Church History

While the first bishop of Antioch was Peter, within a few years it was a man named Ignatius that was Bishop of Antioch. Ignatius was a disciple of John (the disciple of Jesus), and he wrote letters to various churches on his way to being martyred for his faith. Most of the letters are only a couple of pages to read and you can read through all of the letters in less than an hour. 

Ignatius was not fearful of his own martyrdom but rather embraced it and asked other church leaders not to intervene for him and plead for his life. He, in fact, believes that this is what will make him a true, whole human being. What does Ignatius mean by that?

Read more about this from Father John Behr: Dying to Live?

Read St. Ignatius’ Letters:  

• Letter to the Romans
• Letter to the Magnesians
• Letter to the Ephesians
• Letter to the Smyrnaenas
• Letter to the Philadelphians
• Letter to the Trallians
• Letter to Polycarp (Bishop of Smyrna and Teacher of Irenaeus)

Interesting Quotes from St. Ignatius’ letters:

“At these meetings you should heed the bishop and presbytery attentively, and break one loaf, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which wards off death but yields continuous life in union with Jesus Christ.” – Letter to the Ephesians

“They (heretics) hold aloof from the Eucharist and from services of prayer, because they refuse to admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which, in his goodness, the Father raised from the dead.” – Letter to the Smyrnaeans

“That is the beginning and end of life: faith the beginning and love the end. And when the two are united you have God, and everything else that has to do with real goodness is dependent on them. No one who professes faith falls into sin, nor does one who has learned to love, hate.The tree is known by its fruit.” Similarly, those who profess to be Christ’s will be recognized by their actions. For what matters is not a momentary act of professing, but being persistently motivated by faith.”

So, what did the early church teach about the Christian faith? 

In addition to letters from bishops, a teaching document, called “The Didache” (literally “the teaching”) circulated among the churches in the first century. It was used to help teach catechumens, people who were interested in becoming Christians, as they prepared for baptism. It’s a basic document explaining fundamental Christian teaching and faith, and can be read in about 15-20 minutes. 

“The Teaching” begins by saying “There are two ways, one of life and one of death; and between the two ways there is a great difference.” In other words, there are two ways to live a life, and those two ways lead to two very different destinations – life or death. This was a common way of beginning to share the Christian faith and was based on the same choice put before the Jewish nation in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. The Didache sees that Jesus and His teachings are the fulfillment of this Old Testament passage. Because the Didache goes on to explain how Jesus’ commands lead to life and how embracing sin and passions leads to death. 

The Didache is centrally focused on Jesus’ teachings on the way to live a full human life – a life united to Jesus and to His body, the Church. The Christian life is a life of intention with choices we make that lead to life or to death. It also discusses some of the spiritual disciplines of the early church including prescribing prayer 3 times a day, fasting days, church confession, giving to others, and gathering as the church to worship, pray, and partake of the Eucharist together.

Read the Didache – The Didache

Justin was an early apologist for the Christian faith and wrote several letters in which he describes in detail early Christian faith and practices as well as the interpretation of Old Testament scriptures. In these letters, he is often writing to convince someone of the Christian faith as in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew or he is writing to defend Christians from unfair representations of their beliefs and from unfair punishment as in his First Apology written to the Roman Emperor, Antoninus. 

The First Apology gives a detailed account of how the early church worshiped together on Sunday and what they believed about the Eucharist. He describes the worship of the church as liturgical worship. The Dialogue with Trypho is a much longer document which addresses much of the beliefs of the Ancient Christian Church and especially demonstrates how early Christians read “the Scriptures” or the Old Testament. Justin demonstrates what many other early church writings demonstrate – that the Old Testament was filled to overflowing with shadows and types of Jesus.

Read St. Justin Martyr

• First Apology
• Dialogue with Trypho

Interesting Quotes from St. Justin Martyr:

“But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to γένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.”

“And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, “This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;” and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is My blood;” and gave it to them alone.”

“And, in short, sirs, said I, by enumerating all the other appointments of Moses I can demonstrate that they were types and symbols and declarations of those things which would happen to Christ, of those who it was foreknown were to believe in Him, and of those things which would also be done by Christ Himself.”

St. Polycarp was alive at the same time as St. Ignatius. In fact, St. Ignatius mentions him in two of the letters he wrote. St. Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of John (the disciple of Jesus). His life and his martyrdom are written about by St. Irenaus and in the document “The Martyrdom of Polycarp” which gives the details of his martyrdom.

Read The Martyrdom of Polycarp

St. Irenaeus was a learner from St. Polycarp and was also made a Bishop, the Bishop of Lyon. He writes the “Proof of the Apostolic Teaching” which demonstrates the standard teaching and presentation of the Biblical story by the apostles. This would have been a help to those who were new to understanding Christianity. In addition, St. Irenaeus is alive at a time when a number of heresies are swirling. So, he writes another document, “Against Heresies”, to combat the heresies, most especially gnostic heresies, and to put forth orthodox understandings. His writings are the earliest, most extensive explanation of early Christian theology.

