The Primitive Church

work by Streeter

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July 13, 2026

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Burnett Hillman Streeter's work, The Primitive Church (1929), argues that early Christian churches had three distinct systems of governance, rather than a single, unified structure. This contrasts with the development of a more standardized threefold ministry of bishop, presbyter, and deacon that emerged in the early 2nd century. Streeter's scholarship focused on New Testament studies and Gospel origins, proposing the "four document hypothesis" to explain the synoptic problem. His work contributes to understanding the organizational evolution of early Christianity.123

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Burnett Hillman Streeter
This work was followed by The Primitive Church (1929), in which he argued that there were three systems (not one) of church government in the earliest Christian churches.
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This work was followed by The Primitive Church (1929), in which he argued that there were three systems (not one) of church government in the earliest Christian churches.
Read More