Early Christianity: Spirituality, Heretics, And Martyrs.

Early Christianity emerged around 2,000 years ago when it began as a sect of Judaism, consisting of the first followers of Jesus and the faith, called Christians. Early Christianity was a fascinating time when Christians were developing their doctrines and ways of living, growing their communities, sharing the gospel, and standing strong while being persecuted by the Roman Empire. Spirituality is how Christians practice their faith, and since Christianity has existed for so long, it has changed and developed over time throughout its rich history. America has unfortunately simplified Christianity today, but in the time of the Roman Empire, being a Christian had a much bigger stake.

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A source that we can look at from this time was called the “Didache”, a doctrine that described early Christian ethics and ways of living. It contained sixteen chapters that talk about what it means to be a Christian through abstaining from sin and following different commandments, ways of living, and orders of the church (Didache). This doctrine was important to the early Christians because they were very concerned about right and wrong behaviors and beliefs, and they wanted clear, written rules of what was considered evil and good. In contrast, most Christians today are way more tolerant of everyone’s different opinions and ways of living, and the line between right and wrong is blurry. What made early Christians unique was their spirituality, their dedication to living right, and their intolerance for evil things.

The Didache highlights some of these qualities:

1. They loved those who hated them (even their persecutors), whereas today we tend to only love those who love us back and invest in relationships where we will also benefit.

2. They weren’t money-loving or vain, and today we place a lot of emphasis on money, celebrities, or materialistic things that don’t matter.

3. They taught their children the fear of God, whereas today, children aren’t even taught about God in schools anymore and everyone focuses on the loving aspects of God rather than His judgments.

4. They assembled together regularly to sacrifice to the Lord, and today Christians don’t even go to church regularly anymore and attendance has been declining for years.

Christianity has lasted for a long time, but we are falling further and further away from the spirituality of early Christians, and I wonder how long this great religion has left?

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One of the biggest issues of early Christianity was heresy. Heresy is beliefs that are contrary to what is deemed right and true, and in the time of Rome if you disagreed with the church you were proclaimed a heretic. One of the biggest heresies during that time was Arianism, the belief that Jesus was a created being and therefore inferior to God. This was a big issue because most Christians believe that Jesus is equal with God, and if that wasn’t true it would mean they would have no hope of salvation. Heretics would be outcast, tortured, and even martyred for their contrary beliefs. This is very different from today, where we are much more tolerant of people with different opinions and everyone gets to be right and validated for their beliefs. Nobody is wrong anymore and we are afraid to call out beliefs that are blatantly false out of fear of offending someone.

Martyrdom was another big part of early Christian history. One source that we can look at is Ignatius's letter to the Romans, which he wrote before his death as a martyr. This letter is shocking in contrast to what Christianity is today. Ignatius was adamant and excited about his opportunity to die a martyr, claiming “Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body.” and goes on to say” May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray they may be eager to rush upon me…” (Ignatius). He believed that to be a Christian was to be a martyr and there is freedom in dying for Christ. Christians are no longer persecuted the way that they were during the Roman Empire, and we have grown content with the pleasures of this world, often allowing them to distract us from remembering Christ and what is truly important in our life on this earth. Christians today need to remember these early Christians and martyrs and channel some of the bravery, passion, and dedication that they had for defending their faith.

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Sources:

Didache. “Didache. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Translation Roberts-Donaldson).” Www.earlychristianwritings.com, www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html.

Ignatius. “Epistle to the Romans (St. Ignatius).” Www.newadvent.org, New Advent, www.newadvent.org/fathers/0107.htm.