Hi

JOHN

M. KELLY

LIBRARY

Donated by

The Redemptorists of
the Toronto Province

from the Library Collection of

Holy Redeemer College, Windsor

University of
St.

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College, Toronto

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j.

|$W.Y REKdk%LIBRARY, WINDSOR

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
EARLY CHURCH.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
EARLY CHURCH.

BY
EEV.
Author of

J.

"Reasonableness

J.

BURKE,

of Catholic Ceremonies

and

Practices.

H>

BALTIMORE:

JOHN MURPHY COMPANY.

1899.

HQIY RE&EEHER

l!BRAR>f$INDSOR

COPYKIGHT,

1899,

BY REV.

J. J.

BtTRKE.

Imprimatur

Hh

JAMES CARDINAL GIBBONS,

Archbishop of Baltimore.

APPROBATION OF BISHOP SPALDING.

PEORIA, ILL.,

MY DEAR FATHER

May

23, 1899.

BURKE:

have examined your little volume on the early Christian

and I feel confident that it will do good. Whatever helps
Lord and of
to make us realize and love the life of Our Divine
His apostles and early disciples, renders us the highest and
I

life

most important service. Your efforts will, I trust, contribute

to this end, and thereby enlighten and comfort many.

Very

sincerely yours,

*J.

L. SPALDING,

Bishop of Peoria.

LETTER OF COMMENDATION FROM THE PRESIDENT

OF

ST.

FRANCIS SEMINARY.
ST. FRANCIS, Wis.,

May

1899.

7,

DEAR FATHER BURKE:

I read your manuscript

Church and must say that

to our Catholic literature.

on the Characteristics of the Early

I consider

it

a very valuable addition

It is calculated to

do good

who earnestly seek the truth.

Wishing you God s blessing for your new work and

people and

to

our

to all

all

your

future undertakings, I remain

Yours

sincerely,

J.

RAINER,
Prest.

Sem.

St.

Francis.

CONTENTS.
PAGE.
xiii

PREFACE,

CHAPTER!. THE PROPAGATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH,

1.

During reign of Tiberius Christ appeared,

2.

Apostles were Jews

3.

St. Peter,

4.

Growth

St.

of

Church

in Spain,

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

....

France,

"

"

7.

8.

Conversion of Constantine,

9.

Early Church and Catholic Church identical,

II.

THE

CONSTITUTION

The

11.

The pope

12.

Bishop from episcopus

hierarchy,

11

OF THE EARLY
12
-

the external bond of union,

14

....

13.

Manner

Priest ranks next to bishop,

15.

Deacons, sub-deacons, minor orders,

16.

History proves existence of hierarchy in primi

of choosing bishops in the early church,

Christ reigns in

His church,

15
16

18

....
-

tive church,

12
14

overseer,

14.

17.

10

CHURCH,
10.

Ireland,

CHAPTER

Britain,
"

"

"

...

Paul,

5.
6.

vii

18
19

CONTENTS.

yiii

PAGE.

CHAPTER
18.

III.

THE FATHERS AND WRITERS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH,

...

Barnabas,

Hermas and Clement,

19.

The

Apostolic Constitutions,

20.

The

Apostolic Canons,

21.

Ignatius, Poly carp

22.

Tertullian, Origen

23.
24.

THE

20

24

and Justin,

TEACHINGS

24

and Cyprian,
Athanasius, Ambrose and Basil,
Chrysostom, Augustine and Cyril,

CHAPTER IV.

20

OF

26
29

34

EARLY

THE

37

CHURCH,
25.

The Church and

26.

The Sacraments,

38

the Bible,

41

49

27.

Sacramentals,

28.

Other Characteristic Catholic Doctrines,

51

CHAPTER V. THE LITURGY OF THE EARLY CHURCH,

29. The Mass the center of Worship,
-

Missa Catechumenorum

31.

Ancient liturgies agree on principal doctrines,

32.

The

liturgy of St. James,

33.

The

liturgy of St.

34.

The

liturgy of St. Peter,

35.

Legem

CHAPTER VI.

et

Mark,

Fidelium,

59
-

59

60

62

credendi lex statuit supplicandi,

64

THE CATACOMBS AND THE EARLY

65

CHURCH,
36.

56
57

30.

56

65

...

66

Sixty different catacombs around Borne,

37.

Origin of catacombs,

38.

Catacombs during persecutions,

67

CONTENTS.

ix
PAGE.

39.

Koman

catacombs and Catholic teachings,

Catacomb

of St. Callixtus,

45.

The

46.

Both of these are founded on the Apostles Creed,

The Athanasian Creed, -

THE COUNCILS OF THE

74
74

76
77

Constantinopolitan Creed,

CHAPTER VIII.

72
73

CHAPTER VII. THE CREEDS OF THE EARLY CHURCH,

43. The Apostles Creed,
44. The Nicene Creed,

47.

69

70

41. Christian inscriptions,

42.

40. Paintings,

78
79

EARLY

CHURCH.

83

48.

The Council

49.

The

50.

The second

51.

The

third general Council at Ephesus, 431,

86

52.

The

fourth general Council at Chalcedon, 451,

89

53.

All these Councils were convoked or approved

of Jerusalem in the year 51,

general Council at Nice, 325,

first

84

general Council at Constantinople,

381,

85

by the pope,

CHAPTER IX.

83

90

THE TRIALS OF THE EARLY CHURCH,

92

I.

54.

The

55.

Gnosticism

56.

St.

internal trials

John

92

heresies,

Cerinthians, Ebionites, Docetse,

Gospel a refutation of these heresies,

92
95

57.

The

58.

Manichseism,

...-.--96

59.

Novatianism,

96

Montanists,

95

CONTENTS.
PAGE.
60.

Samosatianism,

97

61.

Donatism,

97

62.

Arianism,

98

99

63.

Pelagianism,

64.

Nestorianism,

100

65.

Eutychianism,

100
II.

66.

The

external trials

first

67.

101

persecutors,

Persecution under Nero,

"

68.

1C2
-

"

Domitian,

69.

"

"

70.

"

"

71.

"

72.

"

"

73.

"

"

74.

"

"

75.

"

"

Adrian,

Marcus Aurelius,

"

Trajan,
-

105

106

107

Emperor

Constantine, in

Decius,

Valerian,

Diocletian,

of the

105

...

"

The conversion

103
104

Maximin,

"

102
103

Septimius Severus,

76.
77.

the Jews the

persecutions

107

the beginning of the 4th Century, practically

ended persecutions,

CHAPTER X.

109

THE TRIUMPHS OF THE EARLY CHURCH,

110

I.

in her pontiffs,

78.

Triumphs

79.

St.

Peter

the

80.

St.

Lmus

the second,

81.

St.

Cletus

the third pope

82.

St.

first

pope,

Leo the Great, 440

-.to

.-

Clement
461 A. D.,

110

111

111

Anacletus,
-

112

113

CONTENTS.

XI
PAQB.

II.

in her Martyrs,

83.

Triumphs

84.

St.

Stephen, the

85.

St.

Domatilla,

86.

St.

Eustachius,

87. St. Felicitas,

first

...
...

116
116

Martyr,

118
119

123

124

88.

St.

89.

St. Cecilia,

125

90.

St.

126

91.

St. Pancratius,

127

92.

Kecapitulation,

128

Lawrence,

Agnes,

PREFACE.
All admit that the Christians of the

and practiced the true

ries believed

Christ, pure

What

first five

centu

religion of Jesus

and undefiled.

a blessing to be so intimately connected with

the Author of all truth and the Source of all grace

What
from

the

disciples

lips

Saviour and His immediate

the Saviour departed hence

all to hear.

(Luke

x., 16).

"He

"

days

is

He com

that heareth you heareth

"

Behold, I

am

with you

xxvm., 20), and was to be taught all

Holy Ghost. "When he the spirit of

(Matt,

truth by the
truth

a repre

left

This representative was to con

tinue to the end of time.

all

He

This representative, His church,

sentative.

Me"

of the

When
manded

a privilege to learn the truths of salvation

come he

will

teach you all

truth"

(John

xvi., 13).

Consequently, the true church of to-day must teach

the same doctrines taught by Jesus Christ and the

church of the early ages of Christianity.

xiii

PEEFACE.

XIV

Certain non-Catholics are just

now making

strong

claims to Apostolic succession.

On

account

this

many

are anxious to study the

teachings and practices of the early church.

Those unable to consult the writings of the Fathers
in the original, or such
Catholics

and

reliable

works as Waterworth
church histories

will,

Faith of
perhaps,

be interested in this brief study of early Christian

it

consult

more bulky volumes, a

is

life.

hoped, give those not having leisure to

It will,

fair idea of the

pagation, organization, writers, teachings,

trials

pro

and

triumphs of the early church.

The primary

object,

however, of the following pages

and clearly as possible that the

teachings and practices of the Catholic Church of
is

to

show

as briefly

to-day are identical with those of the Early Church.

BLOOMINGTON,

ILL., June, 1899.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TEE
EARLY CHURCH.

CHAPTER

I.

THE PROPAGATION OF THE EAKLY CHURCH.

TTS

first

five

centuries

was the golden age of

Christianity.
During that time millions of
Christians received the martyr s crown for steadfast
belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

These doctrines they learned from the authorized

teachers of the church long before the existence and
general diffusion of the New Testament. ^To form

a just estimate of the true church of to-day we must

know something of the early church.)
gain this

We

knowledge from contemporary history and from the

New
1.

Testament.

During the reign of Tiberius

CaBsar, there

appeared among the oldest people of the world a

remarkable personage, a great prophet. His words

and acts are well known.

That Christ really did appear
insignificant portion of the

in Palestine, an

Roman Empire
1

that

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

He

founded a society; that

He

chose disciples and

for three years taught them the truths of

that some of His disciples wrote books

salvation

these are

facts that all will admit.

in the

It is easy to see that the\^factsjiiarratedj

Lfour Gospels,,, the Acts;/ and the few letters; of the
as those narrated by
Apostles are at least as true
most
The
enlightened people
any profane historianj
in existence profess belief in the Gospel truths

and

This has been true of every age

Gospel miracles.
and of every clime.

When

they wrote, the facts

narrated by the evangelists were recent. They could
have been easily denied, if not true. But instead of

denying them, the very Pagans and Jews show by

Indeed
their silence as well as by their words that
this is the Son of God, and these things narrated of
"

Him

are

true."

Christ redeemed us as Teacher, Priest and King.

As teacher, by preaching His heavenly doctrine;

as priest, by the sacrifice of the cross ; and as king,
ruler or pastor, by giving laws and commandments.

He
pastor

gave

this triple office of teacher, priest

and

teaching body of the church,

the

the

to

Apostles and

their successors,

therefore teach all

oration of

me."

when He
"

nations."
"He

Do

"

said,

this in

Going

commem

that heareth you, heareth

me."

The

society founded

by Christ rapidly grew

in

After His glorious

importance.
Ascension the Apostles returned to Jerusalem and

numbers

and

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

remained ten days
Gospel
St.

^C
north

to

in

prayer until the coming of the

Then they

Holy Ghost.

separated to preach the

every creature.

Andrew penetrated
St. Thomas turned

the frozen regions of the

his face towards the east ;

James dared the dangers of the west; others

went to various portions of Europe, Asia and Africa

f-St.

while the intrepicMPeter, after laboring some time in

Asia, entered the imperial city of the Ca3sars.

At

his fir4_sermon in tIeusaleja_Peter converted

three thousand persons.

Paul was soon converted
and received the mission to convert the Gentiles.

After the Apostolic age the growth of the church

due principally to the bishops. St. Gregory

Thaumaturgus is an example of this. When he

is

became bishop, he found onjy seventeen Christians^

and when he died there were only seventeen who
were not Christians in his diocese.

The most
Antioch.
before

he

Euodius.

influential

St.

church of Asia was that of

Peter was the

went

first

bishop of this

see,

Rome.

His successor was

The successor of Euodius was St. Ignatius,
to

who

suffered martyrdom about the year 117 A. D.

In Syria were founded the flourishing churches of
Seleucia, Beroea, Cyrus and Samosata, while in

Phenicia were those of Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Ptolemais and Tripolis.

In Asia Minor, Ephesus and Smyrna rapidly grew

into prominence as Christian communities

as also

did Laodicea, Colossa and

Hierapolis in Phrygia.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

In the beginning of the second century, Pliny

said that the superstition called Christianity was
in Bithyuia.
rapidly spreading
Christian church was established at Edessa in

the year 288, and in various parts of Mesopotamia

about the beginning of the fourth century. Even in

the island of Cyprus there were three bishops before

the Council

ofyNice in^25.

The

first

bishop of

Alexandria was^JarV<he Evangelist. Mark is

sometimes called ^Fphn Mark/^Pe accompanied Paul
and Barnabas to Antioch and Cyprus. He after

wards went

to

Rome where

he labored for some time

with the Prince of the Apostles and

wrote his

Gospel.
St. Peter sent his disciples from Rome to found
other churches, as his glorious successor Leo XIII.

does at the present time.

Peter sent

Mark

into

Egypt and appointed him bishop of Alexandria.

The church made such wonderful progress

in

Alexandria that the Pagans resolved to put St. Mark

This they did by cruelly dragging his
to death.
mangled body over rough stones until he expired on
the 25th day of April, 68 A. D.
In the year 235 a council of the bishops of Africa

was held and was attended by twenty bishops.

Twenty-one years afterwards, when St. Cyprian
was bishop of Carthage, another was held at which
Caxthage soon became
eighty-seven were present.
the principal African bishopric.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Christianity grew so rapidly that in the beginning

of the third century Tertullian said that the Chris
tians outnumbered the Pagans.

The twelve Apostles were Jews.^ They were

at first inclined to confine their labors among their
own people. To St. Paul more than to any one man
2.

is

St.

the rapid propagation of the early church due.

Paul before his conversion was known as Saul..

He

was born

at ^Tarsus, in Cilicia in
j

Western Asia

about ten years after the Saviour

s birth.
According
Jewish law that every male Je\y should learn
some useful trade, he learned that of tentmaker and
for some time supported himself
by his trade.

to the

He studied the law and the prophets, the books

of the Old Law, at Jerusalem.
Gamaliel, the most
learned rabbi of the time, was his teacher.
Saul
belonged to the sect of Pharisees and took a leading
part

in

When ^gt.
persecuting the Christians.
first Christian
was
sinned to
martyr,

Stephen, the

death Saul was one of the principal instigators of

that cruel deed.
Shortly afterwards he was going
to

Damascus

to search for

Christians in order to

bring them before the Jewish courts when he was

miraculously converted.
After his conversion he was known as Paul. He
became a most zealous promoter of Christianity,
preacher and an apostle, a doctor of the Gentiles in
faith and truth."
"a

About the year 45

mission.

He

Paul began his first great

started from Antioch with Mark and
St.

CHARACTERISTICS

Barnabas.
sea.

He

OJP

THE EARLY CHURCH.

travelled four years over land and

established Christian churches in the

They

Island of Cyprus and in many places in Asia Minor.

He ordained priests and bishops to instruct and

govern the new congregations.

About the year 51 St. Paul attended the
Christian Council at Jerusalem.

first

After this he

set

out on his second great missionary tour.

During
this time he spread the faith in other portions of
Asia, Macedonia and in Greece.
He visited Athens, the center of art, science

and

refinement.

When the learned Athenians heard the earnest

words of the inspired Apostle many of them believed.
Among them was Dionysius, one of the most cele
brated
who, it is believed, was afterwards known
as St. Denis,

first

Apostle of France.

Many, how

first bishop
ever, contend that Denis, the Areopagrte,
two
of Athens, and Denis of Paris were
separate

persons.

During the course of his third missionary tour

Paul spent some time in Ephesus. He was
arrested by the Jews and spent two years in prison
in Cesarea and two years in Rome.
Having been
set at liberty he probably went to Spain. Returning,
he founded many churches in Crete and other places,
St.

and finally, about the year 67, joined St. Peter in

Rome. After preaching to the Pagans of Rome and
converting many of them, he and St. Peter were
thrown into the Mamertine prison.

CHAEACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Finally, the time came for him to receive the crown

On the same day that Beter^, the
of martyrdom.
chief pastor, was crucified,,, head downwards^ Paul

was dragged from prison to the Ostian road and

This occurred during Nero s persecution,

.beheaded.

June 29, G7 A. 1).

(St. Paul contributed more than any other Apostle
to carry the faith far and wide.} The clearness of
his logic and the eloquence of his preaching were
powerful in removing error and spreading truth.
3.
St. Peter, who suffered martyrdom the same
Paul was beheaded, was believed by the
early Christians, and his successor has always been
believed to be the chief bishop and head of the
day that

St.

Christian Church.

After

Our Lord

the Gospel in

ascension, Peter having preached

many places in Judea, Cappadocia
s

and Galilee, went

episcopal see.
years.

He

to

Antioch and established an

remained

at

Antioch about seven

About the year 42 he went

to

Kome and

established the center of the Christian Church.

Peter governed the church of

Rome

St.

for twenty-five

years.

That the early Christians looked upon St. Peter

as chief Pastor; of the whole church may be seen
from the following

facts.

After

Our Lord

ascension

he took the lead in every important matter.

>

presided at the election of Mathias to fill the place

made vacant by the defection of Judasj he .was the
first

to address the multitude after the descent of the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Holy Ghost; he

presided over the

first

Christian

Council at Jerusalem, and his name always stands

first in the catalogue of the Apostles, given by the
Evangelists, thus showing that the A^ostksjthemselves
St.

acknowledged hjs_4)rimacy.
Cyprian, in

the

third

century, writing

De

shows clearly what the belief of the early

church was when he says,. the primacy is given to
Peter, that the church of Christ may be set forth as
Unitate

"

one."

St.

Peter established at

Rome

the seat of eccle

power. Ever since his time Rome has

been the center of Christianity. The young church,
siastical

baptized in the blood of the great Apostles, Peter

and Paul, grew rapidly.

In the third century, besides her chief bishop, the
Other Italian cities
pope, Rome had 150 priests.
could also boast of large and influential congrega
tions.
4.
^The mustard-seed scattered by St. Paul in
Spain grew and flourished. ; As early as the middle
of the third century there were bishops at Cordova,

Toledo, Leon, Tarragona and Elvira, having under

hundreds of priests and

their spiritual jurisdiction

thousands of faithful followers of the Saviour.

At

of Elvira, in 306, nineteen Spanish

were
bishops
present.
5.
There were flourishing churches at Lyons and

the Synod

Vienne
Irenseus

France in the second century.

went from Asia to France about the

in

St.

close

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

of the second

century, labored effectually for the

propagation of Christianity, became bishop of Lyons

and shed his blood for the faith in the year of Our

Lord 202.

The young church

in

after

rapidly, especially
Clovis in 496.

France, or Gaul, grew

the conversion of King

6.
The glad tidings of the Gospel reached the
Britains at an early age.
At the Council of Aries,
in 314, the
bishops of York, London and Lincoln

were

in attendance.

About

the middle of the

fifth

century, however, the pagan Anglo-Saxons almost

destroyed the church in that country. The following
century Pope Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine

with forty missionaries to revive the faith almost

extinguished by the Pagans.
In Ireland, St. Patrick preached the truths of
7.
Christianity early in the fifth century. He was sent

by Pope Celestine. His efforts were abundantly

by Heaven. In a few years the whole
So numerous
people became faithful Catholics.

blessed

were the holy and learned men who went from Ire
land to convert other people, that she became known
as

thei^sland of

Saints.

In other countries the Christian

religion was
was moistened
by the blood of many martyrs immolated to their
false gods.
But Ireland furnished a glorious excep
tion. (Her great apostle labored undisturbed in his

not established until after their

holy vocation for thirty years.)

soil

He was

so successful

10 CHAEACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

in his teaching, that in thirty years he firmly laid
the foundation of that faith which centuries of

persecution have been unable to undermine.

At the beginning of the fourth century the
8.

conversion of the
to

the

church.

Emperor Constantine gave peace

The emperor requested Pope

the first
Sylvester to convoke the Council of Nice,
much
of
first
council
the
and
general council

importance since the Council of Jerusalem in the year

At the Council of Nice in the year 32^ so
51.
}

numerous had the Christians become, that 318^

Hositis, a legate of Pope
bishops were present.
Sylvester, presided.

Arius,

who

denied the Divinity

of Christ, was condemned by this Council.

The Council of Constantinople in 381 was the
*

The next general council

Yfa tk second general council.
was that of Ephesus. It was convened by order of
Celestine in ,431 A. D.
Nearly 300, bishops
were at this council, some say 274. The most
important event of this council was the condemnation

Pope

{/

of the heretic Nestorius and the declaration of the

^doctrine

thatQ|j^

Alexandria presided at
pf

Cjrjlof

this council as representative

tfr

Mention

is

made of

these councils here not only

show the rapid propagation of the early church,

but also to show that the general councils of the
primitive church were convoked by order of the
pope just as was the last council of the Vatican in

to

the nineteenth century.

CHAEACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 11

9.
From this brief review it will be readily seen
that the rapid propagation of early Christianity is
an historical fact that cannot be denied, and that the
first five centuries and the Catholic
Church of to-day are identical. For the bishop of
Rome was head of the church then as he is at the

church of the

present time. He convened the ecumenical councils.

He sent Patrick, Augustine and other missionaries
to convert the heathen.

aries

Everywhere the mission

were most successful.

God

blessed their labors.

Induced by no earthly considerations, led on by the

hope of no temporal reward, undaunted by the fear
of ignominy, the rich and the poor, the old and the
young, the learned and unlearned, the Jew and the
Gentile, meekly bowed their heads to the yoke of
Christ and followed a crucified God.
When we

remember
the church
life itself,

that to follow Jesus in these early ages of

was to lose everything, and often to lose

we cannot but

be lost in admiration at this

wonderful propagation of the church, and with one

of the early fathers exclaim
Either the Catholic
"

Church was founded by means of miracles or

not.

If

it

it

is

Divine.

it

was

Because no one but

was,
can perform or authorize a miracle.
If it was
Because such a rapid propagation
not, it is Divine.
of truths so repugnant to the natural inclinations of

God

man would

be the greatest of

all miracles."

In either case this wonderful propagation, this

rapid growth of the early church unanswerably

shows

its

Divinity.

CHAPTER

II.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE EAKLY CHUKCH.

"\I7~E

have considered the wonderful growth of the

We will now examine its early organ

church.

ization as an institution. Its

characteristic

is

most noticeable exterior

the hjerarch^.

the hierarchy is meant the organization of

degrees, ranks and orders among the ministers of the

CBy

The hierarchy

^church.

For we

is

of Divine appointment.

find that various grades of dignity

among

At the
the clergy existed even in Apostolic times.
head of the clergy may be found Peter and his
successors, the bishops of

The

Rome.

clergy were divided into bishops, priests and

deacons.
10.

The

writers of the early church

tell

us that

^bishops have in the church the office of teacher,

priest

and

other

sacraments.

their ordinary power they

and administered the
ordained
preached, governed,
ruler.

By

Priests

preached,

officiated

at

Mass and administered the sacraments, except Holy

Orders and Confirmation.

Deacons

assisted

priest in his various duties; but deacons

officiated

and

priests

only by the authority of the bishop.

12

the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 13

The

order of sub-deacon and minor orders were

added

to the other orders

by the church

at an early

date.

(PH

the banks of Genesareth Jesus Christ chose

Peter as His vicar.J As the pontiff is not omnipresent,

Peter and the other Apostles imposed hands upon
others as the needs of the growing church demanded ;
and these bishops ordained priests who were given
the same authority in their parishes as the Pope had

over the whole world or the bishop in his diocese.

The Apostles were to teach with the power and
authority of

God

"

As

the Father sent

Me,

I also
7

Go, therefore, and teach all nations.

you."
This teaching was to continue to the end of time.
Behold I am with you all days, even to the
consummation of the world." Since the Apostles
send

"

"

were not to exist till the end of time, since they

actually died before the consummation of the world,
it remains as a necessary consequence that this teach
ing has been continued by their successors, the
bishops and priests of the Catholic Church.
The Apostles understood that it was by a living,
teaching ministry this work was to be carried on.

For we

find

it

recorded in the fourteenth chapter of

the Acts that, after Paul and Barnabas had been

instructing the people of Iconium and Lystra for

some

time, they

church
St.