Irenaeus begins his “Proof of the Apostolic Teaching” with these statements. “Knowing, my beloved Marcianus, your desire to walk in godliness, which alone leads man to life eternal, I rejoice with you and make my prayer that you may preserve your faith entire and so be pleasing to God who made you……We send you as it were a manual of essentials,that by little you may attain to much, learning in short space all the members of the body of the truth, and receiving in brief the demonstration of the things of God. So shall it be fruitful to your own salvation, and you shall put to shame all who inculcate falsehood, and bring with all confidence our sound and pure teaching to everyone who desires to understand it. For one is the way leading upwards for all who see, lightened with heavenly light: but many and dark and contrary are the ways of them that see not. This way leads to the kingdom of heaven, uniting man to God: but those ways bring down to death, separating man from God. Wherefore it is needful for you and for all who care for their own salvation to make your course unswerving, firm and sure by means of faith, that you falter not, nor be retarded and detained in material desires, nor turn aside and wander from the right.”

Against Heresies is an extensive writing covering a lot of ground regarding the heresies of his day. Some of the writing, books 1 and 2, requires a more specific understanding of the gnostic beliefs of the time, but much of books 3, 4, and 5 are more general and incredibly helpful to understanding foundational Christian belief.

Read St. Irenaeus’ Writings:

• Proof of the Apostolic Teaching
• Against Heresies Book 3
• Against Heresies Book 4
• Against Heresies Book 5

Quotes from the Apostolic Teaching:

“Since then faith is the perpetuation of our salvation, we must needs bestow much pains on the maintenance thereof, in order that we may have a true comprehension of the things that are. Now faith occasions this for us; even as the Elders, the disciples of the Apostles, have handed down to us. First of all it bids us bear in mind that we have received baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnate and died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit of God. And that this baptism is the seal of eternal life, and is the new birth unto God, that we should no longer be the sons of mortal men, but of the eternal and perpetual God; and that what is everlasting and continuing is made God; and is over all things that are made, and all things are put under Him; and all the things that are put under Him are made His own; for God is not ruler and Lord over the things of another, but over His own; and all things are God’s; and therefore God is Almighty, and all things are of God.”

“For it is necessary that, things that are made should have the beginning of their making from some great cause; and the beginning of all things is God. For He Himself was not made by any, and by Him all things were made. And therefore it is right first of all to believe that there is One God, the Father, who made and fashioned all things, and made what was not that it should be, and who, containing all things, alone is uncontained.”

“And, since God is rational, therefore by (the) Word He created the things that were made; and God is Spirit, and by (the) Spirit He adorned all things: as also the prophet says: By the word of the Lord were the heavens established, and by his spirit all their power. Since then the Word establishes, that is to say, gives body and grants the reality of being, and the Spirit gives order and form to the diversity of the powers; rightly and fittingly is the Word called the Son, and the Spirit the Wisdom of God. Well also does Paul His apostle say: One God, the Father, who is over all and through all and in its all. For over all is the Father; and through all is the Son, for through Him all things were made by the Father; and in us all is the Spirit, who cries Abba Father, and fashions man into the likeness of God.”

“And by the Spirit the Father is called Most High and Almighty and Lord of hosts; that we may learn concerning God that He it is who is creator of heaven and earth and all the world, and maker of angels and men, and Lord of all, through whom all things exist and by whom all things are sustained; merciful, compassionate and very tender, good, just, the God of all, both of Jews and of Gentiles, and of them that believe.”

“The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father: through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way a upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.”

“But man He formed with His own hands, taking from the earth that which was purest and finest, and mingling in measure His own power with the earth. For He traced His own form on the formation, that that which should be seen should be of divine form: for (as) the image of God was man formed and set on the earth. And that he might become living, He breathed on his face the breath of life; that both for the breath and for the formation man should be like unto God. Moreover he was free and self-controlled, being made by God for this end, that he might rule all those things that were upon the earth. And this great created world, prepared by God before the formation of man, was given to man as his place, containing all things within itself. And there were in this place also with (their) tasks the servants of that God who formed all things; and the steward, who was set over all his fellow servants received this place. Now the servants were angels, and the steward was the archangel.”

