[Bell Historians] Re: Oldest Christian Bell

[Anne Willis]

>

That bells, at any rate, portable bells, were familiar to all nations of
antiquity is indisputable. Nevertheless, it seems to me to be very doubtful
that non- portable bells, i.e., anything approaching the size of a modern
church bell, was used west of Asia in pre-Christian times. The ancient
Romans used small bells or tintinnabula and one may find references to what
may have been gongs or large cymbals (signa) used as time markers or
warnings of up-coming events, but they do not seem to have had any use for
what could be reasonably described as being large bells. 

Neither does it seem possible to state definitely when such bells were first
introduced into the Christian Church. However, I am certain that it was not
until well after the first three perhaps four centuries of Christianity
simply because early Christian congregations under constant threat of very
real persecution, had neither the need nor the desire for a loud public
signal to summon them when or where they intended to meet. Even after A.D.
313 when the Roman Emperor Constantine, with his co-emperor Licinius,
proclaimed religious tolerance of all religions throughout the Empire,
including Christianity, things did not change straight away. Constantine was
not baptised until his old age, Roman coins retained pictures of the old
Roman gods and even though he and his mother erected churches and monuments
in the Holy Land, pertaining to events in the life of Christ, Constantine's
new church (San Giovani) was built on the edge of the city of Rome
presumably to avoid upsetting any pagans who lived in the city. 

There is a tradition that large church bells were first cast in Italy and
that this process gradually spread westward. Without certain proof, this
seems to be reasonable and to fit such known facts that do exist; I would
speculate that this was possibly during the 5th and 6th centuries when
church buildings that were being erected began to include a tower
specifically intended to house large bells. Along with this we must include
the introduction all over Europe of monastic life and the subsequent
building of bell towers attached to monasteries. I have not been able to
investigate thoroughly, but there is also a tradition that Pope Sabinian
(604-606) may have been the first to sanction the ringing of bells at the
canonical hours and during the celebration of the Eucharist.

Eddie 


 'Bells in England' by Tom Ingram claims that the church has used bells for
1,500 years; initially the 'cowbell' type. Large bells in towers must have
been around by the 7th century as the Venerable Bede heard the bells tolling
at Whitby for Abbess Hilda on her death in 680.


Anne