"

"ordained

priests for

them

in

every

and then went elsewhere.

Paul

instructed

Timothy

things he heard from him

"

to

commend the
men who

to faithful

14 CHARACTERISTICS OF
shall be

fit

to teach

THE EARLY CHURCH.

Paul consecrated Titus

others."

bishop of Crete for the express purpose of ordaining

other bishops and priests that the ministry might be
perpetuated.

That the

11.

religious society

founded by the

Saviour might have an external bond of union, He

chose one of the Apostles who was to be its recognized
This was Peter, the rock upon which He
head.

His church. Christ also made Peter Shepherd

nations and gave him the Keys of the King
dom of Heaven.
Scripture clearly teaches that it was the will of
built

of

all

God

that one

His church.

Supreme pastor should preside over

The usage of the Apostolic age and of

succeeding ages confirms this teaching of Scripture.

As

bishops inherit the Apostolic authority and

pope inherits the primacy and prero

Peter
whose successor he is. Xertulliangatives of
in the second century calls the bishop of Rome,
"The
bishop of bishops." jijSt. Cyprian, who lived
office, so the

in

the

Rome
astical

century, says 4he episcopal see of

the chair of Peteiythe center of ecclesi

third
"

is

unity, with

which

all

bishops must be in

communion."

Paul, Ignatius, and others of the first and fol

lowing centuries, point out the essential division of
St.

the clergy into bishops, priests and deacons.

12.
The word bishop is from the Greek
eTTHTKOTros, episcopm,

which means overseer.

early Christians adopted the

__

cu

word

word
The

as the title of the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 15

who had
who had the

church dignitary
orders and
as

chief pastor.
Thus we find that St.

received the highest sacred

authority to rule a diocese

its

of Jerusalem.

bishop

Timothy power
them bishops.

James the Less was the first

St. Paul gave Titus and

to ordain priests,

i.

e.,

he consecrated

The

angels of the seven churches spoken of in the

Apocalypse were the bishopa. Each of the angels

represented a church and was responsible for

\.!his is the office of a bishop.

and morals.

its

faith

Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, was bishop of

The letters of St. Ignatius in the second

Smyrna.

century show that the episcopacy was established in

his time and that he was bishop of Antioch.
St.
Irenseus was bishop of Lyons, France, in the third
century.

Paul

at

He

says in one of his epistles that St.

"the
bishops and the

Miletus convoked

or priests.
in the early church, as in later
times,
was .considered the successor of the Apostles. He

presbyters,"

The bishop

received the sacrament of

Holy Orders in its fullness.

Like the Apostles he could confirm, ordain priests,
and consecrate bishops.
The pope

is

simply a bishop. But he has juris

whole world and all other bishops

diction over the

are in union with

and subject

to

him

as the successor

of St. Peter.
13,

The manner of choosing

church did not

differ essentially

bishops in the early

from that in use at

16 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

As we have

already seen, the first

Titus
and others, were
bishops, Matthias, Timothy,
chosen by the Apostles, some of them after lots were

the present time.

Cyprian, in the third century, tells us that

and
bishops were chosen by the vote of the people
judgment of the bishops of the province. In many
cast.

St.

cases the bishops alone chose the bishop.

The Council of Nice, in the fourth century, decreed,

or recommended, that a bishop be appointed by the

arch
bishops of the grovincejTTEe metropolitan, or
which
the
confirm
to
had
the
choice,
right
bishop,

afterwards was reserved to the pope.

In the beginning the bishop, assisted by priests
who lived with him, usually performed the pastoral
fifth centuries the
(During the fourth and
The bishop
formed,
was
present parochial system

duties.

began at that time to charge each individual priest

with the care of a particular portion of the diocese.
14.
Among holy orders that of priest ranks
second

to

that

of

bishop.

Ignatius,

Tertullian,

first five centuries

Origen, Cyprian and others of the
From
the priest.
of
duties
the
mention
frequently

the very beginning he has been looked upon as the

minister of Christ.

Jesus Christ chose the priest that he might aid in

work for which He came upon earth. What a

the

To

aid Jesus Christ in saving souls,

to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice for them, to teach

noble mission

them the truths of

their sins, to

pray

salvation, to loose
for them, to

them from

baptize them, to

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 17

minister to them, and to

fill them with

heavenly
For such a high mission did Jesus Christ

blessings.

choose the priest.

The duties of

the

responsibility great.

are important, his

stands at the Altar of God,

priest

He

where he has the body and blood of Christ entrusted

to him, which he offers for the
He is
people.

empowered to sit in the sacred tribunal of Penance

and say to the penitent,
Thy sins are forgiven
"

thee."

When
journey

the

of

young couple
life

the

priest

first

on the

start out

blesses

their

union.

Through his ministry at the baptismal font children

are made heirs of heaven.
The priest instructs them
and trains them to become good Christians and
good
citizens.
He prepares them to receive the Bread of
Life.

He

erring one.

is

the good Shepherd

leading back the
the dying to make their

He prepares
When dead

last
journey.
the church for them.

to offer the

Holy

he offers the prayers of

of his principal duties is
Sacrifice of the Mass to God for

One

the living and the dead.

These are the duties of the priest
That
to-day.
they were the duties of the priest of the early church
a glance at the
writings of the fathers of the first
five centuries as well

as the
following quotations

from the Apostolic Constitutions will show

"

We

enjoin that a bishop be ordained by three bishops,

or at least by two.
But a priest, as also a
deacon, and the rest of the clergy by one
.

bishop

18 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

but neither priest nor deacon

The

priest

is

to ordain clerics.

is

to teach, to offer (the

Holy

Sacrifice of

the
people ; and
the Mass), to baptize
the
to
and
the bishop
priests."
deacon, to minister to
Deacons constitute the third order of the
15.
Our Lord. They are
hierarchy instituted by
whom the
successors of the seven blameless men
to distribute alms and take care of
Apostles selected
to minister
It is the duty of the deacon
the poor.

and

bless the

"

His duty
at the altar, to baptize and to preach."
at Solemn
a
in
priest
assisting
consists
principally

Mass.

High

other
Besides bishops, priests and deacons, the
are subdeacons, acolytes,
grades of the hierarchy
The last four of
readers and ostiaries.
exorcists,

these are called

minor orders, and the others major

or sacred orders.
16.

If there

clearly proved

is

by

one thing more than another

history,

it is

the fact that these

various degrees or grades of dignity and authority

in the
existed among the ministers of the church

The pope was everywhere recognized as

early ages.
was
head of the universal church ; while the bishop
as head of his diocese and the clergy;
recognized

were subject to his jurisdiction.

The uniform constitution or organization of all
the churches in Christendom show that the episco
pate

is

St.

of Divine institution.
Ignatius,

who

lived at the end of the first

and beginning of the second century,

says,

"Let

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 19

each of you obey his

bishop as Christ did His

Father, and priests as the Apostles, and give honor
to deacons as to God s commandments."

The

various degrees of
dignity

form, as

we have

among

the clergy

what is called the hierarchy.

At its head is the pope. His
power and authority
are spiritual and are derived from heaven.
He is
seen,

the infallible guide and ruler of Christ

kingdom

on earth.
17.
it

Christ built this

He lives and

reigns.

kingdom

for Himself.

In

Notwithstanding opposition

and persecution,
the early ages
tion, he teaches
;

He upholds it now as He did in

He carries on His work of Redemp

His doctrine, promulgates His laws

and administers His sacraments and means of
grace

through the hierarchy and this He will continue to

do until time shall be no more. For He has
prom
ised that the
Holy Ghost shall teach His church all
truth, and that He Himself will abide with her for
;

"

ever,

even to the consummation of the

world."

CHAPTER

III.

THE FATHERS AND WRITERS OF THE EARLY

CHURCH.

CHRISTIANITY

began without the advantages

Its first apostles

of wealth, culture or position.
three or four
fishermen.
unlearned
Only
were poor

in any way
of them, Peter, James and John, were
lives chiefly
Matthew
of
name
the
prominent, while
because he wrote one of the Gospels.
Cst. Paul, one of the greatest minds of any age,
and the
was not one of the twelve/) After St. Paul,

writers
other inspired writers, the most important
were
Barnabas,
first
the
of
century
and fathers
and Clement of Rome ; of the second cen
:

Hermas

and Justin
tury, Ignatius, Polycarp

of the third

and Cyprian ; of the

century, Tertullian, Origen
and Basil of
Ambrose
Athanasius,
fourth
;
century,
and Cyril
the fifth century, Chrysostom, Augustine

of Alexandria.
18.

FIRST CENTURY.

BARNABAS, HERMAS AND CLEMENT.

Barnabas was a companion of St. Paul on some
in Cyprus
of his missionary journeys. He was born
of Jewish parents.

20

He

was one of the

earliest con-

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 21

verts, and, selling his property,

the

common

calls

Christian fund.

u a
good

him

gave the proceeds

St.

man and

Luke,
full

to

in the Acts,

of the

Holy

Ghost."

After Paul
for

some time

ple.

conversion he and Barnabas labored

in

Antioch and converted many peo

They went from Antioch to Seleucia

and thence

to

in

Syria

labors
Cyprus. Everywhere
were crowned with success. While Barnabas was

preaching

mob and

their

at Salamis, in Syria, some Jews raised a

stoned him to death.
His remains were

found near the

city with a

copy of the Gospel of

St.

Matthew, which he had copied himself in Hebrew,

on his breast. His death occurred about the year
73 A. D., and a festival in his honor is celebrated
by the Catholic Church each year on the llth of
June.

He

is

known

this epistle

seems but

on account of an epistle
There is no doubt that

as a writer

which he wrote

in

Greek.

belongs to the apostolic age, and there

little

doubt that

it

was written by Barna

bas, though the church never received

canon of Holy Scripture.

it

into

the

The author of this epistle shows much Hebrew

and Scriptural knowledge and endeavored to con
vince the Jewish converts that the ceremonies of the
old dispensation were abolished by the New Law.
He teaches excellent precepts of morality, empha
sizing particularly the virtues of humility, meek
ness, patience, charity

and

chastity.

His

epistle

22 CHARACTERISTICS OF

shows that the

in apostolic

first

THE EARLY CHURCH.

day of the week was kept holy

time.-;.

JHermas, the author of The Pastor^ was a disciple

This book teaches the doctrine of Pur
of St. Paul.
It is
Catholic doctrines.
gatory, free will and other

Commandments

divided into three parts, Visions,

and Parables.

Hermas

calls the

book Pastor, or Shepherd, from

to him as a shepherd and

who appeared

the angel

whose teachings he professes

to write.

He

assigns

to every one an angel guardian, and a devil \vho_is

recommends prayers, almsgiving and
n tempter
;

other good works; approves a state of continency,

and speaks of the necessity. _of confession^
Clement of Rome is, after the inspired writers, the
of the ecclesiastical writers of the
most

important

first

He

century.

wrote several

epistles,

of which

known.
A.
He was bishop of Rome from 91 to 100
D., suc
Linus who
ceeding St. Cletus, the successor of St.

the two

are the best

epistles to the Corinthians

succeeded St. Peter, the

first

Pope.

He

received a

martyr crown during the third general persecution,

under Trajan, 100 A. D. His festival is celebrated
s

November 23.
The faithful
in trouble.

disputes

Corinth seemed to be continually

St. Paul in his time had to settle some
at

among them.

division

arose

among

them again about the year 96. St. John, the apos
but it devolved upon Clement,
tle, was still living
the bishop of Rome, as successor of St. Peter and
;

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 23

head of the church, to
to

them

able

He

work."

He

settle the dispute

which Eusebius

his epistle

calls

"an

wrote

admir

laments that the Corinthians,

who

formerly were humble and sincere Christians, had

fallen into pride, envy and contentions; and he ex
horts

them

says,

who

is

theirs

who

are humble,

are proud.
Let your children/ he
be brought up in the instruction of the Lord,

not theirs
"

He

pride and anger.

to lay aside all

reminds them that Christ

"

and learn how great a power humility has with God,

how much a pure and holy charity avails with Him,
and how excellent and great His fear

He

is."

them of the resurrection. The

second Epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians
which remains is fragmentary and is rather a sermon
also speaks to

In

than an epistle.
despise this

it

world and

he exhorts the faithful

to

enjoyments and

to

its

false

have heavenly joys always in their thoughts. He

lays down the necessity of subduing our passions
as the foundation of a Christian
It has been

claimed that

life.

St.

Clement was the

author of the Apostolic Constitutions and the Apos

tolic Canons.
While they, perhaps, owe their origin
to a later date, a

word about them here

will not be

inappropriate.
19.
The Apostolic Constitutions are a collection
of regulations consisting of eight books.
Though
they contain many errors, they are valuable sources

of information on
liturgy.

many

points of discipline

and

24 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

They
with the

EARLY CHURCH.

deal with the proper behavior of Christians,

officers and service of the church.
They

also treat of public worship, of the administration

of the sacraments and the duties of the clergy.

The Apostolic Canons are at the end of the

book of the Apostolic Constitutions.
They

20.
last

In

consist of eighty-five rules to guide the clergy.

them we

find the various degrees of the hierarchy

They forbid the mar
bishops, priests and deacons.

They speak of
riage of bishops, priests or deacons.
the
and
administration
of
sacrifice,
altars,
regulate
of Holy Eucharist and Penance.

They

clearly

show

what the Christians of the first and following centu

ries believed to be the discipline established by the
Apostles.

SECOND CENTURY.
21.

IGNATIUS, POLYCARP

AND

JUSTIN.

Ignatius was a disciple of St. John and was the

It is believed that he was
third bishop of Antioch.
the child embraced by the Saviour when He said,
Unless you become as little children you shall not

"

enter the

kingdom of

heaven."

He

suffered

mar

tyrdom about the year 117 A. D. He is, perhaps,

the most interesting personage of the second century.
He is the reputed author of many works, of which
only seven epistles are considered genuine.
These seven epistles of St. Ignatius refute the
errors of his day ; use no testimony but the scrip-

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 25

ture

speak of the Apostolic

the church

gifts still flourishing in

and are quoted by

later writers as the

work of Ignatius.

When
On

Ignatius was arrested he was taken to Rome

to beasts in the Flavian amphitheater.

thrown

to be

way he visited with Polycarp, bishop of

Smyrna. Here he wrote four of his letters, those to
In his let
Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles and Rome.
the

ter to

Rome

he asked the Christians not to use any

influence to prevent his

His

letters

show

martyrdom.

his great zeal, his firm faith

fervent devotion to his Saviour.

They

also

and

show the

In
organization of the church at that early day.
see the various degrees of the clergy.
Bishops are clearly distinguished from priests and

them we

from deacons. \J Hearken to your bishops/

and to the priesthood and to the deacons."
says/"

priests

he

Polycarp, as well as Ignatius, was a disciple of

John the Evangelist. He became the bishop of

St.

Smyrna and was martyred about

the year 169 A. D.

the Philippians is a valuable

Polycarp
epistle
it does the doctrine of the
as
document, showing
Eucharist
that
and
of Holy Orders.
Holy
u And
St. Irenseus says of this epistle,
Poly carp
not only instructed by the Apostles, and associated
s

with

to

many of those who saw our Lord, but also made

bishop of Smyrna, in Asia, by the Apostles whom

we ourselves saw in our early age
There

Poly carp, written to the

from
who wish, and who
which
those
Philippians,

exists a perfect epistle of

26 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

have regard for their salvation, may learn the quality

of his faith, and the preaching of truth."
Polycarp exhorts his readers to avoid heresy and
avarice and to follow the example of the martyr
Polycarp was a pure, true,
Ignatius and others.
sincere Christian, a humble follower of the Master.
Justin, one of the greatest writers of the second
century, was born in Samaria in 105, and suffered

martyrdom
years of

at

Rome

age

in

166 A. D.

he was converted

About the year 145 he wrote

against heretics,

When
to

about 30

Christianity.

polemical

work

especially against Marcion.

His magnificent apology addressed

to

Antoninus

Pius is the most perfect specimen of those early sim

ple but eloquent defenses of Christianity.

He

wrote another apology addressed to Marcus

He

Aurelius.

was a distinguished pagan philoso

younger days, who vainly sought the

truth in the various systems of Greek philosophy.
Finally, his attention was attracted to Christianity.
pher

in

his

Christian, his spirit of truth, of

honesty, of uprightness, of faith, merited for him the

Having become a
martyr

crown.

THIRD CENTURY.
22.

TERTULLIAN, ORIGEN AND CYPRIAN.

Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullithird cen

anus), was a noted controversialist of the

tury.

He

was born of pagan parents

at

Carthage

CHAKACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 27

about the year 150 and died about the year 220
A. D. He was a learned lawyer who, about the
year 190, was converted to Christianity and became

He preached at Carthage, Rome and other

and afterwards joined the Montanists^ a sect

a priest.
places,

of heretics.

Notwithstanding his fall into error, his

works are an authority on the teaching of the early

church.

He was a fearless champion of the church against

one of
Jews and pagans. His "Apologeticus
"

i.s

the best defenses of the church against the pagans.

Among his other writings may be mentioned
"Against

the

Jews,"

"Against

which he shows that matter

ted

by God;

"On

is

Baptism";

Hermogenes," in

not eternal, but crea

"On

The Resurrec

of these and in about twenty other

tion";
books we see that the teaching of the early church
in

all

did not differ materially from that of the Catholic

Church of to-day. Tertullian was a man of great

eloquence and deep learning.

account
of his great industry, was
J3rigen,on
called "Tn"e"man of iron."
He was born in Alex

ability, persuasive

andria about the year 185 and died from the effects
of imprisonment, at Tyre, in the year 249.

When but. 18 years of age he succeeded Clement

7
of Alexandria in the professors chair, and, although
he fell into some errors, he won for himself immortal
fame

for

of,

and explaining

his learning

and eloquence,

maintaining the purity

the Scriptures.
In the year 212,

by

28 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

he converted Ambrose, who afterwards became a

great writer and doctor of the church.

Some of the

writings of Origen were philosoph

some controversial and some practical. Many

of them are lost.
Those that remain are, "On

ical,

a
Prayer,"

On

Principles,"

"On

Martyrdom,"

Against Celsus," and the Hexapla and Octapla.

The Hexapla was an edition of the Old Testament
"

in 6 different

columns, the Octapla in 8 different

versions in parallel columns.

His most celebrated work is his apology for Chris
tianity contained in the eight books
Against Cel
"

It is regarded as the most complete defense

of Christianity that appeared in the early ages of the
church.
sus."

His

zeal for the church, his great learning, his

wonderful industry, his able defense of truth, and

his sufferings for it have made him one of the most
remarkable

personages

in

the

history

of

God

church.

He is prin
for
noted
his
defense
of
the
cipally
Unity of the
Church. "All the life and blessings of Christi
^L^Oy^rian was bishop of Carthage.

he writes,
depend on the union of the faith
ful with their bishops, and of all the bishops with
the mother church of Rome."
"

anity,"

Cyprian was born at Carthage of pagan parent

He was a lawyer and a successful teacher of
age.

He was converted by Cecilius, a priest of

about
the year 246 and afterwards devoted
Carthage,
rhetoric.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 29

himself to the study of Scripture and the Christian
He was particularly delighted with the
writers.
writings of Tertullian, whose genius he admired,
while he was careful to avoid his errors.

After his baptism he

made such advancement

in

virtue that the people requested that he be ordained

he
priest ; and, shortly afterwards, in the year 248,

was made bishop of the then important see of Car

thage. On September 16, 258, he received the crown
of martyrdom.
Besides his book on the
St.

Cyprian

tempt of the
"On

principal
"

World,"

Virgins,"

of the

"On
"

Clergy,"

In the

last

On

"

Unity of the Church

"

writings were, "On Con

the Vanity of Idols,"

On

Good Works,

"On

Celibacy

Mortality."

of these he exhorts Christians to imi

martyrs if they wish to go to

There we shall meet with the glorious

tate the saints arid

heaven.

"

choir of apostles, prophets, martyrs and virgins.

There we shall behold the rewards of those who, by

feeding the hungry and aiding the afflicted, have

with their earthly treasure purchased to themselves
7
a treasure in heaven.

FOURTH CENTURY.
23.

ATHANASIUS, AMBROSE AND BASIL.

Athanasius is known principally on account of his

connection with the condemnation of Arianisra~ He
is

one of the great doctors of the Eastern Church.

30 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

Athanasius was born

at Alexandria about the

and
died
On account
May
year 296,
2, 373 A. D.
of his talents and virtue his good Christian parents
St.

were solicitous

procure for him the best education

to

possible.

Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, directed his

him a deacon in 319, took him

studies, ordained

and was guided by

and learning. After the death
of Alexander in 326, Athanasius was unanimously
elected to succeed him.
St. Cyril tells us he was
of
Alexandria
for
46 years, and ruled with
bishop
into his house as his secretary

his prudence, virtue

mildness and firmness.

of him
is

my

"

theme

St. Gregory Nazianzen says

I praise Athanasius virtue itself
for I name every virtue as often as I

When
;

mention him who possessed

all virtues.

He was the

true pillar of the church.

His life and conduct
were the rule of bishops, and his doctrine the rule

of orthodox

faith."

In the year 325, while he was

still

a deacon, he

accompanied Bishop Alexander to the Council of

Nice, where he became conspicuous on account of the
great zeal and learning with

which he combated

Arius and his teachings. His great triumph" over

Arius will be treated more fully in the chapters on
the Councils, and on the trials of the church.

His principal writings were,

"Four

Orations

Discourse Against Pagans,"

On
against Arius,"
the Incarnation," "The Trinity," and on "Vir
"

ginity,"

in all of

"

which he teaches the same truths

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 31

taught by the Catholic Church to-day.

His

style

was strong, clear and elegant.

Four emperors, Constantine, Constantius, Julian

and Valens tried to destroy him. Almost the whole
world turned against him and persecuted him. But
he triumphed over all. He was kind to his en
emies, patient in trials

Like

tions.

his

and courageous in persecu

Model, he was humble,

Divine

modest and charitable.

Ambrose is one of the four great Doctors, or

The others are
Fathers, of the Western Church.
St.
the
Great.
and
Jerome,
Gregory
Augustine,

Ambrose was born in Gaul about the year 340, and

In his youth he studied
died at Milan, 397 A. D.
law and afterwards was governor of one of the
Roman provinces. He ruled with wisdom and
justice.

In the year 374 he was baptized and unanimously

He governed his diocese
chosen bishop of Milan.
He was
with apostolic zeal, firmness and kindness.

His sermons
a true, good and faithful shepherd.
were models of zeal and eloquence. His sermon on
Celibacy shows the antiquity of that Catholic prac
Many of his hymns are still sung in the

tice.

church

for

example, Aeterne rerum Conditor and

Deus Creator omnium.

To

his eloquence

we owe

the conversion of the

Kind
greatest Doctor of the church, St. Augustine.
and charitable to all, he was firm and unbending
when

a principle

was

at

stake.

He

rebuked the

32 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

Emperor Valentinian,

defied

EARLY CHURCH.

Maximus and would

not permit Theodosius to enter the church during

the celebration of Mass until he had done penance

wicked deeds.

for his

In his book on the

"

Mysteries"

St.

Ambrose

gives instructions for the newly baptized, explains

the ceremonies of baptism and confirmation and
clearly explains the doctrine of the

Holy

Eucharist.

He

exhorts the faithful to frequent communion, be

cause the Holy Eucharist is our spiritual bread.

He

wrote

Fasting,"

the

"The

"On

Scripture,"

the

Creation," "On Paradise,"

"

Sacraments,"

On

Commentaries on

etc.

Ambrose tempered

his inflexibility where the

was concerned and authority of a bishop
with kindness and sweetness.
Every one saw that
St.

Divine

Law

his firmness in matters

of duty proceeded from the

tenderest charity.
True charity, that has sincerely
the interests of others at heart, is an essential quali
fication of Christ s ministers.

Basil was Archbishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia.

was one of the four great Doctors of the Eastern

He

Church. The others are Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom.
Basil was born in the year 329 and died in the

He

was an able theologian, an eloquent

His was a holy fam
preacher, and a model bishop.
His father, mother and three of his brothers
ily.

year 379.

were canonized

saints.

One of his

brothers was St.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 33

Gregory of Nyssa, sometimes numbered among the
four great Doctors of the Eastern Church.

In his 35th year Basil was ordained

priest, and
seven years afterwards was consecrated
Archbishop.

