View source for Religion:Great Church

{{short description|Concept in the historiography of early Christianity}}
{{for multi|the "Great Church of Christ" in Byzantine usage|Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|other uses|Great Church (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Otsy.jpg|thumb|240px|The ''[[Religion:Church Fathers|Church Fathers]]'' in an 11th-century depiction from Kyiv]]
The [[Social:Terminology|term]] "'''Great Church'''" ({{lang-la|ecclesia magna}}) is used in the [[History:Historiography#Christendom|historiography]] of [[Religion:Early Christianity|early Christianity]] to mean the period of about 180 to 313, between that of primitive Christianity and that of the legalization of the Christian religion in the Roman Empire,  corresponding closely to what is called the [[Religion:Ante-Nicene Period|Ante-Nicene Period]]. "It has rightly been called the period of the Great Church, in view of its numerical growth, its constitutional development and its intense theological activity."<ref name="Rahner1975">Karl Rahner. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WtnR-6_PlJAC&pg=PA380 Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi]''. A&C Black; 1 January 1975. {{ISBN|978-0-86012-006-3}}. Early Church. pp. 375–376.</ref>

The Great Church, also called the [[Religion:Catholic (term)|catholic]] (i.e., universal) Church,<ref>[https://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/syllabi/a/allison/history_of_christian_thought/241_intro.html Robert W. Allison, "Early Christianity: Diversity, Conflict, Self-Definition and Dominance" (The Wabash Center)]</ref> has been defined also as meaning "the Church as defended by such as Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Cyprian of Carthage, and Origen of Alexandria and characterized as possessing a single teaching and communion over and against the division of the sects, e.g., [[Philosophy:Gnosticism|gnosticism]], and the [[Religion:Heresy|heresies]]".<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dDi24Fac-rwC&pg=PA143 The A to Z of the Orthodox Church]''. Rowman & Littlefield; 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-7602-6}}. p. 143.</ref>

By the beginning of the fourth century, the Great Church already formed about 15% of the population of the Roman Empire and was ready, both numerically and structurally, for its role as the church of the empire, becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire in 380.<ref>Pahner p. 378</ref> 

Roger F. Olson says: "According to the Roman Catholic account of the history of Christian theology, the Great Church catholic and orthodox lived on from the apostles to today in the West and all bishops that remained in fellowship with the bishop of Rome have constituted its hierarchy";<ref>Roger E. Olson. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3QHRJNkbKJgC&pg=PA278 The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition Reform]''. InterVarsity Press; 1 April 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-8308-1505-0}}. p. 278.</ref> or, as the Catholic Church itself has expressed it, "This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the [[Organization:Catholic Church|Catholic Church]], which is governed by [[Religion:Pope|the successor of Peter]] and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure."<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html ''Lumen gentium'', 8]</ref> Thus, the Roman Catholic Church identifies itself as the continuation of the Great Church, which in turn was the same as the early Church founded by Jesus Christ. Because of this, it identifies itself as the "[[One true church|one true church]]".

The unbroken continuity of the Great Church is affirmed also by the [[Religion:Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Church]]: "Orthodoxy regards the Great Church in antiquity (for most of the first millennium) as comprising, on one side, the Eastern Orthodox world (the Byzantine patriarchates presided over by the hierarch of the Church of Constantinople together with the Slavic Orthodox churches); and, on the other side, the Western Catholic Church, presided over by the hierarch of the Church of Rome."<ref>John Anthony McGuckin. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5g3UDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 The Eastern Orthodox Church: A New History]''. Yale University Press; 17 March 2020. {{ISBN|978-0-300-25217-0}}. p. 7.</ref>

