Who were the early Christians?

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He spent countless hours teaching and discipling the apostles, preparing them to fulfill the Great Commission.  Following His death, resurrection, and ascension, these men began their work.  They preached the gospel, personally discipled converts, appointed bishops and oversaw important matters at area churches, and wrote many letters of instruction – some of which are still preserved today.

After the death of the apostles, the early Christians carried on their teachings.  For many believers in the early church, oral tradition was the primary means of teaching the next generation, as many of them could not read or write.  The few who could, however, penned valuable histories, doctrinal statements, and apologetic works that are still preserved today.  Among these writers were Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria.  Their converts then discipled the next generation and wrote similar works, and the process continues today.

What did the early Christians write about?

The surviving writings of the early Christians (up to AD 325) are collected in a 10-volume set called the Ante-Nicene Fathers.  This resource contains many historical and instructional works as well as apologetic masterpieces, of which the following are examples:

• Ignatius, a student of the apostle John, wrote epistles to churches in Asia Minor as well as letters to individuals.  Like John, he warned against false teachers and exhorted his readers to love one another and submit to those in authority over them.
• Justin Martyr penned two lengthy apologies that included key prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ, a summary of the lifestyle of believers at the time, and a detailed description of early church services.
• Clement of Alexandria expounded on character qualities of the godly person and contrasted the Christian worldview with that of paganism.
• Irenaeus wrote a lengthy treatise against prominent heresies of the time.

Why is church history important?

Most schoolchildren spend years learning about their country’s history, including its founders and other key people who shaped the government and the nation’s ideals.  Likewise, most people can trace their family history several generations back.

In contrast, many Christians today know very little about the earliest people who called themselves believers.  They have read the Bible, but they lack the understanding of how the events fit together or what happened after the New Testament was written.  Has the church faithfully maintained the teachings of Jesus and the apostles throughout the past 2,000 years?  If there have been changes, why did they happen?  What about the thousands of denominations in existence today?  Which one is the “right one”?  Or have all the modern denominations strayed in some way from the teachings of Scripture?  How did the early believers live their lives?  The study of church history, beginning in the time of the apostles and early church, provides answers to many of these questions.

Isn’t Scripture enough?

Scripture must be the Christian’s final authority of faith and practice.  Any human teaching that contradicts Scripture must be rejected – whether it comes from the early church, the 16^th century Reformers, or modern theologians.

However, the difficulty comes in the interpretation of Scripture.  For example, believers have questioned the issue of eternal security for centuries.  Once a person is saved, can he/she ever lose that salvation?  Some people believe that salvation is eternally secure (a position also called “once saved, always saved”), and others hold to a contrary view called conditional security.  Adherents on both sides cling to the verses of Scripture that seem to support their views, often ignoring the “problem passages” or else explaining them in such a way as to actually support the views that they seem to contradict.  This is why two denominations can be very different doctrinally, and yet both claim to get their beliefs from Scripture.  And to make the situation even more confusing, there are godly men and women on both sides of these issues.

Like us, the early Christians also had a system of beliefs that took into account all the verses of Scripture.  While no human author or teacher is perfect, these writers had several advantages that we do not have today, making their works worthy of our time to study and consider.

Have you ever talked to Paul?

The early Christians had the advantage of proximity (in time, geography, and culture) to the events of the New Testament – an advantage that diminished in subsequent generations.  While proximity does not imply perfection, it does lend credibility to their writings.

Many of the early Christians were taught and mentored by the apostles, either directly or indirectly.  Clement of Rome studied with one or more of the apostles, Ignatius and Polycarp were disciples of John, and Irenaeus learned from Polycarp.  The early Christians fellowshipped in churches started by the apostles, under the leadership of bishops appointed by the apostles.

If the early believers had questions, they could ask John or any of the other living apostles either by letter or in person – and many of them did!  Both the Bible and the Ante-Nicene Fathers record many of these questions and answers.  Early Christians could also consult the leaders of the churches started by the apostles.

What about oral tradition?

A significant portion of Jewish society during the time of the early church could not read or write.  The New Testament was not completely written down until the end of the first century, and Bibles were not printed on a large scale until the 1400s with the invention of the printing press.  How were the teachings of Jesus transmitted before the average person could read or own a copy of the Scriptures?

The answer lies in oral tradition.  Throughout the entire period of Biblical history, oral tradition was the primary means of preserving history, knowledge, and practical teaching from one generation to another.  Parents, teachers, and religious leaders told stories so frequently, often using song or poetic devices, that their listeners virtually memorized the accounts after a few repetitions.  History shows that oral transmission was an extremely reliable form of preservation because hundreds or thousands of people knew the same account by heart, ensuring that the story remained uncorrupted for generations.

Oral tradition played a key role in the writing of the New Testament, as the events of the gospels were preserved orally for decades before they were written down.  The apostle John wrote that Jesus said and did far more than could ever be transcribed (John 21:25).  What happened to the teachings that were not written down?  Did the apostles forget about them?  Of course not!  They continued passing them on through oral transmission.  Many of these teachings were eventually written down by subsequent generations of believers and are still preserved today in the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

The people who turned the world upside down…

As discussed earlier, the early Christians had a belief system that was consistent with itself and with Scripture.  More than that, their lives clearly evidenced that they were followers of Christ.  A study of the lives, testimonies, and teachings of these heroes of the faith has proven to many people to be rewarding, challenging, convicting, and yet truly inspiring and life-changing.

If this is one of your first forays into these writings, prepare to be surprised.  The early church looked far different from the mainstream church of today.  Doctrinally, their beliefs were far different from that of most denominations.  Practically, their lives were set apart in a way completely foreign to many people today.

Prepare to have your eyes opened, your world turned upside down, and your life changed.