Where was the First Church?

[1edyson]

Had a great questions come from one of my kids in bible study today. We came to the understanding of Christs Church being built upon the rock of Peter and the birth of the Church at Pentecost, but where was the first, physical church? This is one of the few questions my youth kids have asked that I didn’t have the answer, made me super proud of them by the way, great question. TIA

 

[DavidFilmer]

Where was the First Church?

It was the “Upper Room” (the same place that Jesus held the first Mass, and the place where the Apostles returned after the Ascension - Acts 1:13).

Unfortunately, the exact spot of this room in modern times cannot be established with certainty (though some ancient accounts locate it in one place or another). This is true of most historic locations.

 

[Soutane]

It was the “Upper Room” (the same place that Jesus held the first Mass, and the place where the Apostles returned after the Ascension - Acts 1:13).

Unfortunately, the exact spot of this room in modern times cannot be established with certainty (though some ancient accounts locate it in one place or another). This is true of most historic locations.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Edyson,

During its first 300 years, the Church was outlawed; so it would be surprising to find any church built in that period. Nevertheless several churches have been discovered that seem to fit the bill. The latest, as of June11, is in Jordan and is thought to have been built before 70 AD. See

nypost.com/seven/06112008/news/worldnews/lost_cave_is_oldest_church_in_world_114977.htm

Verbum

 

[1edyson]

Thank you for the responses. It would make sense that there was no “physical” above ground HEY HERE’S A CHRISTIAN CHURCH type buildings around the times of the early persecutions.

 

[Evan]

Just last week we celebrated the Feast of the Dedication of the Church of St John Lateran. This building was given to the Church for religious use after the Lateran treaty which made Christianity one of the legal religions in the Roman Empire.

It is celebrated as a Feast because it is the first official Church Building. It is also the cathedral of the bishop of Rome.

From wikipedia

The Basilica of St. John Lateran (Italian: Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the cathedral of the Church of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. Officially named Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sancti Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in Laterano (“Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist at the Lateran”, in Italian: “Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano”),[1] it is the oldest and ranks first (being the cathedral of Rome) among the four major basilicas of Rome, and holds the title of ecumenical mother church (mother church of the whole inhabited world) among Roman Catholics. The current archpriest of St. John Lateran is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, the proto-canon (an honorary position) is the current President of France.[1]

An inscription on the façade, Christo Salvatore, dedicates the Lateran as Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, for the cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ Himself. As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, containing the papal throne (Cathedra Romana), it ranks above all other churches in the Roman Catholic Church, even above St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican

 

[MarcoPolo]

The first post-Resurrection Eucharist was celebrated on the way to Emmaus. Does that count?

Luke 24:13, 28-30 Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus…As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them

 

[Ignatius]

Thank you for the responses. It would make sense that there was no “physical” above ground HEY HERE’S A CHRISTIAN CHURCH type buildings around the times of the early persecutions.

The persecutions were sporadic and, for the most part, localized. So there have been discoveries of very early (first and 2nd century) Churches in Asia Minor.