RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 3_CHURCH: HISTORY, DOCTRINE AND STRUCTURE

Module 19: The Early Church (1st to early 4th Centuries)

Introduction
The Church is born out of God‟s plan to raise up men to share in His divine life by
calling all men through Jesus, His Son. The Father determined to call together in a holy
Church those who should believe in Christ (cf. CCC 759). Jesus, then, inaugurates His
Church by preaching the Good News. He gathers disciples and from them, He chooses
twelve, with Peter as head. Jesus has given the Apostles the Apostles the power to teach,
sanctify, rule and guide the members of the Church.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, the students are expected to:
1. Know the beginnings of the Early Church
2. Understand how the Church came to be
3. Strengthen his faith through the examples of the martyrs of the early Church
Learning Content
Lesson 1_The Birth of the Church_Apostolic Foundation
The Church began in or around the year AD 30/33 in Jerusalem on the day of
Pentecost. Pentecost day was the coming down of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the
Apostles. The evangelist Luke, writer also of the Book of Acts of the Apostles, makes
Pentecost the birthday of the universal Church.
This is the narration of Pentecost event
according to the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles 2: 1-4 ------ “1 When the day of
Pentecost came, they were all together in one
place. 2 And suddenly out of the sky came a
sound like a strong rushing wind and it filled the
whole house where they were sitting. There
appeared 3 tongues as if of fire which parted and
came to rest upon each one of them. 4 All were
filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak other
languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.”
The Apostles announced the good news to their countrymen that Jesus who has been
sent by God and crucified as a criminal, was alive. God had raised him up. He was the
Savior, the Messiah, awaited down the generations among the people of Israel.
The apostles, with the Virgin Mary and some other disciples, were at prayer in the
Cenacle, when the Holy Spirit came to rest on them like tongues of fire. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak foreign languages. Their listeners were
amazed and asked one another: All these men speaking are Galileans. How does it happen
that each of us hears them in his own native language? Some laughed and said: They
have been drinking too much wine! (Acts2:13). Then, Peter stood up and addresses them
in a loud voice, “Men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what
I say. These men are not drunk, they have received the Holy Spirit promised by the
prophets. Jesus the Nazarene, whom you had crucified, is risen from the dead.” Hearing
this, the people were cut to the heart and they asked: Brothers, what must we do? Peter
answered: You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. That very day,
three thousands were added to their number.
The believers in the early Church remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles to
the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. They sold their possessions
and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. They
went to the Temple every day but met in their houses for the breaking of bread. They
praised God and were looked up to by everyone.
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Stephen, the first Martyr

