Bro. Manny, OTFS Chief Apologist
There are those also that say, the Catholic Church we know today is a church founded by Constantine and practice paganism. Wrong, the Catholic Church was firmly established and flourishing in all the Roman provinces, cities, towns, and territories by the time Constantine and Licinius, who were both claiming the throne of Emperor of Rome splitting it to the West and East, signed what is known then as the Edict of Milan 313 which has given freedom of worship and religion to all kinds of faith including Christianity. Contrary to the beliefs of many, Christians the persecution of Roman Emperors against the Christians and against the Catholic Church were not sustained as a matter of Government policy but was dependent on who was the Emperor at a point in time. That allowed the Catholic Church and its Christian members to grow and multiply in spite of the persecution and executions of martyrs of the faith.
Another serious black propaganda concocted during the height of the Reformation movement was that the Catholic Church was actually the Church established by the Magician and Sorcerer, Simon Magus who was banished by St. Peter from the church because of his attempt to bribe the Apostles into bestowing to him the power of conferring the Holy Spirit to the Christians by the imposition of their hands. Simon Magus then went to Rome and put up his own false church where he proclaimed himself to be a god. That church they claim is the Catholic Church. Wrong again because St. Peter really was responsible in establishing the Church of Rome long before St. Paul by divine providence followed him there and help strengthened the Church. In fact the longest epistle of St. Paul is the Letter to the Romans, that is the Church of Rome. The said Roman Church had St. Peter recognized as its first Bishop. After putting up the Church of Antioch, St. Peter proceeded to Rome and established the church there. Both him and St. Paul died in Rome. Tradition also tell of a story of how Simon Magus died at the hands of God by the intercession of St. Peter and Paul for claiming himself to be God.
Indeed there are so many false
stories coming out about the Catholic Church propagated by other religions that have
proliferated and come out in the world today. Many
people who are not Catholics or who have fallen out of the faith have believed
such stories without examining the sources whether they are reliable, trustworthy, or just myths coming from wild imaginations of those that are intent to lead Catholics to their own brand of religion. For non-Catholics the more they believe the lies, the more
their hearts hardened and the grace for conversion will not work as they
continue to hold to false beliefs while the Catholics with weak faith succumb
to malicious theories, innuendoes, and continuous attack against the one true church
even at the early stages of its founding and development as an institution of God.
Those who promote false beliefs and heresies are those agents of the devil who
through the years from the birth of the church already tried to destroy it. St. John and St. Paul, called them the anti-Christs which were already
at work even in those early years of the establishment and building of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which is the one true Church of the Living God founded by Jesus and built through the Apostles.
To know how the Church was built by Jesus through the Apostles we have to piece together undetermined number of historical
writings of many authors, letters, epistles, including the Holy Bible itself. It will take us back to the 1st century from the year 30-33 AD which saw persecutions of the Apostles, Disciples, and the early church converts from ruler to ruler, from emperor to emperor. The persecutions continued with some years of relevant peace when the church flourished and become more organized but at other times persecution would start again and each time it became more and more violent killing martyrs in faith especially the Bishops of the Church.
When persecution of Christians first begun in Jerusalem, the faithful fled to other cities and places where they converted more to the faith and put up more churches. At that time the most active among the Jews to please the authorities was Saul. The first martyr of the Church, a deacon name Stephen was killed under his watch and he became more determined to round up all the members in chains and imprison them wherever they would find them pursuing even those who fled to other places. It was at that point that Jesus intervened and show himself to Saul up the clouds while he was on the road to Damascus. With that encounter with Jesus who told Saul, he is the church whom he was persecuting, Saul was converted and himself became an Apostle of the Lord among the Gentiles.
The church continued to spread in the old world notably through the missionary works of the Apostles. Not long after, the church in Rome was also set up with St. Peter as the first Bishop while St. Paul continued with his missionary works all around Asia. The church in Rome however became the most dominant of all the churches having St. Peter there who is the acknowledged leader and the head of the Church of the Living God having been called by Jesus to lead the building of his church and to Shepherd the sheep . Both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under emperor Nero sometime in 66-67 AD. The members of the church who were then known as Christians suffered more persecution from different Emperors after Nero increasing in intensity each time persecution erupted killing many of them through the first decade of the 4th Century AD. But it did not deter them from spreading and growing more and more that even officials in the government became members of the church.
By the turn of the 2nd century the church has become more organized with Bishops, presbyters, and deacon already in placed as well as places of worship. All Bishops are in communion and united looking at the Bishop of Rome as leader who succeeded St. Peter. Said Bishop was later called Pope by the Romans meaning Papa or Father. St. Ignatius who was the Bishop of Antioch for 40 years which means he was a direct successor of the Apostles called the church, the Catholic Church in his epistle to the church at Smyrna.
