The fourth and fifth centuries witnessed the flowering of Christian liturgies and rituals, particularly with regards to death, dying, and burial. You have chosen an interesting century, because for the fourth and fifth centuries, the church in Western Europe was in the process of entrenching itself as an empire-wide institution. It is important to remember that with regards to ritual and practice, diversity was more often than not the rule rather than the exception. The death rituals that would emerge in the early medieval period were quite diverse, and it would only be during the Carolingian reforms that the death liturgy was standardized, using the Roman rite as the model.

However, that does not mean some general things cannot be said about death and dying in late ancient Christianity. From the get-go, changing attitudes about the nature of death influence how ancient Christians approached it. Whereas contact with the dead rendered an individual unclean in Jewish and many 'pagan' traditions, Christians were encouraged to treat and handle the dead without fear, as death was the portal through which the faithful attained salvation. The explosion of the cult of the saints and their relics drives this home. In the pre-Mediterranean world the dead had been confined to the outer limits and fringes of inhabited areas, but during the fourth and fifth, the shrines of saints' tombs became the focal points of popular worship and religion. The desire to be buried ad sanctos is perhaps one of the more immediately obvious changes in the mortuary topography of Late Antiquity as cemeteries sprung up and around the tombs of the holy dead.

That is not to say that Christians broke completely with Mediterranean pre-Christian and Jewish traditions. The practice of offering commemorative rituals on the third, ninth, thirtieth, and fortieth days after death persisted with some alterations and Christian rationalizations. Graveside feasting and celebrating with food, drink, song, and dance, had been an integral part of ‘pagan’ celebrations and also continued well into the fifth century. However, there is no reason to believe that ordinary Christians who participated in graveside rituals saw any contradiction between the practice and their faith, though some certainly did. St. Augustine of Hippo decried the celebrations and argued that it was of no benefit to the departed to offer them food and drink—such gifts should instead be given to the poor. The behavior of ordinary Christians often fell short of the high expectations of the rigorists, but this is probably to be expected. Conversion is a messy process and is not often an either/or decision. I have written more about cultural and religious syncretism before on this sub if you would like more information.

Now I mentioned at the beginning of this post that the fourth and fifth centuries witnessed the development of various death liturgies, with the Roman rite rising to the top in the eighth and ninth centuries. The Roman rite is old, possibly dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries in its most basic elements. Unfortunately, we do not have an extant manuscript of the burial service dating back that far, but attempts have been made to reconstruct the earlier Roman Ordo defunctorum from various later iterations. Below is a reconstruction of the rite by Damien Sicard (1988). As with any reconstructed ritual, it has its criticisms, but its basic elements and structure match what we know of fifth century beliefs about death and dying. Note the emphasis on the Eucharist as an aid at the time of death and at future judgment, and the liturgical use of psalms, antiphons, and verses to guide the individual through death and burial.

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1. As soon as they see him approaching death he is to be given communion even if he has eaten that day, because the communion will be his defender and advocate at the resurrection of the just. It will resuscitate him. After the reception of communion, the Gospel accounts of the passion of the Lord are to be read to the sick person by priests or deacons until his soul departs from his body

2. Immediately after the soul has left the body, the response Subvenite sancti dei is said, followed by the verse Suscipiat te Christus and a psalm (In exitu Israel [113] or Dilexi quoniam [114]) with the antiphon Chorus angelorum.

3. Afterward the body is washed and they place it on a bier. After it has been placed on the bier and before it is taken from the house, the priest says the antiphon De terra formasti me and a psalm (Dominus regit me [22], Gaudete iusti [32], or Dominus regnavit [92]).

4. The body is carried to the church and place therein to the accompaniment of psalms and antiphons (e.g., the antiphon Tu iussisti nasci me domine and Psalm 41, Quemadmodum).

5. And when it has been placed in the church everyone should pray for its soul without intermission until the body has been buried. They should chant psalms, responses, and lessons from the book of Job. The vigil should be celebrated for him at the proper hour, but without Alleluia.

6. When the body is placed in the tomb they sing the antiphon Aperite mihi portas iustitiae and the psalm Confitemini [117].

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If you have any follow up questions, please feel free to ask!

Sources:

• Brown, Peter. The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christendom

• Paxton, Frederick. The Christianization of Death

• Sicard, Damien, La liturgie de la mort dans l’église latine de origins á la réforme carolingienne

• Augustine of Hippo. De cura pro mortuis