His

principal efforts during his life were directed

the divinity of Jesus Christ

towards defending
against the Arians.

Another of his great works was the order of BasMonks which he founded, the rules of which
order were sanctioned
by Pope Liberius. Before
ilian

his death 90,000

monks were following the rule of

the order founded
by him. Historians of that order
claim that it has
given to the church 14 popes,
1,800 bishops and 11,000 martyrs. The rule St.
Basil gave his monks in the East became the
basis

of the great Benedictine order of the West.

his work
against Arianism, St.
The Creation of the World," On the

Besjdes

wroteA^
Ghost,"

"On

Virginity,"

mentaries on the

Bible,"

"On

Morals,"

Basil

Holy

Com

Epistles, eta)

In

his writings he
frequently teaches the neces
of
auricular confession of sins, of
sity
frequent com
munion and other Catholic doctrines.
St.. Basil
was a man of great
learning and
eloquence, combined with deep humility and piety.
He devoted his talents to advance God s
greater
He gave not only his talents but his
glory.
earthly
treasures to God s church and God s
poor, and now
enjoys the infinite treasures of heaven.

34 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

FIFTH CENTURY.
24.

CHRYSOSTOM, AUGUSTINE AND CYRIL OF

ALEXANDRIA.
as an expounder of
Chrysostom was distinguished
Hence
the Scripture and as an eloquent preacher.
the name Chrysostom, which means golden mouth.
was born at Antioch in 347
St. John

Chrysostom
and died in exile in 407 A. D. At 18 years of age
he was practicing law. Shortly after this he was
instructed by Bishop Meletius of Antioch, who bap
tized him and taught him the elements of ecclesias
After some years spent in the study
tical science.
of the Scripture and other necessary branches, John
In the year 397, he was
was ordained a
priest.

Archbishop of Constantinople. Then

He
difficulties began in earnest.
great trials and
untold
suffered
was banished by the cruel emperor,
and died in
hardships, with patience and resignation,
banishment after receiving the Holy Sacrament and
his

elected

"

saying,

Glory be

to

God

for all

things."

John Chrysostom was a voluminous writer.

The Priesthood" is his
Perhaps his work on
In it he speaks of the
known.
best
greatest and
St.

"

Mass, of the purity of

the priest, of his great power of binding and loosing
sins and of the Real presence.
like St. Paul, was transformed
St.

tremendous

Sacrifice of the

Augustine,

from a great sinner into a great

saint.

He

is

CHARACTERISTICS OP THE EARLY CHURCH. 35

model of true penitents.
in Africa, in the year 354

He

was born

at Tagaste,

and died 430 A. D. His

father was a pagan, his mother a Christian.
In his
youth he had the advantages of all the best teachers
of the day.
He was a brilliant but wild and way
ward youth. His mother, St. Monica, was con
stantly praying for him.

Her prayers were answered.

In 386 she had the

unspeakable happiness of witnessing his conversion

to the true Church.
After this he spent some years
in retirement, penance, study

and prayer.

In the

year 390 he was ordained priest and five years after

ward was consecrated bishop of Hippo. He dis

charged the duties of his high

and

zeal

His

Among
Free

office

with apostolic

piety.

writings were numerous and valuable.

the best known are his
On
Confessions,"
"

Will,"

and a

On

the

True

"

Religion,"

in

which

he proves that both authority and reason lead us to

the Catholic Church, which is the
only source of

and happiness.
Cyril of Alexandria was born in

truth, virtue

376 and died in

In the year 412 he was elected bishop
of Alexandria.
St. Cyril of Alexandria was
espe
devoted
to
the
cially
Holy Eucharist and the Blessed

444 A. D.

He

cipal are,

wrote several books, of which the prin

Against Nestorius," On the Sacrifice of

the

"On

Virgin.

"

Mass,"

ity,"

"

and several

Holy

Communion,"

epistles, in

"On

the Trin

which he requests that

36 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

lest anyone die without bap

great care be exercised
tism or the Holy Eucharist or Viaticum.
Such were the great and glorious men whom the
church honors as her writers and fathers.

Other great writers of the first five centuries

were Gregory Thaumaturgus, the great wonder
worker
Lactantius, the finished Latin scholar;
and writer,
Jerome, the great Scripture student
A mere
the church historian.
and
;

Eusebius,

mention of their names will

suffice

here.

Suf

has been said to show plainly what was the

fundamental teachings of the early church.

ficient

that the
Quotations from their writings, showing
that
with
identical
was
teaching of the early church
in
found
be
will
of the Catholic Church of to-day,

the chapter on

The Teachings of

the Early Church.

CHAPTER

IV.

THE TEACHINGS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

three years Our Saviour
publicly taught His
heavenly doctrine in various parts of Palestine.
Some of what He taught was afterwards written by
the Evangelists.
Much of His teaching has come

Tj^OR
*

down

to us by tradition
i. e., it was handed down
word
of
mouth
from
by
generation to generation and
was finally reduced to writing by the fathers and
;

writers of the early church.

The Great Teacher promised that the Holy Ghost

would guide the teaching church in all truth, and
that He Himself would abide with her forever.
This power has ever preserved the church from
error in defining matters of faith and morals.
It is a consolation to the Catholic to know that

the fathers of the church 1400, 1500, 1COO,

1700
1800 years ago taught the same truths we
believe to-day.
They learned them directly from
the mouths of the
Apostles and their immediate
and

successors.

In this chapter will be found brief quotations

from the Scriptures and from the early fathers show
ing that the characteristic teachings of the Catholic

37

38 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

Church to-day are the same taught by the early

fathers and by Jesus Christ Himself.

The teaching of the church on the Sacrifice of the

Mass will be found in the chapter on the Liturgy of
the Early Church.

25.
"

THE CHURCH AND THE

Going therefore teach ye

thew xxviii., 19).

He that hears you hears
"

"

No

BIBLE.

all nations" (St.

Me

"

(St.

Luke

Mat

x., 16).

prophecy [or explanation] of Scripture

is

of

(II. Peter i., 20).

private interpretation
Jesus Christ established His church to teach all
"

nations.

was

He commanded

all

to hear her.

As He

to abide with her forever she could not teach

She teaches that the Bible, rightly understood,

She alone honors Sacred
is the word of God.
She and she alone made the Canon of
Scripture.

error.

the Sacred Scripture.

Not a single book of the

New

Testament was

written until twenty years after Our Lord s ascen

These books were written by different persons,
sion.
It was
for different purposes.
the
of
different
the
Scripture
parts
many years before
were known to Christians in general, and many more

at different times

and

before their genuineness and authority were decided

In the year 397 the Council of Carthage
upon.

which has been the

published a canon of Scripture
canon ever since. Canon means rule. By the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 39

"canon"

which are

of Scripture is meant the

to be received as inspired.

authorized the full

list

list

of books

The

Apostles
of Old Testament books,

including the books of Tobias, Judith, Wisdom,

Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Machabees and the portions

of Esther and Daniel rejected by non-Catholics.

Clement of Rome, Polycarp and Tertullian quote

them

as Scripture.

The canon of

the

New

Testament was not fully

middle of the fourth century.

Augustine in his work on the Christian

settled until the

St.

is

comprised

Moses

Now

the entire canon of Scripture

The five books of
in these books

Doctrine says,

"

to wit, Genesis,

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,

one book of Joshua, the son of Nun ;

one of Judges ; one small tract of Ruth ; next the
four books of Kings and two of Paralipomenon.

Deuteronomy

These books are

a history,

which contains a connected

account of the times and of the order of the events.

There are other books which seem of a different

with the preceding
class, and are neither connected
nor with each other ; such are Job, Tobias, Esther,
Judith, the two books of Machabees and two of
Esdras; next follow the prophetical writings the

Psalms of David, Proverbs, Canticle of

Ecclesiastes,

Wisdom,

Ecclesiasticus

Canticles,

the rest of the

books are properly called prophets, twelve of which

are connected with each other:

Osee, Joel,

Amos,

Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nairn m, Habacuc, SophZacharias, Malachy ; next the four
onias,

Aggeus,

40 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

who have

prophets

Isaias, Jeremias,

left

volumes of greater length,

Daniel and Ezechiel.

[He

included

Baruch with Jeremias as others of the ancient fathers

In these forty-four [45 with Baruch] books is
did.]
comprised the authority of the Old Testament." He
then gives the list of 27 books of the New Testament.

This

list

of

St.

Augustine

is

the Catholic canon of

Scripture.

That private

interpretation of Scripture is wrong

is the only expounder of the

and that the church

Bible was the belief of the early church, in proof of

which we have the words of St. Augustine,
I
would not believe the Gospel unless the authority of
"

the Catholic

Church moved me

to

(Epistle
against the Manichseans.) St. Athanasius says, "All
Scripture, old and new, proceeded from Divine
inspiration."

is

it."

He gives the canon of Scripture which

identical with the Catholic canon.

These few quotations show that the fathers of the

centuries believed that the church is guided

first five

by the Holy Ghost who resides in her and preserves

her from falling into error, that the church alone is
the interpreter of Scripture, that the canon of the
early church is the Catholic canon of Scripture
which contains all the books eliminated by nonthe inspired word of
God, containing many mysterious doctrines surpass
ing human understanding which must be made
Catholics,

known
heaven.

and that the Bible

to us

is

by the church, the

infallible

guide to

CHARACTERISTICS OP THE EARLY CHURCH. 41

THE SACRAMENTS.

26.

The

early Christians

believed that there

were

seven sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ

by which
the merits of His passion were
to
the
soul of
applied
the recipient.

These sacraments are Baptism, Con

Holy Eucharist, Penance,

Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony.

firmation,

Extreme

Baptism.

The

early Christians taught that Baptism was

necessary to salvation and that it was necessary for
all, infants included.
They taught that it remitted

and

original, and that it could not be

Unless a man be born again of water
repeated.
and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the
King
sin, actual

"

dom
to

of Heaven

(John in., 5). "And Peter said

penance and be baptized every one of
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of

Do

them,

you

"

in

your sins

"

(Acts n., 38).

Tertullian says on Baptism,

"

Happy

the sacra

ment of our water, whereby, being cleansed from

our former blindness, we are made free unto eternal
life."

St. Augustine,
writing on Faith, says, "From the
child just born, even to the
decrepit old man, as

none
there

is

to be prohibited

who

does

not

die

from Baptism, so none

to sin

in

Baptism

is

but

infants to original sin only, but older

persons die

42 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

which by living ill
which they derived from

also to all those sins whatsoever,

they have added

their

to that

birth."

Baptism was given either by immersion, pouring

The first of these was most common
or
sprinkling.

Baptism by pouring or effusion

was generally practiced in the West.

in the East, while

Confirmation.

was the custom of the early church to administer

confirmation immediately after Baptism, or as
An early writer says, Seven are
soon as
It

"

possible.

of a bishop: to confirm, to bless, to

to consecrate,
absolve, to hold a synod, to dedicate,
It is his to confirm, to anoint the fore
to ordain.

the

duties

Now
heads of the baptized faithful with chrism."
when the Apostles who were in Jerusalem had heard
"

Word of God, they

and
Peter
them
sent unto
John, who when they
for
were come, prayed
them, that they might receive
For He was not yet come upon
the Holy Ghost,
in the
any of them but they were only baptized
name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands
the Holy Ghost
(Acts
upon them and they received
After this, having come out of the
that Samaria had received the

"

"

Viii.,

laver,

14-17).

we

are anointed with blessed unction

next to this
upon us, through the
the Holy Spirit"
blessing calling upon and inviting
the hand

is

laid

to Smyrna).
(Tertullian, Epistle

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 43

"

St. Cyprian says in his epistle to Januarius

Anointed also must he of necessity be, who is bap

order that having received the chrism, that

the unction, he may be the anointed of God, and

tized, in
is

have within him the grace of Christ."

In a similar way does the successor of the Apostles
administer Confirmation to-day. The bishop extends
his hands over those to be confirmed, prays that they
may receive the Holy Ghost and anoints the fore

head with chrism

in the

form of a

cross, as did the

Christians of the early church and of

all ages.

The Holy Eucharist.

To

the early Christians, as to the Catholics of all

and
ages, the Sacrament of the Altar is the Body
Blood of Christ.
"

And

while they were at supper Jesus took bread

and blessed and broke and gave

and said, Take ye and eat, this is

to

His

My

disciples,
7

Body;

and

He gave thanks and gave to them

Drink
ye all of this, for this is My Blood
saying,
which shall be shed for the remission of sins
Whosoever shall eat of this
(Matthew xxvi., 28).

taking the chalice

"

Bread

or drink

guilty of the

this Chalice

unworthily shall be

Body and Blood of the

Lord"

(I.

Cor.

XL, 26).
For several centuries the Christians hid the lead
ing mysteries of their religion from the Pagans.
Discipline of the Secret."
the
mysteries thus concealed was

This was called

Amongst

the

"The

44 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

doctrine of the

the

Holy

Eucharist.

This accounts for

guarded language used by the early writers

when writing

of

the

Holy

Eucharist.

It .also

charges sometimes made by their

explains
in
their meetings infants were killed
that
enemies,
and their flesh devoured. This referred to the Holy
the

Eucharist

the

Body and Blood of

The

Christ.

doctrine of the Real Presence was not explained,

s
except to the baptized, even as late as St. Augustine
time.
He says in his tract on John that if catechu

mens were asked about

the reception of the

Body

and Blood of Christ they would not know what was

meant.
St.

Augustine also says when asked how often

Christians should receive

"

Holy Communion,

Some

would
some, weekly but for my
say daily
council all to keep peace with the Lord and not
;

receive

Him

part, I

unworthily."

And

St.

Ambrose

said,

Let the faithful hear Mass daily and receive the

Holy Eucharist every Sunday.
"

The primitive Christians not only believed that

Jesus Christ is really and truly present in the Holy
Eucharist, but received

Him

in

Holy Communion

It was only after the lapse of centuries

frequently.
that the church had to pass a law directing her luke

warm

children to receive at least three times a year,

Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, which law was

afterwards modified limiting the number of times

the faithful must receive to at least once a year
Easter time.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 45

Good Catholics, at all times, frequently receive

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Blessed

their

Sacrament of the Altar.

Penance.
Auricular confession as practiced in the Catholic

Church was taught by Jesus Christ and practiced

by the Christians of the first five centuries. They
believed that besides confession, contrition and
satisfaction

were necessary for the forgiveness of

sin.

Amen I say unto you, whatsoever you shall

bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven,
and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be
"

loosed also in

(Matthew xvm., 18).

Me, I also send you.

heaven"

the Father hath sent

He

had said

this,

He

breathed upon them,

"As

When
and He

said to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins

you shall forgive they are forgiven them ; and

whose

you shall retain they are retained

(John xx., 21, 22 and 23).
sins

"

St. John, who is a witness of the practices of the

church in the first and second centuries, says in the
first

He

chapter of his epistle,

is

faithful

and

cleanse us from all

"Confession

is

"If

we

confess our sins,

just, to forgive us
7

iniquity/

St.

made with inquiry

our

sins,

and

to

Cyprian says,
into the life of

doing penance, nor may anyone come to

communion, except the hand shall have been imposed

him who

is

on him by the

clergy."

THE EARLY CHURCH.

46 CHARACTERISTICS OF
St.

Ambrose,

promised mercy
mission to loose

book on Penance,
all and granted His

in his
to

all

without

exception."

"

says,

God

priests per
St.

Cyprian

each confess his sins, and the

(De Lapsis) says,
satisfaction and remission made through the priest
"Let

are pleasing before the Lord."

St. Athanasius, in his book against the Novatians,
"

says,

He who

through

remission of his

poison

is

in

confesses

the priest,

penitence,

by the grace of
St.

sins."

sin; confession

The above quotations

is

Ambrose

the

receives

Christ,
"

says,

the

The

remedy."

show clearly
that the belief in Penance, a sacrament, including
confession, contrition, satisfaction and the priest s
are sufficient to

was held by the Christians of the

and taught by Jesus Christ.

absolution,

first

five centuries

Extreme Unction.
"

Is

any man sick among you ? Let him call in

let them pray over him,

the priests of the church, and

anointing him with oil in the

name of the Lord, and

the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the
Lord shall raise him up, and if he be in sins they
shall be forgiven

him"

(St.

James

v., 14).

The early Christians were as anxious to receive

Extreme Unction when necessary as are the Catho
lics

to-day.

Leviticus,

Origen

"Wherein

tells

us

that also

in

his

Homily on

is fulfilled

which the

any man be sick among

Apostle James said, But
&c. St. Colman writes in the fifth century,
if

"

you/

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 47

"

When

therefore he

was about

and

to receive the

reward of his labors from God,

life,

to

depart from this

he was weighed down with infirmity of body, and

the Sacrament of
being anointed with the unction of
Oil [Extreme Unction] he
taking the Lord s Body and

fortified

his

exit

by

Blood."

The early Christians believed that the Sacrament

of Extreme Unction (so called from the oil used),
which is administered to dying persons, strengthens
them in their passage from the present to a better
also believed that it was divinely
life, and they
instituted.

Holy Orders.
Primitive Christianity was in harmony with the
Catholic Church of all ages in teaching that Holy
Orders is a Sacrament by which priests and other
ministers of the church are ordained and receive the

perform their sacred duties ; and that

bishops alone have the power to ordain.
As the Father sent Me, I also send you" (John

power

to

"

xx., 21).
"

For

this cause I left thee

in Crete, that thou

should set in order the things that are wanting, and

should ordain priests in every city, as I also

appointed
"

thee"

(Titus

I.,

5).

The Apostles have preached

Jesus Christ

to us

Jesus Christ, from God.

from the Lord

Christ there

by God, the Apostles by Christ.

Preaching through countries and cities, they apfore

was

sent

EARLY CHURCH.

48 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
pointed their first fruits
the spirit
bishops and

Rome,

having proved them by

deacons
(8t. Clement of
"

I. Epistle to the Corinthians).

Let a bishop be ordained by two or three

Let a priest be ordained by one bishop
bishops.
"

"

(Apostolic Canons).
The fourth Council of Carthage, in the fourth
century, describes the manner of ordination of a

bishop, a priest, a deacon and a sub-deacon.

Bishops have been appointed to rule, and to

But the laity
priests has the Altar been entrusted.
"

from the sacred

withheld

is

office"

(St.

Cyril of

Alex.).

The

celibacy of the clergy is a matter of discipline

to us from Apostolic times.

which has come down

St.

Jerome

"The

says,

or continent after their

the

bishops and

priests

have been such ever

Origen

says,

Apostles were either virgins

Their successors,

election."

"It

of the

Catholic Church,

since.

appears tome, that

it

belongs to

him alone to oifer the unceasing sacrifice [of the

Mass] who has devoted himself to unceasing and
The fathers based their belief
perpetual chastity."
in the necessity of a celibate clergy
St.

"

Paul,

He

that

is

for the things that belong to the

please

on the words of

without a wife

is

solicitous

Lord, how he may

God."

Matrimony.

The

early Christians looked upon

Matrimony

as

one of the seven sacraments or channels, through

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 49

which God s grace flows into the soul. It was held
by them to be one and indissoluble.
What there
fore God hath
joined together, let no man put
"

asunder"
"A woman is bound
(Matt, xix., 6).
by
the law while her husband
lives; but, if her hus
band dies, she is at liberty ; let her
marry whom she
will"

(/. Cor. vii., 40).

How

can we find words to describe the

happiness
of that marriage which the church
joins together,
the oblation confirms and the
blessing seals" (Ter"

tullian).
"

It is required in this sacrament that the

wed
lock be not dissolved, and that
if
neither,
divorced,
be united to another"
(St. Augustine).
Thus does antiquity confirm the
teaching of the

Catholic church that

Matrimony

is

a sacrament, that

one and indissoluble, and that there is no such

a thing as a divorce that will
permit, in the sight of
it is

God, either party

to

marry during the

lifetime of

the other.
27.

The

SACRAMENTALS.

early church

made use of

various things,
in her religious offices. These
excite attention, increase
devotion, raise the mind to
signs

and ceremonies

God, through these movements of the heart remit

venial sin and are called sacramentals.
The most
important sacramentals are The Sign of the Cross,
Holy Water, Blessed Palms, Oils, Ashes, etc.

50 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

The Sign of

the

Cross.

The

primitive Christians began all their actions

It recalls the Passion of
with the sign of the Cross.

Our Saviour.

"

in the cross of
"

14).

In

all

God forbid that I should

Our Lord Jesus Christ"

our

travels,"

glory save

(Gal. vi.,
in the
Tertullian
says

in coming in and in going out, at

second century,
in
the table,
lying or sitting down, whatever occu
"

pation we are employed in,

the sign of the cross."
St. Basil alludes to the

we mark

ourselves with

custom of the Christians

t(
Gordius hav
of the fourth century, when he says,
the
with
himself
thus
sign of the
spoken signed
ing

cross."

Holy Water.

The custom of blessing water for the use of the

faithful comes down to us with the weight of anti
It
quity on its shoulders.
establishment of the church.

is

co-eval

Pope

St.

with

the

Alexander in

the beginning of the second century speaks of

an established custom.

it

as

Holy Oils by the bishop on

Palms
of
by the priest each Palm
Holy Thursday,
on
Candlemas
day, feast of the
Sunday, of Candles

The

blessing of the

Purification, of Ashes

various

other

articles

on Ash Wednesday, and of

of devotion

is

as

old

as

Christianity.

The

early church, as well as the church of to-day,

man lawfully used. She blessed

blessed everything

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 51

the church in which he worshipped God, she blessed
his dwelling, she blessed the food he ate, she blessed

body dead and the grave

which his body was laid.
She blessed crosses, medals, everything used to

his fields, she blessed his

in

She blessed everything he had. He

received them all from God and the church asked
enliven faith.

God

s blessing that all

may

assist in leading

him

to

God.
28.

OTHER CHARACTERISTIC CATHOLIC

DOCTRINES.

The Catholic doctrines on Purgatory, Indulgences,

Invocation of saints, Honoring of relics, Honoring
the Blessed Virgin, The Immaculate Conception,

The Supremacy and

taught by

Infallibility of the

Pope, were

the fathers of the early church.

Purgatory.
"

It

is

therefore a holy

and a wholesome thought,

to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from

their sins" (77. Mack, xn.,
"He that shall
46).

speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be for

given him, neither in this world nor in the world to
come"
Wherefore also does she
(Matt. XIL, 32).
"

pray for his

St.
"

We

soul"

(Tertulliari).

Cyprian, speaking about some martyrs, says,

always offer sacrifice for them on the anni

versary commemoration."

St.

Augustine

tells

us in

52 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

Monica, made
remember me
would
you

his Confessions, that his mother, St.

this request of him,

at the Altar of

"that

God."

These quotations show that the early Christians

were accustomed to pray and to have the Sacrifice of
These prayers they
the Mass offered for the dead.

knew would

be of no benefit to souls in heaven nor

Therefore, they believed in Purgatory.

in hell.

Indulgences.

The

An

in indulgences.
early Christians believed
we are taught, is the remission of the

indulgence,

sin.
temporal punishment due to
"Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be
The Council
loosed in heaven" (Matt, xvi., 19).

of Nice, in the fourth century says,

As many

as in

and patience, and good works,

fear, and tears,
manifest their conversion in deed, and not in
the appointed
appearance, these having completed
in the prayers, and the
communicate
time, may
more indulgent
bishop may determine something
respecting

them."

Cyprian, St. Augustine and

in the early church notorious sinners were sentenced
others

St.

to long penances, after being absolved.

tell

By

us that

sincere

sorrow an indulgence or remission of some or all of

this time or temporal punishment was granted them.

This

is

what

is

meant by an indulgence.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 53

Invocation of Saints

The Archangel Raphael

thou didst pray with tears
to the

ers

Lord"

unfitting to offer

and Angels.

said to Tobias,

...

"

When

I offered thy pray

(Tobias xn., 12).

"It

is

not

up supplications and intercession

saints"
(Origen on Prayer).
holy spiritual powers that have their place
in heaven some are called eyes from being entrusted

and thanksgiving
"

to the

Of the

to

watch over us
"

from receiving our

others, ears
"

We

to

prayers
ought
(Basil).
not for them
(St. Augustine).

pray to martyrs,

"

Honoring

The

first

Relics, Pictures

Christians adored

and Images.

