Michael Brooks
Catholicism, a branch of Christianity, is one of the world's most influential religions, with about 1.4 billion followers worldwide. The religion traces its origins to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in Roman-occupied Jewish Palestine around 30 CE. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus established his disciple, St. Peter, as the first pope of the church. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles and the Church's leader, the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), to be the sole successor to St. Peter. The Catholic Church was founded in Jerusalem and later moved to Rome. In 313 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine I legalised Christianity, ending persecutions and allowing the Catholic faith to flourish. In 380 CE, under Emperor Theodosius, Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Catholicism became a recognised religion | 313 CE |
| Date Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire | 380 CE |
| Number of followers worldwide | 1.4 billion |
| Percentage of Christians that are Catholic | 50% |
| Percentage of the global population that is Catholic | 16.66% |
| Percentage of the US population that is Catholic | 20% |
| Date of the Church's "birthday" | 50 days after Easter |
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What You'll Learn
- The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ
- Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 C.E
- The Church's bishops are successors to Jesus' apostles
- The Church was established in Jerusalem, later moving to Rome
- The Church's teachings were refined by influential theologians known as the Church Fathers
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ
The Catholic Church is one of the oldest and largest branches of Christianity, with about 1.4 billion followers worldwide. It is based in the Vatican and led by the Pope. The Catholic Church traditionally contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles and the Church's leader, the Bishop of Rome (also known as the Pope), to be the sole successor to St. Peter, who was appointed by Jesus as the head of the Church.
The Catholic Church is understood to be instituted by Christ, based on Matthew's gospel (16:18) where Jesus says, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Jesus not only establishes his church but also gives primacy to Peter among all the apostles. Roman Catholics have tended to understand the church as an institution under the primacy of Peter's successor as synonymous with the "kingdom of God" proclaimed by Jesus. However, this view is no longer the dominant understanding as the church is more than just an institution.
The link between Jesus and the church as we know it today is not entirely clear. While the Church may have evolved significantly since its early beginnings, the Holy Spirit remains the connection between Jesus and his church. The Church was born from Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, and Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit, preached, leading to thousands of baptisms and the Church going public. This is often considered the Church's "birthday." Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, and the Christian community called the Church was born.
The Catholic Church is considered a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus. The Church began during the apostolic age (c. 33 to 100 CE), when the early church was led by the 12 apostles of Jesus, who embarked on missionary work to spread Christianity in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. The early church was already divided into various belief systems, including Pauline Christianity, Gnostic Christianity, and Jewish Christianity. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, Pauline and Gnostic Christianity became the dominant groups. In 313 CE, the Roman Empire legally recognized Pauline Christianity as a valid religion, and in 380 CE, Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
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Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 C.E
The Catholic Church, based in the Vatican and led by the Pope, is the largest branch of Christianity, with about 1.4 billion followers worldwide. One in two Christians are Roman Catholics, and one out of every six people worldwide. The Catholic Church maintains that it was established by Christ when he gave direction to the Apostle Peter as the head of the church, making him the first pope. This belief is based on Matthew 16:18, where Jesus Christ said to Peter: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
The Catholic Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles, and the Church's leader, the Bishop of Rome (also known as the Pope), to be the sole successor to St. Peter, who ministered in Rome in the first century AD after his appointment by Jesus as head of the Church. The early church was headed by the 12 apostles of Jesus, who began missionary work to convert Jews to Christianity in various regions of the Mediterranean and the Mideast. Apostle Paul, who adopted the name Paul, was the greatest evangelist of the early Christian church. His ministry, also called Pauline Christianity, was directed mainly at Gentiles.
In 313 C.E., the Roman Empire legally recognized Pauline Christianity as a valid religion. In 380 C.E., Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Under Emperor Theodosius, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire by the Edict of Thessalonica, a decree that would persist until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Edict of Thessalonica recognized the catholic orthodoxy, as defined by the Council of Nicea, as the Roman Empire's state religion. This led to the widespread construction of churches, and bishops could now meet publicly, allowing the faith to flourish.
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The Church's bishops are successors to Jesus' apostles
The Catholic Church is one of the oldest and largest branches of Christianity, with about 1.4 billion followers worldwide. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles. This is known as the doctrine of apostolic succession, which is central to the Catholic Church's identity.
The apostolic age, from around 33 to 100 CE, was when the early church was headed by the 12 apostles of Jesus, who began missionary work to convert Jews to Christianity in the Mediterranean and Mideast regions. The apostles themselves appointed different kinds of ministers to assist them. As the apostles died, the task of leading the Church fell to the highest-ranking ministers appointed by them, who are known as bishops.
