Many people think of something simple. A small group meeting in a home, reading Scripture, praying together, and sharing a meal. In this picture, the early Church looks a lot like what many Christians today would call a non-denominational community.
But when the historians read the earliest Christian writings, a different picture begins to emerge. Early Christians wrote of bishops who presided over local churches, the Eucharist as the body of Christ, and Sunday worship following a definite pattern of readings, prayers, and communion.
This creates an interesting historical question that many believers are now asking: Was the early Church Catholic or Protestant?
To answer that question, we must look to what the first Christians actually believed, how they worshiped, and how their churches were led.
What We Can Actually Know About the Early Church
When people speak of the early Church, it is easy to assume that we don’t really know what those first Christians believed or practiced. But the historical record is far clearer than many realize.
We have a surprising number of early Christian writings that help us to understand how the first generations of believers worshiped, how they organized their communities, and how they explained their faith.
The Earliest Christian Sources
The most important source, of course, is the New Testament itself, which reveals to us the life of the apostles and the earliest Christian communities.
But the record doesn’t end there. After the period of the New Testament, a number of early Christian leaders wrote letters, sermons, and explanations of the faith, all of which have been preserved through history. These writers are often referred to as the Church Fathers, because they helped to guide the Church in the generation immediately following the apostles.
Among the most important are Ignatius of Antioch, writing about AD 107, Justin Martyr, writing about AD 150, and Irenaeus of Lyons, writing about AD 180. Their works describe how Christians worshiped, how churches were led and how believers understood key teachings about Christ and the Eucharist.
We also have early descriptions of Christian worship that reveal what occurred when believers gathered on Sunday. These accounts help us to see the structure and meaning of early Christian liturgy.
Together, these sources provide us with a window into the life of the Church that is very close to the time of the apostles.
Why These Sources Matter
What is particularly valuable about these writings is the early date of their origin. Many of them were written within one or two generations of the apostles themselves.
That means that they are not distant reflections written centuries later. They come from Christians who were a part of the living tradition handed down from the age of the apostles.
Because of this, historians often consult these sources for insight into what early Christians actually believed, how they worshiped, and how the Church was organized in its earliest centuries.
Early Christian Worship: Eucharist, Sunday Gathering, and Liturgy
One of the clearest windows into the life of the early Church is how Christians worshiped when they gathered together. Several early Christian writers describe what happened on Sundays and their accounts show that worship already followed a recognizable structure.
Sunday Worship Was Already Structured
By the middle of the second century, we have a detailed account of the worship of the Christian church from Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher writing around AD 150.
In his work First Apology, Justin explained Christian practices to the Roman authorities. In doing so, he left us one of the earliest descriptions of Sunday worship:
“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits.”
— Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 67
Justin then tells what happened next at the gathering.
After the readings from Scripture, the leader of the assembly would give an instruction or reflection. Today, we would simply refer to this as a homily or sermon. The community would then stand together for prayers offered for themselves and for others.
Finally, bread and wine were brought forward and the Eucharist was celebrated. The elements were then distributed to those who were present and even taken to those believers who were absent.
In other words, the basic pattern of early Christian worship included
- readings from Scripture
- a homily or teaching
- communal prayers
- the Eucharist
For many readers today, this description sounds strikingly familiar to the structure of historic liturgical worship.
The Eucharist Was Not Symbolic to Early Christians
Another striking feature of early Christian writings is the seriousness with which believers spoke about the Eucharist.
One of the first witnesses is Ignatius of Antioch, a bishop who wrote several letters to Christian communities while being taken to Rome for martyrdom around AD 107. In one of those letters, Ignatius warned Christians of teachers who denied the reality of the incarnation of Christ.
He wrote:
“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
— Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 7
This statement is one of the first clear references to the belief in the Eucharist of the early Church as more than a symbol. Ignatius connects participation in the Eucharist with belief in the real incarnation of Christ.
Because of this, the Eucharist was treated with deep reverence by early Christians. The language that Ignatius uses is remarkably similar to what the later Catholic Church describes as the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Worship Was Liturgical, Not Informal
When we read the early sources together, another pattern emerges. Christian worship was not entirely spontaneous or loosely organized.
There were defined roles within the community. Bishops or presbyters presided over the Eucharist. Deacons aided in the distribution and care of the community.
Prayer and worship also came in recognizable forms. Scripture was read in public, the leader taught the congregation, and the Eucharist formed the center of the gathering.
This is not to say that every early Christian assembly looked exactly the same. But the evidence does point to Christian worship already having a structured and sacramental character, rather than being purely informal.
For many Christians studying these early descriptions, the question naturally arises again: if this is the way the first generations of believers worshiped, what does it tell us about the Church they believed they belonged to?
Church Leadership: Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons
Another way to understand what early Christians believed is to look at the way their communities were led. The earliest writings of the Christian Church indicate that churches were not mere loose gatherings of believers. They had acknowledged leaders who helped to lead teaching, worship and unity.
A Three Level Structure Appears Very Early
Very early on, Christian communities appear to have had a definite pattern of leadership.
- At the center was the bishop, who was responsible for the local church and helped maintain unity in the community’s faith and worship.
- Alongside the bishop were presbyters, often called elders or priests. They helped with teaching and helped lead the community.
- There were also deacons, who served the practical needs of the Church and supported both the bishop and the presbyters.
When historians read the earliest Christian letters, this three-level structure appears again and again. The existence of early Church bishops, presbyters, and deacons implies that the leadership of the Christian community was already beginning to become structured in the first generations of the Church.
Ignatius of Antioch on the Authority of the Bishop
One of the clearest voices from this time is that of Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop writing about the year 107 on his way to Rome to be martyred.