God

alone, but they

and images of God s saints. "And

when it [the body of the dead man] had touched the
bones of Eliseus, the man came to
(IV. Kings}.
honored

relics

life"

If I shall touch only the hem of his garment I

The very relics of
shall be healed
(Matt. ix.).
those who live with God are to be honored
(Ap.
"

"

"

"

"

Const.).

It will be a

good action on your part to

send a martyr s relics to this place" (Basil).

In this place we have made an altar to honor
"

the relics of St. Stephen.

to

Such

altars are pleasing

God"

(St.

"They

saw them [Peter and Paul] painted together

Augustine).

with Him [the Saviour] in many places, for Rome is

accustomed to honor the merits of Peter and Paul

54 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

on account of their martyrdom being on the same
"

day

(St.

Augustine).

Honoring

the Blessed Virgin.

Her Immaculate

Conception.

In honoring the saints the fathers of the early

church always gave Mary the place of pre-eminence.

With

the Christians of

she was exalted above

all

all

ages they believed that

created beings, that she

was the purest and most perfect, the most privileged

of beings since she was the immaculate Mother of the
immaculate Son of God.
This Virgin Mother of the Only-begotten Son
"

of

God

of the

is

called

Mary, worthy of God, immaculate

immaculate"

(Origen).

Except the holy Virgin Mary, of whom, for the

honor of the Lord, I will have no question whatever
"

when

sin is concerned

The

"

(St.

Augustine).

Mary, the
Mother of God, they honored God Himself, and
For behold,
also fulfilled those prophetic words,
fathers believed that in honoring
"

from

henceforth

all

generations

shall

call

me

blessed."

The Supremacy and

Infallibility of the

Pope.

All the early fathers believed that Peter held

the

first

he was

"

Tertullian says
place among the Apostles.
the rock upon which the church was built,

and that Christ left the keys to him, and through

him to the church." Origen calls him the prince of
"

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 55

Cyprian says Peter was first among
held the primacy among them.
and
the Apostles
"Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build My
Feed
Feed my lambs
church" (Matt. xvi).
the

Apostles."

"

"

my

sheep

(John xxi.,

5).

Ambrose clearly expresses his belief in Papal

supremacy when he asks the Emperor Gratian not to
St.

"permit

Roman

the

Roman Church,

the head of the whole

world, and that sacred

faith of the Apostles

Reckon up
That
of
Peter
See
the
from
the bishops
very
do
of
hell
not
is the rock which the haughty gates

to be

"

disturbed."

St.

Augustine says,

overcome."

These quotations are

sufficient to

show

that the

fathers of the early church not only believed in the

and supremacy of Peter and his successors,

primacy

but also in the

infallibility,

which was not a declared

of faith until recent times.

dogma
They

believed that the

Roman

is

pontiff

the suc

cessor of St. Peter, prince of the Apostles that he is

the head of the whole church, supreme pastor of all
;

that to him in the person of

;
Peter was given full power of feeding, guiding and
governing the universal church ; that he is the

the flock of Christ

centre of Catholic unity ; and that he is preserved

from error when, as head of the church, he teaches

the whole church doctrines of faith and morals.

CHAPTEE V.
THE LITURGY OF THE EAELY CHURCH.

T ITURGY is from the Greek \eirov epyov, leitour*-*

meaning public service. In its wide sense,

means all the rites and ceremonies used in the cele
gia,

it

bration of Mass, the administration of sacraments,

and other services of the church.

signification

The

29.

it

In

its restricted

refers to the Sacrifice of the

Sacrifice of the

Mass

is

Mass.

the center of

It is a continual renewal of the

Catholic worship.
In the Sacrifice of the Mass
of the cross.

sacrifice

Christ

is

the sacrificing Priest as

He

is

also the

Victim.

The Apostles and

their

immediate successors as

sembled for the celebration of Divine service

in the

new converts. Some of these were

wealthy persons, who gladly threw open their houses
houses of the

to

Persecution soon drove

early Christians.
to the caverns, burial places and other secret

the

them

The
spots for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice.
most noted of the secret places are the Roman Cata
combs, of which we will speak in another chapter.
St. Luke in the Acts (n., 42
xx., 7) and St. Paul
Rom. xvi., 4 Epli. v.,
in his Epistles (Col. iv., 16
;

19, Cor. x., 16) describe the

56

manner of performing

CHAEACTEEISTICS OF THE EAELY CHURCH. 57

Divine service in the early church. The soul of the
was the commemoration of the Last Supper,

service

In the beginning
the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice was sim
the

ple.

Holy

Sacrifice of the

We

learn,

Mass.

however, from the Apostolic Con

that even in primitive times it did not

essentially differ from the Mass as celebrated to-day.
stitutions

Few minor
first

changes and additions were made

few centuries.

in the

30.
The service was divided into two parts, the
Mass of the Catechumens and the Mass proper,
Missa Catechumenorum and Missa Fidelium. At
the Mass of the Catechumens, the unbaptized, and
At the Mass
public penitents could be present.

proper only the baptized were present.

The Mass of the Catechumens began with a

recital

of psalms corresponding to the psalm and prayers

now said by the priest and ministers at the beginning
of Mass, before ascending the steps to the altar. Then,
as now, he repeated the Kyrie Eleison, Lord have

mercy on us, a supplication for mercy. The hymn

of praise, Gloria in Excelsis, followed ; after which
the celebrant, turning towards the faithful said,
"

Dominus

"

Vobiscum,"

The Lord be with

you"

and then recited certain prayers called the "Collect."

A passage from one of the Epistles or from the

Old Testament was next

read, a psalm, the Graduale,

chanted
and then explained by
Gospel
the bishop or some priest.
After this explanatory
or
all
the
and penitents
unbelievers
sermon,
homily,
recited, the

58 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

and the Mass proper began by the Offertory/

or offering of the bread and wine for the sacrifice.
"

retired,

The

"Preface"
"

of the Angels,

followed, closing with the

Holy, holy, holy, Lord

hymn
God of

Then came the

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus.
the most solemn portion of the Mass,
Canon
which occur the Consecration, the elevation

Hosts,"

"

"

during

species, the

of the consecrated

Pater Noster, the

Agnus Dei, and the distribution of Holy Com

munion. After prayers of thanksgiving the people
were dismissed with the words, "Ite Missa
est."

"

Depart, Mass

is

over."

Thus we see that the same Holy Sacrifice of the

Mass which is celebrated in our churches to-day
was solemnized by the fathers of the early church.
The essential portion of the Mass has come down to

Even
us without change from the Last Supper.
them
have
as
we
to-day
the rites and ceremonies
from the early church, as Sts. Basil,
Chrysostom, Augustine, and others testify.
In the early ages of the church it was permitted

come

to us

to celebrate the

vate houses.

Holy

St.

Sacrifice of the

Augustine

man named Hesperus wanted

under

his jurisdiction to say

Mass

in

pri

us that a certain

tells

one of the priests

in his house for a

Mass

and
he says,
certain purpose.
priest went,"
of
Blood
and
offered up the sacrifice of the Body
"

the
Christ, fervently beseeching

"

Lord

that the

afflic

might depart from the household. Through

the mercy of God the petition was granted."

tion

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 59

This chapter

31.

called

is

The Liturgy (and

not the liturgies) of the Early Church, because all

the ancient liturgies agree on the chief doctrines and
practices of the Catholic
Sacrifice of the

Holy
They

Church, especially on the

Mass.

all teach
Prayers for the dead all contain
an account of the institution of the Holy Eucharist ;
;

have the prayer that God will change the bread

and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ; all
all

speak of the mystery and sacrifice that are cele

brated
all mention the mixture of water and wine
;

in the sacrifice
all

may
The

James,

all use the sign of the

;
cross, and in
be found the invocation of saints.

liturgies were those of St.

and
St. Peter, or the Roman
Mark,
These liturgies can be traced to the first

three principal
St.

liturgy.

five centuries

desiring to

of the Christian church, and anyone

conformity with the primitive

be in

church, can not but be impressed with their uniform

universality and high authority.
32.
The Liturgy of St. James

ity,

is

sometimes

called the

Liturgy of Jerusalem. In this liturgy,

after the priest has said the words of
consecration,
he continues, "We offer unto Thee,
Lord, this

tremendous and unbloody

beseeching that
Thou deal not with us according to our sins nor
reward us according to our iniquities
Then
the priest breaks the
and
in
his
bread,
taking one-half
right

hand and

sacrifice,

the other in his

holds in his right

hand

left,

he dips what he

into the chalice

and says:

60 CHAEACTEEISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

Body and of
Blood of Our Lord, and God and

The union of
cious

the most holy

Saviour,

he signs what he holds in his

Then

Jesus Christ.

the pre

hand, then the other half and immediately begins

break and to distribute a part into each cup, say
ing : The union is made and sanctified and perfected
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
left

to

Holy Ghost.
Lord is, Who

the

Taste and see

how

gracious

and not divided, is

is broken
the
for the
given to the faithful and not consumed
remission of sins, and for everlasting life, now and
O Lord, our God,
ever, to eternal ages
the heavenly Bread, the Life of the world, I have
sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am not

worthy
as

but
partake of Thy immaculate mysteries ;
me
make
God
art a merciful
worthy by Thy

to

Thou

of Thy holy
grace to partake without condemnation
Body and precious Blood for the remission of my
sins

and eternal

This liturgy

Monophysite

life."

is

used in the Syriac language by the

Substantially the same lit

heretics.

who are
urgy is used at Jerusalem by the Melchites,
orthodox Catholics.
The Monophysite heresy was condemned in 451
by the Council of Chalcedon.

Hence we

see

the

at least of the parts of it

antiquity of this liturgy, or
used in common by the Monophysite heretics and

the orthodox Catholics.

33.

The Liturgy of

St.

Mark

is

Liturgy of Alexandria, because St.

also called the

Mark was

the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 61

first bishop of that ancient see.
That this liturgy
has come down to us from the first centuries of the

church we have as strong proof as we have for the

The Liturgy of St.
antiquity of St. James liturgy.
7

Mark

is

used by the Monophysitesof the patriarch

ate of Alexandria.

The words of

institution

almost the same in

all

and consecration are

In this liturgy

the liturgies.

Our Lord Himself, and God, and supreme

Jesus
Christ, in the night wherein He deliv
King,
ered Himself for our sins and underwent death in
we

"

read,

the flesh

He

for all

men, reclining with His disciples

took bread with His holy and spotless and unde-

filed hands, looking up to Thee His own Father,

but our God, and the God of all, He gave thanks,

blessed, sanctified,

broke and gave

His holy and

to
*

blessed apostles and disciples, saying, Take, eat, for

this is my Body which is broken for us and dis

People: Amen.
had supped, having taken

tributed for the remission of sins/

In

like

manner

He

after

and mixing the wine and water, and

looking up to heaven He gave thanks, He blessed,
He filled it with the Holy Ghost, and gave to His

the chalice

holy and blessed disciples saying, Drink ye all of it.

For this is
Blood of the New Testament, which

My

shed and distributed for you and for many for the
remission of sins.
Do this in commemoration of

is

Me,

for as often as

you

shall eat this

drink this Chalice, ye show forth

Send down also upon

us,

My

Bread and

death

and upon these loaves and

EARLY CHURCH.

62 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
these cups,

Thy Holy

He may

Spirit, that

sanctify

an Almighty God, and make

the bread indeed the Body, and the chalice the

and consecrate them,

as

Blood of Our Lord Himself, and God, and Saviour

and supreme King, Jesus Christ." When communi
The holy Body and at
cating the clergy he says,
"

Our Lord and

the chalice the precious Blood of

God and

Saviour."

Besides

two

these

there were various

liturgies

The only ones

others used in the East.

at present
used in the Eastern Church are those of St. Basil

and

St.

John Chrysostom.

The Liturgy of

34.

St.

Peter, or the

Roman

of apostolic origin, derived from St.

liturgy,
It was first used at Antioch, afterwards at
Peter.
Rome. It is the liturgy of the Western or Latin
is

church.

The

other

so-called

the

liturgies

Am-

brosian, Used only in Milan, the Mozarabic, used in

Toledo, Spain, the Gallican, the Lyonnese, and the
are either derived from the
liturgy of Theodorus

Roman

or are

conformable to

it.

manuscript

from the Royal library of Sweden shows this lit

urgy as it was in the time of Pope Gelasius, in 492

A. D.

The works of

St.

Leo

a sacra-

contain

rnentary which was used in St. Leo s time, about

This sacramentary ancl the liturgy
the year 440.

agree in

all

essential

particulars, thus proving

antiquity of St. Peter s liturgy.

In this liturgy we find in the canon
fore,

Lord, we

"

the

Where
make

beseech Thee, vouchsafe to

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 63

in all respects, blessed,

approved, ratified, reason

and
it
that
able,
acceptable,
may be made unto us
the Body and Blood of Thy most beloved Son, Our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

After the consecration the priest

says: Wherefore,
Lord, we, Thy servants, offer
unto Thy glorious Majesty of Thy gifts and pres
ents, a pure host, the holy Bread of eternal life, and
the Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Upon which
vouchsafe to look with a propitious and serene coun

tenance and to accept them as

to accept the gifts of

the sacrifice

of the

Thy

Thou

didst vouchsafe

and

just servant, Abel,

patriarch,

Abraham, and

that

which Thy high priest, Melchisedech, offered to

Thee, a holy sacrifice, an immaculate host.
May this commixture and consecration of the Body
.

and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be to us that

receive, unto eternal life
Bowing to the

Holy Sacrament the priest says : Lamb of God, who

takest away the sins of world, have mercy on us. ...
Let not the participation of Thy Body, O Lord
Jesus Christ, which I, though unworthy, presume to
receive, be to

through

my judgment

Thy mercy may

the safeguard and cure of

communion

it

and condemnation, but

be available to me for

mind and body.

the priest says thrice:

Lord, I

worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my

speak the word only, and my soul shall be

And

in

At

the

am

not

roof,

but

healed."

giving Holy Communion, as in receiving it

the Body of Our
himself, the priest again says it is
"

Lord Jesus

Christ."

64 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

In the liturgy of the Nestorians, heretics, who

fifth century, we
Presence, Transubstantiation, the

the church in the

the

Real

left

find the belief in

Mass

and other Catholic doctrines.

From

this brief

examination of the various

we

litur

agree in
Catholic
doctrines,
many
especially the institution of the Blessed Sacrament,
the Real Presence, Transubstantiation, and the Sac
gies of the early church,
proving the antiquity of

rifice

see that all

of the Mass.

For Liturgy guides us to a knowledge of

what the church teaches. Doctrine can be deduced
from prayers and ceremonies.
35.

Pope St. Celestine, in 431, laid down this princi

our prayers
ple when he said, "the law guiding
belief."
our
affords a rule for
Legem credendi
"

lex statuit supplicandi."

CHAPTER

VI.

THE EOMAN CATACOMBS AND THE EARLY

CHURCH.
FT!

HE Roman catacombs furnish strong proof of the

identity of the Catholic

of the

first five

Church and the church

centuries.

The catacombs

(/card,

downward, and

KV/JL/BOS,

We

hollow vessel) are underground burial places.

are told that the ancient Egyptians buried their

There are catacombs

around Paris, Naples and other places, which have
been used as cemeteries.
There are said to be sixty different catacombs
36.
dead in subterranean tombs.

around

Rome

within a circuit of about three miles

More than

from the walls.

have been

carefully

twenty-five of these

Each

examined.

catacomb

a network of passages running in various direc

tions. These passages are fifteen feet or more below

is

the surface of the earth, are from three to five feet

wide, and seven or eight feet high, and on either side
are a

number of

horizontal shelves.

These shelves serve as tombs for thousands of the

Each of these graves is covered

early Christians.
with a slab of stone or some other material on which
is

often inscribed the

name of the

deceased and some

Christian emblem.

65

66 CHAKACTEKISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

Sometimes there is a widening of the passage to

such an extent as to form a good-sized room. These
rooms were used for the purpose of religions instruc
tion

and the celebration of the Holy

Sacrifice in

times of persecution.
Some of these underground burial places have two
or three, or more, stories connected by stairways.

The

entire length of these

nearly six hundred miles.

have been interred

37.

Many

underground passages

is

About 6,000,000 bodies

in them.

of these catacombs had their origin in

Some of them can be traced back

remote antiquity.

Romulus and Remus. Although

was common among the Pagans, they
sometimes buried their dead in underground ceme
to the

times of

cremation

teries.

was formerly believed that the catacombs were

sand pits in which the Christians took refuge for
It

But, through the efforts of the

renowned De Rossi and others, it has been conclu
sively demonstrated that these excavations were made

concealment.

solely for the purpose of

burying the dead.

The

Christian inscriptions found in them suffi

ciently prove this.
During the first five centuries of
Christianity the catacombs were used as Christian
cemeteries.

Dr, Northcote, and others,

tell

us that

there are inscriptions in them from the year of

Lord 72 down to the year 410.

These were centuries of persecution.

Our

In the burial

of the dead, as in their other services, the Christians

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 67

were compelled to withdraw, as much as possible,
from public observation.
In these underground
chapels, they could pray at the tombs of their rela
tives, and have the Holy Sacrifice offered up on altars,
hewn out of the rocks, without fear of interruption.

The Roman government

did not at

first

disturb

these Christian burial places.

It was not until the
third century, when they became convinced that these

cemeteries were being used by the Christians for

the purpose of religious
worship, that the Roman
authorities interfered with the catacombs.

38.
Beginning with the third century the history
of the catacombs is a story of bloodshed. Persecution

now became

fierce

and the Christians were attacked

in the catacombs,

God

whither they had fled to

worship
when the public exercise of their religion was

not permitted.

The Emperor Valerian forbade them

"to

hold

assemblies or to enter those places which

they called
cemeteries."
The Christians did not obey this unjust
decree. During the religious services in the catacomb

of Pretextatus, near that of St.

Callixtus, Pope Sixtus II. and some of his deacons were
surprised and
martyred.

Many

of the faithful

who were present

offered themselves to be
martyred in place of their

holy

pontiff.

The Pagans destroyed

the stairways, blocked

up
the passages and endeavored to
prevent the Chris
tians from again
But the
using the catacombs.
Christians devised new ways of entrance and
exit,
and thus defeated the plans of their persecutors.

THE EARLY CHURCH.

68 CHARACTERISTICS OF

During

these persecutions

in the catacombs.

When

many martyrs perished

peace was restored they

became places of pilgrimage. Thousands crowded

to them to honor the sacred relics of the martyrs.

Pope St. Damasus and other bishops of Rome made

new stairways and other improvements, to accomodate the pious pilgrims.

Pope Damasus composed

verses in honor of

many

of the martyrs, which have been engraved on marble

and have been of great service in constructing the
history of these cemeteries.
In the year 410 Rome was taken by Alaric. This
year also put an end to the use of the Roman

catacombs as burial places. A few, perhaps, were,

from time to time, buried there to the end of the
fifth

century.

They continued

be looked upon as
of the martyrs, and

to

holy places containing the relics

consecrated by the shedding of their blood, and, as
such, were visited by thousands of pious pilgrims.

The Lombards plundered and

partially destroyed

In the ninth,
the catacombs in the eighth century.
the
were
of
the
relics
of
removed
from
martyrs
many
the catacombs to the various churches in

Rome.

This was done because the pope could not sufficiently

protect these sacred relics, scattered in so many
cemeteries

all

around the

city.

These places now began to be neglected. During

In
the next 600 years they were almost forgotten.
laborers happened to dig into some
ornamented
with Christian paintings and
graves

1578

certain

CHAKACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 69

Greek and Latin

The

inscriptions.

"Rome

was

amazed."

learned flocked to see the wonderful discovery.

until 1593, when Antonio
noted scholar of the time, made many

Nothing much was done

Bosio,

Almost
important explorations and- discoveries.
The Jesuit
three centuries of obscurity followed.
Father Marchi and his renowned pupil, Giovanni
De Rossi, in the present century, have completely
reconstructed the history of the catacombs. For more
than a third of a century De Rossi spent his money,

time and talents in the great labor of exploring the

He has published a learned work in
catacombs.
three volumes
39.

embodying

his principal researches.

The Roman catacombs

furnish

many

proofs

teachings and practices of the Catholic

Church of to-day are the same as those of primitive
that the

Christianity.

The catacombs

furnish abundant proof that the

in honoring sacred pictures
and images, in revering the Blessed Virgin, in a
sacramental system, and in praying to the saints as
early church believed

well as for the dead.

In spite of the corroding hand of time, the lapse

of fifteen centuries has failed to destroy all of the
Christian art which adorned the walls and ceilings
of the catacombs.

Sufficient remains to

show that

the Christians of the primitive church understood

the proper use of sacred pictures and images. They
used them to enliven their faith. While they adored

God

alone they honored the images of the Saviour,

70 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

His Blessed Mother and the

EARLY CHURCH.
because by these

saints,

images they were reminded of the originals.

also

them

used

They

beautify those underground

chapels which in time of persecution were their only
places of worship.
to

The catacombs are an ancient

The Christian artists of
gallery.
succeeding centuries used

many

cal subjects in their paintings.

and others

insist

Christian
the

Biblical

De

first

art

and

and symboli

Rossi, Northcote

upon the superiority of the paint

and second over those of the third

ings of the first

and fourth centuries.

40.

One

catacombs

is

of the most ancient paintings in the

a representation of a vine trailing

over the whole roof of the vaulted passage.

a symbol of Our Lord, Who often spoke of
self under the image of a vine.

One

of the

most endearing of the many

It

Him
titles

which Our Lord used when speaking of Himself

that of

The Good Shepherd.

The

first

is

is

Christians

delighted to keep this image always before them.

They scratched it on tombstones, carved it on chalices,

and painted

it

on the ceilings of the underground

The Good Shepherd

chapels.

is

more frequently

represented in the paintings in the catacombs than

any other

The

subject.

resurrection

is
represented by pictures of
Daniel
in the lion s den, and the
Lazarus,
Jonas,
three children in the fiery furnace.

Pictures may also be seen of an anchor, the em

blem of hope, of a dove, the symbol of innocence,

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 71

and of a sheep, the representative of a

disciple of

Christ.

occurs in these
picture of a- fish frequently
is used to represent the Holy
paintings. As the dove

The

the
Ghost, so the fish is used to represent Jesus,
The Greek word t%0u9 means fish.
Saviour.
The five letters forming this Greek word are the
initials

of the five words in Greek that

mean Jesus

Christ, Son of God, Saviour.

various paintings of Mary in the catacombs,

show the great love and reverence the primitive
Christians had for Mary the Mother of God.

The

of these paintings represent her with the

Infant Jesus in her arms, and Isaias, who prophe

Some

sied that Jesus

near her

would be born of a virgin, standing

in others is represented the adoration of

the Magi.

These holy kings are represented pre

seated on
senting their gifts to the Infant Jesus,

Mother

His

knee.

Paintings referring to

the various

sacraments,

are to be
especially Baptism and Holy Eucharist,
Moses
found in the different catacombs.
striking

the rock, from which water bursts forth,

the rock
baptism St. Paul tells us
"

The water

that

flowed from

it

is

is

a figure of

is

Christ,"

the stream

of

Divine grace first given by the waters of baptism.

There is also a painting representing a man admin
istering the sacrament of baptism.
a painting representing a priest in the
Another
act of consecrating the Holy Eucharist.

There

is

72 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

painting represents the Apostles at the Eucharistic

banquet, partaking of the Blessed Sacrament.

Various other paintings, representing

biblical or

symbolical subjects, are scattered through the cata

combs.

Even non-Catholic

writers admit that from the

beginning the Christians ornamented

underground chapels with paintings.
very

The

41.

made a
the

and

Of

or six centuries.

to the first century,

third,

archaeologist De Rossi has

of the Christian inscriptions of

learned

collection

first five

their

two

hundred

five

these,

to the second,
to each

one belongs

twenty to the

of the next

two

centuries.

These ancient inscriptions on the Christian tomb

stones usually contained the name of the
deceased, to
which was sometimes added the Christian salutation
Pax tecum," Peace be with thee," or Vivas in

"

"

"

May you live in God"

These inscriptions often ask for the departed soul
Sometimes they
rest, and light, and peace in God.
invoke the help of the Martyr s prayers for the
"

Deo,"

surviving relatives.
Here are some of the inscriptions

Urania

Peace

with

thee,

"

Urania."

