Requiescat In Pace (R.I.P. or Rest in Peace) – A Valid Phrase?
[caption id="attachment_14341" align="alignright" width="480"] The Sarcophagus of Cyriacus.[/caption]In its article entitled Rest in peace (Latin: Requiescat in pace), Wikipedia states “The phrase dormit in pace (he sleeps in peace) was found in the catacombs of the early Christians.” [Italics added] I am not certain how early the “early” Christians are that are referenced by Wikipedia. In fact, I wonder if any inscription of this sort was used at all for, say, the first 100 years after Jesus' death. Yet, "he sleeps in peace" better represents the Bible’s true hope for the dead. Requiescat In Pace? Today these words are replaced by the phrase “rest in peace”. Wikipedia speaks of this as well, saying “Th[is] phrase was not found on tombstones before the eighth century.” Even though he sleeps in peace,…