Page from the Didache, one of the earliest Christian handbooks.
I have been reading “A People’s History of Christianity” by Diana Butler Bass. I have often been intrigued with the earliest of Christian history but had a hard time finding a well researched historical volume that did not start till after 313 CE.
I wanted to boil down early Christian practice that I gleaned from the first section of Bass’ book and which I have seen elsewhere too. I believe these are practices for us now if we call ourselves Christian; and somehow they have been left behind. It is time for us to recapture the following early Christian practices:
- Christianity as a way of life invading every aspect of a convert’s existence. Being a Christian in the first 300 years after Christ meant being a follower of the Way…the path set before us by Jesus Christ (Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:28).
- Christianity is following Christ to where He is; and He is where He could always be found, among the poor, hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, prisoner, destitute, widowed, fatherless, and the sinner (Isaiah 58:6-12; Matthew 25:34-36; Luke 14:12-13; James 1:27).
- As a Christian, we are called to mark time differently than the rest of the world. This is the first time I have ever read about this early Christian practice of having the year divided into Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Post-Pentecost seasons. It is time that we recapture this early Christian practice of marking time. It will help us remember who we are.
- Salvation is seen as a progression through spiritual maturity with humility being central (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 2:3,12; Colossians 3:12).
- Christians lived in community and practiced communalism (Acts 2:37-46). This may very well be the hardest of early Christian practices to implement. For Christians to practice communalism would mean for us to give up our Western minded individuality and independence; selling our stuff to live together.
- Christianity involves devotion to God. Loving God: “For the glory of God is the human person fully alive; and life consists in beholding God.” ~Irenaeus (ca. 115-202); and imitating Jesus Christ in life and death; “Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.” ~Vivia Perpetua (ca. 181-203) Said at her trial before being martyred.
- The reading of Scripture for both literal and allegorical meaning. Though I think Bass is mostly focusing in the allegorical, I am not ready to release my literal mindset when approaching the Bible. The think the truth is probably between the two; the hard part is discerning which meaning to seek out and where.
- Early Christians practiced extreme hospitality as recorded in Matthew and Luke from above, as well as in Romans 12:13 and Acts 18:1-3; and “the unanimous witness of the ancient fathers and mothers was that hospitality was the primary Christian virtue.”
- The earliest Christians were peacemakers following the example of Christ. One such follower says; “I am Christ’s soldier, I am not allowed to fight.” (Martian of Tours, 316-397 CE); upon having been baptized he asked to be released from the Roman army. His experience is not his alone…there is no record of Christians serving in the Roman army before 170 CE. The Christian fathers (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Origen) all condemned participation in war and acknowledged that Christian discipleship required adherence to nonviolence (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 5:9; Galatians 5:22; Hebrews 12:14).
- As Christians we are strangers and aliens here on earth (John 17:15-16; Hebrews 11:13).
It is time for Christians to again practice what our earliest forefathers taught and practiced themselves. Here are some links for your further review and edification:
- The Passion of Perpetua
- Christian Calendar:
- Writings of Early Church Fathers: