(‘country-bishops’) in rural districts (Mitchell 1993: II, 70–1). In
the latter case, this apparently organic development from the
pre-Constantinian period led to conflict as attempts were made in
the fourth century to impose a uniform ecclesiastical hierarchy
throughout the empire. The correspondence of bishop Basil of
Caesarea in Cappadocia (c.330–79) includes an angry denuncia-
tion of country-bishops who were flouting his authority (Letter54).Ritual
Tensions between unity and diversity are found also in the prac-
tice of early Christian worship. There seems to have been broad
agreement that there were certain normative rituals, such as initi-
ation into Christianity through baptism, the celebration of the
Eucharist, and prayer (both individual and communal). Similarly,
certain days required some form of liturgical celebration, both at
regular intervals throughout the year (Sunday worship) and on
major feast days, of which Easter was the most important. For all
that, there is evidence of some variation in how these rituals were
observed in different parts of the Mediterranean world. This is
suggested by the voluminous evidence for the liturgy in the fourth
century, by which stage many local traditions had become firmly
entrenched. We saw at the beginning of this chapter that the
council of Nicaea debated the correct date for Easter observance
in the face of diverse regional practices. This question continued
to be debated by churchmen throughout the fourth century and
beyond. Another manifestation of local variation can be seen in
the surviving remains of churches. In north Africa, for example,
the altar was located in the centre of the nave while church build-
ings as a whole were oriented towards the west; elsewhere in the
Roman world, altars were usually located in or near the apse,
while the churches themselves were oriented towards the east.
(J. B. Ward-Perkins and Goodchild 1953: 56–66). In general, and
despite the aspirations of bishops at councils, liturgical traditions
were characterized by considerable regional variation (Bradshaw
1992: 111–30, 158–60).ORTHODOXY AND ORGANIZATION IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY
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