I just finished reading tonight how the Church grew and developed…a text referred to me by my pastor in regards to disputes of early Christianity.
The self image of the early Church was its ‘Christ-centered self image’, and it was demonstrated in its two essential rituals: the Eucharist, that we were to remember Him, that he is present as our Risen Lord, and His sacrifice of His Body and Blood to begin a new covenant between God and man.
Just as God has never broken His covenant with the Jews as His chosen people, He has never broken His covenant with us through Jesus Christ.
In the beginning Church, people, including St. Paul, thought Christ would return soon. That expectation ended when it began to be realized that the Church was going to continue on through history, and that the apostles were beginning to die off.
To remain in its origins, preserve its unity, and continue its original apostolic witness, especially with the appearance of the gnosticism, the Church – to avoid heresy and apostasy – ‘a specially commissioned ministry was established, an authoritative list of apostolic writings issued, and a rule of faith or creed set up.’
A system of governing varied. Finally, in 96 AD when the apostolic presbyteral system was installed in particular regards to schism that happened in Corinth when a group of elders were deposed. Bishops and presbyters in some places administrated collectively. Finally under Ignatius, bishop of Antioch around the first century promoted the model of head bishop, and by 150- 160, the episcopacy was functioning universally.
That is because one head of a diocese represented Christ in the Eucharist, the same would ordain, and would be at service solely for the community. Second, another presbyter would correspond with other churches, further congregations in face of gnosticism face the value of having a single person as a focus of unity and as the authority of doctrine.
Subsequently, the bishop would be as guarantor of the oral tradition based on the claim that he was in legitimate succession to the apostles.
Therefore, the bishop had the full intention of being totally faithful to the witness of the apostles and no other.
Furthermore, the Church guaranteed the integrity its tradition and safeguard it as the Church of the apostles by further recognizing certain writings as Scripture – public revelation for the Church, and that the Church would be forever subject to them. Finally the scholars did not accept blindly all the books as written by the apostles. As long as there was hesitation, the books were not approved.
The Gospel of St. John’s was not readily approved until almost 100 years after the death of St. John until it was verified these were truly his writings. The same happened to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Finally, the Church to uphold its God given authority and orthodoxy was the Creed.
As to the centrality or dominance of Rome, it had its own special attributes. First, it was the see of SS. Peter and Paul.
Irenaeus viewed Rome as the principle of apostolic succession: "When the Blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, had founded and built up the Church, they handed over the ministry of the Episcopate to Linus. He then said that all churches should agree with Rome as a channel of pure apostolic doctrine, secondly, as Rome was the capital of the Empire, it attracted various and even rival schools of thought who sought the support of the bishop of Rome, and finally it was a very wealthy church, willing to be of assistance to all the churches in the world.
What we see is a reasonable and truly genuine development of the Church, its utmost concern to be faithful to Christ through His apostles.
Finally, looking to the apostolic, Eucharistic Christians in those times, 'Christians saw to the support of teachers and officials, of widows and orphans of the sick and infirm and the disabled. Christians dedicated themselves to prisoners and people languishing in mines, to those hit by great calamities and to the care of the poor people needing burial; they furnished work to the unemployed, took care of brethren on journeys, and saw to the need of churches in poverty or peril…having power to influence potential converts.
Justin and Tatian were among the greatest thinkers of the second century…St. Justin the Martyr who described to the Emperor of Rome around the year 155 how Christians worshipped throughout the world…who were converted by the morals of Christians.
And finally in these times, the Church laid down clear moral behavior for its members.
Sexual control that was very different from the pagan world; the Apostolic Church insisted on monogamy and the permanency of marriage, and abortion and infanticide strictly forbidden.
All forms of greed, dishonesty in business life, all materialistic hedonism, double dealing and falsehood were all opposed. A true Christian was brave, pure, detached from material goods, and to not rely on his own strength but God’s.
–‘A Concise History of the Catholic Church’, Thomas Bokenkotter, in use for over 30 years as a definitive history for scholars, students, others.
We Catholics have had these beliefs given to us on going for 2,000 years.
There was no apostasy at the beginning of Christianity. And if people think still otherwise, then they are not basing such a conviction on fact but on sweeping and unsubstantiated false claims, taking Scripture from personal interpretation, condemned by St. Peter – for their own misunderstanding and rejection of Christ’s Church.
npatrol: attitude that I used to have. The number of Catholics who have the information base necessary to confront Mormon anti-Catholicism is growing, and will continue to grow. It is a natural reaction to their actions.
