The Sub-Apostolic Church
The Sub-Apostolic Church
At the very end of the First Century, the Church in Corinth deposed their presbyters and elected new ones. Although St John, ‘the Disciple whom Jesus loved’, was still alive, it was Clement of Rome, third bishop of Rome after St Peter, who sent two envoys to ensure the original presbyters were re-instated. His Epistle was read in many Churches as part of Holy Scripture for several centuries.
The Christians were organised from the beginning as ‘cells’ - small communities under an ‘episcopos’ (bishop) who was often chosen by election, but always received his office through the Laying on of Hands by one who had been similarly consecrated. By the Second Century this three-tier hierarchy of bishop, priest and deacon was firmly established. The bishop was assisted by ‘presbyteros’ (from which we have the word ‘priest’) and ‘diaconos’ (deacon). A definite body of teaching was handed down as coming from the Apostles. The organisation was prepared to expel any member who refused to follow the Rule of Faith. From the beginning of the Second Century this organisation was known as The Catholic Church.
Saint Ignatius wrote in the year 110: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be, there is the Catholic Church."
For a short account of this most important Church Father, see
For a more detailed account:
St. Ignatius of Antioch – Life and Epistles
For the encyclopaediac account in the Catholic Encyclopaedia (1908) see
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07644a.htm
The testimony and prestige of S. Ignatius were so important that heretics of the early centuries tried to appropriate his works by composing additional 'letters' in his name. In post-Reformation times, those adamantly opposed to the Catholic Church have felt the need to discredit his letters entirely. To see a refutation of a typical such article, see