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97-574: Historiae Ecclesiasticae Tripartitae Epitome , the abridged history (in twelve books) of the early Christian Church known as the Tripartite History , was the standard manual of Church history in Medieval Europe . The work, dated to around 550 AD, consists of a compilation of church histories, parts of which were selected by Cassiodorus , and translated into Latin by Epiphanius Scholasticus . It epitomized three Greek works in particular,

194-616: A branch of the historical "Catholic Church" and as a via media ("middle way") between traditions, often Lutheranism and Reformed Christianity, or Roman Catholicism and Reformed Christianity. Reformed theology defines the Church as being invisible and visible —the former includes the entire communion of saints and the latter is the "institution that God provides as an agency for God's saving, justifying, and sustaining activity", which John Calvin referred to as "our mother". The Reformed confessions of faith emphasize "the pure teaching of

291-663: A central and defining institution of the Empire, especially in the East or Byzantine Empire , where Constantinople came to be seen as the center of the Christian world, owing in great part to its economic and political power. Once the Western Empire fell to Germanic incursions in the 5th century , the (Roman) Church became for centuries the primary link to Roman civilization for medieval Western Europe and an important channel of influence in

388-667: A church or hold a teaching office in it. A number of historians have noted a twentieth-century "global shift" in Christianity, from a religion largely found in Europe and the Americas to one which is found in the global south . Described as "World Christianity" or "Global Christianity", this term attempts to convey the global nature of the Christian religion. However, the term often focuses on "non- Western Christianity " which "comprises (usually

485-537: A continuous succession between the original apostles of Jesus and the leaders of the church in his day. However, Jonathon Lookadoo argues that John Malalas and the Acts of Martyrdom's accounts of Ignatius are independent from Eusebius and they still place his death under Trajan. While many scholars accept this traditional dating, others have argued for a somewhat later date. Richard Pervo dated Ignatius' death to 135–140 AD. British classicist Timothy Barnes has argued for

582-581: A date in the 140s AD, on the grounds that Ignatius seems to have quoted a work of the Gnostic Ptolemy , who became active only in the 130s. Étienne Decrept has argued from the testimony of John Malalas and the Acts of Drosis that Ignatius was martyred under the reign of Trajan during Apollo's festival in July 116 AD, and in response to the earthquake at Antioch in late 115 AD. Ignatius wrote that he would be thrown to

679-648: A distinct Christian body identified by traits such as a common name, structure, leadership, or doctrine. Individual bodies, however, may use alternative terms to describe themselves, such as "church" or "fellowship". Divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority; issues such as the nature of Jesus , the authority of apostolic succession , eschatology , and papal primacy often separate one denomination from another. Groups of denominations often sharing broadly similar beliefs, practices, and historical ties are known as branches of Christianity. Individual Christian denominations vary widely in

776-492: A donation by the Imperial Governor of Syria to the games at Rome, a single prisoner seems a rather miserly gift." Instead, Davies proposes that Ignatius may have been indicted by a legate, or representative, of the governor of Syria while the governor was away temporarily, and sent to Rome for trial and execution. Under Roman law, only the governor of a province or the emperor himself could impose capital punishment , so

873-431: A long essay attacking the authenticity of the epistles attributed to Ignatius. He argued that Callixtus , bishop of Rome, forged the letters around AD 220 to garner support for a monarchical episcopate , modeling the renowned Saint Ignatius after his own life to give precedent for his own authority. Killen contrasted this episcopal polity with the presbyterian polity in the writings of Polycarp. Some doubts about

970-582: A mark of catholicity, but see the institutional unity of the Catholic Church as manifested in the shared apostolic succession of their episcopacies, rather than a shared episcopal hierarchy or rites. Reformed Christians hold that every person justified by faith in the Gospel committed to the Apostles is a member of "One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church". From this perspective, the real unity and holiness of

1067-554: A part of it. The Oriental Orthodox Churches claims to be the original Christian Church. The Oriental Orthodox churches' bases their claim primarily on its assertion that it holds to traditions and beliefs of the original Christian Church. They never adopted the theory of the Nature of God, which was formulated later than the break that followed the Council of Chalcedon . The Lutheran churches traditionally hold that their tradition represents

