I am going to kick off a new series this week on “Exploring the First Century Church.” I am going to spend some time digging into what the early church was like, how they worshipped, what they taught, etc as demonstrated by what we have in the New Testament and Greco-Roman sources. In our Restoration Movement heritage there is a real interest in doing things as they did things. So let’s have a look and see what we find.
Before I get started I wanted to take an informal survey to see if there are any particular topics that you would like to see covered. Thanks for reading! I am really looking forward to discussing this by topic.
7 Responses
I’d like to see you take a close look at Ante-Nicene views on salvation and hell.
From Scripture we know that women played a big part in the first century church, but now we tend to dismiss the value of women taking part in the church service. Please look at this issue from a first century stand point. Thanks!
Roman Catholicism makes the claim that they were first and that all other Chrstian religions were spin-offs. We, of course, see it differently. While looking at the early church could you find the seeds of the Catholic religion, it’s non-biblical jargon (pope, nuns, monks, cardinals etc., special rules and regulations, etc.?
I have studied some early christian art and two things (among others) was: When they prayed their hands were raised, (2) baptism was by pouring or immersion and usually in the nude. I have hardly ever seen the first in the COC, and definitely not the second. There many references in the NT to footwashing and the agape meal. I have experienced those only with the Mennonite Church. Just a few thought I wanted to throw in.
What about “greeting with a holy kiss”?
Women are to prophesy with their head covered?
Yes, to be a first century church would mean to return to the holy kiss and women prophesying with their heads covered. Add footwashing, the agape meal and communal living. A few exorcisms would help establish creds as a first century church as well.