On intermittent years there was some peace in the church and they were able to worship in so called house churches in public but in most cases they continued to worship in secret place of worship turned to church such caves, catacombs in Rome. That allowed them to institute their rites and worship. Then after very long years of difficulties and thousands of martyrs who shed their blood for the faith, the Christians finally were able to worship freely when a landmark agreement was reached between Constantine Augustus who was the Western ruler of the divided Rome and Licinius Augustus who was the Eastern Ruler. The agreement was known as the EDICT OF MILAN in 313 AD. From the most persecuted religion in Rome to becoming the dominant religion after the conversion of Constantine before his death.
How did Constantine become a convert to Christianity although he only had his baptism before his death years later? Before the Edict of Milan, there were three emperors of Rome Constantine, Maxentius and Licinius all fighting for the throne. On October 28, 312 Constantine and Maxentius faced each other in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge it was called as such because it was in the same name of bridge which was an important route over the Tiber that the battle was fought. The story goes that on the night they were preparing for the battle, Constantine had a vision to place his forces under the protection of the Christian god. In the dream he was commanded to delineate the heavenly sign on the shields of his soldiers which has been used since then the Chi-Rho sign the early Christogram.
The Chi-Rho sign is formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters chi and rho (ΧΡ) of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" = KRistos = Christ in such a way to produce the monogram. Although it was not technically Christian cross the Chi-Rho invokes the authority of Jesus as well as symbolizing his status as the Christ meaning the Messiah.
With the soldiers fighting under the Banner of Christ with Chi-Rho painted on their shield, Constantine won the battle of Milvian Bridge and Maxentius drowned and killed in that battle. Constantine was already on the path to become the sole ruler of the united Roman Empire but he was to deal with Licinius Augustus who also claimed the throne as emperor of the Eastern Rome. With the win, Constantine had a change of heart to stop the persecution of the Christian religion which was still an ongoing state policy under Diocletian the former emperor up to his time although he did not pursue it the way other Emperors did. By Divine Providence, the two emperors met they agreed among other things for the sake of peace and stability of the Empire to issue the Edict of Milan allowing citizens of Rome and foreigners living in Rome to exercise their kind of religion not only the Christians but other religions. Finally full freedom of religion was allowed in the Roman Empire. However while the Western side of the Empire where Constantine reign followed the Edict as declared in the Eastern part under Licinius there were still some resistance to such change. The Christians were continued to be persecuted by residents in the Eastern Rome but no longer a state policy or state led but more of local religious groups and not in the same intensity as before.
The Edict of Milan ( 313 AD ) states:
When I, Constantine Augustus, as well as I Licinius Augustus fortunately met near Mediolanurn (Milan), and were considering everything that pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought -, among other things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full authority to observe that religion which each preferred; whence any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens may be propitious and kindly disposed to us and all who are placed under our rule And thus by this wholesome counsel and most upright provision we thought to arrange that no one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion, of that religion which he should think best for himself, so that the Supreme Deity, to whose worship we freely yield our hearts) may show in all things His usual favor and benevolence. Therefore, your Worship should know that it has pleased us to remove all conditions whatsoever, which were in the rescripts formerly given to you officially, concerning the Christians and now any one of these who wish to observe Christian religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation. We thought it fit to commend these things most fully to your care that you may know that we have given to those Christians free and unrestricted opportunity of religious worship. When you see that this has been granted to them by us, your Worship will know that we have also conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as he pleases ; this regulation is made we that we may not seem to detract from any dignity or any religion.
Moreover, in the case of the Christians especially we esteemed it best to order that if it happens anyone heretofore has bought from our treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were previously accustomed to assemble, concerning which a certain decree had been made and a letter sent to you officially, the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception, Those, moreover, who have obtained the same by gift, are likewise to return them at once to the Christians. Besides, both those who have purchased and those who have secured them by gift, are to appeal to the vicar if they seek any recompense from our bounty, that they may be cared for through our clemency,. All this property ought to be delivered at once to the community of the Christians through your intercession, and without delay. And since these Christians are known to have possessed not only those places in which they were accustomed to assemble, but also other property, namely the churches, belonging to them as a corporation and not as individuals, all these things which we have included under the above law, you will order to be restored, without any hesitation or controversy at all, to these Christians, that is to say to the corporations and their conventicles: providing, of course, that the above arrangements be followed so that those who return the same without payment, as we have said, may hope for an indemnity from our bounty. In all these circumstances you ought to tender your most efficacious intervention to the community of the Christians, that our command may be carried into effect as quickly as possible, whereby, moreover, through our clemency, public order may be secured. Let this be done so that, as we have said above, Divine favor towards us, which, under the most important circumstances we have already experienced, may, for all time, preserve and prosper our successes together with the good of the state. Moreover, in order that the statement of this decree of our good will may come to the notice of all, this rescript, published by your decree, shall be announced everywhere and brought to the knowledge of all, so that the decree of this, our benevolence, cannot be concealed.