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1164-512: A scholarly consensus that the Middle Recension is the original version of the text. The Long Recension is the product of a fourth-century Arian Christian, who interpolated the Middle Recension epistles in order posthumously to enlist Ignatius as an unwitting witness in theological disputes of that age. This individual also forged the six spurious epistles attributed to Ignatius (see § Pseudo-Ignatius below). Manuscripts representing

1261-611: A translation of the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία ( romanized ecclesia ), found in the original Greek texts , which generally meant an "assembly" or "congregation". This term appears in two verses of the Gospel of Matthew , 24 verses of the Acts of the Apostles , 58 verses of the Pauline epistles (including the earliest instances of its use in relation to a Christian body), two verses of the Letter to

1358-560: Is from the Old English word cirice or Circe , derived from West Germanic *kirika , which in turn comes from the Greek κυριακή kuriakē , meaning "of the Lord" (possessive form of κύριος kurios "ruler" or "lord"). Kuriakē in the sense of "church" is most likely a shortening of κυριακὴ οἰκία kuriakē oikia ("house of the Lord") or ἐκκλησία κυριακή ekklēsia kuriakē ("congregation of

1455-569: Is known in three different recensions , or editions: the Short Recension, found in a Syriac manuscript ; the Middle Recension, found in Greek , Latin , Armenian , Slavonic , Coptic , Arabic , Ethiopic and Syriac manuscripts; and the Long Recension, found in Greek, Latin and Georgian manuscripts. For some time, it was believed that the Long Recension was the only extant version of

1552-557: Is merely a summary of the text of the Middle Recension, and was therefore composed later. Though the Catholic Church has always supported the authenticity of the letters, some Protestants have tended to deny the authenticity of all the epistles because they seem to attest to a monarchical episcopate in the second century. John Calvin called the epistles "rubbish published under Ignatius' name." In 1886, Presbyterian minister and church historian William Dool Killen published

1649-413: Is the earliest known Christian writer to emphasize loyalty to a single bishop in each city (or diocese ) who is assisted by both presbyters (elders) and deacons . Earlier writings only mention either bishops or presbyters. For instance, his writings on bishops, presbyters and deacons: Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God, and with

1746-508: The 4th century as the State Church of the Roman Empire . Already in the 2nd century, Christians denounced teachings that they saw as heresies , especially Gnosticism but also Montanism . Ignatius of Antioch at the beginning of that century and Irenaeus at the end saw union with the bishops as the test of correct Christian faith. After legalization of the Church in the 4th century,

1843-521: The 7th century , the Islamic Caliphates rose and gradually began to conquer larger and larger areas of the Christian world . Excepting North Africa and most of Spain , northern and western Europe escaped largely unscathed by Islamic expansion, in great part because richer Constantinople and its empire acted as a magnet for the onslaught. The challenge presented by the Muslims would help to solidify

1940-470: The Flavian age of any prisoners except citizens or prisoners of war being brought to Rome for execution." If Ignatius had been a Roman citizen, he could have appealed to the emperor, with the common result of execution by beheading rather than torture. However, Ignatius's letters state that he was put in chains during the journey, but it was against Roman law for a citizen to be put in bonds during an appeal to

2037-651: The Frankish king Charlemagne set the Church on a course towards separation. The political and theological divisions would grow until Rome and the East excommunicated each other in the 11th century , ultimately leading to the division of the Church into the Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) churches. In 1448, not long before the Byzantine Empire collapsed, the Russian Orthodox Church gained independence from

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2134-458: The Gospel of Matthew . When Jesus says to Simon Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church", the church is the community instituted by Christ, but in the other passage the church is the local community to which one belongs: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." The term is used much more frequently in other parts of the New Testament, designating, as in

2231-581: The Old High German cognate chirihha . The Christian Church originated in Roman Judea in the first century AD/CE , founded on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth , who first gathered disciples . Those disciples later became known as " Christians "; according to Scripture , Jesus commanded them to spread his teachings to all the world . For most Christians, the holiday of Pentecost (an event that occurred after Jesus' ascension to Heaven ) represents

