apostolic church

…Christian Spirit Baptism in the apostolic church. Under the influence of St. Paul, the Christian rite was given an interpretation in the terms of the mystery religions, and the catechumen (initiate instructed in the secrets of the faith) was identified with the death and Resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:3–5; Gal.…

The schema of apostolic authority formulated by the bishop of Lyon, St. Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 200), sets forth systematically the three main sources of authority for catholic Christianity: the Scriptures of the New Testament (alongside the Hebrew Scriptures, or “Old Testament,” which Christians interpret as prophesying the coming…

Finally, apostolic implies that, in both its church and ministry, the church is historically continuous with the Apostles and thus with the earthly life of Jesus.

Given the information supplied by the Gospels, it is not unexpected that Peter should emerge immediately after Jesus’ death as the leader of the earliest church. For approximately 15 years after the Resurrection, the figure of Peter dominated the community. He presided over…

…prophetic figures in the early church. Among them are Agabus of Jerusalem; Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who also were elders of the Jerusalem church; the four prophesying daughters of Philip the Evangelist; and John, the author of Revelation. The term prophet is used with reference to an office in the…