Pax

tecum,

"Susanna,

in Deo
Susanna, mayest thou live in God."
Pete pro parentes tuos, Matronata Matrona, Qua3

Vivas
"

vixit

An.

I.,

Di.

LIII

Matronata, Matrona, who

days."

thou

live

Pray for your parents

lived one year,
fifty-three

"Vivas

in pace et pete

in peace

and pray for

pro nobis

us"

Mayest

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 73

These few selections are

show the

to

sufficient

nature of the inscriptions in the catacombs.

De
Rossi published a collection of all the Christian
inscriptions to be found in the catacombs.
collection there are

The most famous of

42.

of St.

Way, which
Cecilia, of

this

11,000 inscriptions.

Some of them, e.g., "Pete pro parentes

not consonant with the rules of grammar.
"Cemetery

In

the catacombs

Callixtus,"

contains

the

tuos,"

the

along

is

are

the

Appian

crypt, or vault, of St.

Pope Eusebius, who

suffered

martyrdom

310, and the tombs of thousands of martyrs.

Other important catacombs are those of Sts. Nereus
in

and Achilles, Pretextatus and the

Ostrian, or Cemeterium Ostrianum.
It
teries

tians.

not strange that these

underground ceme
have always attracted the attention of Chris

is

Their exploration

instructive.

From

is

their

interesting

exploration

their history,

by learned

antiquarians and archaeologists, we learn much about

the lives and
teaching of the martyrs, popes and
other teachers of the
Early Church.

CHAPTER

VII.

THE CKEEDS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

A
"

CREED

is

a brief aiid exact statement of the

chief things to be believed.

It

is

of the principal articles of faith.

Creed is from the Latin word Credo

summary
the

word

with which the creeds begin. The chief doctrines of

the creeds.
religion are found in
creeds of the early church were the Apostles
Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Constantinopolitan
Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.

The

43.

THE APOSTLES CREED.

The Apostles Creed is a list of the truths taught

His
by the Apostles. Our Lord commissioned
Apostles to teach
fulfil this

all

command

nations.

Before separating to

they drew up a summary of the

chief truths they were to teach.

There are twelve parts or articles in the Apostles

Creed.
refute

Each of these articles or parts is intended to

some false doctrine taught before or during

the time of the Apostles.

74

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 75

The Romans, for example, taught that there were

many Gods others said that the devil and not God
;

created the world

others taught various errors. All

and the truth inculcated by

these errors are refuted

the Apostles Creed.

The

following

the Apostles Creed

is

"

I believe

in

God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven

and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, His
only Son, Our
Lord ; who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost ; born
of the Virgin

was

Mary

suffered

under Pontius Pilate

and was buried. He descended

the third day he arose from the dead He

crucified, died

into hell

ascended into heaven, sitteth at the

right hand of
God, the Father Almighty from thence He shall
;

come

judge the living and the dead. I believe

in the Holy Ghost the
Holy Catholic Church the
to

communion of
resurrection of

saints; the forgiveness of sins;

the

body; and

life

the

everlasting.

Amen."

This creed contains the chief mysteries of

religion
and other truths of faith. The
truths
important

contained in this creed are that

will

reward the good and punish the

are three persons in

man

God

exists, that

He

evil, that there

God, that the Son of God became

and that the soul of man will

for our salvation,

live forever.

The

mysteries which it teaches are, the Holy

Trinity, the Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of

Our Lord.

THE EARLY CHURCH.

76 CHARACTERISTICS OF

We

from the Acts of the Apostles that

before
were
questioned concerning their faith
persons
to
wished
Eunuch
who
the
to
said
Philip
baptism.
learn

If thou believest with thy whole

be baptized,
I
And he answering said
heart thou mayest."
"

"

believe that Jesus Christ

is

the

Son of

God."

Thus, even in Apostolic times, a profession of faith

was required before baptism.

Irenseus, Tertullian, and Gregory Thaumaturgus
used a form identical, or almost identical, with our

Even

Apostles, before
this
separating to convert the world, did not compose
it deserves the name of Apostles Creed because

Apostles

Creed.

if

the

creed,

an extension of the form used in baptism in

of Apostolic
Apostolic times, and it is a summary
it

is

teaching.
The Nicene Creed
44.

the formula

drawn up

is

so called because

it is

at the first general council of

the church at Nice, in the year 325. This profession

of faith was based on the Apostles Creed. Arius
7

had denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Hence

this profession of faith declared in the name of the

u was true
Ghost that the Son
God, born of

Holy

God, not made, and consubstantial with the Father

consubstantialis, that is, co-eternal and
[o/jioovcrios,

and let no one pre

equal in majesty with the Father],
sume to assert that He is created or changeable or
variable."

following is the Nicene Creed

in one God, the Father Almighty,

The

"

We

believe

Maker of

all

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 77

things, visible

and

invisible,

and in one Lord Jesus

the Son of God, only begotten from the

Father, i. e., from the substance of the Father; God
Christ,

from God,

light

from

light, true

God from

true God,

begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father,

through whom all things came into being, both the
things in heaven and the things in earth ; who for
us men and for our salvation came down and was

made

flesh,

became man,

suffered,

and rose again on

the third day and ascended into heaven, and is to

come to judge the living and the dead. And in the

Holy
It

Ghost."

is

45.

the

drew up this creed.

The Constantinopolitan Creed, drawn up at

said that St. Athanasius

second general council at

difference

giver

who

was the addition of

"

is

Constantinople,

almost identical with the Nicene.

The

principal

The Lord and

life-

proceedeth from the Father and the Son

"

after

"and in the
Holy Ghost."
The Divinity of the Holy Ghost had been denied,
and this council was convened to condemn that

heresy and define the true doctrine concerning the

Holy Ghost. This creed, or more properly the
creed of Nice and Constantinople, with the addition
of "Filioque," is said in the Mass every Sunday. It
is as follows
I believe in one God, the Father Al
"

mighty,
things,

Maker
visible

of heaven

and

and

invisible.

earth,

And

in

and of

all

one Lord

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and

born of the Father before all ages ; God of God,

78 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

God of true God, begotten not

made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all
Who for us men and for our
things are made.
light of light, true

came down from heaven, and became incar

Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and
was made Man. He was crucified also for us, suf
And
fered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried.
salvation

nate by the

the third

Scriptures

day He rose again, according to the

and ascended into heaven ; sitteth at the

hand of the Father ; and He is to come again

with glory to judge both the living and the dead, of
whose kingdom there shall be no end. And in the

right

Holy Ghost, Lord, giver of life, who proceedeth

from the Father and the Son, who together with the
Father and the Son is adored and glorified; who
spoke by the prophets. And in one, holy, Catholic
and Apostolic church. I confess one Baptism for
the remission of sins.

of the dead, and the

And
life

I expect the resurrection

of the world to come.

Amen."

As

will readily be seen this creed is in per

fect agreement with the Nicene, and both are founded

46.

on the Apostles Creed. This creed has been said in

the Catholic Church every Sunday since the fifth
century with the exception of the words

The words mean

"proceedeth

from

"from

the

the

Son"

"

Filioque."

in the

Father and the

formula

Son."

The

were not added by the church

Filioque"
until the ninth century.
They were introduced by

words

"

the pope as universal teacher of the church.

They

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 79

are not an addition

to,

but an explanation of the

creed.

Ever since the time of Photius, in the ninth century,

the words

"Filioque"

have been the cause of con

troversy between the East and the West. They were

the cause of the Greek schism.
It is not necessary

more about these words here. We use

them on the authority of Christ s representative, and
for us to say

that suffices.

The Athanasian Creed,

47.
called

from

to be the

or, as

it is

sometimes

words, Quicumque Vult, is said

work of St. Athanasius. Some deny this.
its first

But whether Athanasius was the author

is

or not,

its

Athanasian.

teaching
This creed brings out clearly the Catholic teaching
on the Incarnation, the Holy Trinity, and the
It
necessity of believing all the church teaches.
certainly comes down to us from the fifth century, if

not from an earlier date.

It has been used in the

Breviary since the ninth century. The Utrecht

Psalter, an ancient copy of this creed in Holland,
has been proved to be at least 1200 or 1300 years
Hence, the great antiquity of the Athanasian

old.

Creed

is

beyond dispute.

According

to this creed

saved must, above

all

Whoever

things,

wishes to be

hold the Catholic

Faith.
Unless a person observes this faith entire
and pure, without doubt he will perish forever. But
this Catholic Faith is, that we
worship one God in
three persons

and Trinity in unity

neither con-

80 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

founding the persons nor separating the substance.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another,

and the Holy Ghost another.

But the Divinity of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
is one, the
glory is equal, and the Majesty is coeternal.
Such as is the Father, so is the Son, and
is the
Holy Ghost.
The Father is uncreated,

so also

Holy Ghost is
The Father

the Son

is

uncreated, the

uncreated.

is
immense, the Son is immense, the
Ghost
is
immense.
Holy
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy

Ghost

Still there are not three eternals,

is eternal.

hut one Eternal, as there are not three uncreated nor

three immense, but one Uncreated and one Immense.

The Father
the

is

omnipotent, the Son omnipotent,

still there are not three

Holy Ghost omnipotent,

omnipotents but one Omnipotent.

The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy
Ghost is God ; and there are not three gods, but

God is one.
The Father
Ghost

is

Lord

is

Lord, the Son

still

Lord, the Holy

is

there are not three but one Lord.

As Christian truth teaches that each of the per

sons singly is Lord and God, so the Catholic religion
prohibits us to -say that there are three gods or three
lords.

The Father was made by no one He was

;

neither

created nor begotten.

The Son is from the Father alone, not made, nor
created, but begotten.

CHARACTERISTICS OP THE EARLY CHURCH. 81

The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son,

not made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
There is, therefore, one Father, not three; one
Son, not three one Holy Ghost and not three.
;

And

in

this Trinity there

is

nothing before or

but all three persons

after, nothing greater or less;

and co-equal.
So above all things, as was said before, Unity is
to be venerated in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.
Therefore, he who wishes to be saved must believe

are co-eternal

thus concerning the Trinity.

But it is also necessary for eternal salvation that

a person firmly believe in the Incarnation of Our
Lord Jesus Christ.
right faith, therefore, is that we believe and
confess that Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

The

Son of man,

He

God, begotten before

all time of the substance of the Father, and man
born in time of the substance of His Mother. Per
is

also the

is

fect God, He is also perfect man with a rational soul

and human flesh. Equal to the Father on account
of His Divinity, He is less than the Father on
account of His humanity.
Although God and man, He is not two but one

by conversion of the Divinity into

s assuming human nature ; not one
God
but
flesh,
by
of
substance, but by the unity of
by confusion
For as the rational soul and body is one
person.
Christ, not one

man,

so

God and man

is

one Christ,

who

suffered

for our salvation, descended into hell, the third

day

82 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

He arose

from the dead.

He

EARLY CHURCH.

ascended into heaven,

the right hand of God, the Father

Almighty,
thence He shall come to judge the living and the
sits at

dead.

At His coming all men must

arise

with their

bodies to render an account of their actions.

The

good will go to eternal life, the bad into eternal fire.

This is the Catholic faith which everyone must
faithfully

and truly believe, otherwise he cannot be

saved.

The above is a free translation of the Athanasian

Creed as contained in the Catholic Breviary. It is
frequently repeated by every Catholic priest during
the recitation of the Divine Office.
It contains a
list of things believed
by the early church. It is
one of the creeds we received from
antiquity, and
contains doctrines believed by the true church of
God in every age and in every clime.

CHAPTER

VIII.

THE COUNCILS OF THE EAKLY CHURCH.

HPHE

fifteenth chapter of the

furnishes us the

disagreement
cision.

Some

first

Acts of the Apostles

example of a

council.

arose about the necessity of circum

taught that salvation depended upon

Paul and Barnabas denied its necessity.

was determined to bring the matter before the
Apostles and disciples for a decision.
The Apostles and ancients assembled at
48.
it.

Sts.

It

Jerusalem in the year 51 and, after much discussion,

Peter, the head of the Apostolic college, arose and
decided the controversy against those clamoring for
circumcision.

In giving their decisions the fathers of

Church wrote a

council of the Christian

this first
letter

to

wrong doing and heretical teachings

It hath seemed good to the
in which they said,
to
This language shows that
and
Ghost
Holy
in
was
held
the council
consequence of a Divine
those guilty of

"

us."

Commission.

Later Councils use similar language.

This Apostolic Council served as a model for

There are various kinds of
succeeding councils.

Ecumenical or general councils are those

which bishops of the whole world are convoked,
83

councils.
to

84 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

are presided over by the Pope, or his legates, and
whose decrees, after being confirmed by the Pope,
are binding on all Christians.
National councils represent a whole nation, as the

plenary council of Baltimore.

Provincial councils, or synods, are assemblies of
the clergy of a diocese presided over by the bishop
or vicar general.
last

The

of these classes will be considered here.

first

During the

first five

centuries there were four gen

eral or ecumenical councils, those of

Constantinople in 381,

Ephesus

Nice in 325,
and Chal-

in 431,

cedon in 451.

The Council of Nice met in the year 325.

tells us there were 318 bishops pres

49.
St.

Athanasius

The Pope was repre

mostly from the East.
sented by three legates, the bishop Hosius and the
two priests Vitus and Vincentius.
ent,

Hosius presided in the name of the Pope. This

was convened by Pope Sylvester and the
Emperor Constantine to examine Arianism. Arius

council

was a learned

priest of

Alexandria who denied the

His heresy is treated

Divinity of Jesus
more fully in another chapter.
Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, and his deacon
Christ.

Athanasius,

among

those

ceedings.

who soon after succeeded him, were

who took the principal part in the pro

About 20 Arian bishops were

present.

The Arian party presented a creed of their own,

drawn up by one of their bishops, Eusebius of
Cesarea.

They evaded

the

main point

at issue.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 85

The

question

to

be decided was, whether

Our

Father or
Lord was God
whether He was a creature. The Arians said He
was a creature the Catholics said He was God.
The Catholic party drew up a creed which con
demned the Arian heresy and in which was inserted
the proper word
Homoousion," consubstantial,
showing that the Son is of the same nature as the
in as full a sense as the

"

Father.

This Nicene Creed will be found among the Creeds

of the Early Church.
Arianism soon met the fate
of all heresies.
It was cut up into many sects.

The Council of Nice

Of

passed 20 canons or laws.

most important was the one

that the Primacy, and chief honor,

these, perhaps, the

which declares

"

according to the Canons, be preserved to the Arch

bishop of ancient Rome."

The Council of Constantinople in 381 is the

50.
second general council.
It was convened to take
action against Macedonius and Apollinaris, the

whom denied the Divinity of the Holy

Ghost, the latter said, Christ took from Mary a
body but not a soul.
former of

This council was convened by the Emperor Theobishops of the East being

dosius, and, only the

invited,

was not ecumenical

at first;

but

its acts

and

decrees were confirmed by the Pope and this gave

the character of a general council.

it

Besides the condemnation of the heresies of

Macedouius and Apollinaris, the most important

86 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

was the addition, by way of

act of this council

explanation, of several clauses to the Nicene Creed,

thus forming the Constantinopolitan Creed
the
creed of the

To

Roman

the clause

was

invisible"

"

Missal.

maker of

added

two

To combat

all

earth,"

taught the doctrine of

Photinus said the Word was not

principles.

before

and

who

against the Manicheans,

eternal.

things visible and

all

heaven

"of

this error

was added

"

born

ages."

On

account of the heresy of Apollinaris these

words were inserted
by the Holy Ghost of the
"

Virgin

Against the heresy of Macedonius

Mary."

concerning the

Holy Ghost was

inserted the passage

Lord and life giver."

The creed drawn up by this Council is the Credo
said every Sunday in the Mass.
It is sometimes
"

the

called the Nicene, sometimes the Constantinopolitan

Creed.
Both are practically the same. The Creed

of Constantinople but explains and completes the

Nicene Creed.
51.

The Third General Council was

Ephesus

in

the year 431.

held

at

Nestorius, Patriarch of

Constantinople, had denied that Mary is Mother

of God.
He said that in Christ were two entirely
"

independent

belonged only
the

man

elements;
to

Jesus."

that

the

Logos, and the

And,

element

element to

Let no one desig

Mother of God.

said he,

nate the Blessed Virgin as

Divine

human
"

"

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 87

Everywhere, especially in the East, great contro
versies arose concerning this title.
Cyril, Patriarch
these contro
end
to
an
tried
to
of Alexandria,
put

by a pastoral letter in which he said: "As

the mother of man is mother, not simply of his
body but his whole person, notwithstanding that his
as she gives birth
soul comes from another source
not only to the body of man, but to the whole com
versies

individual,

plex

composed

of a true

essentially

union of body and soul; so also the Blessed Virgin

Mary, who, although she did not in any sense, give
birth to the Divinity, by which the Word is equal
Father, is, nevertheless, truly and really
Mother of the Word, because the flesh of the Word

to

the

in her womb, and she brought into the

world the Person of the Eternal Word, who was
clothed with our nature."

was formed

Nestorius paid no attention to the arguments of

Cyril.

Finally, with the consent of

Pope

Celestine, the

Emperor Theodosius II, convoked the council.

Cyril of Alexandria presided as Papal representa
tive during the sessions of this council

until

the

of the Pope s legates, Arcadius, Projectus

and Philip.
In his instructions to his legates Pope Celestine

arrival

said

"You

will in all things consult

our brother,

(who had already been made Papal

and
will
you
perform whatever you see to be
legate),
in his power to decide; and we command that the

the bishop Cyril

THE EARLY CHURCH.

88 CHARACTERISTICS OF
authority of the

Holy See be

respected.

For

the

instructions, which you have received, tell you that

you must be present at the council if they come to
a disputation you must judge among their opinions,
and not undergo a struggle."
;

In

his letter to the bishops at the council the

Pope

On

account of our solicitude, we have sent

to you our brother priests, the bishops, Arcadius and
Projectus, and the priest Philip, who are of one
said

"

mind with
have

The
after

who

ourselves and

will execute

what we

established."

which was approved by the Pope,

condemning the doctrine of Nestorius, agreed
council,

As to the
upon the following profession of faith
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and the mode of the
"

Incarnation, we are obliged to say that we think of

not as if we would add anything to the

them

Nicene Creed, or pretend to explain mysteries which

are ineffable, but to stop the mouths of those who
wish to attack us.

We

declare then, that Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is

the only Son of God, perfect God and perfect man,
composed of a reasonable soul and a body; in
"

respect of His God-head begotten of the Father

before all ages, and the same, according to the
humanity, born in these latter days, for our salva
tion of the Virgin Mary
in respect of His God
head consubstantial with the Father, and the same
consubstantial with us, according to the humanity,
;

for the

two natures have been united, and therefore

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 89

we

confess one Christ,

one Son,

one Lord.

In

consistence with the notion of this union, without

we

confess that the Blessed Virgin is

Mother of God, because God the Word was incarnate
and made man, and from the very act of conception

confusion,

united to Himself the temple which

He

took from

her."

52.

The Fourth General Council was held

at

Chalcedon in the year 451. It was convoked by

the order of Pope Leo the Great and the Emperor
Marcian for the purpose of condemning Eutychianism.

Eutyches, abbot of a monastery in Constantinople,

union of the two natures in Jesus

said, that after the

Christ there was but one nature, and that conse

quently the Deity suffered and was crucified.

This error spread rapidly, and the council was

The pope s
its influence.
and
were
the
Julian
legates
bishops Paschasinus,
Basil.
and
and
the
Boniface
Lucentius,
priests,
convened to counteract

Nearly six hundred bishops were present.

In his letter of instruction to one of his legates
I have written to our brother,
Pope Leo says
"

Bishop Flavian,

sufficient

you and the uni

for

church to learn the ancient and singular

faith which the ignorant opponent (Eutyches) has
versal

attacked, that which

we hold

as divinely delivered,

and which we undeviatingly preach/

When the
letter to Flavian mentioned above was read in the
council all

through

the bishops

Leo."

"

said,

Peter has spoken

90 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

profession of faith was drawn up by the council

against the errors of Eutychianism and Nestorianism,

both of which were heresies against the Incarnation.

The profession of faith of the Council of Chalcedon
as

is

follows:

Fathers, we

all,

"Following,

the

therefore,

Holy
we

with one voice declare that

to acknowledge one and the same Son, Our

Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in God-head
and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man
the same composed of a reasonable soul and body

ought

consubstantial with the Father in respect of the

God-head, and consubstantial with us in respect of

manhood

the
sin

like unto us in all things, yet without

begotten of the Father before

all ages, in respect

of the God-head, and the same in these last days,

born of Mary, the Virgin, Mother of God, in respect
of the manhood for our sake and for our salvation ;
one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten,
in two natures, without
confusion, change, division,
the difference of the natures being in
;
nowise taken away by the union ; on the contrary,
the property of each is preserved, and concurs into
separation

one Person and one Hypostasis so that He is not

parted nor divided into two persons, but He one
;

and the same, is Son and Only-begotten, God the

Word, Our Lord Jesus Christ."
53.

From

this brief review of the

Councils of the early church

we

Four General
them

see, that all of

were convoked or approved by the Pope that they

were convened to define some doctrine already
;

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 91

believed by the faithful, but called in question by
some heretic ; that when the decision was given it

was considered

final by the faithful

and, that the
of
the
church
primitive
always considered
bishops
the teachings of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome,

authoritative.

"

Peter has spoken through Leo/ 7

CHAPTER

IX.

THE TRIALS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

of the church, like that of her Divine
Founder, has been an almost uninterrupted
series of troubles and trials.
She, too, has had her
life

good Fridays, her Calvaries without number. This

The world shall hate
her Founder had foretold,
"

and persecute
early church.

you."

The

Especially is this true of the

of the early church were

trials

internal and external.

I.

The internal trials of the early church were

54.
the countless heresies that sprung up in the very
St. Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians,
beginning.

among the most grievous sins,

Peter speaks of false teachers bringing
"heresies of perdition."
Ignatius, Tertullian and

includes

and

"

heresies

"

St.

other fathers of the early church use the word as a

term of reproach and apply it to those who choose
false doctrines or institute sects

55.

Gnosticism

is

the

first

among

themselves.

heresy of any import

ance that arose in the Christian Church. It flourished

in the first

92

and second centuries

after Christ.

It

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 93

was composed of a number of sects differing from
each other in some respects.
Gnosticism, from the Greek gnosis, knowing,
But the Gnostics ar
literally means knowledge.
rogated to themselves a superior knowledge, inde

and superior to faith. Faith, according

to them, was for the many, knowledge for the few.
They abandoned faith, ridiculed the ministers of
pendent

of,

God, denied the teaching of creation out of nothing,

doubted the resurrection of the body, and set at
the efficacy and necessity of baptism.
that all things, material and spiritual,
believed
They
were derived from the Deity by successive emanations

naught

or eons, and that the Saviour was but a superior

To the Gnostic, knowledge was the passport
eon.
to heaven.

Simon Magus was the first Gnostic. By some

power he succeeded in deceiving the first
While attempting to show his
citizens of Rome.
claim to divine power by flying in the air, he was
shown to be an impostor, when the prayers of St.
Peter caused him to fall and perish miserably.
Simon tried to purchase the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
From this comes the word Simony."
Menander was a disciple of Simon Magus. He
diabolical

"

claimed to be a saviour of men.

Saturnine, a disciple of Menander, taught his
Antioch in the beginning of the second

errors at

century.
All three of these heretics taught that the world

94 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

EARLY CHURCH.

was made by inferior powers antagonistic to the

Supreme Being. Simon Magus has been called the
father of all heresies.

Cerinthus, a heretic of this time, taught, among

other errors, that the Word did not take upon Him
self a

human

nature.

Simon Magus.
Law was as binding

In

this his heresy agreed with

He

that of

also taught that the Old

was a con
New.

He

as the

temporary of St. John. The Gnostics derived most

of their erroneous teachings from Paganism.

The Ebionites were a sect of heretics, whose false

were derived from Judaism.
They

teachings

acknowledged the divine mission of the Saviour, but

contended that He was only man.

The

Ebionites were formed principally from the

converted Essenes and Pharisees, two ascetic sects of

the Jews, who held that the Jewish law was still

binding on the Christians.

