Early Christianity Beyond Rome

The Myth of Western Christianity

Treated as Western

Depicted as

  • Roman Empire → Europe → rest of the world

Synonymous with Western culture (normative)

Why is this a myth?

  • Ignores early Christian traditions outside of the Roman Empire

  • False representation of early distribution

Tell a Better Story

  • Referring to the Christian Tradition as Global Christianity or World Christianity

  • From its roots in Palestine → spreads in all directions

Major Branches of Christianity

Oriental Orthodox - The Church of the East

Nicene Christianity: Roman Catholic - Eastern Orthodox - Protestant

The Church of the East

Aka East Syria, Assyrian Church, Church of Seleucia-Ctespion

  • 410 - Sassanian Empire (MD Iran) organized the Christians of the empire into one national church

  • Apostolic heritage traces back to the apostle Thomas

  • Syriac liturgical - form of worship in their language tradition

Breaking with Rome

  • 424 - declared independence from the Church of the Roman Empire

    • Long-time political rivals and often at war

  • 431 - Church of the East viewed as Heretical after the Council of Ephesus

    • Declares Nestorius (Bishop of Constantinople) a Heretic

    • Church of the East refused to condemn him and provided refuge for his followers

St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, India

  • Uncertain origin - Christianity brought to the west coast of India by Thomas in the first century

  • Persecuted in 16th century by Portuguese Colonialists (wanted Catholic Church)

  • Historically part of Church of the East

    • Divided into five branches

Oriental Orthodox Church

  • 451 - separates from the Church of Rome after Council of Chalcedon

    • Rejected the Chalcedonian definition “Jesus as two natures in one person”

    • Holds miaphysite Christology: one united divine and human nature

    • Accused of Monophysite Christology: One divine nature in Christ

  • Syriac and Coptic liturgies traditions

  • Episcopal polity claiming apostolic succession (Bartholomew)

Armenian Apolstolic Church

  • State religion approx. 300 BC

    • 1st Political State to do so

  • Claims Apostolic succession through Bartholomew and Thaddeus

Coptic Orthodox Church

  • Based in Alexandria, Egypt

  • Founded by Mark the Evangelist in 1st century

  • Uses title Pope for head of Church (Tawadros II)

  • Worships in Coptic language

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

  • Tewahedo - “united as one”

    • Miaphysite Christology

  • NT: royal official from Ethiopia baptized by Phillip the Evangelist (Acts 8)

  • 4th century discovered in Northeast Ethiopia is the earliest known physician evidence of a Church in Sub-Saharan Africa