The doctrine of apostolic succession means that there is an unbroken line of bishops from the beginning of Christian history to the present. The bishops are not simply a continuation of the office of apostle, but they received the governance of the Church when that office ceased. The bishops are the successors of the apostles as the highest shepherds of the Church, belonging to unbroken lines of ordination going back to the apostles themselves.
Apostolic succession is a foundational doctrine of authority in the Catholic Church. It is understood as a series of bishops, each consecrated by other bishops in a succession going back to the apostles. The idea of apostolic succession was emphasised by Augustine (Bishop of Hippo Regis, 395-430), who highlighted the link from consecrator to consecrated, through which the grace of order was passed on.
The Catholic Church also has a unique leadership role for the Apostle Peter, believed to have been named by Jesus as the head of the Apostles and as their focus of unity. Peter was made the first Bishop of Rome, and his successors inherited the role, becoming the leaders of the worldwide Church.
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The Church was established in Jerusalem, later moving to Rome
Catholicism, a branch of Christianity, became a legally recognised religion in 313 CE under the Roman Emperor Constantine I. Later, in 380 CE, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is based in the Vatican and led by the Pope. It is said that the Church was established by Jesus Christ when he gave direction to the Apostle Peter, making him the head of the Church. The Bible verse Matthew 16:18 supports this belief:
> "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
According to Catholic tradition, the Church was first established in Jerusalem during the Pentecost, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. After Jesus's crucifixion, the disciples of Jesus, led by Peter, consolidated their faith in Christ and formed the First Church of Jerusalem. James, the Brother of Christ, was the first elected Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem.
However, the Church in Jerusalem faced significant challenges. In 70 CE, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus and the fall of the Jewish Temple led to a period of sorrow and agony for the Church. The persecution of Christians in Jerusalem forced many to flee to Pella, east of the Jordan River. By the end of the 1st century, the Church in Jerusalem was almost completely inactive due to great persecution, and it remained so until about 130 CE.
During this time, the Apostle Paul returned to Rome after facing persecution for attempting to convert Jews to Christianity. Paul worked with Peter, who is believed to have died in Rome. The book of Acts in the Bible ends with the establishment of the Early Church in Rome, indicating the importance of this move in Christian history.
Rome offered a strategic location for spreading the Gospel throughout the world, as it was the communications nerve centre of the world at the time. Additionally, the persecutions in Jerusalem served as a catalyst for the apostles to move outward and establish the Church in new locations. As such, the Church gradually moved from Jerusalem to Rome, with Rome becoming the centre of Christian faith and leadership.
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The Church's teachings were refined by influential theologians known as the Church Fathers
The Catholic Church, one of the oldest and largest branches of Christianity, became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 C.E. The Church teaches that it was established by Christ when he gave direction to the Apostle Peter as the head of the church, making him the first pope.
The Church Fathers include notables such as Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Justin Martyr (the Church's first major lay apologist), Polycarp, Cyprian, Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo, Pope Leo the Great, and Pope Gregory the Great. These influential theologians played a crucial role in shaping and consolidating Catholic teachings, often in opposition to other belief systems such as Gnosticism.
The period in which the Church Fathers worked, known as the Patristic Era, spans from the late 1st to the mid-8th centuries, with a particular flourishing in the 4th and 5th centuries when Christianity was becoming the state church of the Roman Empire. The writings of the Church Fathers, such as Augustine's "The City of God," are considered authoritative in the establishment of doctrine and have shaped the intellectual and theological landscape of Christianity.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholicism, as a branch of Christianity, can be traced to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in Roman-occupied Jewish Palestine around 30 CE. In 313 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan, legalising Christianity and ending persecutions. In 380 CE, under Emperor Theodosius, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Catholics believe that Jesus Christ founded the Church, with his disciple St. Peter as the first pope. The Church was founded in Jerusalem and later moved to Rome.
The Edict of Milan, issued by Emperor Constantine I, legalised Christianity in the Roman Empire, ending persecutions and allowing the faith to flourish. Churches were built, bishops met publicly, and the Nicene Creed was written.
Following the Edict of Milan, there was a focus on unifying beliefs within the Church. The Council of Nicea in 325 CE, for example, made decisions about the divinity of Christ that led to a schism and the rise of Arianism.
According to Catholic teaching, Jesus established St. Peter as the first pope and head of the Church. This belief is based on Matthew 16:18, where Jesus said to Peter, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
