Each church had a priest (or multiple priests if the congregation was large enough) and acolytes who were studying to become priests. Bishops were responsible for all churches in a specific geographic area, and they appointed priests and worked to ensure a level of consistency in the doctrine preached in the churches under their oversight. Five bishops (the bishops of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople/Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome) were the Patriarchs of the churches, and these senior theologians were responsible for appointing bishops, appointing their own successors, and settling theological disputes between the churches that the bishops couldn’t handle. Patriarchs and bishops had influence over the churches, but no absolute authority.
A Note on Scriptural Quotations and References:
The scriptural quotes and references used throughout this book are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Punctuation and capitalization used in quotes from this version of the Bible are preserved as is. While not a perfect translation of the original source material, it is the one Bible version that, in my opinion, has the least slant toward any one religious doctrine.
A Note on Locations:
The names of many cities mentioned throughout the book are the names they had during the time of Emperor Constantine I’s reign over the Roman Empire. The following gives their modern names:
Historic Name: Modern Name:
| Historic Name: | Modern Name: |
| Alexandria, Egypt | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Antioch, Greece | Antakya, Turkey |
| Arelate, Gaul | Arles, France |
| Barcino, Hispania | Barcelona, Spain |
| Baucalis, Egypt | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Byzantium (Constantinople) | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Carthago (Carthage) | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Córdoba, Hispania | Córdoba, Spain |
| Ephesus, Greece | Selçuk, Turkey |
| Gades, Hispania | Cádiz, Spain |
| Illyricum | Split, Croatia |
| Jerusalem, Judea | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Nicaea, Greece | İznik, Turkey |
| Ptolemais, Egypt | Al Manshah, Egypt |
| Rome | Rome, Italy |
| Thessalonika, Greece | Thessaloniki, Greece |
Introduction
The history of the early Christian Church is often misunderstood. Many believe that the Church, its structure, and its doctrines were ordained by the Apostles under the leadership of Peter (Simon Bar-Jona) as the heir to Jesus’ mission on earth. Nothing could be further from the truth.
For centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Followers of The Way (as the early Christians called themselves) continued performing the healing works of Jesus and his disciples. They lived their lives, following the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, while trying to avoid persecution and death at the hands of the Romans. They had only their faith to sustain them. Many were martyred for their beliefs.
To the Romans, Christians (a derogatory term that the Romans used for the Followers of The Way) were an infestation that needed to be wiped out. Because of the peaceful nature of the Followers of The Way, they were easily captured. The captives provided great sport in the arena as they were tortured, burned alive, or fed to hungry lions – all while being watched by the Romans, who shouted at their captives to call upon their God and save themselves.
Over time, many of the Followers of The Way either stopped performing healing works to avoid calling attention to themselves, or they found the discipline required to perform the healing works of Jesus too hard. They lost the ability to do the works of Jesus, and they were unable to teach others to do these works. Soon, the works of Jesus moved from practice to memory to legend. These Followers began to doubt that the healing works and other miracles had been performed by anyone other than Jesus and his Apostles. In their attempts to understand Jesus’ ability to perform miracles, they reasoned that Jesus’ abilities came not from an ability that lies within each true believer, but from an exclusively divine source. This conclusion evolved into a belief that Jesus must have been divine himself. This was the birth of the great schism between the early churches.
The faithful Followers of The Way continued performing the works of Jesus during this time, but an ever-growing number of the early Christians (as they now openly referred to themselves) followed only the words of Jesus – misinterpreted and misunderstood by the belief that Jesus was God on earth. The two factions within the early churches couldn’t reach an agreement between the original theology of the churches and the new, revised theology being embraced by more and more Christians.
By the early 4th Century AD, two figures emerged as the champions of the two factions. Alexander of Alexandria, a believer in the divinity of Jesus, was the Bishop of Alexandria, making him one of the five Patriarchs of the churches along with the Bishops of Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Rome. Arias, a priest from the church at Baucalis near Alexandria who had been considered for the position of Bishop of Alexandria, was a staunch believer in The Way. The two men argued constantly over which theology was correct, but both were unmovable from their beliefs.
Then, in the first half of the 4th Century AD, a number of things happened that would change the face of Christianity forever. Constantine I, the Emperor of the Roman Empire, successfully defeated his political rivals (by open warfare and by guile and treachery) and consolidated the rule of the Eastern and Western Empires under himself. His lifelong friend and confidant, Hosius of Córdoba (a Christian Bishop in Hispania), urged Constantine to end the persecution of Christians. In 313 AD, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, allowing Christians to worship openly throughout the empire.
Constantine, then the absolute ruler of the Roman Empire, knew that his legions alone couldn’t hold the empire together indefinitely. The legions’ roles were to defend the empire from its enemies and to conquer new lands. Constantine wanted a way to unite the hearts and minds of his citizens, so he turned to his old friend Hosius for help. Hosius suggested making Christianity the state religion of the empire and using the churches to unite the citizens. Constantine agreed and directed Hosius to make it happen.
Only one thing stood in the way of Hosius’ plan for the churches: the intractability of the two theological factions under Arias and Alexander. After a number of failed attempts to induce the two factions to reach common ground, Constantine grew restless. He needed a united Church to help him hold the empire together, and he needed it soon. So, in 325 AD, he invited the Christian Bishops to gather at his palace