Some Jews with Aramaic background were joined in the community by other from a
Greek background, Hellenists. Quarrels developed between the two cultural groups. So
just as the Twelve Apostles were appointed to look
after the „Hebrew‟ community seven men were
appointed for the Hellenist community.
Stephen, one of the first deacons, launched an
indictment against the Judaism of Jerusalem. He
began to work great miracles with the power of the
Holy Spirit. To the Jews who accused him of
blasphemy, he replied: “You stubborn people, you
are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your
ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted?”
The Jews were infuriated when they heard this and decided to stone him to death. There
was here a young man called Saul, who entirely approved the killing. Stephen knelt down
and said: Lord Jesus, received my spirit; do not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:59).
And with these words he died. Thus, St. Stephen was the first to follow Jesus in his
passion and death and he became the first martyr in the Church as he gave witness to his
faith in Christ Jesus.
Lesson 2_ Saints Peter and Paul
Saint Peter
Jesus appointed Peter as the first Pope when he declared: “You are Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the
Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
After the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus,
Peter healed a crippled man from birth. The Acts of the
Apostles narrated the story that one day, Peter and John were
going up to the Temple, for the prayers. At the gate there
was a lame man, crippled from birth, who begged from them.
Peter said to him: I have neither silver nor gold, but I will
give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazarene, walk! (Acts 3:5) Instantly he began to walk and to
praise the Lord.
Peter baptized also Cornelius, a Roman centurion residing in Caesarea. Cornelius
was told by an angel to fetch Peter to Jaffa and to listen to him. Peter was still speaking
when the Holy Spirit came down on all the listeners, who were then baptized. Some
Christian-Jews protested that Cornelius, being a pagan, should have been first circumcised.
Eventually the problem was discussed at the Council of Jerusalem (49 A.D.), where Peter
declared that those converted from paganism were exempted from circumcision and other
Jewish practices. After that, Peter went to preach the Gospel in Rome.
Saul (Saint Paul)
Saul, a zealous Pharisee from Tarsus, was bitterly persecuting the Church. On his
way to Damascus, (35 A.D.), there came a light from heaven that
threw him to the ground. Then, a voice said: “Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?” When he got up he was blind and was brought
to the city. When he got up he was blind and was brought to the
city. Three days later, a certain Ananias entered the house, laid his
hands on him, and said: Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord
Jesus so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit (Acts 9:18). Then he was baptized.
Saul, renamed Paul, travelled extensively around the
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Mediterranean Sea and Greece, preaching the Good News with unrivalled enthusiasm.
Abandoning his Jewish origins and traditions, he concentrated on Christ‟s Good News,
thus alienating many Jews. On his last visit to Jerusalem he was arrested. Being a Roman
citizen, he demanded to have his case decided by the emperor himself.
Paul founded many Churches, to which he wrote several letters. In the evening of
his life he wrote: The time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the
end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
Death of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
In 64 A.D, Rome was devastated by fire. A persistent rumor spread that Emperor
Nero was the incendiary. To shift the blame, he accused the Christians and began
persecuting them. St. Peter was
brought to the Vatican Hill for
execution. Considering himself
unworthy to die like the Lord, he
asked the soldiers to crucify him
downward. His body was buried
nearby. St. Paul was beheaded
along Via Ostiense and was
interred a few kilometers away. Three centuries later, two
majestic basilicas were built over their shrines.
Lesson 3_ Persecutions in the Church: The Time of the Martyrs
Real religion is not only worth living for, it is worth dying for. The history of the
Church is filled with stories of heroic Christians who chose martyrdom to witness their
faith in Christ. In the first three centuries of the Church, thousands of Christians paid with
their lives for their faith in Christ. They are called martyrs. Martyrs are those who die
under a form of torture and they gave witness to their faith in Jesus who is their only Lord.
Some Roman Emperors terrorized and brutalized the Church which caused the death
of thousands of Christians. But the persecution of the enemies of the Church was a
crowning glory for the Christian martyrs, for through it, they proved to be faithful to Christ
even at the point of death. Some of the persecutors of the Roman Empire are the
following:
1.) Emperor Nero, the first imperial persecutor
In 64, Rome suffered a terrible fire that burned for six days and seven nights
consuming almost three quarters of the city. The people accused the Emperor Nero for the
devastation claiming he set the fire for his own
amusement. In order to deflect these accusations
and placate the people, Nero laid blame for the fire
on the Christians. The emperor ordered the arrest
of a few members of the sect who, under torture,
accused others until the entire Christian populace
was implicated and became fair game for
retribution. As many of the religious sect that could
be found were rounded up and put to death in the
most horrific manner for the amusement of the
citizens of Rome. According to the historian
Tacitus: “In their (Christians) very deaths they
were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and
worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned,
burned to serve for the evening lights..." According to tradition, Peter and Paul are
thought to be victims of Nero.
2.) Emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.)
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A second cruel persecution occurred with emperor Domitian (81 A.D.) With the
