The Early Church is the Catholic Church
of the Catholic faith.
“See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the
Father, and the
presbytery as ye would the apostles. Do ye also reverence the
deacons, as those
that carry out the appointment of God. Let no man do anything
connected with the
Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper
Eucharist, which is
[administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he
has entrusted it. Wherever
the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude
also be; by the bishop, or by one to
whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the
bishop shall appear, there let the multitude
also be; even as, wherever Jesus
Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch,
Epistle to the Smyrneans, 8:2
(c. A.D. 110)
“But [it has, on the other hand, been shown], that the preaching of the
Church is
everywhere consistent, and continues in an even course, and receives
testimony from
the prophets, the apostles, and all the disciples…For in the
Church,” it is said, “God
hath set apostles, prophets, teachers,’ and all the
other means through which the
Spirit works; of which all those are not
partakers who do not join themselves to the
Church, but defraud themselves of
life through their perverse opinions and infamous
behaviour. For where the
Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit
of God is, there is
the Church, and every kind of grace; but the Spirit is truth.”
St. Irenaeus of Lyons,
Against Heresies, 3:24
(A.D. 180)
“The spouse of Christ cannot be adulterous; she is uncorrupted and pure.
She
knows one home; she guards with chaste modesty the sanctity of one couch.
She
keeps us for God. She appoints the sons whom she has born for the kingdom.
Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress, is
separated
from the promises of the Church; nor can he who forsakes the Church
of Christ
attain to the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger; he is profane; he
is an enemy. He
can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church
for his mother. If
anyone could escape who was outside the ark of Noah, then he
also may escape who
shall be outside of the Church. The Lord warns, saying, ‘He
who is not with me is
against me, and he who gathereth not with me scattereth.’
St. Cyprian of Carthage,
On Unity, 6
(A.D. 251)
“But in learning the Faith and in professing it, acquire and keep that
only, which is
now delivered to thee by the Church, and which has been built up
strongly out of all
the Scriptures….Take heed then, brethren, and hold fast the
traditions which ye now
receive, and write them and the table of your heart.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem,
Catechetical Lectures, 5:12
(A.D. 350)
“But beyond these [Scriptural] sayings, let us look at the very
tradition,
teaching and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning,
which the Lord gave, the Apostles preached, and the Fathers kept.”
St. Athanasius of Alexandria,
Four Letters to Serapion of Thmuis, 1:28
(A.D. 360)
“Inasmuch, I repeat, as this is the case, we believe also in the Holy
Church, [intending
thereby] assuredly the Catholic. For both heretics and
schismatics style their
congregations’ churches. But heretics, in holding false
opinions regarding God, do
injury to the faith itself; while schismatics, on the
other hand, in wicked separations
break off from brotherly charity, although
they may believe just what we believe.
Wherefore neither do the heretics belong
to the Church catholic, which loves God;
nor do the schismatics form a part of
the same.”
St. Augustine of Hippo,
On Faith and Creed, 10:21
(A.D. 393)
“Philip
the presbyter and legate of the Apostolic See said: There is no doubt, and
in
fact it has been known in all ages, that the holy and most blessed Peter,
prince and
head of the Apostles, pillar of the faith, and foundation of the
Catholic Church,
received the keys of the kingdom from our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Saviour and
Redeemer of the human race, and that to him was given the power
of loosing and
binding sins: who down even to to-day and forever both lives and
judges in his
successors.”
Council of Ephesus, Session III (A.D. 431)
“Wherefore
the most holy and blessed Leo, archbishop of the great and elder Rome,
through
us, and through this present most holy synod together with the thrice blessed
and all-glorious Peter the Apostle, who is the rock and foundation of the
Catholic
Church, and the foundation of the orthodox faith, hath stripped him of
the
episcopate, and hath alienated from him all hieratic worthiness. Therefore
let this
most holy and great synod sentence the before mentioned
Dioscorus to the canonical penalties.”
Council of Chalcedon, Session III
(A.D. 451)
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But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter
answered, “You
are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied,
“Blessed are you, Simon
son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh
and blood, but by my Father in
heaven. 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.”
Matthew 16, 15-18
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