==Emergence==
[[File:Saint Irenaeus.jpg|thumb|150px|Irenaeus (2nd century&nbsp;– {{circa|202}})]]
Lawrence S. Cunningham, and separately, Kugel and Greer state that Irenaeus's statement in ''Against Heresies'' Chapter X 1–2 (written {{circa|180&nbsp;AD|lk=on}}) is the first recorded reference to the existence of a "catholic Church" with a core set of shared beliefs as opposed to the ideas of dissident groups.<ref name=Larry4>''An Introduction to Catholicism'' by Lawrence S. Cunningham (Feb 16, 2009) {{ISBN|0521846072}} p. 4–5</ref><ref>''Early Biblical Interpretation'' by James L. Kugel and Rowan A. Greer (Jan 1, 1986) {{ISBN|0664250130}} p. 109.</ref> Irenaeus states:<ref name=Larry4/>

{{quote|The Church, though dispersed through the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: ... As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. ... For the churches which have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in Gaul, nor those in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been established in the central regions of the world. But as the son, that creature of God, is one and the same throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of the truth shineth everywhere, and enlightens all men that are willing to come to a knowledge of the truth.|sign=|source=}}

Cunningham states that two points in Irenaeus' writing deserve attention. First, that Irenaeus distinguished the Church singular from "the churches" plural, and more importantly, Irenaeus holds that only in the larger singular Church does one find the truth handed down by the apostles of Christ.<ref name=Larry4/>

At the beginning of the 3rd century the Great Church that Irenaeus and Celsus had referred to had spread across a significant portion of the world, with most of its members living in cities (see [[Religion:Early centers of Christianity|early centers of Christianity]]).<ref name=Irvin103>''History of the World Christian Movement: Volume 1: Earliest Christianity To 1453'' by Dale T. Irvin and Scott Sunquist(Jan 10, 2002) {{ISBN|0567088669}} pp. 103–107.</ref> The growth was less than uniform across the world. The ''Chronicle of Arbela'' stated that in 225&nbsp;AD, there were 20 bishops in all of Persia, while at approximately the same time, surrounding areas of Rome had over 60 bishops.<ref name=Irvin103/> But the Great Church of the 3rd century was not monolithic, consisting of a network of churches connected across cultural zones by lines of communication which at times included personal relationships.<ref name=Irvin103/>

The Great Church grew in the 2nd century and entered the 3rd century mainly in two empires: the Roman and the Persian, with the network of bishops usually acting as the cohesive element across cultural zones.<ref name=Irvin109>''History of the World Christian Movement: Volume 1: Earliest Christianity To 1453'' by Dale T. Irvin and Scott Sunquist (January 10, 2002) {{ISBN|0567088669}} pp. 107–109.</ref> In 313, the [[Religion:Edict of Milan|Edict of Milan]] ended the persecution of Christians, and by 380 the Great Church had gathered enough followers to become the State church of the Roman Empire by virtue of the [[Religion:Edict of Thessalonica|Edict of Thessalonica]].<ref name="Rahner1975"/>

==Historical references==
In ''Contra Celsum'' 5.59 and 5.61 the Church Father [[Biography:Origen|Origen]] mentions [[Biography:Celsus|Celsus]]' late 2nd century use of the terms "church of the multitudes" or "great church" to refer to the emerging consensus traditions among Christians at the time, as Christianity was taking shape.<ref>''Birth of the Church'' by I. Davidson (Apr 22, 2005) {{ISBN|1854246585}} p. 381</ref><ref>''History of the World Christian Movement: Volume 1: Earliest Christianity To 1453'' by Dale T. Irvin and Scott Sunquist (January 10, 2002) {{ISBN|0567088669}} pp. 102–103</ref>

In the 4th century, as Saint Augustine commented on Psalm XXII, he interpreted the term to mean the whole world, writing: "The great Church, Brethren, what is it? Is a scanty portion of the earth the great Church? The great Church means the whole world."<ref name=Aug>''Expositions on the Book of Psalms'' Volume I by [[Biography:Augustine of Hippo|Augustine of Hippo]] Henry Parker, Oxford, 1847 p. 159</ref> Augustine continued to expound on how various churches all considered themselves "the great Church," but that only the whole world could be seen as the great Church.<ref name=Aug/>

==Theological underpinnings and separation==
[[File:Nicaea icon.jpg|thumb|180px|Emperor Constantine and bishops with the Creed of 381.]]
The epoch of the Great Church witnessed the development of key theological concepts which now form the fabric of the religious beliefs of the large majority of Christians.<ref name="Rahner1975"/>

Relying on Scripture, prevailing mysticism and popular piety, Irenaeus formalized some of the [[Religion:Attributes of God in Christianity|attributes of God]], writing in ''Against Heresies'' Book IV, Chapter 19: "His greatness lacks nothing, but contains all things."<ref name=Irena27>Eric Francis Osborn (Nov 26, 2001) ''Irenaeus of Lyons'' {{ISBN|0-52180006-4}} pp. 27–29</ref> Irenaeus also referred to the early use of the "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" formula which appeared as part of Christian Creeds, writing in ''Against Heresies'' (Book I Chapter X):<ref name="Vickers2">Vickers, Jason E. ''Invocation and Assent: The Making and the Remaking of Trinitarian Theology.'' Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2008. {{ISBN|0-8028-6269-1}} pp. 2–5</ref>
{{quote|The Church… believes in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit.}}

Around 213&nbsp;AD in ''Adversus Praxeas'' (chapter 3) Tertullian provided a formal representation of the concept of the [[Religion:Trinity|Trinity]], i.e., that God exists as one "substance" but three "Persons": The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.<ref name=Olson29>Roger E. Olson, Christopher Alan Hall 2002 ''The Trinity'' {{ISBN|0-80284827-3}} pp. 29–31</ref><ref>Eric Osborn (4 Dec 2003) ''Tertullian, First Theologian of the West'' {{ISBN|0-52152495-4}} pp. 116–17</ref> Tertullian also discussed how the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.<ref name= Olson29/> The [[Religion:First Council of Nicaea|First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 and later the [[Religion:First Council of Constantinople|First Council of Constantinople]] in 381 then formalized these elements.<ref name=Fair48 >Donald Fairbairn (Sep 28, 2009) ''Life in the Trinity: An Introduction to Theology with the Help of the Church Fathers'' {{ISBN|0-83083873-2}} pp. 48–50</ref>

In 451, all the bishops of the Great Church were ordered to attend the [[Organization:Council of Chalcedon|Council of Chalcedon]] to discuss theological issues that had emerged.<ref name= Olson46>''Pocket History of Theology'' by Roger E. Olson and Adam C. English (Nov 14, 2005) {{ISBN|0-83082704-8}} Intervarsity Press pp. 46–47</ref> This turned out to be a turning point at which the [[Religion:Western Christianity|Western]] and [[Religion:Eastern Christianity|Eastern]] churches parted ways based on seemingly small [[Religion:Christology|Christological]] differences, and began the fracturing of the claim to the term Great Church by both sides.<ref name=Olson46/><ref name=Allen>''Christ in Christian Tradition'' by Aloys Grillmeier, Theresia Hainthaler and Pauline Allen (Aug 1995) {{ISBN|0-66421997-7}} pp. 1–2</ref><ref name=Roger212>Roger D. Haight (Sep 16, 2004) ''Christian Community in History'' Volume 1  {{ISBN|0-82641630-6}} pp. 212–13</ref>

==Modern theories on the formation of the Great Church==

Official Catholic publications, and other writers, sometimes consider that the concept of the "Great Church" can be found already in the Epistles of Paul, such as in "This is my rule in all the churches" (1 Corinthians 7:17) and in the [[Religion:Apostolic Fathers|Apostolic Fathers]] such as the letters of Ignatius of Antioch.<ref>Monsignor David Bohr, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan ''The Diocesan Priest: Consecrated and Sent'' Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2009)2010 p42 "The term ordinatio was originally used in Rome for appointing civil 17 Certainly the concept of the "Great Church" can be found already in the epistles of St. Paul (e.g., 1 Cor 7:17) and in the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch."</ref> Exegesis has even located the ''ecclesia magna'' in the Latin [[Religion:Vulgate|Vulgate]] translations of the "great congregation" (''kahal rab'') of the [[Religion:Hebrew Bible|Hebrew Bible]].<ref>Telesphor Smyth-Vaudry ''Peter's name: or, A divine credential in a name'' 1909 p84 "26) — "I will give thanks to thee in a great Church." (Ps. 34. 18.) — "I have declared thy justice in a great Church" (Ps. 39. 10). So divinely universal is the "great Church" — the Ecclesia magna — prophesied by David, that her very enemies ..."</ref> This interpretation was also offered by [[Biography:Pope Benedict XVI|Pope Benedict XVI]],<ref>Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, Michael J. Miller -Dogma and Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily Life  2011 p18 "... which the ecclesia, or perhaps the ecclesia magna (Ps 22 [21]:25) constitutes the audience. In the New Testament there is a change—necessarily so, inasmuch as now the psalm with its situation emerges from the hypothetical and indefinite ..."</ref> and by [[Biography:Martin Luther|Martin Luther]].<ref>''Gregory of Tours: History and Society in the Sixth Century''  2001 -p. 164 "The 'ecclesia magna' (according to Luther, the 'great commonality' Cgro8e Gemeine')) of Hist, n 34 refers to Psalm 35, v. 18; on the 'universalis aeclesia' of Hist, rv 42: 474, 1, see p. 166, n. 44, below. 36 Hist, n 23: 68, 17f.; see also Chapter 3 ..."</ref>

Dennis Minns (2010) considers that the concept of a "Great Church" was developed by polemical heresiologists such as Irenaeus.<ref>Denis Minns ''Irenaeus: An Introduction'' 2010 p17 "In this book I have presumed that there was a reality corresponding to the term 'the Great Church', and that, by and large, Irenaeus represents it. This is a convenient simplification, but a simplification nonetheless. If we can speak of a 'Great Church' at all, this is at least partly because polemical theologians like Irenaeus identified certain views as incompatible with Christian truth and declared those who held them to be beyond Christian fellowship."</ref> The presentation of [[Religion:Early Christianity|early Christian]] unity and orthodoxy (see [[Religion:Proto-orthodox Christianity|Proto-orthodox Christianity]]), and counter presentation of groups such as those sects labelled "Gnostic", by early heresiologists such as Irenaeus is questioned by modern historians.<ref>James L. Kugel, Rowan A. Greer ''Early Biblical interpretation'' 1986 p119 "The Gnostics are thought of as a perverse mirror image of the Great Church with their own succession of teachers and their own Rule of faith. ... Instead, we must understand what happened as the gradual emergence of unity out of diversity."</ref>

Roger E. Olson (1999) uses the term to refer to the Great Church at the time of the [[Organization:Council of Chalcedon|Council of Chalcedon]] (451) when the Patriarch of Constantinople and Bishop of Rome were in fellowship with each other.<ref>Roger E. Olson ''The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & ...'' 1999 p. 251 "PART V A Tale of Two Churches The Great Tradition Divides Between East & West Up to this point the story of Christian theology has been the story of a relatively unified Great Church, both catholic and orthodox. We have seen how heresies ... After the council, the Great Church was identified with the bishops in fellowship with the emperor and patriarch of Constantinople in the East and the bishop of Rome (also considered a patriarch) in the West, and these three usually maintained ..." p278 "According to the Roman Catholic account of the history of Christian theology, the Great Church catholic and orthodox lived on from the apostles to today in the West and all bishops that remained in fellowship with the bishop of Rome have"</ref>