2328-752: The Patriarch of Constantinople . As a result of the redevelopment of Western Europe , and the gradual fall of the Eastern Roman Empire to the Arabs and Turks (helped by warfare against Eastern Christians ), the final Fall of Constantinople in 1453 resulted in Eastern scholars fleeing to the West bringing ancient manuscripts, which was a factor in the beginning of the period of the Western Renaissance there. Rome

2425-566: The Septuagint in the sense of an assembly gathered for religious reasons, often for a liturgy ; in that translation ἐκκλησία stood for the Hebrew word קהל ( qahal ), which however it also rendered as συναγωγή ( synagōgē , "synagogue"), the two Greek words being largely synonymous until Christians distinguished them more clearly. The term ἐκκλησία appears in only two verses of the Gospels, in both cases in

2522-442: The church invisible —all "who are truly saved " (with these beings members of the visible church). In this understanding of the invisible church, "Christian Church" (or catholic Church) does not refer to a particular Christian denomination, but includes all individuals who have been saved. The branch theory , which is maintained by some Anglicans , holds that those Churches that have preserved apostolic succession are part of

2619-821: The sacraments , and the role of bishops . Epistle to the Ephesians Epistle to the Magnesians Epistle to the Trallians Epistle to the Romans Epistle to the Philadelphians Epistle to the Smyrnaeans Nothing is known of Ignatius' life apart from the words of his letters and later traditions. It is said Ignatius converted to Christianity at a young age. Tradition identifies him and his friend Polycarp as disciples of John

2716-710: The true visible Church . The Augsburg Confession found within the Book of Concord , a compendium of belief of the Lutheran Churches , teaches that "the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church". When the Lutherans presented the Augsburg Confession to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1530, they believe to have "showed that each article of faith and practice

2813-518: The 15th century. This article about a book related to Christianity is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Christian Church For many Protestant Christians, the Christian Church has two components: the church visible , institutions in which "the Word of God purely preached and listened to, and the sacraments administered according to Christ's institution", as well as

2910-509: The Apostle . Later, Ignatius was chosen to serve as Bishop of Antioch ; the fourth-century Church historian Eusebius writes that Ignatius succeeded Evodius . Theodoret of Cyrrhus claimed that St. Peter himself left directions that Ignatius be appointed to this episcopal see . Ignatius was called Theophorus (God Bearer). A tradition exists that he was one of the children whom Jesus Christ took in his arms and blessed. Ignatius' feast day

3007-520: The Bible to speak of the people of God , such as the image of the vineyard used particularly in the Gospel of John . The New Testament never uses the adjectives "catholic" or "universal" with reference to the Christian Church, but does indicate that the local communities are one church, collectively, that Christians must always seek to be in concord, as the Congregation of God, that the Gospel must extend to

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3104-646: The Bishops in communion with him". A 2007 declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified that, in this passage, "'subsistence' means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church, in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth", and acknowledged that grace can be operative within religious communities separated from

3201-515: The Catholic Church due to some "elements of sanctification and truth" within them, but also added "Nevertheless, the word 'subsists' can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the 'one' Church); and this 'one' Church subsists in the Catholic Church." The Catholic Church teaches that only corporate bodies of Christians led by bishops with valid holy orders can be recognized as "churches" in

3298-670: The Catholic Church. At this time, a series of non-theological disputes also led to the English Reformation which led to the independence of the Church of England . Then, during the Age of Exploration and the Age of Imperialism , Western Europe spread the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches around the world, especially in the Americas . These developments in turn have led to Christianity being

3395-489: The Church, no one can hope for life or salvation unless he is excused through ignorance beyond his control." The papal encyclical Mystici corporis (Pope Pius XII, 1943), expresses the dogmatic ecclesiology of the Catholic Church thus: "If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ—which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church–we shall find no expression more noble, more sublime, or more divine, than

3492-833: The Coptic Month of Koiak (which is also the 24th day of the fourth month of Tahisas in the Synaxarium of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ), corresponding in three years out of every four to 20 December in the Julian Calendar , which currently falls on 2 January of the Gregorian Calendar . Ignatius is honored in the Church of England and in the Episcopal Church on 17 October . Likewise, Lutheran Churches honor Ignatius on 17 October. Ignatius