The Edict was followed through in all the territories of the Empire. In a letter to the pro-consul of Africa both leaders of the West and East territories gave the properties confiscated to the Catholic Church and the Christians that owned them.
When persecution of Christians first begun in Jerusalem, the faithful fled to other cities and places where they converted more to the faith and put up more churches. At that time the most active among the Jews to please the authorities was Saul. The first martyr of the Church, a deacon name Stephen was killed under his watch and he became more determined to round up all the members in chains and imprison them wherever they would find them pursuing even those who fled to other places. It was at that point that Jesus intervened and show himself to Saul up the clouds while he was on the road to Damascus. With that encounter with Jesus who told Saul, he is the church whom he was persecuting, Saul was converted and himself became an Apostle of the Lord among the Gentiles.
The church continued to spread in the old world notably through the missionary works of the Apostles. Not long after, the church in Rome was also set up with St. Peter as the first Bishop while St. Paul continued with his missionary works all around Asia. The church in Rome however became the most dominant of all the churches having St. Peter there who is the acknowledged leader and the head of the Church of the Living God having been called by Jesus to lead the building of his church and to Shepherd the sheep . Both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under emperor Nero sometime in 66-67 AD. The members of the church who were then known as Christians suffered more persecution from different Emperors after Nero increasing in intensity each time persecution erupted killing many of them through the first decade of the 4th Century AD. But it did not deter them from spreading and growing more and more that even officials in the government became members of the church.
By the turn of the 2nd century the church has become more organized with Bishops, presbyters, and deacon already in placed as well as places of worship. All Bishops are in communion and united looking at the Bishop of Rome as leader who succeeded St. Peter. Said Bishop was later called Pope by the Romans meaning Papa or Father. St. Ignatius who was the Bishop of Antioch for 40 years which means he was a direct successor of the Apostles called the church, the Catholic Church in his epistle to the church at Smyrna.
On intermittent years there was some peace in the church and they were able to worship in so called house churches in public but in most cases they continued to worship in secret place of worship turned to church such caves, catacombs in Rome. That allowed them to institute their rites and worship. Then after very long years of difficulties and thousands of martyrs who shed their blood for the faith, the Christians finally were able to worship freely when a landmark agreement was reached between Constantine Augustus who was the Western ruler of the divided Rome and Licinius Augustus who was the Eastern Ruler. The agreement was known as the EDICT OF MILAN in 313 AD. From the most persecuted religion in Rome to becoming the dominant religion after the conversion of Constantine before his death.
How did Constantine become a convert to Christianity although he only had his baptism before his death years later? Before the Edict of Milan, there were three emperors of Rome Constantine, Maxentius and Licinius all fighting for the throne. On October 28, 312 Constantine and Maxentius faced each other in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge it was called as such because it was in the same name of bridge which was an important route over the Tiber that the battle was fought. The story goes that on the night they were preparing for the battle, Constantine had a vision to place his forces under the protection of the Christian god. In the dream he was commanded to delineate the heavenly sign on the shields of his soldiers which has been used since then the Chi-Rho sign the early Christogram.
 |
| CHI-RHO |
With the soldiers fighting under the Banner of Christ with Chi-Rho painted on their shield, Constantine won the battle of Milvian Bridge and Maxentius drowned and killed in that battle. Constantine was already on the path to become the sole ruler of the united Roman Empire but he was to deal with Licinius Augustus who also claimed the throne as emperor of the Eastern Rome. With the win, Constantine had a change of heart to stop the persecution of the Christian religion which was still an ongoing state policy under Diocletian the former emperor up to his time although he did not pursue it the way other Emperors did. By Divine Providence, the two emperors met they agreed among other things for the sake of peace and stability of the Empire to issue the Edict of Milan allowing citizens of Rome and foreigners living in Rome to exercise their kind of religion not only the Christians but other religions. Finally full freedom of religion was allowed in the Roman Empire. However while the Western side of the Empire where Constantine reign followed the Edict as declared in the Eastern part under Licinius there were still some resistance to such change. The Christians were continued to be persecuted by residents in the Eastern Rome but no longer a state policy or state led but more of local religious groups and not in the same intensity as before.