In several letters to Christian communities, Ignatius encourages believers to stay united around their bishop. He writes:
“Where the bishop appears, there let the people be; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
— Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 8
For Ignatius, the bishop was more than an administrator. The bishop acted as a visible centre of unity for the local church. His letters seem to indicate that the function of early church Bishops was already well understood by the early second century.
Leadership Was Seen as Apostolic Continuity
Early Christians also believed that the leadership of the Church was linked to the apostles themselves. This idea later became known as apostolic succession.
Around AD 180, the bishop Irenaeus of Lyons explained this idea while defending the Christian faith against false teachings. He pointed to the line of bishops who had led churches founded by the apostles.
He wrote:
“We can enumerate those who were appointed bishops in the churches by the apostles, and their successors down to our own time.”
— Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 3
Unity and Authority: How Early Christians Settled Disputes
The early Church was not without disagreements. In fact, some of the biggest debates regarding Christian belief began very early. What is interesting is not only that these disputes occurred, but how early Christians worked toward resolving them.
Early Christians Faced Major Disagreements
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman world, new questions and challenges emerged. Different teachers sometimes gave conflicting ideas about the faith.
Some disputes involved heresies, where certain groups rejected core Christian teachings about Christ. Others involved doctrinal confusion, especially as Christians sought to explain their beliefs in a pagan culture. There were also disputes over the interpretation of Scripture.
These debates were serious because early Christians believed that the preservation of the true teaching of the apostles mattered deeply.
The Role of Councils
One way the early Church dealt with these disputes was through councils. When major disagreements occurred, bishops in various regions would come together to discuss the matter and seek a common decision.
One of the most well-known examples is that of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. This council discussed the teachings of Arius, who taught that Jesus was not fully divine in the same way as the Father.
Bishops came together to investigate the teaching, discuss the Scriptures, and explain what the Church believed. The result was the Nicene Creed, which affirmed the full divinity of Christ.
This approach demonstrates how early Christian leaders collaborated to defend the unity of the Church and clarify teaching.
Appeals to Apostolic Churches
Another way that early Christians handled disputes was by looking to churches that had been founded by the apostles themselves.
Around AD 180, Irenaeus of Lyons elaborated this idea as he defended the Christian faith against false teachers. He pointed to the churches who could trace their leadership back to the apostles, particularly the Church in Rome.
He wrote:
“For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its more excellent origin.”
— Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 3
Common Objections (and What the Historical Evidence Shows)
When people begin to study early Christianity, a couple of objections are frequently raised. Many of them result from an attempt to envision the early Church through a modern lens. But when we read the earliest Christian writings, the historical picture becomes clearer. This is why the question “was the early church Catholic or Protestant?” continues to interest a lot of Christians who seek to know their history today.
“The Early Church Was Non-Denominational”
Some people envision the early Church as a loose network of believers with little structure or leadership. But the earliest sources reveal something more organized.
Christian communities already had known leaders like bishops, presbyters and deacons. Worship also followed a consistent pattern which included Scripture readings, teaching, prayer, and the Eucharist. Across different regions, Christians also shared fundamental beliefs about Christ and the life of the Church.
“Catholic Practices Added Later”
Another popular claim is that the practices of Catholicism were developed centuries after the apostles. However, several of these practices emerge quite early in Christian history.
Writers from the first and second centuries are already speaking of the Eucharist with great reverence, the leadership of bishops, and a structured form of Sunday worship. These elements appear within decades of the apostolic age, not hundreds of years later.
“The Early Church Only Followed the Bible”
Scripture was fundamental to the Christian life from the start. But during the earliest centuries, the New Testament canon was still being formed.
During this period Christians also drew on the teaching received from the apostles through the leadership of the Church and its bishops. For early believers, Scripture and apostolic teaching were tightly interrelated.
Listen Live: Exploring the Early Church on Catholic Answers Live
If reading about the early Church has raised new questions for you, that’s completely normal. Church history has a way of doing that. The more people look at the writings of the earliest Christians, the more curious they often become about what the first believers actually believed and practiced.
If you would like to explore those questions further, we invite you to join Catholic Answers Live, airing weekdays from 5 to 7 PM on St. Michael Catholic Radio in Tulsa. It’s a national call-in program where listeners bring real questions about faith, history, Scripture, and the Church.
Maybe you are wondering whether the early church was Catholic or Protestant, what early Christians believed about the Eucharist, or how leadership in the Church developed. Whatever your question is, you are welcome to call in and be part of the conversation. The goal is thoughtful discussion and respectful dialogue as people explore the Christian faith together.
A Question Worth Exploring Further
Looking at the earliest Christian sources can be surprising. Many people expect the early Church to look very simple and loosely organized. But the writings of the first Christians often show something more structured.
We see communities led by bishops, centered around the Eucharist, and deeply concerned with preserving the teaching passed down from the apostles. These patterns appear very early in the historical record.
For many Christians today, exploring these sources raises an important question: did the early Church look more Catholic or Protestant? The best way to approach that question is simply to read the voices of the earliest believers and see what they actually said.
FAQs
Weren’t early Christians non denominational?
Not really. Early Christian communities already had clear leadership and shared beliefs. Churches were led by bishops and followed a recognizable pattern of worship.
Did early Christians believe in the Real Presence?
Many early Christian writers spoke about the Eucharist as truly being the body of Christ, not just a symbol. This belief appears very early in Christian history.
When did Catholicism start?
Catholics believe the Church began with Jesus and the apostles. Historically, many Catholic practices appear in Christian writings from the first and second centuries.
Did the early Church only follow the Bible?
Scripture was central, but the New Testament was still being formed. Early Christians also relied on the teaching passed down from the apostles.