3589-547: The Ephesians 20:2). He regarded persecution and suffering as conferring grace, and earnestly longed for his own martyrdom. Ignatius is claimed to be the first known Christian writer to argue in favor of Christianity's replacement of the Sabbath with the Lord's Day : Be not seduced by strange doctrines nor by antiquated fables, which are profitless. For if even unto this day we live after

3686-515: The Ephesians he quoted 1 Corinthians 1:18: Let my spirit be counted as nothing for the sake of the cross, which is a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to us salvation and life eternal. Ignatius is known to have taught the deity of Christ: There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible, even Jesus Christ our Lord. The same section in text of

3783-527: The Gospel of Matthew, either an individual local community or all of them collectively. Even passages that do not use the term ἐκκλησία may refer to the church with other expressions, as in the first 14 chapters of the Epistle to the Romans , in which ἐκκλησία is totally absent but which repeatedly uses the cognate word κλήτοι ( klētoi , "called"). The church may be referred to also through images traditionally employed in

3880-548: The Hebrews , one verse of the Epistle of James , three verses of the Third Epistle of John , and 19 verses of the Book of Revelation . In total, ἐκκλησία appears 114 times in the New Testament, although not every instance is a technical reference to the church. As such it is used for local communities as well as in a universal sense to mean all believers. The earliest recorded use of the term Christianity (Greek: Χριστιανισμός )

3977-465: The Holy Spirit creates an openness in mission which allows for coordinated effort towards church planting and growth." Today there is a wide diversity of Christian groups, with a variety of different doctrines and traditions. These controversies between the various branches of Christianity naturally include significant differences in their respective ecclesiologies. "Denomination" is a generic term for

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4074-462: The Ignatian epistles, but around 1628 a Latin translation of the Middle Recension was discovered by Archbishop James Ussher , who published it in 1646. For around a quarter of a century after this, it was debated which recension represented the original text of the epistles. But ever since John Pearson 's strong defense of the authenticity of the Middle Recension in the late 17th century, there has been

4171-598: The Long Recension says the following: But our Physician is the Only true God, the unbegotten and unapproachable, the Lord of all, the Father and Begetter of the only-begotten Son. We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For "the Word was made flesh." Being incorporeal, He

4268-531: The Long Recension, except that to the Philippians), while the letter to the Romans is found in the Codex Colbertinus . Ignatius's letters bear signs of being written in great haste, such as run-on sentences and an unsystematic succession of thought. Ignatius modelled them after the biblical epistles of Paul, Peter, and John, quoting or paraphrasing these apostles' works freely. For example, in his letter to

4365-481: The Lord"). Christian churches were sometimes called κυριακόν kuriakon (adjective meaning "of the Lord") in Greek starting in the 4th century, but ekklēsia and βασιλική basilikē were more common. The word is one of many direct Greek-to-Germanic loans of Christian terminology, via the Goths . The Slavic terms for "church" ( Old Church Slavonic црькꙑ [ crĭky ], Bulgarian църква [ carkva ], Russian церковь [ cerkov' ], Slovenian cerkev) are via

4462-451: The Methodists in the world. Many Baptists , who uphold the doctrine of Baptist successionism (also known as Landmarkism ), "argue that their history can be traced across the centuries to New Testament times" and "claim that Baptists have represented the true church" that "has been, present in every period of history". Walter B. Shurden, the founding executive director of the Center for Baptist Studies at Mercer University , writes that

4559-441: The Roman Empire officially adopted the Nicene version of Christianity as its state religion . Prior to this date, Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378) had personally favored Arian or Semi-Arian forms of Christianity, but Valens' successor Theodosius I supported the more Athanasian or Trinitarian doctrine as expounded in the Nicene Creed from the 1st Council of Nicaea.j On this date, Theodosius I decreed that only

4656-409: The Short Recension of the Ignatian epistles were discovered and published by William Cureton in the mid-19th century. For a brief period, there was a scholarly debate on the question of whether the Short Recension was earlier and more original than the Middle Recension. But by the end of the 19th century, Theodor Zahn and J. B. Lightfoot had established a scholarly consensus that the Short Recension

