The Early Church

Church History

Church History (1)

The Church is the community of believers. The believers in the Old Testament form the Church of the Old Covenant, and the believers in the New Testament form the Church of the New Covenant.

When did the Christian Church begin?
Some think that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. However, since the Church is the Body of Christ and He is the Head, then the Christian Church began with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church. The first Christian is the Virgin Mary, for as Elizabeth said to her: “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45). And what was told to her by the Lord? It was said: “Therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

The first Christians, besides the holy Virgin, were Joseph the Carpenter, who believed what was told him by the Lord, and also the family of John the Baptist. John believed while still in his mother’s womb, “and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). He leapt with joy to greet Christ. Elizabeth also believed, for she said to the Virgin Mary: “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). Thus she believed that the Virgin is the Mother of her Lord, and she became a member of the holy Church.

Later, John the Baptist publicly declared his faith in Christ, saying: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world… And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29, 34).

After that, the twelve apostles (Matthew 10) entered the faith, followed by the seventy apostles (Luke 10), and then a group of noble women who ministered to the Lord from their possessions. Others joined the faith as well, such as the household of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, as well as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea—these were among the first members of the believers.

On the day of Pentecost, Christianity began to spread among thousands. About three thousand were baptized that day (Acts 2:41), and later the number of believing men became about five thousand (Acts 4:4). After the ordination of the seven deacons, “the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:6–7).

Characteristics of the Early Church:

1. It worked through the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit was a condition for service. Even for the deacons, it was required that they be “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:5). The Holy Spirit guided and chose the servants (Acts 13:2–3), and through the apostles He performed many miracles (Acts 5:12–16).

2. It was a growing Church: We have already seen examples of this. Its growth began with individuals, then spread to entire cities—such as the faith of Samaria (Acts 8), of Ephesus (Acts 19), and of Antioch (Acts 11), where “the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).

From Jerusalem, the Church spread to Cyprus, Asia Minor, Athens, eastward to Mesopotamia, and southward to Egypt. Thus, in less than thirty-five years after the Crucifixion, Christianity had spread east, west, north, and south, and churches were built as stated in (Acts 9:31): “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”

The Jewish Sects:
The most important of these were the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, priests, and elders of the people. To study these sects, one can refer to the works of Eusebius of Caesarea and also to the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote a detailed history of the Jews.

The Primary References for Church History:

1. The Acts of the Apostles, one of the inspired books of Scripture.

2. Eusebius of Caesarea, who began Church history from the time of Christ and continued until the year 323 AD, thus covering the first three centuries in detail. He is considered one of the greatest historians of the Church, having cited quotations from the early Fathers by name and mentioned the sources he used.

3. Sozomen’s History.

4. Socrates’ History.

The books of these three historians are included in the collection Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Though Eusebius wrote from the beginning of Christ’s history and the environment in which He lived, Sozomen and Socrates wrote starting from the early fourth century and did not cover the first three centuries.

Notes for Studying History:

1. Verify historical events. Do not rely on a single reference, no matter how reputable it may seem. By comparing the accounts of different historians, one can reach the true historical facts.

2. Beware of mixing history with folklore. Folklore includes popular tales that sometimes involve superstitions. Some of these appear in certain hymns and manuscripts. Unfortunately, I have read some of these stories even in liturgical books—such as the claim that a saint ascended to heaven and celebrated the Liturgy there, or that on the feast of a saint, a Liturgy was celebrated in which Christ Himself was present, St. Paul read the Pauline Epistle, St. James read the Catholic Epistle, St. Luke read the Acts, St. Peter read the Gospel, and Christ delivered the sermon. These cannot be called history but folklore. Similarly, the Difenar—a known liturgical book—contains a story about the consecration of the Church of the Monastery of Al-Muharraq, as well as many unverified miracles in the life of St. Takla Haymanot and in the lives of some anchorites.

3. Return to original references. Sometimes a modern writer cites information whose only source is another contemporary writer. It is necessary to verify the original source from which the information was taken, preferably reaching the earliest available references. Many modern history books fail to mention their sources. However, those who studied in universities are accustomed to citing references for historical events.

Famous writers such as Fr. Menassa Yohanna and Bishop Isidorus did not include references in their wide-ranging historical writings.

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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine, Year 27, Issues 17 & 18 (May 28, 1999)

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