Is the catholic church the first church established by Christ?

Answer 1

no, read Acts 2

Answer 2

Jesus didn't establish any church. The word "ekklesia" is used only twice in the gospels, and appears to be an anomaly. (I presume that by "Christ," you mean Jesus. "Christ" is not a name, but a title and theological statement.)

The Jerusalem "church," led by Peter, James, and John, didn't think of themselves as anything other than further enlightened Jews. Meanwhile, the pockets of Xianity that sprang up around the Mediterranean were anything but centralized. What Paul taught was different from what James taught (to put it very mildly); Paul himself had problems with doctrinal dissent in his communities (1 Corinthians); and then there was the whole Gnostic thing. (Some people argue that, of all people, St. Paul and the author of the Gospel of John were Gnostics, so uncertain is the information we have of the time!) The RCC treats Peter and Paul like soulmates; actually, the notorious passage in Galatians 2 and Jerusalem's rejection of Paul's bribe--er, gift hint that their relationship was much darker than any Christian can admit.

And then the original "church" was nearly exterminated during the Jewish Revolt. In any meaningful sense, Christianity as we know it was founded not by Jesus, but by St. Paul.

The Catholic Church, in particular, was established in the 4th century by Constantine, as an attempt to unify Christianity, more specifically, to resolve the dispute between the Arians and the Athanasians. (N.B. Any Catholic who is unfamiliar with these terms has no business answering this question.) Even so, there was no universal agreement that the Roman patriarch should have any more primacy than any other bishop.

The Great Schism wasn't a split with the Catholic Church. It was merely a formal acknowledgement of the pre-existing disunity. This is why you Catholics will get an argument when you tell an Eastern Orthodox Christian that your sect was the first. (Yes, i made *that* mistake once.) There has *never* been a unified Christian church.

The "unbroken line of succession" touted by the RCC doesn't hold up. Peter could not have been the first bishop of Rome, because the Jesus movement didn't have that episcopal structure in his day. The claim of Peter's reign is based on a known forgery, not the only time the RCC has forged documents to claim something it had its greedy, covetous eyes on. And then there are the "popes" Linus and Anacletus, who appear to be as historical as St. Christopher.

Catholics, you are being lied to, BIG time, by your own leaders. I know, i wouldn't have believed it myself. There's a hell of a lot they didn't tell us in Catholic school. Heck, they don't even tell the *teachers*. (Do i sound a tad disgruntled?)

Answer 3

Yes, the first and ONLY CHURCH.

The Catholic Church used to just be called "The Church" and was the first and ONLY CHURCH established by Christ.

Catholic means universal, and this goes with the command of Jesus for His Church to preach to all nations and His promise that His Church would survive to the end of time.

The earliest known writing of an early father of the Church calling the Church "Catholic" was by Saint Ignatius in A.D. 107.

In the year A.D. 107 He wrote:

"The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be, just as wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the CATHOLIC CHURCH." - Saint Ignatius of Antioch, written in the year 107 A.D.

P.S.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches used to be united with Rome and used to recognize the Bishop of Rome in the role that the Pope has until they broke away from the Catholic Church in A.D. 1054. Now, the Eastern Orthodox Churches are divided along national and ethnic lines. Therefore, they can not consider themselves to be Catholic.
.

Answer 4

Yes, the Apostles called it The Way which turned to the Christain Church which turned into the Catholic Church in 350 A.D. Protestants are too ignorant to admit it. Christain is a term that literally means Catholic if you date back before 1517. Watch out for ignorance.

Answer 5

Christ never established a church. His death was by trying to correct the Jewish traditions which the authorities of the Synagogue suspected him of undermining the Old Law. It was his followers who established the Katolos (Greek for Universal) with Jesus Christ as the figure head but still coonected to Jewsih tradition. I t was drastically changed when Rome took over and declared the Christianity as Rome's official religion. Later on to become the Roman Catholic Church ending the Judeo-Chirstian era.

Answer 6

Yes it was. The apostles after Jesus Christ died for our sins were the rock the Catholic Church was built on. They were known as Christians and persecuted under the Roman Empire feed the Christians to the lions. In about 300AD the Roman Empire converted to Catholicism which became the offical religion.

Answer 7

No. He came to start a new creation in the hearts of men; not an external organization to control or reform a lost world.

The gathering of such people as a church is confined to the city of your residence. While these groups assisted one another they were autonomous.

Men who did not have or were not true to the spirit of Christ started combining these community groups for personal gain. Since the name of Jesus Christ has power they sought to control the name of Christ and subject believers to their authority.. They have been very successful.

His new creation, His kingdom, His church, was not then and is now now of this world. One day the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. But not until all the governments and all the religious and church powers of this day have been destroyed.

Answer 8

A seed does not look like the tree it will become. The Catholic church is the trunk of that tree.

Answer 9

The Church of God is
Acts 20:27-29 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the Church of God, which he Bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

Answer 10

The Church was extablished before Christ came to Earth. He was fulfilling the law.

Answer 11

No, Jesus Christ NEVER established ANY churches. "The Kingdom (of Heaven) is inside you and it is outside you
"Split a piece of wood, and I am there
"Lift up the stone and there you will find me-The Gospel of Thomas. This quote right here basically tells us that he is always with us, whether we are inside a church or not.