4753-458: The Spirit did wait for Him as their Teacher? And therefore He whom they rightly waited for, being come, raised them from the dead. This passage has provoked textual debate since the only Greek manuscript extant read Κατα κυριακήν ζωήν ζωντες which could be translated "living according to the Lord's life." Most scholars, however, have followed the Latin text (secundum dominicam) omitting ζωήν and translating "living according to Lord's Day". Ignatius

4850-408: The West for the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine , emperors. While, in the West, the so-called orthodox Church competed against the Arian Christian and pagan faiths of the Germanic rulers and spread outside what had been the Empire to Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, and the western Slavs , in the East Christianity spread to the Slavs in what is now Russia , south-central and eastern Europe. Starting in

4947-437: The basis for the Pentarchy proposed by Justinian I . Of these five, one was in the West ( Rome ) and the rest in the East ( Constantinople , Jerusalem , Antioch , and Alexandria ). Even after the split of the Roman Empire the Church remained a relatively united institution (apart from Oriental Orthodoxy and some other groups which separated from the rest of the state-sanctioned Church earlier). The Church came to be

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5044-556: The beasts; in the fourth century Eusebius reports a tradition that this did happen, while Jerome is the first to explicitly mention lions. John Chrysostom is the first to place of Ignatius' martyrdom at the Colosseum . Modern scholars are uncertain whether any of these authors had sources other than Ignatius' own writings. According to a medieval Christian text titled Martyrium Ignatii , Ignatius' remains were carried back to Antioch by his companions after his martyrdom. The sixth-century writings of Evagrius Scholasticus state that

5141-508: The birthday of the Church, signified by the descent of the Holy Spirit on gathered disciples. Springing out of Second Temple Judaism , from Christianity's earliest days, Christians accepted non- Jews ( Gentiles ) without requiring full adoption of Jewish customs (such as circumcision ). The parallels in the Jewish faith are the Proselytes , Godfearers , and Noahide Law ; see also Biblical law in Christianity . Some think that conflict with Jewish religious authorities quickly led to

5238-437: The chained Ignatius to meet with entire congregations of Christians, at least at Philadelphia (cf. Ign. Phil. 7), and numerous Christian visitors and messengers were allowed to meet with him individually. These messengers allowed Ignatius to send six letters to nearby churches, and one to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna. These aspects of Ignatius' martyrdom are also unusual, in that a prisoner would normally be transported on

5335-479: The church histories of Socrates Scholasticus , Sozomen and Theodoret , written in the previous century. An Italian theory posited its composition around 510 AD, arguing that the work was composed using the library Cassiodorus assembled at the Monasterium Vivariense , the monastery of Vivarium on his family estates at the foot of Mount Moscius on the shores of the Ionian Sea. It is now thought to have been composed several decades later, in Constantinople, around

5432-415: The church of Antioch, attributed to Ignatius' companions, Philō of Cilicia , deacon at Tarsus , and Rheus Agathopus , a Syrian. Its most reliable manuscript is the 10th-century collection Codex Colbertinus (Paris), in which it is the final item. The Martyrium presents the confrontation of Bishop Ignatius with Emperor Trajan at Antioch, a familiar trope of Acta of the martyrs, and many details of

5529-449: The citizens of a city, as in Acts 19:32–41 , is the New Testament term referring to the Christian Church (either a particular local group or the whole body of the faithful ). In the Septuagint , the Greek word "ἐκκλησία" is used to translate the Hebrew "קהל" ( qahal ). Most Romance and Celtic languages use derivations of this word, either inherited or borrowed from the Latin form ecclesia . The English language word "church"

5626-455: The crime of magic. In the centuries of state-sponsored Christianity that followed, pagans and heretical Christians were routinely persecuted by the Empire and the many kingdoms and countries that later occupied its place, but some Germanic tribes remained Arian well into the Middle Ages (see also Christendom ). The Church within the Roman Empire was organized under metropolitan sees , with five rising to particular prominence and forming