pretext of restoring the pagan religion. He accused the Christians of atheism and executed
a multitude of them.
3.) Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.)
Christians were persecuted and killed during the reign of Emperor Trajan. In his
famous letter to his officer Pliny (112 A.D), Emperor Trajan stated this principle:
Christians are not to be sought out. Those who are accused but offer sacrifice are to be
dismissed: those who confess that they are Christians and refuse to sacrifice are to be
executed.
During this period, admirable in his faith was St. Ignatius of Antioch, who died a
martyr‟s death. He was fed to the lions. On
his way to Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch
said: “I die willingly for God, I will be food
for beasts, which are the means of my way
to God.”
4.) Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180
A.D.)
Marcus Aurelius disliked the
Christians. There was no systematic
persecution of them during his reign.
Christians were punishable but not to be
sought out. During the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius occurred the famous martyrdom
at Lyon, France in 177 A.D. A small band of Christians, were arrested and tortured by
Roman authorities for allegedly participating in acts of incest and cannibalism. Following
the trial, some of the victims were beheaded; others were tortured to death in prison; still,
others were used as gladiatorial entertainment in the local amphitheater. Afterward, the
Romans placed the heads and bodies on public display for six days. Afterward, the bodies
were cremated and swept them into the Rhone River.
5.) Emperor Septimus Severus (193-213 A.D.)
Emperor Septimus tried to stop the growth of marginal religious groups by
forbidding conversion to Judaism or Christianity on pain of severe punishment. In other
words, the catechumenate was illegal, and Christians were rounded up by the police. That
is undoubtedly the reason for the martyrdom of Saints Felicity and Perpetua – the story
about them tells that they are catechumenate and were baptized in prison (203 A.D.).
6.) Emperor Decius (249-251 A.D.)
Emperor Decius wanted to be certain that the citizens remained loyal to him. They
all had to sacrifice to the gods of the empire and obtain a certificate (250). To find out the
Christians, he ordered all inhabitants of the empire to perform some acts of pagan worship.
Those who refused were deprived of their goods, imprisoned, burned to death or beheaded.
There was a general persecution of Christians and many of them suffered
martyrdom although there were also a good number of those who performed the sacrifices.
7.) Emperor Valerian (253-260 A.D.)
Emperor Valerian tried to unite the empire against the Persians. Christians seemed
to him to be an alien body. In 257 A.D., the emperor took measures against the clergy,
and prohibited worship and meeting in the cemeteries.
In 258 A.D., those who refused to offer sacrifices
were put to death.
Saint Lawrence, the deacon, suffered
martyrdom during this period. When St. Lawrence
was informed of his imminent execution, he gladly
gave the money of the Church in his possession to the
poor of Rome. He was then stripped and thrown upon
a flaming gridiron. He even teased his executioners saying: “Let my body be turned: one
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side is cooked enough.” Before giving up his spirit, he prayed for the conversion of Rome.
8.) Emperor Diocletian (285 A.D.)
The last and greatest persecution occurred under Diocletian. Diocletian came into
power in 285 A.D. He undertook the complete restoration of the imperial administration.
He divided the empire into four, with two emperors in the East, himself and Galerian, and
two emperors in the west, Maximian and Constantius Chlorus. The government seemed to
control in a totalitarian police state. The emperor wore a diadem and carried a scepter, and
every loyal citizens was expected to „adore‟ him.
The refusal of some Christian soldiers to take part in the ceremonial emperor worship
upset Diocletian. For Galerian, Christianity endangered old and traditional society. From
303 until 304 A.D., edicts came one after another, each more severe than the last:
destruction of sacred books, destructions of places of worship, legal confiscation of the
property of Christians, general sacrifice, banishment to the mines or sentence of death.
How these edicts were applied varied greatly from one region to another. In the east, in
the areas under Galerian, persecution was very severe and very long – almost continuous
from 303 – 313 A.D.
Under the reign and persecution of Emperor
Diocletian., Saint Agnes was martyred. According to
tradition, Agnes was a beautiful girl, about 12 or 13 years
old, who refused marriage, stating that she could have no
spouse but Jesus Christ. Her suitors revealed
her Christianity, which was then condemned as a cult, and
in punishment she was exposed in a brothel. Awed by her
purity and presence, all, but one of the Roman youths, left
her untouched; in his (the Roman youth) attempt to violate
her, the sole attacker was miraculously struck blind,
whereupon Agnes healed him with prayer. Later, after
refusing to renounce her faith, she was beheaded during the
persecution of the Christians by the Roman
emperor Diocletian. She said to those about to behead her:
“You may stain your sword with my blood, but you will
never be able to profane my body, consecrated to Christ.”
And she went to the place of execution more cheerfully
than others who go to their wedding.

Learning Resources

Christian Community Bible. Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines: Claretian

Publications, 1986.
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/5-prayers-to-pray-for-your-church.html

Comby, Jean. How to Read Church History, volume 1(From the beginnings to the fifteenth
century). Tottenham Road, London: SCM Press Ltd, 1985.

https://www.britannica.com/

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/christians.htm

McBride, Alfred. The Story of the Church, peak moments from Pentecost to the Year 2000.
USA: Alfred McBride, 1983.

My First History of the Church. Parañaque, Metro Manila: Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate
Quality Catholic Publications, 1997.
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