===In contrast to "Jewish Christianity"===
The term is contrasted with [[Religion:Jewish Christian|Jewish Christian]]s who came to be more and more clearly separated from the Great Church.<ref>Theological dictionary of the New Testament. Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich – 1966 Vol. 3 – p. 518 EKKLESIA "48 As Jewish Christians came to be more and more clearly separated from the Great Church, it is probable that they called both their assemblies and their places of assembly auvccycoyi!|. In the very earliest period all Christians, both Jew and ..."</ref> Wilhelm Schneemelcher and others writing on New Testament Apocrypha distinguish writings as being sectarian or from the Great Church.<ref>Wilhelm Schneemelcher, R. McL. Wilson  New Testament Apocrypha: Writings Relating to the Apostles ...- 2003 – p. 414 Acts of Peter and The Twelve Apostles "... of consideration: a) from the content and tenor of the text it is difficult to understand it as a product of the Great Church; it is ... The special way in which the ideal of poverty is presented in ActPt makes one instinctively think of the Ebionites. b) ..."</ref><ref>Alois Grillmeier ''Christ in Christian tradition'' (1965), vol. 1, p. 45 "Besides such Targumim, it seems that the existence of Jewish-Christian Midrashim, paraphrases of the Old Testament, can also be proven. It is further claimed that the early Christian sources, whether Jewish-Christian or from the great Church,"</ref>

Gabriele Waste (2005) is among German scholars using similar references, where the "Große Kirche" ("Great Church") is defined as "Ecclesia ex gentibus" (Church of the Gentiles) in comparison to the "Ecclesia ex circumcisione" (Church of the Circumcision).<ref>Minemosyne – p. 251 "Diese bildeten die „Ecclesia ex circumcisione", der später die aus den Heidenvölkern herkommende „Große Kirche" oder „Ecclesia ex gentibus" gegenüberstand. Die Judenchristen, zu denen die Edelsten der Nation gehörten, umfaßten ..."</ref>

In the anglophone world, Bruce J. Malina (1976) contrasted what he calls "Christian Judaism" (usually termed "Jewish Christianity") with "the historically perceived orthodox Christianity that undergirds the ideology of the emergent Great Church."<ref>Edwin K. Broadhead Jewish Ways of Following Jesus: Redrawing the Religious Map of ... 2010 – p. 33 "1) Jewish Christianity is "the historically perceived orthodox Christianity that undergirds the ideology of the emergent Great Church."16 2) Judaism refers to rabbinic, Pharisaic Judaism. 3) Christian Judaism is, in a first century context, "a phase ...</ref><ref>B. J. Malina, Jewish Christianity or Christian Judaism: Toward a hypothetical Definition', JSJ 8 (1976), pp.</ref>

In francophone scholarship, the term Grande Église (Latin: ''Ecclesia magna'') has also been equated with the "more hellenized" as opposed to "Judaizing" sections of the early church,<ref>Revue théologique de Louvain Fondation universitaire de Belgique  2005–  36 p. 229 "Plutôt que des membres de la Grande Église séduits par le prosélytisme juif, ces chrétiens sont vraisemblablement les héritiers ..."</ref> and the Bar Kokhba revolt is seen as a definitive stage in the separation between Judaism and the Christianity of the "Grande Église".<ref>Revue des études juives: 2004 v163 p. 43 "... la révolte de Bar Kokhba a donc constitué une étape définitive dans la séparation entre le judaïsme et la «Grande Église». ... S.C. Mimouni, Le judéo-christianisme ancien, op. cit., et D. Marguerat, «Juifs et chrétiens: la séparation», in J.-M."</ref> Those stressing this binary view of early Christianity include Simon Claude Mimouni and François Blanchetière.

==See also==
* Four Great Church Fathers
* [[Religion:Ante-Nicene Period|Ante-Nicene Period]]
* [[Religion:Proto-orthodox Christianity|Proto-orthodox Christianity]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

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