“Now, having made man lord of the earth and all things in it, He secretly appointed him lord also of those who were servants in it. They however were in their perfection; but the lord, that is, man, was (but) small; for he was a child; and it was necessary that he should grow, and so come to (his) perfection. And, that he might have his nourishment and growth with festive and dainty meats, He prepared him a place better than this world, excelling in air, beauty, light, food, plants, fruit, water, and all other necessaries of life, and its name is Paradise. And so fair and good was this Paradise, that the Word of God continually resorted thither, and walked and talked with the man, figuring beforehand the things that should be in the future, (namely) that He should dwell with him and talk with him, and should be with men, teaching them righteousness. But man was a child, not yet having his understanding perfected; wherefore also he was easily led astray by the deceiver.”

“And Adam and Eve—for that is the name of the woman— were naked, and were not ashamed; for there was in them an innocent and childlike mind, and it was not possible for them to conceive and understand anything of that which by wickedness through lusts and shameful desires is born in the soul. For they were at that time entire, preserving their own nature; since they had the breath of life which was breathed on their creation: and, while this breath remains in its place and power, it has no comprehension and understanding of things that are base. And therefore they were not ashamed, kissing and embracing each other in purity after the manner of children.”

“But, lest man should conceive thoughts too high, and be exalted and uplifted, as though he had no lord, because of the authority and freedom granted to him, and so should transgress against his maker God, overpassing his measure, and entertain selfish imaginings of pride in opposition to God; a law was given to him by God, in order that he might perceive that he had as lord the Lord of all. And He set him certain limitations, so that, if he should keep the commandment of God, he should ever remain such as he was, that is to say, immortal; but, if he should not keep it, he should become mortal and be dissolved to earth from whence his formation had been taken.

“This commandment the man kept not, but was disobedient to God, being led astray by the angel who, for the great gifts of God which He had given to man, was envious and jealous of him, and both brought himself to nought and made man sinful, persuading him to disobey the commandment of God. So the angel, becoming by his falsehood the author and originator of sin, himself was struck down, having offended against God, and man he caused to be cast out from Paradise. And, because through the guidance of his disposition he apostatized and departed from God, he was called Satan, according to the Hebrew word; that is, Apostate: a but he is also called Slanderer.”

“Whence then is the substance of the first formed (man)? From the Will and the Wisdom of God, and from the virgin earth. For God had not sent rain, the Scripture says, upon the earth, before man was made; and there was no man to till the earth. From this, then, whilst it was still virgin, God took dust of the earth and formed the man, the beginning of mankind. So then the Lord, summing up afresh this man, took the same dispensation of entry into flesh, being born from the Virgin by the Will and the Wisdom of God; that He also should show forth the likeness of Adam’s entry into flesh and there should be that which was written in the beginning, man after the image and likeness of God.”

“And just as through a disobedient virgin man was stricken down and fell into death, so through the Virgin who was obedient to the Word of God man was reanimated and received life. For the Lord came to seek again the sheep that was lost; and man it was that was lost: and for this cause there was not made some other formation, but in that same which had its descent from Adam He preserved the likeness of the (first) formation. For it was necessary that Adam should be summed up in Christ, that mortality might be swallowed up and overwhelmed by immortality; and Eve summed up in Mary, that a virgin should be a virgin’s intercessor, and by a virgin’s obedience undo and put away the disobedience of a virgin.”

“Thus then He gloriously achieved our redemption, and fulfilled the promise of the fathers, and abolished the old disobedience. The Son of God became Son of David and Son of Abraham; perfecting and summing up this in Himself, that He might make us to possess life. The Word of God was made flesh by the dispensation of the Virgin, to abolish death and make man live. For we were imprisoned by sin, being born in sinfulness and living under death.”“But God the Father was very merciful: He sent His creative Word, who in coming to deliver us came to the very place and spot in which we had lost life, and brake the bonds of our fetters. And His light appeared and made the darkness of the prison disappear, and hallowed our birth and destroyed death, loosing those same fetters in which we were enchained. And He manifested the resurrection, Himself becoming the first begotten of the dead, and in Himself raising up man that was fallen, lifting him up far above the heaven to the right hand of the glory of the Father: even as God promised by the prophet, saying: And I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen; that is, the flesh that was from David. And his our Lord Jesus Christ truly fulfilled, when He gloriously achieved our redemption, that He might truly raise us up, setting us free unto the Father.

So, then we come to the 200s AD, a time when the church underwent great persecution under three different Emperors – Emperor Septimius Severus, Emperor Decius, and Emperor Valerian. The persecution continued into the 300s under Emperor Diocletian and Galerius.

Finally, in 313 AD, the Emperor Constantine and the Emperor Licenius together issued the Edict of Milan. The Roman Empire at that time had two halves…..East and West, hence the two Emperors. The Edict of Milan granted to Christians the freedom to practice their faith. This opened up a time of tremendous growth for the church.