The Ebionite heresy flourished during the first
In the fifth century it
four centuries of the church.

almost entirely disappeared

Ebionite means

and that name was probably adopted

"

poor,"

to vindicate

their renunciation of earthly things.

The

Docetce,

Jesus Christ

from

So/celv,

was true man.

to

seem, denied

They

that

attributed to

Him

an apparent but not a real humanity. Their

heresy was just the opposite to that of the Ebionites.

All of these heresies, the Cerinthians, the

Ebionites and the Docetse, were more or less tinc
tured with Gnosticism.
.

CHAKACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 95

were ably combated by
St. Peter, St. John,
Paul, St. Clement, St.
Irenaeus and other writers and fathers of the primi

These

56.

heresies

St.

The beloved

tive church.

Disciple was especially

He was destined by

conspicuous in his opposition.

the

Almighty

to evangelize those

very places where

He not only

these heretics were doing most harm.

refuted them by preaching but also

His sublime Gospel

is

by writing.
a refutation of their errors.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word

was with God, and the Word was God. The same

t(

was

in the

made by

beginning with God.

Him

And

the

All things were

Word was made

flesh

and dwelt among

These words of

us."

Word,

or

St. John s Gospel show that the

Son of God, was not purely human, as the

Ebionites said, nor inferior to the Supreme Being,

as the Cerinthians contended, but that He was God
equal to His Father from all eternity, and assumed
human nature at the time of His Incarnation.

John s teachings and labors were specially blessed

by God. Long after he had passed to his eternal
reward his zealous disciples, Ignatius, Polycarp and
others, carefully

guarded and defended the

faith

against the assaults of heretics.

The Montanists were the principal heretics
57.
of the second century. The great Tertullian was led

astray by this heresy.

Montanism attacked the discipline of the church,
whereas Gnosticism attacked its dogma. The Mon-

96 CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE EARLY CHURCH.

system of morality more perfect

than that of the Apostles. They kept three Lents
and denied the power of absolving from certain
Montanus was especially noted for his
crimes.
tanists claimed a

greed for money.

Manichceism was the most noted heresy of
58.
the third century. Manes, its founder, was a Persian

In 277,
heir to a rich magician.
in
a
of
controversy
Cascar, proved
Archelaus, bishop
that Manes was an impostor.
errors of the Manichees were the
The

who became

slave

principal

following: 1st, They condemned generation; 2nd,

They denied the resurrection of the body ; 3d, They

Old Testament, and some of them the

rejected the

New

asserted a dual principle, one good,

the other evil; 5th, They denied the freedom of
man s will ; 6th, They said baptism was not necessary
;

4th,

They

to salvation

They believed in the transmigra

They also taught that Christ had

7th,

tion of souls.

but that He was the

only the appearance of a body ;
Some of
ideal light-clad soul teaching men truth.
these teachings were detestable and most unreason
able.

a heresy that started about

the middle of the third century. It derived its name
59.

from a

Novatianism

Roman

is

priest

whose name was Novatian.

Novatian enjoys the notoriety of being the

first

anti-

After the election of Pope St. Cornelius in

pope.
had himself consecrated bishop and
Novatian
251,
of the church.
head
proclaimed

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

97

Novatian sent legates to Carthage. St. Cyprian,

the archbishop, would not communicate with them.
Cyprian wrote to all the bishops of Africa exhorting
to remain true to the
the root and
Papacy,

them

"

matrix of the Catholic

Church."

The anti-pope wrote to Dionysius, bishop of

Alexandria, saying, among other things, that he
became pope with great unwillingness. Dionysius
answered that, if he did so unwillingly, he could
prove

by willingly renouncing the position.

the errors of the Novatians were the

it

Among

denial of the

power to forgive sins committed after

In
baptism, and the re-baptism of their converts.
253 Pope Cornelius held a council at Rome which

condemned
60.

this heresy.

Samosatianism

is

so called

from Paul of

Samosata, who became bishop of Antioch

in

262.

His principal error was, that Christ did not

before His birth in the stable of Bethlehem.

exist

61.
Donatism is a heresy that arose in North
Africa in the fourth century and claimed that the
true church consisted only of saints.
All, except

themselves, had fallen

trine.

away from purity of doc

claimed
that
They
they alone could validly

baptize.

Donatus taught that the Father was greater than

Son greater than the Holy Ghost.
His followers, however, did not generally imbibe

the Son, and the

this doctrine.

Donatus endeavored

to usurp the see of

Carthage

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

98

and have the consecration of

cilian, declared null and void.

its

true bishop, Cse-

At

a council held in the Lateran palace, Rome,

Csecilian was declared legitimate bishop of Carthage

and Donatus was condemned.

313.

This was in the year

But the Donatists were not

314 a council held

satisfied,

and

in

at Aries again declared Csecilian

the legitimate bishop of Carthage.

The Donatists split up into many sects and con
tinued to harass the church for about three centuries.
St. Augustine, the great bishop of Hippo, was their
principal opponent. In 41 1 he met 279 of their bish
ops in conference at Carthage. Owing to the ability

and vigor of the great St. Augustine the Donatist

heresy was vanquished and after a time vanished
from the earth.
Arius, a priest of Alexandria, in the begin
ning of the fourth century, taught that the Son of
God was distinct from the Father in person and
62.

nature.

In other words, he denied the Divinity of

He was an ancient rationalist. The

Jesus Christ.

deny Our Saviour s Divinity.

His principal doctrine was, that the Son of God is a

rationalists of to-day

creature.

It agreed with the teaching of Gnosticism

and Manichseism that the Sou

is

inferior to

the

Father.

Arius was a Libyan by birth. He began his

Alexandria about the year 320.

heretical teaching in

We

are told that the bishop of Alexandria was

speaking to his priests on the Trinity in Unity,

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 99

when Arius, who was distinguished for

contradicted him and said that since
begotten,

He

ence, being

He

must have had

also said that the

own

"a

made out of nothing

He

nature.

his learning,
the Son was

beginning of exist

like other

Son was

creatures."

liable to sin in

His

denied that the Son was from the

substance of the Father.

The
God,

early fathers had taught that there is but one

that the Son is God, and that the Son is dis

tinct from the Father.

But Arius asserted
Son of God is a creature who existed before
yet was not co-eternal with the Father.

Arius was

much

very

heresy by Constantia,
stantine.

They

the heresiarch.

aided

sister

tried to induce the

He

in

of the

that the
all ages,

spreading his

Emperor Con-

emperor

to favor

decided to request Pope Syl

convoke a general council. In the year

general council was convened at Nice.
Arius and his heresy were condemned.

vester to

325 the

first

Arianism, like
into

many

all

sects.

Anomceians,

other heresies, was soon divided

principal of these were the

The

who contended

dissimilar to the Father

said that the

that the Son

was
and the Semi-Arians, who

Son was of a similar nature but not of

the same nature as the Father.

63.
Pelagianism taught that Adam s sin was not
transmitted to his posterity.
Pelagius preached at
Rome and various other places in the beginning of

the

fifth

century,
necessity of grace.

denying original

sin

and the

100

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

the
St. Augustine, amongst others, combated
De Gestis
teaching of Pelagius in his works,
De Gratia Christi," etc.
Pelagii,"
"

"

While in
Pelagius was a monk born in Britain.
about
the
he
was
Rome,
year 400,
joined by Celestius,
another monk.

Owing

to the activity

and

ability

Augustine their heresy did not make much

headway, and they soon found an asylum at Con

of

St.

stantinople with Nestorius. The Council of Ephesus

condemned Pelagianism with Nestorianism.
64.
Nestorianixm held that there are two persons
as well as two natures in Jesus Christ.

Nestorius was born in Syria, educated at Antioch,

where he entered a monastery, became a priest, and
In 428 he became bishop of
lived a strict life.
Constantinople.
In a sermon preached about this time Nestorius
Let no
objected to the title of Mother of God.
"

one,"

he said,

Mother of
Cyril,

heresy.

"

designate

the Blessed Virgin

as

God."

of Alexandria, combated this

Athanasius did in counteracting the

Patriarch

What

of Arianism, what Augustine

did against
did
that
Nestorianism.
Cyril
against
Pelagianism,
Finally the Council of Ephesus was convoked by

evils

the

Pope
God.

in

431 and Mary was declared Mother of

Eutychianism taught that Christ consisted

of but one nature.
This heresy takes its name from Eutyches, an
65.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

101

abbot of a monastery at
Constantinople. Eutychians
are sometimes called
Monophysites.
They were condemned by the Council of Chalce-

don

451 /

in

This council taught

that in Christ

two natures, the nature of God and the

nature of man. Both Eutycliianism and Nestorianism
aimed direct blows at the Incarnation.
there are

II.

The external trials of the early church were the

various persecutions
If they
waged against her.
have persecuted Me," our Lord said,
they will
"

"

also persecute

66.

you."

The Jews were

early Christians.

waged a

the

Having

first

persecutors of the

crucified the Master,

they

relentless

warfare against the disciples.

forbade
them
to
They
preach, cast them into prison,

scourged them and put them to death.

They stoned

St.

Stephen to death, murdered St. James, the first

bishop of Jerusalem, and sent St. Paul in chains to

Cesarea.

the

first

The persecution, during which St. Stephen,

Christian martyr, was put to death, occurred

the year after

persecution,

Our Lord

it is

s crucifixion.

During

this

said, about two thousand Christians

The Jews continued the persecution

were martyred.
of the Christians until the
Romans, under Titus,
destroyed the city of Jerusalem in the year 70, killed
thousands of the citizens, carried others into
captivity
and scattered the remainder of the first

persecutors

of the early church.

102

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHtJRCH.

the
persecutions waged by the Jews against
with
Christians were insignificant when compared

The

the cruel and widespread Roman persecutions. Dur

the
ing the first three centuries of Christianity,

Roman

emperors waged a continual and relentless

warfare against the Christians.

There
History

were

tells

cruel general persecutions.

ten
us of ten emperors who were the prin

cipal persecutors: Nero,

Domitian, Trajan, Adrian,

Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, Maximin,

Decius, Valerian and Diocletian.
67.
Under Nero, A. D. 37 to 68, occurred the
In the
general persecution of the Christians.
fire
set
of
accused
were
having
falsely
year 64, they
were
account
this
On
to the city.
bitterly
they

first

Some were cast into the Tiber, others

persecuted.
torn to pieces by wild beasts, others beheaded or
crucified,

and

still

others, covered with pitch,

used as torches to light the imperial gardens.

were
It

was during this persecution, that St. Paul was

beheaded and St. Peter crucified, head downward,
in the year 67.

did not perse

Vespasian, the successor of Nero,
cute the Christians.

second general persecution was under

Domitian, A. D. 81 to 96. It was during this per
secution that St. John, after being cast into a kettle
68.

The

of boiling oil and coming out unharmed, was ban

ished to the Island of Patmos.

These two persecutions were not so widespread as

succeeding ones.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

The Roman

officials at first

103

confounded Christi

anity with Judaism. The Jews took pains to correct

this erroneous impression, and as Christianity became
ideas

understood, its incompatibility with Pagan

stood .out in bold relief.
Various charges

were

brought against

better

traitors,

magicians and

69.

Under Trajan,

the third persecution.

D. 98

to 117.

them.

They were

called

atheists.

successor of Nerva, occurred

Trajan was emperor from A.

bishop of Antioch, was

St. Ignatius,

the most illustrious martyr of this persecution. His

martyrdom occurred about the year 117. Three

popes suffered martyrdom under Trajan, Sts. Clem

Evaristus and Alexander.
Another illustrious

ent,

victim of this persecution was St. Simeon, bishop of

He was the second bishop of that see,

Jerusalem.

being the immediate successor of the Apostle St.

James the Less. Simeon was crucified in the year

108.
He was 120 years old at the time of his
martyrdom.
Trajan ordered that
a Christian,

and

if

any one denied that he was

was to

offered sacrifice to the gods, he

be pardoned. Those who refused to sacrifice were

executed as followers of an unlawful religion.
If the Tiber overflows/ 7 Tertullian says,
if the
Nile does not overflow, if there is a drought, an
earthquake, a scarcity, or a pestilence, straightway
"

"

the people cry, The Christians to the lions/ 1:

70.
The fourth persecution was that under
Adrian, who ruled from 117 to 138. Pope St.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

104

of this
Telesphorus was the most illustrious martyr
St. Symphorosa, her seven sons, and a
persecution.

number of martyrs

yielded up their .lives

the
fourth
persecution.
during
Marcus Aureli us succeeded his father-in-law,
71.

large

Emperor Antoninus Pius. During the reign of

Marcus Aurelius from 161 to 180 occurred the fifth

the

This emperor was, perhaps, the most

cruel of the persecutors of the Chris
and
systematic
A philosopher, a warrior and an author, he
tians.
persecution.

failed

understand the beauty of the Christian

to

religion.

His
spirit,

"Meditations"
"

as

It

is

breathe a somewhat Christian

against

its

will that the soul

is

The remembrance of this will

make you more gentle to all mankind .... Re
member that patience was given you to practice for
beautiful
his
men s good."
Notwithstanding

deprived of virtue.

the Christians in
thoughts, he bitterly persecuted
of the empire.
Asia, in Gaul, and in other portions
St.
During this reign occurred the martyrdom of
The
in the year 169.
Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna,

make Polycarp renounce his

What harm
firm.
remained
the
saint
but
religion,

Roman

official tried to

"

is

it,"

said the judge,

Lord and
will not

do

"

to call

offer sacrifice to save

it,"

the emperor your

your

life?"

"I

said the noble saint.

It
the people, recognizing him, cried out
the
of
It is the father
teacher of Asia.
"

Then
is

the

Christians.

It

is

the destroyer of our gods.

It is

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

who

he

has taught so

religion of the

many

others to abjure the

state."

The judge once more exhorted Polycarp

the

emperor

Christ.

105

and

edicts

The holy bishop

to

to

obey

speak against Jesus

indignantly repried,

"Four

have served Jesus Christ, and He has

never done me any harm on the contrary He has
loaded me with favors, and you would have me
speak against Him. Once more I tell you I am a
score years I

Christian.

words

That

is

my

religion."

These courageous

emperor s officers, that they

him cast into a fire. The
afterwards
had
shortly
This miracle so enraged
flames did not harm him.
so enraged the

the governor, that he had the holy man stabbed with

a dagger.
St. Polycarp s is but an example of many

martyrdoms of these

cruel times.

Septimius Severus governed from 1 93 to 21 1.

During his reign was waged the sixth persecution.
At the beginning of his reign he protected the
72.

Christians.
a

change.

Africa.

Towards

its

close,

This persecution

At Alexandria,

however, there was

was most severe

Leonides,

the

father

in

of

and the son, a mere youth,

Hundreds were put to
almost shared the same fate.
Origen, was put

to death,

death exclaiming,

"We

die joyfully for Christ,

Our

Lord."

During this persecution Sts. Perpetua and Felicitwo young women or girls, and countless others

tas,

were martyred
73.

The

at Carthage.

seventh

persecution

was

during

the

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

106

of

reign

235

Maximin of Thrace, who ruled from

Maximin was the son of a Goth whom

to 238.

the soldiers had proclaimed

emperor after the assas
sination of Alexander Severus in Gaul.

The household of Alexander Severus contained

Christians.
Against these Maximin first
vented his hatred. Then he turned his attention

many

towards the ministers of religion, believing that if

the shepherds were taken away the flock would soon
scatter.

74.
The next persecution was during the reign
of DeciuSj 249 to 251.
The church suffered more
severely during this reign than at any other time.

Decius

undertook

Christianity.

requiring

all

the

entire

suppression

In the year 250 he issued an

of

edict

Christians to renounce their religion

and follow the religious ceremonies of the Romans.

At first death was inflicted principally upon

who were looked upon as ringleaders.

Fabian us, bishop of Rome, was put to death. He
was succeeded by Pope Cornelius, whom Lucian
bishops,

succeeded.

Both of

predecessors,
three popes,

suffered

these, like so

many of

their

martyrdom.

Besides

these

the noted virgins Victoria, Agatha,

and
Anatolia,
great numbers of other Christians,

perished under the most frightful tortures.

In this persecution the persecutors sought not so

much the death as the apostasy of the Christians.

To attain this object, frightful and rigorous tortures
were applied everywhere.
tyred,

some

apostatized.

While many were mar

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

107

This emperor
says
ordered the prefect to force the Christians by terror
and by every kind of torture to the worship of the
St.

Gregory of Nyssa

"

gods."

On

account of the fearful tortures resorted

the only persecution that furnishes any

Christians who became apostates.

is

75.

The

to, this

number of

ninth persecution was under the emperor

to 260. In 257 this emperor issued his

Valerian, 253

edict against the Christians. This edict forbade

the assembly of Christians and threatened those who
disobeyed with imprisonment and other punishments.
first

Another

edict

ordered

all

bishops,

priests

and

deacons to be beheaded; it also ordered the confisca

tion of the property of Christians, and, if they did
not abandon their religion, they were to be arrested

and put to death.

Pope St. Sixtus II., bishop of Rome his deacon,

Lawrence St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage Fruc;

others,

were

arrested while celebrating

Mass

tuosa, bishop of Tarragona,

and many

victims of this cruel order.

Pope Sixtus was

After his sentence he was brought

back to the catacombs and beheaded on the spot

in the

catacombs.

where a short time before he had offered up the

Holy

Sacrifice.

After an interval of about forty years of

the
tenth and last general persecution against
peace,
the Christians broke out.
This persecution began
76.

in the

year 303 under Diocletian,

to 305.

from 284

who was emperor

108

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Eusebius

tells

us in the eighth book of his history

of the increasing numbers, wealth and influence of

the Christians; of their valuable services to the

emperor

and of the costly churches they were

He also tells

erecting in every city.

who, with Constantius Chlorus,

as Caesars, filled the

mind of

us that Galerius,

assisted the

emperor

Diocletian with hatred

against the Christians, and convinced him, that the

tendency of Christianity was opposed to the welfare

of the

Roman

empire.
Diocletian was finally persuaded to issue an edict
He first ordered the
against the Christians.
destruction of Christian churches and

Afterwards he turned

Scriptures.

his attention to the clergy

and

They were arrested, cast into prison, tor

tured and put to death.
Many were hung up by
the feet and fires built under them.
Others had
faithful.

and ears cut

off, their eyes and tongues

torn out, melted lead poured over them and their
bodies cut in pieces.

their noses

The Theban Legion

this persecution.

suffered martyrdom during

This noble band of heroes was

recruited from the Thebais in Egypt.

With their
incurred
the
leader, Mauritius, they
anger of the

by

tyrant

Other

refusing

to

persecute

the

Christians.

illustrious victims of this persecution

St. Sebastian, a

dom by

Roman

officer,

who

were

suffered martyr

being pierced with arrows; and Sts. Agnes,

Lucy and Anastasia. Lactantius, who lived from

260 to 325, and was a witness of what he writes,

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

savs in the

"Deaths

who always wishes

of Persecutors

"

"

to pass for intelligent

109

Diocletian,

and

astute,

inflamed with anger, immediately began to cut his

familiars to pieces.

He sat in
....

judgment and burned

Persons of every age

and sex were thrust into the flames, not merely one
at a time, for so great was the multitude that they
the innocent with fire

were collected into a heap and a

fire

built

around

them."

77.

The

accession of the

Emperor Constantine

and his conversion in the beginning of the fourth

century practically ended the persecutions.
From this brief sketch of the principal persecu
tions

we

see that all the

were united

in

powers of earth and hell

trying to destroy the early church.

Christianity grew, strengthened and

while the proud Roman empire was

Nevertheless

expanded

destined to destruction.

Having spent

its

force in

trying to destroy the Christians, it met its punish

ment.
Hordes of northern barbarians overran the

empire with

fire

and sword

Romulus Augustulus,

in

476 and dethroned

the last emperor of the \Yest.

CHAPTER

X.

THE TRIUMPHS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

rTlHE darkest trials that harassed the early church
*
were, as we have seen, caused by heresy and
The church triumphed over both. A
persecution.
His new teaching attracted
teacher of error arose.
the attention of multitudes and

drew them away

from the truth.

The successor of St. Peter summoned the bishops

of the cliurch, who, after discussing the new teach
ing,

condemned the

heresy.

Unity and peace

fol

lowed, for all recognized the voice of Peter in the

voice of her Pontiff. (I.) The church triumphed in

her pontiffs.
Persecution

was waged against God

s
people.
were
steadfast.
the
Master,
they
Strengthened by
The blood of the Christians became the seed of the

church. (II.)

The church triumphed

in her martyrs.

I.

THE TRIUMPHS OF THE EARLY CHURCH

HER PONTIFFS.

IN

In treating of the councils of the early

church, we saw that the Pope convoked the general
110
78.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Ill

them in person or by. his

and
confirmed
their decrees as su
representative,
head
of
the
Catholic
church.
preme
The Pope was always believed to be the successor

councils, presided over

of St. Peter,

whom
St.

made head of

Peter

the church.

Peter, the First Pope.

All the writers of the

79.

that

Christ

the

first five

centuries held

occupied
place among the
Tertnllian
that
Peter
was the rock
apostles.
says
which
Christ
built
His
church
and
that Christ
upon
left

the keys to

Peter, then,

is

first

him and through him

to the church.

the source of jurisdiction in the church.

Cyprian speaks of
Peter, on whom Christ
built His church and from whom He instituted and
showed the origin of unity.
Irenseus, bishop of
St.

"

the beginning of the third century, a

of
St. Poly carp, who was a
disciple
disciple of St.
John the Apostle, says that the Roman church was

Lyons,

in

"the
greatest, most ancient, known to all, founded
and constituted by the most glorious Apostles Peter
and Paul. Having built and founded the church

of Rome, the blessed Apostles entrusted to Linus

the administration of the

St.

episcopacy."

Linus, the Second Pope.

Linus, then, was the first successor of St.

Peter as bishop of Rome and head of the church.
80.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

112

The words of

Irenseus, just quoted, as well as the

writings of Eusebius and others, assure us of tins
After St. Peter s martyrdom, in the year 67,
fact.

Linus succeeded him and governed the church until

the year 78, about twelve years.
St. Linus suffered

martyrdom and
martyrs

in the

near St. Peter

his

name

is

mentioned among the

He was buried

canon of the Mass.

tomb on

was distinguished

the Vatican

for his humility,

hill.

Linus

meekness and

charity.
St.

Cldus, the Third Pope.

81. Linus was succeeded by Cletus, who governed

the church from the year 78 to the year 90.
He
suffered

name

is

to us
St.

like

martyrdom and,
in the

his predecessor, his

canon of the Mass, which comes down

He was buried near

from Apostolic times.

Linus.

Some

say that Cletus and Anacletus

were the same person. There is little doubt, how

ever, that they are two separate and distinct popes,
Cletus

reigning

from 78

to

90,

before Clement,

and Anacletus, succeeding Clement, governed the

church of God from the year 100 to the year of Our

Lord 112.
Mention
line

is

made of these

of succession in the

The

early popes to

first

and second

show the
centuries.

early fathers believed in the primacy of Peter.

They also held that the pope, or bishop of Rome, is
his successor and that the Roman church is the
"

Chair of

Peter."

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

St. Irengeus, in

naming the successor of

113

St. Peter,

begins with Linus, and says that the faithful every

where must agree with the teaching of the Roman
see.

St.
"

thus

Augustine

my brethren, if
vine .... Reckon

Come,
the

writes

to

you wish

the Donatists

to be grafted in

up the bishops even from

the very see of Peter.

That is the rock which the
of
hell
do
not
overcome.
haughty gates

During

these early ages of the church appeals

Pope from every part of the world.

sent legates to every part of Christendom, and,
after the conversion of Constantine, all governments
were sent

to the

He

recognized the authority and primacy of the pope of

Rome.
St.

Leo

the

Great.

Perhaps the greatest pope of the first five

was Leo the Great, who governed the
church from 440 to 461 A. D.
Leo was a man of
82.

centuries

strong character and was a zealous defender of God s

church. When his letter to Flavian was read at the

Council of Chalcedon the fathers exclaimed, "Peter

has spoken by the mouth of Leo."
This expression
clearly

shows the

belief of the early church.

Leo wrote one hundred and forty-one epistles

on faith and discipline. His one hundred and one
sermons that remain are models of zeal and elo
St.

quence.

