The early church and the Roman Catholic church?

Question

I am just kind of curious. I hear Catholics all the time say theres is the original church and teaches only apostolic teaches. My question is this. Do you truly believe if an apostle came forward in time and saw the RCC he would say this is the church of the first century. Everything you teach is what we taught? Would he recognize the elaborate ceremonies? Would he be able to sit in the church and easily understand exactly what was going on and what was being taught?

Answer 1

I think they would recognize a lot of it, but they would recoil at things like papal infallibility, and the binding of something completely unattested by the early Church like the assumption of Mary. So the answer to your question is yes and no.

Answer 2

Peace.....it would be interesting and I'll bet there would be a long line waiting to speak with this apostle! Yes, I think he would recognize the Mass and the words being said - scripture and the consecration, however you mention the elaborate ceremonies and we do see a lot of this on EWTN and from Rome, but in reality the Mass has been very watered down from the earlier times - in some ways it was very simple and humble, and in other ways it was very customary and traditional - today we have a mix of bland and dry with some pomp.....I prefer the older way and that is why I have been searching more deeply into the Ancient Divine Liturgy - to be as close as possible to those ancient times. The Catholic Church has changed many times during the years, and perhaps too much not leaving things the way the apostles and Jesus left them for us.....I see the Church being too big and complicated - a multi-billion dollar operation when it could be more simplistic and humble.....I also like REAL BREAD, REAL WINE, REAL CANDLES AND REAL HOLY WATER, which seems to be disappearing from our Parishes and Adoration Chapels slowly but surely.....have you noticed?
God Bless, "orthros" p.s. Good question you had.....

Answer 3

What you will get now's solutions like Mistys claiming that is became not the church who killed human beings however the civil government. then you definately get this nonsense that the inquisition have been there to help human beings recant so not be accomplished. What you may desire to ask is why have been the church not attempting to get the civil government eliminate those rules from the statute books to that end saving those human beings from being accomplished and why did the inquisition sense the could desire to torture human beings to cause them to recant why not in basic terms talk with the. in spite of each and every thing that they had and nonetheless have what they fondly think of is an undesirable punishment of excommunication which if skill something in any respect skill that the guy is going to hell. the reason I propose is glaring. The catholic church needed to cease human beings putting forward the certainty approximately them in that they are an company that is morally and spiritually corrupt. So a majority of those disclaimers approximately not burning human beings on the stake and attempting to help them are basically thoughts for the faithfull not the rest persons

Answer 4

Culture and modern society aside, there is absolutely no doubt that the Church today fulfills the promises of our Lord and Savior being the enduring Church He promised. While the Church receives its veracity from Christ, the Church is the witness and testimony to the world of His truth. The apostles would certainly see the Church as a continuing faithful witness.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic Church sought to interpret Gods word for the people hence the lack of Bibles printed in anything other than Latin. The ceremonies are for the most part modified Jewish ceremonies. The Roman Catholic Church was/is one of the first "Churches" before that Christians simply talked with each other and sought guidance from those who had a better understanding of the word than they did.

Answer 6

Actually, thanks be to God, we have the writings of St. Justin Martyr, who gave us elaborate descriptions of the First Century Eucharist. I'm certain, as he is considered one of the Fathers, that any early Christian would fully recognize what is happening...

This excerpt from Justin Martyr's First Apology is the oldest record outside of the Bible of the ancient Christian order and time of congregational worship. Justin Martyr (110-165 A.D.) wrote the First Apology as part of the defense of his faith in a Roman court. It may be found in Volume I of the collection of writings from the early church titled The Ante-Nicene Fathers. The elements of worship and their general order conform to Acts 2:42 if 1) 'fellowship' is understood as the collection and distribution of the offering and 2) 'breaking bread' refers to the Lord's Supper. Evidently, the churches known to Justin celebrated the Lord's Supper every time they gathered together in remembrance of Him.

Justin Martyr wrote: 'On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors [give assistance to] the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause are in want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.'

Answer 7

Yes.

Compare the Catechism of the Catholic Church with any of the writings on this site that are not Gnostic of course.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/

To prove us wrong all you have to do is read them.

Answer 8

edge, do you not think that since 2,000 yrs. ago the church may have progressed alittle? of corse they didnt have eloborate cathedrals back then but we sure do now, but the mass we say now, is the same as they said back 2,000 yrs ago, as it is reported in the bible for you, in the same words as we still use today.buy yourself a book for christmass and relax.

Answer 9

I'm not Catholic, but I think he would be able to understand what was being done and what we being taught. Although many of their ceremonies and rituals are probably different in order and format, I would assume they have the same purposes.

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I'm sorry, but can someone explain why I got thumbs down?

Did the early church nor to communion?
Did they not do marriage?
Baptisms?
Confessing sins?
Ordaining leaders?
etc.?

Yes...they did. They may have been done differently, but they're done for the same purpose.

Answer 10

of course they would, this is the church the apostles built, and the rock it was built upon was saint peter, our first pope