Major Early Churches

Rome• Roman Catholic Church• Congregation at Rome soon highly respected• 4 main reasons• 1. First church to be persecuted• (Nero – 64 AD and Domitian – 95 AD)

• 2. Peter and Paul Martyred there• Started by Peter and Paul?

• 3. Reputation for charity/hospitality• 4. Very Big Church• 1 Bishop, 46 elders, 7 deacons, 42 acolytes, 52 readers,

15,000 poor and widows

Alexandria

• Very pluralistic• (many truths)

• Many Christians there worshipped Serapis

Serapis• Invention of Ptolemy I?• Attempted to unite

Greeks and Egyptians• Built a huge temple in

Alexandria

Alexandria

• Very pluralistic• (many truths)

• Many Christians there worshipped Serapis• Syncretism• combination of different (often contradictory) types

of thought• Ptolemy had Hebrew scriptures translated to Greek• Allegorical interpretation• Hidden meanings• Example – Logos=God’s creative principle,

not Son of God