cap. 57 . a d Edessen(Funk8 ff.an )15 . i , e Canons, i. Hisl. Eccl, v. 22. 4 2 17 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 1914Y12 . in Rome, thoug t PaulinuhS s speak orientatiof so "s na more m usita- tiorem " as contrasted with the basilica of St Felix at Nola. In Rome there were pagan basilicas adapted for Christian worship; churches sidee buil e th streetf b s o y t righb o ta t r sd o t angleha themo st d an ; in certain cases the situation of the building was determined by the desir placo et altae eth r immediately ove martyr'a r s grave. Nearly every poincompase th f to representes si Rome n Ravenndn i i t bu , d aan in places subjec Byzantino t e influence orientatio rule.e th s n1i t musi t notee b t Bu d e thath wese d t th wher en tt a altae s eth wa r principl f orientatioo e s maintainenwa anothen i d r waye ,th vizy b . celebran ministers hi d an t s standing behin altae facind dth an r g east, even whe congregatioe nth n perforce faced west.2 Thu e apparensth t exception vere sar y much diminishe numbern di laten I . r timee sth practic sacrethe of ed ministers facin congregatiothe g n acrosthe s altar went very much out of use, though it is not obsolete even at the present day. Hence many of the apparent exceptions to orientation became true exception coursn si timef eo thao s , tprinciple lateth n ro e of orientation became practically a dead letter in Rome. This prob- ably furnishe e reasoth s n why, wit e spreahth f Romao d n liturgical custom e Continenth n so t afte e Councith r Trentf o l , neglec f orieno t - tation spread over the churches of the Roman obedience. All over, the rest of Christendom, whether East or West, North or South, orientation was the rule, and nowhere more than in these islands. The Celtic Church seems to have been specially rigid in this matter. Churches were built east and west, the altar being at the east end clerge th ,d peoplyan chancen i e d nav .