Arca (Catholic Encyclopedia article)
Maurice Hassett · 1913
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Description
An arca was a box in which early Christians kept the Eucharist, the consecrated bread, in their homes. Cyprian tells of a woman who tried with unworthy hands to open her box holding the Lord's holy body. Fire issued from it the moment she touched it, and she could not open it. Wilpert believes a fresco in the catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus shows such a box. It shows Christ seated reading from an open roll, three jars on his right, and on his left a square box filled with loaves, emblems of the Eucharist.
Arca also meant a receptacle for Christians' offerings for the church or the poor, cited from Tertullian and the Liber Pontificalis, the book of popes. The entry joins a devotional object and a charity chest under one Latin word, showing how early believers guarded the sacrament at home and gave for the common good.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Maurice Hassett |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 1913 |
| COLLECTION | REFERENCE |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 0 KB |
| LICENSE | PUBLIC_DOMAIN |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | New Advent — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) |