Where the Apostles Preached and Died According to Tradition (Few Records Were Then Kept)
The two greatest institutions in human history are the Catholic Church (founded in 33 AD in Jerusalem) and the United States of America (founded on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia). Together each strives to live up to the principles dictated by the two great truths about human nature — Catholicism and Populism respectively. Although both have frequently fallen far short in their adherence to the principles they were founded upon, they have both been unparalleled in their positive impact upon the course of human history.
Of course, the Catholic Church is much, much older. The United States is a mere 235 years old while the Catholic Church is 1,978 years old. Unsurprisingly, the Catholic Church has overcome far more adversity in its history than the United States. The Catholic Church has been shockingly resilient and dynamic in confronting the challenges of the different ages of history. There is no reason to doubt that it will find itself just as resourceful in dealing with this one. After all, Christ Himself said so: “You are Peter, and upon this Rock I shall build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it.” Jesus certainly did not seem to imply that the Gates of Hell were going to fail to prevail for lack of effort.
In confronting the present, it is certainly helpful to understand what the Catholic Church has already overcome. In other words, what exactly have the Gates of Hell been up to for the preceding 1,978 years and how have Catholics responded?
The Early Church was incredibly different from what we have now. There was no Bible. The Roman Empire ruled much of the known world. And the Roman Empire ceaselessly persecuted Christians — more than any other group in the Empire.
Why did the Roman Empire so aggressively persecute the Christians?
One reason is that the Christianity — like Judaism — rejected the relativism of paganism. The Greek Myths (as one example of paganism) were — according to most anthropologists — built around the interactions of the gods of different cities (such as Athena, the goddess of Athens). Pagans generally assumed that their god is real and the other god was also real. And they probably interact . When my city beats your city, what does that say about your god? Christianity rejected this and declared that there was only one true God.
Then why were the Jews not persecuted as aggressively as the Christians?
The Jews were persecuted also (but less so). Judaism — with its emphasis on being a son of Abraham — was far less evangelistic than Christianity. So not only were the Christians telling the pagans that their gods were false but they were converting people. Roman pagan theology was a form of imperialism (my god can whip your god) so this attack on the foundations of paganism was perceived as an attack on the legitimacy of the Empire.
Throughout the first 3 centuries of Christianity (longer than the entire existence of America), Christians sought to do fill three roles: those of priest, prophet, and king. In their capacity as priests, Christians seek “deny yourself, take up your Cross, and follow Me” and become “holy as your Heavenly Father is holy.” In their capacity as prophets, Christians seek to “make disciples of all nations” and “watch out for false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves.” In their capacity as kings, Christians try to live the truth that “The Kings of the Gentiles lord it over them … But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you like the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves.” As a result, the Church has throughout the ages adopted radically different strategies for sanctification, evangelization, and service.
In the first century, sanctification required one to very often literally imitate Christ — celebrating the Sacraments illegally (since they had been banned) and, as a result, accepting death at the hands of the Romans. The Church wrote little down in this era which preceded the Bible. Historical records are scarce and legends must to some extent be relied upon. The first 31 Popes (starting with the Apostle Peter) were likely martyred. All of the Apostles except for John were martyred across the Empire. Many Church Fathers were martyred. But “the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church.” The harder the Romans tried to put out the flame of the Church, the more converts were won.
The Church evangelization was always two-fold. Christians sought to convert all nations to Christ and also refine their theology internally and repudiate heresy (theological error). In the early Church, the most basic theological struggle was to define the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Peter believed that the Church had inherited the legacy of Abraham, Moses, and the Jewish Prophets and that therefore converts to Christianity had to be circumcised and abide by Judaic law. However, Paul rejected this notion and believed that Moses and the Prophets were saints but that Jesus had fulfilled the Law and set up a New Covenant. In the First Council of Jerusalem, Paul won. Basic Christology and Trinitarian Theology was also defined and defended against early heresies.
The service provided by Christians to the world at large was limited due to their persecution. But within their communities they exhibited extroardinary charity to each other: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
Throughout these developments, the Apostles and their Episcopal successors the Bishops were on the front lines of Catholicism. They provided the sacraments. They evangelized. They corrected heresy. They oversaw communal charity. They were martyred. Becoming a Bishop was widely viewed as a quickest of the many paths to martyrdom. Which made these heroic men even more willing to undertake the responsibility.
For 280 years, the Church thus won souls across the Empire.
The Edict of Milan changed everything.