One Response to “How did the great apostasy happen? Was the Catholic Church f…”
Webmaster
2009-12-25 20:56:53
Hi friend. Thank you for your very interesting question. I wouldn't say that the Catholic Church was founded at the Council of Nicaea. In reality, the development of the Christian religion in post-apostolic times is a good deal more complicated than that.
Following the death of the apostles, the early Christian church divided into many factions. There were many conflicts between Hebrew and Hellenist Christians, Jewish and Gentile Christians, Pharisaic and non-Pharisaic Christians, etc.
One of the primary Christian sects, the original sect that formed after the death of the apostles, was the Jewish-Christian faction. This Christian sect was headquartered in Jerusalem and may have been led by James the Just, Jesus' brother. Even Jewish Christians were not unified; they themselves were divided into multiple factions (Ebionites, Nazarenes, Carpocratians, Cerinthians, Elcesaites, Nazoraeans, and Sampsaeans). At first, other Christian sects recognized the Jewish Christians as well within the "orthodox traditon." However, the Romans eventually destroyed Jerusalem and disbanned the Christian leadership there, so the number of Jewish Christians dwindled. Other Christians eventually decided to label the Jewish Christians as heretics in the 4th century.
The apostle Peter, the leader of Christ's ancient church after the Savior's death.
Pauline Christians constiuted another important early Christian sect. In many ways, the Pauline tradition is the predacessor to modern-day Catholicism. Pauline Christianity was headquartered in Rome where, according to tradition, Peter and Paul personally ordained Linus the bishop. Some modern Catholics, who believe that Linus was the second Pope after Peter; argue that Linus was given absolute authority over all of Christiondom. However, according to the scholar Bernhard Schimmelpfennig, the "body of literature from this period, and even as late as the fifth and sixth centuries, illustrates the generally limited scope of the Roman bishops' authority."
The Gnostics in Egypt were another important early Christian sect. They considered the physical world to be a prison; only secret knowledge (gnosis) could liberate one's soul from the physical world and allow him to reunite with God. Marcionism, a fairly anti-Semitic early Christian sect, rejected both the Old Testament and the Old-Testament God, who was thought to be fallen. The Marcionists also thought Paul was the chief apostle, not Peter.
A few additional smaller sects include Montanism, a sect that relished martyrdom and shared some similarities with modern Pentacolstalism, and the Saint Thomas Christian tradition that arose in India.
In 325, Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, decided to try to unify these many Christian factions. A number of Christian leaders gathered in a costal city called Nicaea, in modern-day Turkey. Mormons believe that by this time, the great apostasy had already begun. The church leaders who gathered in Nicaea did not have the priesthood that God requires to act in His name. However, they were generally good men with the excellent goal of trying to unify Christianity; these men helped further the Christian cause, despite finding themselves in a very difficult situation. The Catholic Church emerged from the Pauline tradition as well as from the compromises made during several historical creeds, starting with the Nicean creed of 325.
Following the death of the apostles, the early Christian church divided into many factions. There were many conflicts between Hebrew and Hellenist Christians, Jewish and Gentile Christians, Pharisaic and non-Pharisaic Christians, etc.
One of the primary Christian sects, the original sect that formed after the death of the apostles, was the Jewish-Christian faction. This Christian sect was headquartered in Jerusalem and may have been led by James the Just, Jesus' brother. Even Jewish Christians were not unified; they themselves were divided into multiple factions (Ebionites, Nazarenes, Carpocratians, Cerinthians, Elcesaites, Nazoraeans, and Sampsaeans). At first, other Christian sects recognized the Jewish Christians as well within the "orthodox traditon." However, the Romans eventually destroyed Jerusalem and disbanned the Christian leadership there, so the number of Jewish Christians dwindled. Other Christians eventually decided to label the Jewish Christians as heretics in the 4th century.
The Gnostics in Egypt were another important early Christian sect. They considered the physical world to be a prison; only secret knowledge (gnosis) could liberate one's soul from the physical world and allow him to reunite with God. Marcionism, a fairly anti-Semitic early Christian sect, rejected both the Old Testament and the Old-Testament God, who was thought to be fallen. The Marcionists also thought Paul was the chief apostle, not Peter.
A few additional smaller sects include Montanism, a sect that relished martyrdom and shared some similarities with modern Pentacolstalism, and the Saint Thomas Christian tradition that arose in India.
In 325, Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, decided to try to unify these many Christian factions. A number of Christian leaders gathered in a costal city called Nicaea, in modern-day Turkey. Mormons believe that by this time, the great apostasy had already begun. The church leaders who gathered in Nicaea did not have the priesthood that God requires to act in His name. However, they were generally good men with the excellent goal of trying to unify Christianity; these men helped further the Christian cause, despite finding themselves in a very difficult situation. The Catholic Church emerged from the Pauline tradition as well as from the compromises made during several historical creeds, starting with the Nicean creed of 325.
Hope this answer helps.