초대 그리스도인들의 모임장소에 대한 재고찰: 크라우트하이머의 이론을 바탕으로

Abstract

The study on early church in its architectural aspect is generally started with Krautheimer’s theory. The theory was introduced in his 1939 article, “The Beginning of Christian Architecture”, which says three stages of development: the house as a key place for the meeting in the first stage (AD 50-150), adapted or renovated houses called domus ecclesiae during the second stage (150-250), and large martyria and rectangular halls in the last stage (250-313). The first and last stages were respectively designated as “house church” and “aula ecclesiae” by White. These terms of house church – domus ecclesiae – aula ecclesiae became dominant to explain pre-Constantinian Christian meeting places.<BR> Although providing the systematic knowledge of Christian architectural development in the pre-Constantine era, there are some weak points with this theory. Regarding the first period, houses were not exclusively Christian meeting places in that places such as shops, workshops, bathhouses, hotels were also used or rented for Christian gathering. The earliest attestation of Greek phrase, οἶκος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, comes in Eusebiu’s works of the age of Constantine, and all the references indicate church buildings which have no architectural connection to a house. The same is the case with the Christian Prayer Hall in Kefar ‘Othnay which was built in about 230 for the Christian gatherings. Taking these points into consideration, denoting the renovated house building as domus ecclesiae in the second period is devoid of its historical basis. The term aula ecclesiae was designated to show the relationship with domus ecclesiae. This term, however, seems inappropriate in that very large church buildings architecturally not related to renovated house began to be built after 260 throughout the Roman empire.