5723-431: The debate between Arianism and Trinitarianism , with the emperors favouring now one side now the other, was a major controversy. In using the word ἐκκλησία ( ekklēsia ), early Christians were employing a term that, while it designated the assembly of a Greek city-state, in which only citizens could participate, was traditionally used by Greek-speaking Jews to speak of Israel, the people of God, and that appeared in

5820-422: The degree to which they recognize one another. Several claim to be the direct and sole authentic successor the church founded by Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD. Others, however, believe in denominationalism, where some or all Christian denominations are legitimate churches of the same religion regardless of their distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices. Because of this concept, some Christian bodies reject

5917-403: The emperor. Allen Brent argues that Ignatius was transferred to Rome for the emperor to provide a spectacle as a victim in the Colosseum . Brent insists, contrary to some, that "it was normal practice to transport condemned criminals from the provinces in order to offer spectator sport in the Colosseum at Rome." Stevan Davies rejects this idea, reasoning that: "if Ignatius was in some way

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6014-419: The ends of the earth and to all nations , that the church is open to all peoples and must not be divided, etc. The first recorded application of " catholic " or "universal" to the church is by Ignatius of Antioch in about 107 in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, chapter VIII: "Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." On February 27, 380,

6111-539: The exotic) instances of Christian faith in 'the global South', in Asia, Africa and Latin America." It also includes indigenous or diasporic forms in Western Europe and North America. Ignatius of Antioch Pervo : AD 135–140 Ignatius of Antioch ( / ɪ ɡ ˈ n eɪ ʃ ə s / ; Ancient Greek : Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας , romanized :  Ignátios Antiokheías ; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus ( Ἰγνάτιος ὁ Θεοφόρος , Ignátios ho Theophóros , 'the God-bearing'),

6208-483: The expulsion of Christians from the synagogues in Jerusalem . The Church gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond , gaining major establishments in cities such as Jerusalem , Antioch , and Edessa . The Roman authorities persecuted it because Christians refused to make sacrifice to the Roman gods , and challenged the imperial cult . The Church was legalized in the Roman empire , and then promoted by Emperors Constantine I and Theodosius I in

6305-400: The followers of Trinitarian Christianity were entitled to be referred to as Catholic Christians , while all others were to be considered to be heretics, which was considered illegal. In 385, this new legal situation resulted, in the first case of many to come, in the capital punishment of a heretic, namely Priscillian , condemned to death, with several of his followers, by a civil tribunal for

6402-408: The founder of the movement "John Wesley once noted that what God had achieved in the development of Methodism was no mere human endeavor but the work of God. As such it would be preserved by God so long as history remained." Calling it "the grand depositum" of the Methodist faith, Wesley specifically taught that the propagation of the doctrine of entire sanctification was the reason that God raised up

6499-449: The four marks that the Creed attributes to the genuine Church, and the essence of a mark is to be visible. A church whose identity and belief varied from country to country and from age to age would not be "one" in their estimation. As such they see themselves not as a denomination, but as pre-denominational; not as one of many faith communities, but the original and sole true Church. Many Baptist and Congregationalist theologians accept

6596-414: The gospel ( pura doctrina evangelii ) and the right administration of the sacraments ( recta administratio sacramentorum )" as "the two most necessary signs of the true visible church". Methodists affirm belief in "the one true Church, Apostolic and Universal", viewing their churches as constituting a "privileged branch of this true church". With regard to the position of Methodism within Christendom ,

6693-406: The largest religion in the world today. The Catholic Church teaches in its doctrine that it is the original church founded by Christ on the Apostles in the 1st century AD. The encyclical of Pope Pius IX , Singulari Quidem , states: "There is only one true, holy, Catholic Church, which is the Apostolic Roman Church. There is only one See founded on Peter by the word of the Lord [...] Outside of

6790-417: The legate would have faced the choice of imprisoning Ignatius in Antioch or sending him to Rome. Transporting the bishop might have avoided further agitation by the Antiochene Christians. Christine Trevett calls Davies' suggestion "entirely hypothetical" and concludes that no fully satisfactory solution to the problem can be found: "I tend to take the bishop at his word when he says he is a condemned man. But