Around this same time period, an Alexandrian (that is in Egypt) presbyter, Arius, began teaching that the Logos, the Word of God who became man, Jesus Christ, was not the divine son of God. He taught that Jesus was a created being and not the eternally existing Second Person of the Trinity. He did not believe in the Trinity, but rather that God is the Father alone. This was not in agreement with all that the church had always taught, and the Bishop of Alexandria tried to convince Arius to stop teaching this. But Arius persisted and tried to get other bishops on his side. Soon this heresy had some traction and caused trouble within the church. Therefore, Constantine, seeing this controversy, convened what is often referred to as the First Ecumenical Council. 

One may wonder exactly why there was an objection to Arius’ teachings. It’s important to understand that if Jesus is not both divine and human, He cannot save mankind in all the ways we need to be saved. If Jesus is not divine then how can He conquer death and Hades? How can He unite Himself to humans in order to make them like God? The heart of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ Himself. Almost all of the seven ecumenical church councils were convened because of a heresy that directly struck at the nature of Jesus Christ. And all of the councils were convened not to develop new doctrine but to affirm what had always been taught by the church. It was Arius’ teaching that was new and novel. The church had not taught what he did.

This is why most bishops of the time found Arius’ teaching dangerous. And, the Nicene council, consisting of around 250-300 attendees, overwhelmingly decided against Arius’ teaching — only 2 attendees ended up siding with Arius after hearing St. Athanasius defend Orthodox belief and Arius defend his belief.

As part of this whole process, using already existing church creeds as a guide,  the council wrote what has since become known as The Nicene Creed. The creed was intended to sum up the Christian doctrine that had always been taught. Again, the creed was no “new innovation” but rather making sure that what had always been taught continued to be passed down properly.

St. Athanasius was a young deacon in the Alexandrian church at that time and he attended the council and was quite influential in battling Arius’ teaching which was called Arianism. Athanasius defends the Trinity and uses the word “homoousios”, or “same essence” to describe Christ in relation to the Father.

Athanasius eventually became Bishop of Alexandria and it is in one of his Easter letters that we see the first list of Old and New Testament scriptures as generally used by the church as a whole. Athanasius writes this list in the letter because he is aware there are other writings floating around that were fabrications and were given names as having been written by certain saints although they were not. These are what the early church referred to as “Apocrypha” Here’s what he says:

“ …to reduce into order for themselves the books termed apocryphal, and to mix them up with the divinely inspired Scripture, concerning which we have been fully persuaded, as they who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, delivered to the fathers; it seemed good to me also, having been urged thereto by true brethren, and having learned from the beginning, to set before you the books included in the Canon, and handed down, and accredited as Divine; to the end that any one who has fallen into error may condemn those who have led him astray; and that he who has continued steadfast in purity may again rejoice, having these things brought to his remembrance.”

“There are, then, of the Old Testament, twenty-two books in number; for, as I have heard, it is handed down that this is the number of the letters among the Hebrews; their respective order and names being as follows. The first is Genesis, then Exodus, next Leviticus, after that Numbers, and then Deuteronomy. Following these there is Joshua, the son of Nun, then Judges, then Ruth. And again, after these four books of Kings, the first and second being reckoned as one book, and so likewise the third and fourth as one book. And again, the first and second of the Chronicles are reckoned as one book. Again Ezra, the first and second are similarly one book. After these there is the book of Psalms, then the Proverbs, next Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Job follows, then the Prophets, the twelve being reckoned as one book. Then Isaiah, one book, then Jeremiah with Baruch, Lamentations, and the epistle, one book; afterwards, Ezekiel and Daniel, each one book. Thus far constitutes the Old Testament.”

“Again it is not tedious to speak of the [books] of the New Testament. These are, the four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Afterwards, the Acts of the Apostles and Epistles (called Catholic), seven, viz. of James, one; of Peter, two; of John, three; after these, one of Jude. In addition, there are fourteen Epistles of Paul, written in this order. The first, to the Romans; then two to the Corinthians; after these, to the Galatians; next, to the Ephesians; then to the Philippians; then to the Colossians; after these, two to the Thessalonians, and that to the Hebrews; and again, two to Timothy; one to Titus; and lastly, that to Philemon. And besides, the Revelation of John.”

“These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst may be satisfied with the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these. For concerning these the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, ‘You err, not knowing the Scriptures.’ And He reproved the Jews, saying, ‘Search the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of Me Matthew 22:29; John 5:39.’”

“But for greater exactness I add this also, writing of necessity; that there are other books besides these not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the word of godliness. The Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Sirach, and Esther, and Judith, and Tobit, and that which is called the Teaching of the Apostles, and the Shepherd.”

As a young man, Athanasius also writes an important document, “On the Incarnation”. Again, as many of the other ancient writings, it explains the fundamentals of the Christian faith and the great importance of the incarnation of Christ.

Read Athansius’ On the Incarnation

Quotes from On the Incarnation: