The Early Church

Testing their faith, persecution became the lot of Jesus’ followers The Early Church Testing their faith, persecution became the lot of Jesus’ followers By 380 CE, despite strong opposition, Christianity became the official religion of the vast Roman Empire

The earliest years of what became the mainstream of Christianity are described in the New Testament books that follow the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus

Evolving Organization & Theology By the end of the first century CE, Christianity had a bureaucracy that carried on the rites of the Church and attempted to define mainstream Christianity, denigrating trends that it judged heretical

Early Monasticism Alongside the development of doctrine and the consolidation of Church structure, another trend was developing Some Christians were turning away from the world to live in solitary communion with God, as ascetics

Church Administration Late 1st & early 2nd centuries Some men and women had followed a charismatic Christian life, leaving home to preach, baptize, prophesy, and perhaps die as martyrs; others had moved toward an institutionalized patriarchal Church

Beginning of 2nd century CE A consolidation of spiritual power had begun with the designation of specific people to serve as clergy & bishops (superintendents) to administer the Church affairs of each city or region

East–West Division The eastern part of Christendom did not accept the absolute claims of the papacy By the early Middle Ages, there were also doctrinal disagreements

Social Chaos & the Papacy In the Western Church, centralization of power under the pope became a major unifying element in Europe of the Middle Ages