His writings not only gained many

8

victories for

114

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

the church of his age, but served as a bulwark

He converted many
against succeeding heresies.

pagans

and

He

infidels.

triumphed

over

the

Manichees, the Arians, the Nestorians, the Eutychians and the Donatists.
He clearly explained the

mystery of the Incarnation and confounded the

Eutychians by proving that Christ had a true body.

From

his writings

we

learn that the Christians

of his day believed in the characteristic Catholic

doctrines and practices concerning the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass, the Holy Eucharist, the praying to
saints, the

honoring of

relics,

the fast of Lent, the

confession of sin, the use of lights during Mass and

other religious ceremonies, and the supremacy of
St.

Peter and his successor, the pope.

One of

St. Leo s great triumphs was won over

the
leader of the hordes of Northern barba
Attila,
rians, who threatened Rome with destruction. Attila

was king of the Huns, one of the

northern nations.

fiercest

of the

It included all the tribes from

the Rhine to the Volga,

He

called

himself"

The

Scourge of God." His subjects feared him, his

enemies trembled when his name was mentioned.

Having murdered his brother in the year 444, he

invaded Illyria and all the region about the Black
Sea.
With an army of five hundred thousand men
he spread death and destruction everywhere. Seventy
of the most flourishing cities in Thrace, Macedonia,

and Greece were destroyed,

their inhabitants

dered and the surrounding country laid waste.

mur

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

He

115

invaded Italy about the year 452, destroyed

Verona and other places,

Aquileia, Padua, Vicenza,

and Pavia and advanced upon Rome.

pillaged Milan

Pope Leo

visited the terrible barbarian in his

I.

him

overawed

by his sacred authority,

withdraw his barbarian hordes
from the vicinity and saved Rome from ruin and
camp,

persuaded him

to

desolation.

To have checked
saved

Rome was

the terrible Attila, and to have

one of the greatest glories of

St.

Leo s pontificate.
Leo was but one of a long list of grand and heroic
men whom God raised up to rule His church in its

list of all the

infancy.
popes of the first five
centuries will be found at the close of this chapter.

Peter received

all

the prerogatives of the primacy

also received the power to

He

from his Master.

confer these prerogatives and privileges on his suc

cessors.
The Apostolic Fathers are witnesses to the

primacy of Peter. St. Clement of Rome in the first

St. Ignatius, bishop of
century is an example of it.
Antioch,

in

the

second

century,

recognizes

the

primacy of the successor of St. Peter, as does St.

Cyprian in the third, St. Athauasius in the fourth

and

St.

St.

Augustine

Cyprian

in the fifth century.

calls

the church of

Rome

the

first

church, the bishop of Rome the first bishop and

To be united with the see of Rome is to be
says,
"

united with the Catholic Church

is

built

.... The

upon Peter for the sake of

unity."

church

This

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

116

primacy of the pope, as well as the unity of the

church, was the cause of many signal triumphs of
the early church.
II.

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHED

IN

HER MARTYRS.

We have

seen the frightful torments under

gone by the Christians during the various persecu
The Christians bore these punishments
tions.
83.

They were but following in the foot

patiently.
The disciple is not above
their
Master.
of
steps
"

and they were happy when suffering

even
martyrdom, for Christ s sake. Nothing
torture,
is more interesting, nothing more instructive, noth
his

Master,"

ing more inspiring than the example of the heroic

Each anniversary of their
courage of the martyrs.
death the church reminds us of their virtues in the
celebration of their feasts.

Here we

will recall

some of the

trials, sufferings

and triumphs of a few of those heroic souls

in the

persecutions of the primitive church.

St..

Stephen.

We

could not well speak of the martyrs

without a brief mention of St. Stephen, the first
84.

martyr.

The seventh chapter of

the Acts of the

us the story of his triumphant victory.

Apostles
The Apostles had chosen him as a man full of
tells

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

117

and the Holy Ghost, and had ordained him

faith

deacon of

To show

the church.

the truth

he

preached, lie worked great signs and wonders.

Some of the Jews disputed with him. Being defeated
in their disputation,
they brought him before the
council

Stephen said to the high priest among

other things
You stiff-necked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears,
you always resist the Holy Ghost,
as your fathers did so
you do also. Which of the
"

And

prophets have not your fathers persecuted?

they have slain them who foretold the corning of the

Just One, of whom you have been now the
betrayers

and murderers, who have received the law by the

Hear
disposition of angels and have not kept
this
the
Jews
were
and
ing
very angry,
Stephen,
it."

raising his eyes, saw Jesus standing at the right

hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened and the Son of Man standing at the right
hand of God."
"

They rushed upon him, dragged him outside

and stoned him to death while he said,

the city
"Lord

Jesus, receive

my

Lord, lay

spirit

not this sin to their charge.

And
he
fell
in
the
Lord."
this,
asleep

when he had

said

This brief history of the heroic martyrdom of St.

Stephen manifests his wonderful patience and
charity.
heart,

These two

cruel executioners.
fering,

virtues, deeply

were the cause of

his great

imbedded

in his

triumph over

his

his great suf

Notwithstanding
he forgave his murderers. Imitating his

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

118

Divine Model, dying in torments, he raised his eyes

to heaven and prayed for his enemies
Lord, lay
"

not this sin to their

charge."

Stephen was the first martyr of the New Law.

had not the example of others to cheer him.

St.

He

Hence his martyrdom was more heroic, his death

more glorious and his triumph more noticeable than
that of others, who followed upon the same blood
stained path.

When

Stephen was put to death Saul was a will

Saul, the persecutor of God s church,

began to be a changed man.
St. Stephen s patience, charity and prayers, were a
potent cause of the conversion of St. Paul.

ing witness.

shortly after that time

Stephen was one of the first Jewish converts. He

was one of the first seven deacons ordained by the
Apostles.

His

forgiving spirit

triumphs

for

zeal, patience,

have been a

God

One

many

church.

St.

85.

meekness, charity and

fruitful source of

Domatilla.

of the most illustrious of the virgin

martyrs of the first century was St. Flavia Dom

atilla. She was a niece of the emperor Domitian and
Flavius Clemens was
also of St. Flavius Clemens.
a consul

under Domitian and was put to death by

Domitian banished Domatilla

that cruel emperor.

on account of her
sacrifice

faith.

Because she refused to

to idols she was burnt

to death

under Trajan

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

119

about the year 98. There is a cemetery excavated

on her property near Rome called the Catacomb of
St.

Domatilla.

Do mat ilia

was of royal lineage. She belonged to

the Flavian family, to which the
emperors Ves
Domitian and other royal personages
pasian,
Notwithstanding her high worldly posi
was happy only when suffering for virtue.
She had all the honors the world can offer, she had
belonged.

tion she

the luxuries money can buy, they did not satisfy

her cravings for happiness.
Triumphing over the allurements of the world, its
honors, its wealth and its pleasures, she became an
all

humble servant of God here

rule with

Him

St.

86.

St.

in order that she

might

hereafter.

Eustachius.

Eustachius, who was called Placidus before

was a noble Roman general. One

his conversion,

day while hunting with some

a

number of

officers,

the hunters

saw

beautiful

Placidus pursued one

stags.
which was larger and more beautiful than the others.
In the excitement of the chase he was soon
separated

from

his

companions.

In a deep ravine he came near

the stag and was surprised to see an

image of the cruci
fixion shining in dazzling
light

Amazed and

horns.

between

its

branching

awestricken, he heard a voice,

saying
Placidus, why dost thou follow me ? I am
Christ, whom thou servest without knowing.
Thy
"

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

120

charity and deeds of benevolence to the poor have

stood before Me and have made Me follow thee with

My

mercy."

Placidus could not remove his eyes

vision.
Although he heard, he

from the wonderful

did not understand and he asked,

I
Again he heard these words
"

who

created heaven

man, and
human flesh, was

created

"

Who

am

speaks?"

Jesus Christ,

and earth out of nothing, who

redemption appeared in
crucified and rose the third day
for

his

from the dead. Go, Placidus, to the city and seek

the chief pastor of -the Christians and be baptized."

now

Placidus
knees

in

silent

understood
adoration

Rising, like Paul on the

all.

He

and

grateful

way

to

fell

upon

his

prayer.

Damascus, with

courage to embrace and proclaim the truth, he

After relating to his wife the
returned to the city.
story of the wonderful vision and his conversion, he
started with her and their two children, three and
five years old, for the catacombs in search of the
chief bishop of God s church.
Pope Anacletus ruled

God

church at this time.

Catacomb

of St. Priscilla

They found him

at the

on the Salarian

Way.

With joy and

Roman
name

gratitude the holy pope baptized the

Placidus took the
general and his family.

Eustachius, his wife was called Theopista, and

Agapius and Theophiston.

After his baptism, Eustachius met with misfortune,
and to escape suffering and persecution, fled with his
his children

Arriving in Africa, the wicked

captain kept his wife a captive, and sent him on
family to Egypt.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

shore with his two

little

children.

121

This was a cruel

blow.

He

had other

bitter trials to endure.

into the interior of the country, he

Travelling

came

to a river

swollen by late rains.

Leaving one child on the
Before he
shore, he started across with the other.

reached the opposite bank, attracted by cries, he

turned and saw an enormous lion carrying off the

Leaving the younger on the bank he

older child.

returned to pursue the forest king.

Scarcely was he
out of the stream, when the younger boy was seized

So paralyzed was he by the sight, that

He knelt and asked God
step.

by a wolf.

he could not move a

for patience to bear his trials.

committed

Having

his

family

determined to bear manfully

to

God

he

He

all his troubles.

spent some years unknown working as a laborer on

a farm.
All these years he spent in labor, prayer

and

His

solitude.

faith alone sustained him.

The Roman empire was

Fifteen years passed.
The emperor
about to go to war with Persia.
Trajan was looking for some one to command his
warlike legions. He thought of Placidus, who was

But where was he?

always victorious in the past.

Rumor said

he

still

lived.

Two

veterans, Antiochus

and Achacius, started to search for Placidus. They

were about to give up the search, when, one morning,
they came

inquired

to a

if a

beautiful, well-kept farm.

Roman

in these parts.

citizen

Something

named Placidus

They
lived

in the noble bearing

and

122

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

of the old man, whom they

reminded
them
of their general. Mutual
addressed,
majestic appearance

recognitions followed.
Placidus returned to lead the

Roman army again

Before victory perched upon the banners

to victory.

of the

Roman

soldiers, they

were led into an ambus

cade and were saved by the prompt action of two

Numidian youths. The general made these cour

ageous young men captains, and kept them near

him. The strange part of this story is that the two

youths were the sons of Placidus, the elder of whom

was saved by shepherds from being devoured by the
lion, and the younger was taken from the jaws of
the wolf

by some farmers.

Placidus also had the

happiness of being restored to the arms of his wife,

Theopista.

About
elected

The

and Adrian was

time Trajan died

emperor by the army.
this

summoned

general was

to

The em

Rome.

peror went to meet the general and embraced him.

great procession was formed and the general, with
t

his family in a gilt chariot

horses, followed the

army.

drawn by

four white

All hailed Placidus as

the saviour of the empire.

When they came to the temple of Jupiter,

Placidus (Eustachius) and his family refused to
enter.
They would not sacrifice. The shouts of
applause were

changed

to

cries

of

"

Death

to

Christians."

The noble Eustachius,

the victorious general, was

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

123

brought before Adrian. When asked by the em

peror why he did not sacrifice, Eustachius replied,
"I

He

am

a Christian

and adore only the true

God."

were confined that night in the

Mamertine prison.
The next morning, September
20, in the year 120, they were taken to the Coliseum.

and

his family

They were

led into the arena in chains,

and two bears

lions

let

loose.

The

and two

wild

beasts

would not touch the martyrs. This so enraged

Adrian that he ordered the martyrs to be placed in
a bronze bull and slowly consumed by fire. In this

way did

St.

Eustachius and his family receive the

crown of martyrdom.
Eustachius had often triumphed with the Roman
But the grandest triumph of that noble
army.
hero was that which closed his earthly career in the

Coliseum and ushered

in

the triumph which shall

be eternal.

portion of this story of St. Eustachius

is

prob

Its main features, however, such

ably legendary.
as his conversion and the martyrdom of himself,
his wife

and

his

two sons under Adrian, seem

to

stand the test of strict examination.

St.

Felicitas.

St. Felicitas was a pious Christian widow,

with
her seven sons, suffered martyrdom in the
who,
150.
After her husband s death, she spent her
year
in
time
praying, fasting, and performing works of

87.

124

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

Her noble example caused many conver

This enraged the heathen priests, who com
plained of her to the emperor.
The prefect of Rome, at the command of the
charity.
sions.

emperor, Antoninus, had her and her seven sons

arrested.
He tried to induce her to sacrifice to the
false gods,

and told

her, that, if she did not, she

and

her sons would be severely punished. She answered

"Do
not think to frighten me by threats, nor win

me by fair speeches. The Spirit

me victorious over your assaults.

of

God

My

will

make

children will

live eternally with Christ, if faithful to

Him."

Her

sons were cruelly scourged with whips and

clubs, and put to death in various ways, exclaiming,
"

I confide in

my Lord

only one God.

overcome our faith.
is

Jesus Christ.

You will never be

... All who do not
.

There
able to
confess

Christ to be the true God, shall be cast into eternal

flames."

was more than a martyr. She was a

each of her seven dear sons martyred

St. Felicitas

martyr

in

She

before her eyes.

and herself as a
celebrates their

rejoiced to offer her children

sacrifice to Christ.

triumphal

entry into

The church
heaven

on

July 10.
St. Laicrence.

This saint was born in Rome, about the

beginning of the third century, and suffered mar
88.

tyrdom, August 10, 258, during the persecution of

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

He

Valerian.

125

was one of the seven deacons of

Rome, under Pope Sixtus

I.
Lawrence had charge
of the treasury of the church, and also looked after
the welfare of the poor widows and
He
orphans.
was summoned before the tribunal of the emperor,

and ordered to give up the treasures of the church.

He distributed all the money and riches in his pos

among the poor. Afterwards he collected

together the poor, the sick, and the orphans, and
brought them to the authorities, declaring that they

session

The

were his treasures.

prefect

Lawrence

this that he ordered

was

so enraged at

to be put to death

by

He

slow degrees.

caused a great gridiron to be

live
coals
to be thrown under it, and
prepared,
Lawrence to be bound over this slow fire until his

flesh

was

After burning for some time, the

"Let
my body be turned

broiled.

saint said to the judge,

one side

is

broiled

enough."

The martyr prayed

continually to God for patience and resignation.

His heroic example caused many conversions. His
glorious triumph the whole church celebrates each
year with great joy and devotion.

St. Cecilia.

89.

St. Cecilia is

the saints.

She, even

She
in

one of the most illustrious of

the patroness of sacred music.

that early age, often joined instru
is

mental with vocal music

Although she had

made

in

sounding

vow

to

God

s praises.

consecrate her

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

126

life to religion, she was compelled by her parents to

marry a noble Roman youth, named Valerian. Her
beautiful life and her firm faith converted Valerian
and his brother Tiburtius. They were both beheaded

for their

religion.

Some days afterward Cecilia

Her martyrdom, by

finished her glorious triumph.

being beheaded after she had been almost suffocated

for three days, occurred on Nov. 22, 230.

St.

One

90.
is

the

little

Agnes.

God

of the most attractive of

St.

Agues.

She

suffered

s saints

martyrdom

Jan. 21, 30i.

With God s immaculate Mother,
she is considered a special patroness of holy purity.
She was but about twelve years old when she was

commanded to offer incense. Instead of obeying,

She was arrested
she made the sign of the cross.
and subjected

to

the

most

horrible tortures.

pagan youth, who attempted improper

stricken blind.

Loaded with

A
was

to be beheaded.

chains, she was led to the place of exe

hardened spectators could not restrain

The
tears when they saw

cution.
their

She was condemned

liberties,

so

young and tender a

After a brief prayer,

in
adoration of God.
head
silent
bowed
her
Agnes
With one stroke the executioner severed her head
virgin so cruelly treated.

from her body.

Rome, whose wealthiest young
noblemen were ready to throw themselves and their
riches at her feet,

was the scene of the noble triumph

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

127

who would have uo

other

of this youthful virgin,

spouse but Jesus Christ.

St. Pancratius.

91.

This saint also suffered martyrdom under

about the 12th of May, 304.
He was

Diocletian

When
only 14 years old at the time of his death.
asked by the representative of the Roman
emperor
who he was, the noble youth, like so many of his
fellow-martyrs, answered by making
the cross.
The judge understood its

the sign

meaning.

of
It

him

that the youth was a follower of Him who

died upon the cross; and filled with
anger, he
ordered the decapitation of the heroic
boy.
told

From

these brief sketches of a few of the

early
learn that their fidelity, patience,

martyrs, we

and heroism were confined

piety,

to

no age,

sex, or condi

The fragile virgin, the tender youth,

the poor laborer, the rich
nobleman, and the learned
priest or bishop, all vied with each other in showing
their devotion to their Lord and Saviour. Fire and
tion of life.

sword, gibbet and savage beasts were used to torture

and kill these innocent victims.

As Christ by His death on the cross won a

victory
over the world, So His martyrs in
every age have
Each death of a martyr is
repeated this triumph.
a grand and glorious
triumph for the church. No
period of history is more consoling, tender, and
elevating than these centuries of persecution.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

128

We

9*2.

have

briefly

reviewed the

dred years of the church.

growth, step by step, from

We
its

Pentecost, ten days after Our

it was
planted in all nations.

We

first five

at

germ
Lord s

have seen that the church

hun

have followed

its

Jerusalem on

ascension, until

in the

very begin
ning had its hierarchy, bishops, priests, and deacons.
We have beheld the small body of believers at

Jerusalem

becoming a great power everywhere.

Their upright life, noble character and great charity
were a revelation and wonder to the Pagans.
We have seen Peter, that poor obscure priest,
entering Rome, the imperial mistress of the world.
Peter went about the emperor s throne preaching
his

Master

Caesar

With

subjects.

the

During the
cruel

heavenly doctrine, performing many

and converting thousands of

works

wonderful

general

were sent

the persecutions began.

three hundred years there were ten
Millions of martyrs
persecutions.

conversions

first

to

heaven for steadfast belief in Christ

These early ages furnish the

noblest examples of Christian virtues. These virtues
the church, cen
they- learned from the teaching of
turies before the Bible was printed and generally

and His teachings.

diffused.

During

this time all the energies of that

empire which had conquered

earth were directed against

all

powerful

the nations of the

God

church.

The

church grew, strengthened and expanded, while that

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH. 129

mighty colossus of an empire was destined soon

to

vanish from the earth.

The church triumphed over all her enemies and

persecutors. They are no more. She flourishes and
end of time.
In contemplating the growth, teachings, trials,
and triumphs of the early church, we cannot but be
will continue to flourish until the

convinced of the truth, beauty, grandeur and anti

quity of the Catholic Church.
For, as we have
seen, the Catholic

Church and the primitive church

are identical.

Let

us,

grand old

with
faith,

Our Divine Saviour, pray that the

which has won so many victories in

the past, will continue her triumphs until

be in this one fold of the one shepherd."
"

all shall

APPENDIX.
IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE FIRST FIVE
CENTURIES OF CHRISTIANITY.
A. D.

Birth of

1.

Our Divine Saviour

at

Bethlehem.

12.

Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple.

33.

Jesus dies on the Cross.

33.

The Coming
3,000.

The beginning

of the Holy Ghost.

Christian

Church.

Peter

Paul

conversion.

St.

The

tyrdom.

apostles

first

of the

sermon converts

St. Stephen s mar

go as missionaries to all

lands.

39-40.

51.

54-58.

St.

The

Matthew

writes his Gospel.

Christians at Antioch.

first

St.

Disciples

first

called

council at Jerusalem.

Paul preaches

at Ephesus,

Macedonia, Greece and

other places.
Peter and

Paul martyred

67.

St.

70.

Jerusalem destroyed by Titus.

95.

St.

John

St.

the Evangelist

is

at

Rome.

cast into a caldron of boiling

and comes out uninjured. Banished

where he writes the Apocalypse.
oil

107.

St.

to

Simeon, bishop of Jerusalem, put to death.

117.

Martyrdom of

202.

St. Irenseus,

St. Ignatius,

bishop of Antioch.

bishop of Lyons, put to death.

230.

Martyrdom of

250.

St.

St. Cecilia.

Anthony, the

first

hermit, appears.

131

Patmos,

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EAELY CHURCH.

132
A. D.

306.

The

celibacy of the clergy

of Elvira.

made

a fixed law by synod

312.

Victory of Constantine and end of

325.

First General Council at Nice.

361.

Julian the Apostate becomes emperor.

381.

Second General Council

387.

Death of

390.

St.

St.

"Age

of Martyrdom."

at Constantinople.

Monica, mother of

St.

Augustine.

Ambrose compels Emperor Theodosius

do penance

to

for his crime.

410.

Rome

430.

St.

431.

Third General Council

432.

St.

440.

is

taken and plundered by Goths under Alaric.

Augustine

dies.

Vandals invade Africa.

at

Ephesus.

Patrick converts the Irish people.

Leo the Great becomes pope.

Attila and saves

449.

Pope Leo meets

451.

Fourth General Council

476.

Fall of the

496.

Conversion and baptism of Clovis, the French king.

Italy.

at Chalcedon.

Roman Empire in the West, under

Emperor Romulus Augustulus.

the

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE POPES

OF THE FIRST
FIVE CENTURIES OF CHRISTIANITY
:

1.

St.

Peter

2.

St.

Linus

3.

St.

Cletus

4.

St.

Clement

5.

St.

Anacletus

6.

St.

Evaristus

7.

St. Alexander....

who

died in the year

"

"

"

"

67

78

"

90

"

100

"

"

"

"

"

112
121

132

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

8.

St.

Sixtus I

9.

St.

Telesphorus

10.

St.

Hyginus

11.

St.

Pius I

12.

St.

Anicetus

13.

St.

Soter

14.

St.

15.

St.

in the year 142

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

154
158
167

175
182

"

"

Eleutherius

"

"

Victor

"

"

203

"

"

220

"

"

"

"

I....

16.

St.

Zephyrinus

17.

St.

CalixtusI

18.

St.

Urban

19.

St.

Pontian

20.

St.

Anterus

21.

St.

Fabian

22.

"

"

"

St.

Cornelius

23.

St.

Lucius

24.

St.

Stephen I

25.

St.

Sixtus II

St.

Dionysius

27.

St.

Felix I

St.

Eutychian

29.

St.

Caius

30.

St.

Marcellinus

31.

St.

Marcellus I

32.

St.

Eusebius

33.

St.

Melchiades

St.

Sylvester I

35.

St.

Marcus

36.

St.

Julius I

37.

St.

Liberius

38.

St.

Felix

II...

239

"

"

272

261

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

257

260

"

"

255

"

"

238

253

"

"

227

233

"

"

"

28.

"

193

"

"

"

26.

34.

who died

133

"

"

"

"

"

275
283
296

304
309
311

314
337

340

352

"

"

"

"

"

363
365

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

134

who died

Damasus

39.

St.

40.

St. Siricius

41.

St.

in the year 384

"

Anastasius I

"

"

398

"

402

42.

St.

Innocent I

43.

St.

Zozimus

44.

St.

Boniface I

45.

St. Celestine I

46.

St.

Sixtus III

47.

St.

Leo

48.

St.

49.

St.

Simplicius

50.

St.

Felix III

51.

St.

Gelasius

52.

St.

Anastasius II

53.

St.

Symmachus

"

"

From

"

I (the Great)

418

"

"

423

"

"

432

"

"

440

"

"

461

"

"

468

"

the above

"

of pontiffs

five centuries.

it

483

"

492

"

"

496

"

"

498

"

list

417

"

Hilary

successors of St. Peter ruled the

first

"

"

514

will be seen that fifty-two

Church of God during the

Every one of these early

pontiffs

is

canonized saint, and nearly every one a martyr.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE EMPERORS OF ROME

FROM AUGUSTUS TO CONSTANTINE:
1.

Augustus

2.

Tiberius

3.

Caligula

4.

Claudius

5.

Nero....

who
"

died in the year

"

14

37

"

"

41

"

"

54

"

"

68

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

6.

Galba, Otho and Vitellius

who

died in the year

"

7.

Vespasian

8.

Titus

9.

Domitian

"

10.

Nerva

11.

Trajan

12.

Adrian

13.