6887-557: The letters' authenticity continued into the 20th century. In the 1970s and 1980s, the scholars Robert Joly , Reinhard Hübner, Markus Vinzent , and Thomas Lechner argued forcefully that the epistles of the Middle Recension were forgeries from the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD). Joseph Ruis-Camps published a study arguing that the Middle Recension letters were pseudepigraphically composed based on an original, smaller, authentic corpus of four letters ( Romans , Magnesians , Trallians , and Ephesians ). In 2009, Otto Zwierlein support

6984-454: The local sense as the only valid application of the term church . They strongly reject the notion of a universal ( catholic ) church. These denominations argue that all uses of the Greek word ekklesia in the New Testament are speaking of either a particular local group or of the notion of "church" in the abstract, and never of a single, worldwide Church. Many Anglicans , Lutherans , Old Catholics , and Independent Catholics view unity as

7081-470: The long journey to Rome. The Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria says that he was thrown to the wild beasts that devoured him. The following seven epistles preserved under the name of Ignatius are generally considered authentic, since they were mentioned by the historian Eusebius in the first half of the fourth century. Seven original epistles: The text of these epistles

7178-401: The manner of Judaism, we avow that we have not received grace. ...If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord's day, on which our life also arose through Him ... how shall we be able to live apart from Him? If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to

7275-529: The most direct route to his destination. Travel by land in the Roman Empire was far more expensive than by sea, especially since Antioch was a major sea port. Davies argues that Ignatius' circuitous route can only be explained by positing that he was not the main purpose of the soldiers' trip, and that the various stops in Asia Minor were for other state business. He suggests that such a scenario would also explain

7372-506: The ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper . Any celebration of these ordinances by non-Baptists is invalid." Other Baptists do not adhere to Landmarkism and thus hold a broader understanding of what constitutes the true Christian Church, e.g. the American Baptist Churches (which are maintain ecumenical relations with other Churches). In Pentecostalism , "ecclesiology as seen through his concept of networks, where

7469-508: The phrase which calls it 'the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ'." The Second Vatican Council's dogmatic constitution, Lumen gentium (1964), further declares that "the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, [...] constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by

7566-462: The possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death—whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master—how shall we be able to live apart from Him, whose disciples the prophets themselves in

7663-400: The presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest. He is also responsible for the first known use of the Greek word katholikos (καθολικός), or catholic, meaning "universal", "complete", "general", and/or "whole" to describe

7760-482: The proper sense. In Catholic documents, communities without such bishops are formally called ecclesial communities . The Eastern Orthodox Church claims to be the original Christian Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church bases its claim primarily on its assertion that it holds to traditions and beliefs of the original Christian Church. It also claims that four out of the five sees of the Pentarchy (excluding Rome) are still

7857-460: The question remains, why is he going to Rome? The truth is that we do not know." During the journey to Rome, Ignatius and his entourage of soldiers made a number of lengthy stops in Asia Minor , deviating from the most direct land route from Antioch to Rome. Scholars generally agree on the following reconstruction of Ignatius' route of travel: During the journey, the soldiers seem to have allowed

7954-401: The relative freedom that Ignatius was given to meet with other Christians during the journey. Tradition places Ignatius's martyrdom in the reign of Trajan (c. 98-117 AD). The earliest source for this is the 4th century church historian Eusebius of Caesarea . Richard Pervo argues that Eusebius may have had an ideological interest in dating church leaders as early as possible, and asserting

8051-685: The religious identity of eastern Christians even as it gradually weakened the Eastern Empire. Even in the Muslim World , the Church survived (e.g., the modern Copts , Maronites , and others) albeit at times with great difficulty. Although there had long been frictions between the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the patriarch of the Catholic Church proper) and the eastern patriarchs within the Byzantine Empire , Rome's changing allegiance from Constantinople to

8148-691: The reputed remains of Ignatius were moved by the Emperor Theodosius II to the Tychaeum, or Temple of Tyche , and converted it into a church dedicated to Ignatius. In 637, when Antioch was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate , the relics were transferred to the Basilica di San Clemente in Rome. The Martyrium Ignatii is an account of the saint's martyrdom. It is presented as an eye-witness account for