Antoninus

14.

Marcus Aurelius

15.

Commodus

16.

Pertinax

17.

Severus

"

"

"

"

"

161

"

"

180

"

"

192

"

193

"

Macrinus

"

20.

Heliogabalus

21.

Alexander

22.

Maximin

23.

Two

26.

Gallus

27.

Valerian

28.

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

Decius

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

Gallienus

"

"

Claudius II

"

29.

"

30.

Aurelian

"

"

31.

Tacitus

"

"

32.

Probus

"

"

33.

Carus

34.

Numerian

35.

Diocletian and

"

"

Maximian

117

"

19.

Philip

96
98

"

Caracalla

25.

81

"

18.

24.

69

79

"

"

Gordians, Maximus Balbinus and Gordian III

"

"

"

"

135

"

"

138

211

217

218

222
235
238

244

249
251

253

260
268

270
275
276

282
283
284

abdicated in the year 305

136

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

36.

Constantius Chlorus

37.

Severus

38.

Galerius

39.

Maxentius

40.

Maximin

41.

Licinius in the East

42.

Constantine, the

who

died in the year 306

"

"

"

311

"

"

312

"

"

"

"

313
324

Christian

first

"

emperor

LIST OF

307

"

"

337

WORKS READ OR CONSULTED.

For the convenience of those who wish

to investigate for

themselves the matter presented in the foregoing pages, we

give the following partial list of works read or consulted in its
preparation
1.

Addis and Arnold

2.

Alzog

3.

Botalla

4.

Baart

Catholic Dictionary.

Universal Church History.

The Supreme Authority

The Roman

5.

Brennan

6.

Brueck

7.

Butler

Church History.

Church History.
Lives of the Saints.

Waterworth

8.

Capel

9.

Crawford

The Faith

Ave Roma

10.

Didon

Life of Christ.

Farrar

Early Christianity.

12.

Milman
"

Gibbon

of Catholics.

Immortalis.

11.

13.

of the Pope.

Court.

The

Fall of the

Roman Empire.

History of Latin Christianity.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

14.

Moxom From

Jerusalem to Nicaea.

A General History.

15.

Myers

16.

Newman

17.

Northcote

IS.

O Brien History of The Mass.

O Kane Notes on the Rubrics.
O Reilly The Martyrs of the Coliseum.

19.

20.

The Arians

of the Fourth Century.

The Roman Catacombs.

Studies in Church History.

21.

Parsons

22.

Sacrse Liturgiae Praxis

23.

Salmon

24.

St.

25.

Wapelhorst

The Ancient

De

Herdt.

Irish Church.

Augustine and other early Fathers.

Compendium

Sacrse Liturgise.

137

REVIEW QUESTIONS.
CHAPTER

I.

Who was emperor when Christ began his public life? Where
and when did St. Peter begin to preach the Gospel ? Who was
first

of

of

Rome ?

What was

St.

Paul called before his conversion

bishop of Antioch

St. Peter.

Tell something of his

Who was

Spain?

did he die?

With what

the

When

Who

life.

first

success ?

Who

was the

is

clergy even in Apostolic times?

church

When

preached in Ireland

Christian emperor?

Who

was always con

What was the division of the

What was the duty of bishops?
bishops chosen in the early

CHAPTER
Who,

III.

after the inspired writers,

writers and fathers of the

What

II.

How were

of priests? of deacons?

first

first

meant by the hierarchy

sidered head of the church

life

preached the Gospel in

bishop of Lyons, France?

first

was Christianity

CHAPTER

What

Give a sketch of the

did he write?

something of the

life

first

Who

were the most important

century

Who

was Barnabas?

was author of the Pastor?

and writings of Clement of Rome.

were the Apostolic Constitutions

the Apostolic Canons?

were the principal writers of the second century

139

Tell

What

Who

Describe

140

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

the

and writings of Ignatius.

life

did Justin Martyr write

century

Who

Who

was Polycarp ?

What

were the writers of the third

Tell something of the life and writings of Tertullian

of Origen

Name

of Cyprian.

the leading ecclesiastical wri

Who was the great opponent of

were the four great doctors of the western

ters of the fourth century.

Who

Arianism?
church

of the eastern church

What do you know

great writers of the fifth century

work of Chrysostom

What

Augustine.

Alexandria

For what

is

of Basil and his family

What

Describe the

Ambrose noted ?

Who

were the

the best

is

known

and writings of

life

St.

were the principal writings of Cyril of

CHAPTER IV.

What

What

error?

Who made

the canon of

Testament books
of the books of

Name

Why

a great

is

could not the church teach

does the church teach regarding the Bible?

Holy

canon of Holy Scriptures

canon

What

did the Great Teacher promise?

consolation to a Catholic

Who

Scriptures

Who

What

authorized the

is

meant by
of Old

list

in the early church gives a full list

the Bible corresponding to

the books of the O. T.

the

Catholic

of the N. T.

books and parts of books are omitted by Protestants ?

did

Augustine think about private interpretation of Scrip

St.

ture

What

ments

What
What

did the primitive church believe about the sacra

How many ? What

Holy Eucharist

Penance

about Baptism

Matrimony ? What sacramentals were known

church

What

Confirmation

Extreme Unction

Holy Orders ?

to the primitive

did the early church teach concerning Purga

Invocation of saints?
Honoring of
Honoring the Blessed Virgin ? The Immaculate
The supremacy and infallibility of the Pope ?
Conception ?
tory

relics ?

Indulgences?

CHARACTERISTICS OP THE EARLY CHURCH.

141

CHAPTER V.

What
worship
iast

What

the center of Catholic

is

Into what two parts was the commemoration of the

What was

the Mass

Of what did the Mass proper

consist ?

Supper divided in the early church

Catechumens

of

mean

does liturgy
?

What were

the three principal liturgies of primitive Chris

How

Describe each of them.

tianity?

was the principle of Pope

do they agree?

What

St. Celestine ?

CHAPTER VI.

What

proof do the

the Catacombs?

What

them.

Roman Catacombs

How many

is

the early church

What

during the present century

find

Which

is

What

are

Describe

What

the paintings and

in

Rome ?

For what were they used by

great man explored the Catacombs

their origin
?

furnish

are there around

Catholic doctrines do

inscriptions of the

the most famous Catacomb

we

Catacombs

CHAPTER VII.

What

does creed

the early church

What
is

mean

Why

What
is

were the principal creeds of

the Apostles

the Nicene Creed so called

faith based?

Who

drew up

On what

What

is

ence between this and the Nicene Creed

every Sunday at Mass ?

T

What do

Why

profession of

was the creed

the principal differ

What

Creed

the words Filioque

were they added to this creed

trines are clearly taught

is this

When

this creed ?

of Constantinople formulated

W hen

Creed so called ?

are the important truths contained in this creed

What

is

said

mean

particular doc

by the Athanasian Creed

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHURCH.

142

CHAPTER VIII.

When

was the

first

When

presided?

was the Council of Nice?

bishops were present

decided

held

?
Who
How many

Council of the Christian Church

Who

presided

What

question was

When and where was the second ecumenical Council

When was the Council of Ephesus ? What heretic was
?

condemned by

it ?

Where was

the fourth general Council held

When? Who

was condemned by

By whom were

all these

What

it?

Councils convoked

did he teach?

CHAPTER IX.

What was

the

first

Who

Magus?
The Docetse? The Montanists? What
ism

Novatianism

Pelagianism
first

Samosatianism

Nestorianism

Who

important heresy?

Menander? Saturnine?

is

meant by Manichse-

Donatism ? Arianism

Eutychianism

persecutors of the Christians

Who

Under what

was Simon

were the Ebionites?

did the ten general persecutions take place

were the

ten emperors

CHAPTER X.

What

does Tertullian say about Peter, the

succeeded

St.

Peter

Who

first

was the third Pope

Who

Pope ?
?

What

did

the early fathers believe concerning the Pope ? Who, after

the first five centuries ? Name
Peter, was the greatest Pope of

one of

St.

martyr

Leo

great triumphs.

Who was the first Christian

Who was St. Domatilla ?

Describe his martyrdom.

Tell the wonderful story of St. Eustachius.

tyrdom of St. Lawrence.

Who
tius.

was

St.

How

Agnes

For what was

Describe the
St. Cecilia

Describe the martyrdom of

St.

mar

noted

Pancra-

do you prove that the Catholic Church and the

?
primitive Church are identical

INDEX.
Arius, 76, 98

Controversy with
Alexander, 10, 30, 98.

Absolution, 46.
Acolyte, 18.
Acts,

13,

2,

manner

Ascension,
76,

describe

of holding

service, 81

first

Divine

Council at

Jerusalem, 117.
Adrian, 103.
Aeterne rerum Conditor,

Ambrose, author,
Agnes,

Agnus

St.

31.

4, 35.

Africa, 3,

9.

Aries,

21,

St., 17, 58,

126.

Dei, 83.

Asia,

2, 7.

3, 5.

Athanasian Creed,

79.

Athanasius, principal opponent

of Arius, 20, 29, 32,
77, 84.
Athens, 6.
Attila, king of the Huns, "the
scourge of God," 114.
Aurelius, Marcus, severe per
secutor of Christians, 104.

Augustine, St., bishop of Hippo,

Alaric, 68.

20, 31, 34, 100.

Alexander, 30, 84.

Alexandria, 4, 27, 30, 84.

Augustine,

Altar, 17.

Auricular Confession practised

in early church, 33.

Ambrose,

St.,

bishop of Milan.

land,

St.,

apostle of

Eng

9.

20, 28, 29, 31.

Anacletus, 112.

Andrew,

St.,

B.

apostle, 3.

Anglo-Saxon, 9.
Antoninus Pius,
Antioch,

26.

3, 5, 7, 21, 24, 34.

Antonio Bosio,

69.

15.

Apocalypse,
Apologeticus of Tertullian, 27.
Apology, Justin Martyr, 26;
Origen, 28.
15, 20.

Apostles,

2, 13,

Apostles
Apostolic
Apostolic
Apostolic

Creed, 74.

Age,

3, 14, 21.

Constitutions, 17, 23.

Canons, 23, 24, 48.

Appian Way,

73.

Baptism, 27, 32; regarded by

early church as necessary to
salvation, 41.

Barnabas,
St.

Paul,
20,21.

St.,

his

companion of
epistle,

4,

6,

Basil, St., 20, 29, 32.

Beroea, 13.
Berytus, 3.
Bible, 38.

Bishop, 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 18.

Bithynia, 4.
Blessed palm, candles, ashes

and

oils, 50.

Archbishop, 15, 32.

Areopagite, 6.
Arianism, 84.

Blessed Virgin, 35, 69.

Bread of Life, 17.

Arians, 33.

Britains, 9.

Breviary, 79, 82.

143

INDEX.

144

Confirmation, 32, 42.

C.

Contrition, 45.
Constantia, 98.

Caesar, 3.
Caesar, Tiberius, 1.
Callixtus, St., 67, 73.

Canon of

Constant ine,

Scripture, 21, 39.

Mass, 58.
Cappadocia, 7, 32.
Carthage, 4, 26, 28, 38, 97.
number, 65
Catacombs, 65
origin, 66 exploration, 69
inscriptions proof of Catho
used as
lic doctrine, 72;
cemeteries, 66; ancient art
"

Cordova,

57.

identical, 11, 36, 65,

Council of Jerusalem,

10,

stantinople, 10, 77, 85.

Council, Third Gen. of Ephe-

Council, Fourth Gen. of Chalcedon, 89.

Credo, 74, 86.
Creed, Apostles 74.
,

"

5, 11.

Bible, 38.

Nicene, 76.

"

Constantinopolitan, 77.

"

Athanasian, 79.

29, 31.

rapid propagation,

6, 8, 83.

Gen. of Nice,

15,30,84.
Council, Second Gen. of Con

ancient,

clergy

Celsus, 28.
Cesarea, 6, 32.
Cerinthus, heretic, 94.
Choosing bishops, 15.
Christ, 2, 13; our teacher,
priest and king, 13.
Christianity golden age, 1 ;

Church and

First

sus, 10, 86.

Celestine, St., Pope, 9, 10, 87.

Celestius, 100.

of

Ep. of Clement

to, 22.

69, 129.
Cecilia, St., 73, 125.
Cecilius, 28.

Celibacy

em

8.

Corinth, 22.
Corinthians,

"

Catholic Church divine, 11.

Catholic Church and primitive

church

Christian

Constantinopolitan Creed, 77.

Constitution of the Church, 12.
Consubstantial. 85.

gallery, 70.

Catechumens,

first

peror, 10, 31, 98, 109.

Constantius, 31.

Creation, 32.
Crete, 6, 14.

Cyprian,
thage,

St.,
4,

8,

bishop of Car
14, 16, 20, 28,

43, 97.
4, 6, 20, 21.
Cyril, St., bishop of Alexan
dria, 10, 20, 30, 35, 87, 100.

Cyprus,

Chrysostom, 20, 32, 34.

D.

Cilicia, 5.

Circumcision, 83.
Clemens, Flavius, 118.
Clement of Rome, fourth pope,
20, 22, 110.
Cletus, St., third pope, 22, 112.
Clovis, king of France, 9.
Colman, St., 46.

Colossa, 3.
Confession, 22, 45.
Confession, St. Augustine, 35.

Damasus, St., pope,

Damascus, 5.
Deacon, 12; duties,

68.
etc., 18.

Decius, 106.

Deus Creator omnium, 31.

De Rossi, great modern anti
quarian and explorer of
Catacombs, 66, 69, 72.
Diocletian, 107.

145

INDEX.
Dionysius, 6.
Discipline of the secret, 43.

Divine

Office, 82.

5.

Gamaliel,

Doctors of Eastern Church, 33.

Doctors of Western Church, 30.
Domatilla, St., 118.
Dominus vobiscum, 57.
Domitian, 107.
Donatus, 97.

E.
Ebionites, 94.

Ecumenical Council at Nice,

84; at Constantinople, 85;
at Ephesus, 86
at Chalcedon, 89.
Edessa, 4.
;

Elvira,

Galerius, 108.
Galilee, 7.

Genes-areth, 13.
Gentiles, 3, 5, 11.

Gloria in excelsis, 57.

Gnostic knowing, 93.
Gnosticism, 93.
Graduale, 57.
Gospel, 2, 3, 4, 57.
Greece, 6.
Greek Schism, 79.
Gregory Nazianzen, 30, 32.
Gregory the Great, 9, 31.

Gregory of Nyssa, 33.

Gregory Thaumaturgus,

3,

36,

76.

H.

8.

Ephesus, 3, 6, 25.
Egypt, 4.
.Episcopacy, 15.
Episcopus, 14.
Eucharist, Holy, 43.
Euodius, bishop of Antioch, 3.
Europe, 3.
Eusebius, church historian, 23,
36, 108.

Eusebius, Pope, 73.

Eustachius, St., 119.
Eutyches, 100.
Eutychius, 40.
Exorcist, 18.
Extreme Unction, 46.

among
sins, 92.

Heresies, Gnosticism, 92; Si

mon Magus,
94.

Heresies, Menander, 93; Sat

urnine, 93.
Heresies, Cerinthus, 94.
Ebionites, 94.
Docetje, 94.
"

F.
Fasting, 32.

Fathers and Writers, 20.

"

"

Felicitas, St., 123.

"

Leo

I. to, 89.

Flavian amphitheater, 25.

France, 8, 15.
Free Will, 22, 35.

Montanists, 95.
Manichaiism, 96.

Novatianism, 96.
Samosatianism, 97.
Donatism, 97.
Arianism, 98.
Anomceians, 99.
Semi-Arians, 99.
Pelagianism, 99.

"

Nestorianism, 100.
Eutychianism, 100.
Hermas, the Pastor, 20, 22.
Hexapla, 28.
"

Hermogenes,
G.
Gaul, 31.

10

93.

Heresies, the father of heresy,

"

Filioque, 77, 78.

Flavian, letter of

included by Paul
the most grievous

Heresies,

Hierapolis, 3.

Hippo, 35.

27.

INDEX.

146
Hierarchy,

K.

12, 19.

Holy Communion, 35, 58.

Holy Eucharist, 24, 25, 32,
Holy Ghost, 3, 8, 19.
Holy oils, 50.
Holy Orders, 25, 47.
Holy Water, 50.
Honoring Relics, 53.

35.

Saints, 53.

"

the Blessed Virgin,

"

54.

Hosiug, bishop of Cordova,

presided at Council of IS ice
as papal representative, 10,
84.

Lactantius, 36, 108.

Laodicea, 3.
Last Supper, 57.

Lawrence,
Leon, 8.

St., 124.

Legem

St.,

bishop of An-

tioch, 3, 14, 15, 19, 20, 24.

54.

"

"

"

"

and

angels, 53.

statuit

68.

"

Incarnation, 30.
Infallibility of the Pope, 54.
Irenams, St., 8, 15, 25, 76.

Ireland, 9.
Island of Saints, 9.

lex

credendi

Liturgy, 56, 59.

Liturgy of St. James, 59.

Immaculate Conception,

Indulgences, 52.
Invocation of saints

89, 113.

supplicandi, 64.
Liberius, 33.
Linus, St., second pope, 22, 111.
Lincoln, 9.

London, 9.
Lombards,

Iconium, 13.

57.

Leo the Great,

Leo XIII., 4.

Holy Ghost, 37.

Holy Trinity, 35.

Ignatius,

Kyrie Eleison,

"

St.

Mark,

60.

St. Peter, 62.

St. Basil, 62.
St.

Chrysostom, 62.

St.

Ambrose,

62.

Mozarabic, 62.

Luke, St., 21.

Lyons, 8, 9, 15.
Lystra, 13.

Ite Missa est, 58.

M.
J.
6.

James,

St.,

bishop of Jerusa

lem, 3, 15, 20.

Jerome, St., 31, 36.

Jerusalem, 2, 3.
Jews, 5, 6, 11,21,27,101.
John, St., the apostle, 20, 22,
25, 45.

Judas, 7.
Judea, 7.
Julian, 31.
Justin Martyr, 20, 24, 26.

Macedonia,
Magnesia, 25.
Magi, 71.
Magus, Simon, 93.

Mamertine

prison, 6.

Manes, 96.
Manichseism, 96.
Marchi, Father, S.

Marcus Aurelius,
Mark, St., 4, 5.

J., 69.
26.

Mass, 17, 32, 34, 35, 56, 64, 114.

of the Catechumens, 57.
"

INDEX.
Mathias,

7.

Paul,

Matthew, St., 20.

Matrimony, 48.
Maximin, 105.
Menander, 93.

Gen

6, 7, 8, 13, 20,

21, 34.

Patrick, St., 9.
Pelagius, 99.

Penance, 17,
4.

Minor Orders, 13, 18.

Monks, Basilian. 33.
Monica, St., mother

of

St.

Montanus, 95.
Monophysite, 60, 101.
Mysteries, 32.

N.
102.
Nestorians, 64.
7,

Nestorius, 10, 86, 100.

New

Testament, 1, 40.
Nicea, 4.
Nicene Creed, 76, 85.
Northcote, Dr., 66.

Northern barbarians, 109.

Novatian, first anti-pope, 96.
Novatianism, 96.
O.
Octapla, 28.
Offertory, 58.

Old Testament,

39.

Organization of church, 12.

Origen, 16, 20, 27.
Ostian road, 7.
O*tiary, 18.

first

Persecutions,
der Nero, 102.

5.

Palestine, 1, 37.

Paradise, 32.
Pancratius, St., 127.
Pastor, the, of Hermas, 22.

first

general,

per

un

Persecutions, second general,

under Domitian, 102.
Persecutions, third general, un
der Trajan, 103.
Persecutions, fourth general,
under Adrian, 103.
Persecutions, fifth general, un
der M. Aurelius, 104.
Persecutions, sixth general, un
der S. Severus, 105.
Persecutions, seventh general,

under Maximin, 105.

Persecutions, eighth general,
under Decius, 106.
Persecutions, ninth
general,
under Valerian, 107.
Persecutions, tenth general, un
der Diocletian, 107.
Peter, St., first pope, 3, 4, 6, 7,
8, 111; chief bishop, 7, 14, 20.
Peter has spoken through Leo,
89, 91.

Pharisees, 5.
Phenicia, 3.
Philippians, 25.
Photius, 79.

Phrygia,
P.

Pater Noster, 58.

24, 45.

Persecution, 10, 56.

Persecutions, Jews
secutors, 101.

Augustine, 35.

Pagans,

apostle of the

3, 4, 5,

Paul of Samosata, 97.

Patmos, 102.

Melchites, 60.
Meletius, 34.

Nero,

St.,

tiles,

Milan, 31.

Mesopotamia,

147

3.

Placidus, 120.
Pliny, 4.

Polycarp, St., 15, 20, 24, 25, 104.

Pope, 15, 18.
Preface of Mass, 58.
Priesthood,

On

Chrysostom, 34.

the,

by

St.

INDEX.

148
Primitive Christianity, 47.
Pretextattis, Catacomb, 67.
Prayer, 28.

Smyrna,

3, 25,

104.

Stephen, St., first martyr, 5, 116.

Subdeacon, 13, 18.
Supreme pastor, the pope, 27.

Principles, 28.

of Pope, 54.
Sylvester, Pope, 10, 84, 99.

Priest, 6, 12, 16.

Supremacy

Primacy of Peter,

8, 14.

Propagation of Church,

1, 11.

Symphorosa,

martyr,

St.,

Syria, 3, 21.
Syriac, 60.

Ptolemais, 3.
Purgatory, 22, 51.

T.

Q-

Quicumque Vult,

Tagaste, 35.

Tarragona,

79.

R.
Header, or

lector,

8.

Tarsus, 5.
Tertullian,

5,

one of the

minor orders, 18.

Real Presence, 64.

Tiberius Caesar,

Timothy,

Roman
Roman

Thomas,

Empire, 1.
Catacombs, 56, 65.

Rome, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 25.
Romulus Augustulus, the

last

S.

Sacramentals, 49.
Sacraments, 19, 32, 41.
Sacred Scripture, 37, 38.
Salamis, 21.

St., 3.

Toledo, 8.
Trajan, 22, 103.
Transubstantiation, 64.
Tralles, 25.
Trinity, 30, 35.

Tripolis, 3.
Tyre, 3, 27.

U.
Utrecht Psalter, 79.

Samaria, 26.
Samosata, 3, 97.
Satisfaction, 45.

Saturnine, 93.
Saul, 5.
Scripture, 1, 4, 21, 32.
Seleucia, 3, 21.
Severus, Septimius, 105.

V.
Valens, 31.
Vespasian, 102.
Valentinian, 32.
Virginity, 30.
Valerian, 67.

Vienne,

3.

Sign of the Cross, ancient, 50.

Simony, 93.
II.,

Spain,

6, 8.

1., St.,

1.

15.

Titus, 13, 15, 102.

of the emperors of the West,

109.

Sixtus
Sixtus

16,

Theodosius, 32, 85.

Theban Legion, 108.

Resurrection, 23, 27.

Sidon,

14,

41, 76.

Vatican,

8.
10.

Viaticum, 35.

125.

Pope, 67.

York,

9.

20,

26,

REASONABLENESS
OF

Catholic Ceremonies and Practices

BY REV.

BURKE.

J. J.

Of this book The Dublin Review says:

Clergymen
having converts to instruct will find this book exceedingly
useful.
It is admirable for brevity and clearness.
Points
".

known

already come out more distinctly in these pages, and

the subjects are set forth in a manner to bring home to
the heart of every dispassionate reader the truths that underlie
all

the ceremonies and practices of the Infallible Bride of

Eliza A. Starr, in The Chicago Catholic Home:
book should go into the pocket of every young

".

young woman, helping them to set a

practice of a church in which nothing
a hint of the divine perfection of

demand an

intelligent

Michigan Catholic:
Catholic

its

Christ."

The

man and

right judgment on the

is too small to involve

author or source, and to

observance."
"

May

be said to be

Union and Times:

"Should

much

in

little."

be in hands of every

Catholic."

London Month :
it

may

"

It will

do good

to those into

whose hands

fall."

Ave Maria: "An excellent explanation of many points con

cerning which some faithful have not the most lucid ideas,
and of which most non-Catholics know nothing whatever."

For Sale by Catholic Booksellers,

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1857-1945.

Characterest ics of the

early church /
AXH-1097 (mcab)