8245-455: The term "denomination" to describe themselves, to avoid implying equivalency with other churches or denominations. The Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church believe that the term one in the Nicene Creed describes and prescribes a visible institutional and doctrinal unity, not only geographically throughout the world, but also historically throughout history. They see unity as one of

8342-509: The theology of Landmarkism, which he states is integral of the history of the Southern Baptist Convention , upholds the ideas that "Only Baptist churches can trace their lineage in uninterrupted fashion back to the New Testament, and only Baptist churches therefore are true churches." In addition Shurden writes that Baptists who uphold successionism believe that "only a true church-that is, a Baptist church-can legitimately celebrate

8439-476: The thesis of a forgery written around 170 AD. These publications stirred up heated scholarly controversy, but by 2017, most patristic scholars accepted the authenticity of the seven original epistles. The original texts of six of the seven original letters are found in the Codex Mediceo Laurentianus , written in Greek in the 11th century (which also contains the pseudepigraphical letters of

8536-496: The time the crisis in relations between Justinian and the Western Church, around 550 AD. It describes a history of the Church from the year 324 to the year 439. The book attained a high reputation. Only Eusebius ' History , in a Latin translation by Rufinus , competed with it as the official version of church history in the West, until original sources began to be rediscovered, edited and printed by humanist scholars in

8633-650: The true Church. This is in contrast to the one true church applied to a specific concrete Christian institution, a Christian ecclesiological position maintained by the Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church , the Oriental Orthodox churches , Assyrian Church of the East , and the Ancient Church of the East . Most English translations of the New Testament generally use the word church as

8730-511: The whole church established through the Apostles is yet to be revealed; and meanwhile, the extent and peace of the church on earth is imperfectly realized in a visible way. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod declares that the Christian Church, properly speaking, consists only of those who have faith in the gospel (i.e., the forgiveness of sins which Christ gained for all people), even if they are in church bodies that teach error, but excluding those who do not have such faith, even if they belong to

8827-538: Was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch . While en route to Rome , where he met his martyrdom , Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers . He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp . His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology , and address important topics including ecclesiology ,

8924-436: Was by Ignatius of Antioch , in around 100 AD. The Four Marks of the Church first expressed in the Nicene Creed (381) are that the Church is one , holy , catholic (universal), and apostolic (originating from the apostles ). The Greek word ekklēsia , literally "called out" or "called forth" and commonly used to indicate a group of individuals called to gather for some function, in particular an assembly of

9021-509: Was condemned to death for his faith, but instead of being executed in his home town of Antioch, the bishop was taken to Rome by a company of ten soldiers: From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers... Scholars consider Ignatius' transport to Rome unusual, since those persecuted as Christians would be expected to be punished locally. Stevan Davies has pointed out that "no other examples exist from

9118-458: Was in the body, being impassible, He was in a passible body, being immortal, He was in a mortal body, being life, He became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption, and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with ungodliness and wicked lusts. He stressed the value of the Eucharist , calling it a "medicine of immortality" ( Ignatius to

9215-465: Was kept in his own Antioch on 17 October, the day on which he is now celebrated in the Catholic Church and generally in western Christianity , although from the 12th century until 1969 it was put at 1 February in the General Roman Calendar . In the Eastern Orthodox Church it is observed on 20 December. The Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria places it on the 24th of

9312-650: Was seen by the Western Church as Christianity's heartland. Some Eastern churches even broke with Eastern Orthodoxy and entered into communion with Rome ( the "Uniate" Eastern Catholic Churches ). The changes brought on by the Renaissance eventually led to the Protestant Reformation during which the Protestant Lutheran and the Reformed followers of Calvin, Hus, Zwingli, Melancthon, Knox, and others split from

9409-540: Was true first of all to Holy Scripture, and then also to the teaching of the church fathers and the councils". Nevertheless, the Lutheran churches teach that "there are indeed true Christians in other churches" as "other denominations also preach the Word of God, though mixed with error"; since the proclamation of the Word of God bears fruit, Lutheran theology accepts the appellation "Church" for other Christian denominations. Anglicans generally understand their tradition as

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