The Edict of Milan ( 313 AD ) states:
When I, Constantine Augustus, as well as I Licinius Augustus fortunately met near Mediolanurn (Milan), and were considering everything that pertained to the public welfare and security, we thought -, among other things which we saw would be for the good of many, those regulations pertaining to the reverence of the Divinity ought certainly to be made first, so that we might grant to the Christians and others full authority to observe that religion which each preferred; whence any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens may be propitious and kindly disposed to us and all who are placed under our rule And thus by this wholesome counsel and most upright provision we thought to arrange that no one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion, of that religion which he should think best for himself, so that the Supreme Deity, to whose worship we freely yield our hearts) may show in all things His usual favor and benevolence. Therefore, your Worship should know that it has pleased us to remove all conditions whatsoever, which were in the rescripts formerly given to you officially, concerning the Christians and now any one of these who wish to observe Christian religion may do so freely and openly, without molestation. We thought it fit to commend these things most fully to your care that you may know that we have given to those Christians free and unrestricted opportunity of religious worship. When you see that this has been granted to them by us, your Worship will know that we have also conceded to other religions the right of open and free observance of their worship for the sake of the peace of our times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as he pleases ; this regulation is made we that we may not seem to detract from any dignity or any religion.
Moreover, in the case of the Christians especially we esteemed it best to order that if it happens anyone heretofore has bought from our treasury from anyone whatsoever, those places where they were previously accustomed to assemble, concerning which a certain decree had been made and a letter sent to you officially, the same shall be restored to the Christians without payment or any claim of recompense and without any kind of fraud or deception, Those, moreover, who have obtained the same by gift, are likewise to return them at once to the Christians. Besides, both those who have purchased and those who have secured them by gift, are to appeal to the vicar if they seek any recompense from our bounty, that they may be cared for through our clemency,. All this property ought to be delivered at once to the community of the Christians through your intercession, and without delay. And since these Christians are known to have possessed not only those places in which they were accustomed to assemble, but also other property, namely the churches, belonging to them as a corporation and not as individuals, all these things which we have included under the above law, you will order to be restored, without any hesitation or controversy at all, to these Christians, that is to say to the corporations and their conventicles: providing, of course, that the above arrangements be followed so that those who return the same without payment, as we have said, may hope for an indemnity from our bounty. In all these circumstances you ought to tender your most efficacious intervention to the community of the Christians, that our command may be carried into effect as quickly as possible, whereby, moreover, through our clemency, public order may be secured. Let this be done so that, as we have said above, Divine favor towards us, which, under the most important circumstances we have already experienced, may, for all time, preserve and prosper our successes together with the good of the state. Moreover, in order that the statement of this decree of our good will may come to the notice of all, this rescript, published by your decree, shall be announced everywhere and brought to the knowledge of all, so that the decree of this, our benevolence, cannot be concealed.
The Edict was followed through in all the territories of the Empire. In a letter to the pro-consul of Africa both leaders of the West and East territories gave the properties confiscated to the Catholic Church and the Christians that owned them.
( 313AD ) First letter of Constantine and Licinius to
Anulinus.
Synopsis: Restores goods to the Catholic Christians; written about the same time as the edict of toleration, according to Ceillier.
Greeting to thee, our most esteemed Anulinus. It is the custom of our benevolence, most esteemed Anulinus, to will that those things which belong of right to another should not only be left unmolested, but should also be restored. Wherefore it is our will that when thou receive this letter, if any such things belonged to the Catholic Church of the- Christians, in any city or other place, but are now held by citizens or by any others, thou shalt cause them to be restored immediately to the said churches. For we have already determined that those things which these same churches formerly possessed shall be restored to them. Since therefore thy devotedness perceives that this command of ours is most explicit, do thou make haste to restore to them, as quickly as possible, everything which formerly belonged to the said churches,-whether gardens or buildings or whatever they may be -- that we may learn that thou hast obeyed this decree of ours most carefully.
Farewell, our most esteemed and beloved Anulinus.
Its very clear from the Edict of Milan and the Letter of both Constantine and Licinius that the Catholic Church as a Christian religion was already well established with places of worship or churches all over the provinces and territories of the vast Roman Empire. Not only that it withstood all the persecutions of the different rulers and emperors it was flourishing church by the turn of the 4th Century. It was established with ecclesiastical hierarchy of Bishops and priests as well as form of worship and laws from the time of the Apostles up that point in time when the Edict of Milan was issued in the entire Roman Empire. The resiliency, martyrdom, and faithfulness of the Early Christians to the Christian faith and religion of the Catholic Church was really amazing and awesome.
Such historical record shows that the Catholic Church was not and never was established by Constantine because it was even older than him and was already widely existing in different cities and places with each church under the care of a Bishop. In fact record would show that the reason why Constantine became involved in the different Councils called to settle disputes among the bishops on matter of doctrines was because he then later on became the sole ruler of Rome as sole Emperor after he defeated later Licinius Augustus emperor of the Eastern Rome. As the uncontested Emperor he became the arbiter of disputes among religions in the Empire not only the Catholic Church. It is interesting to note that Constantine totally converted only to the Catholic Church before he died just after he received his baptismal as member of the Catholic Church not when he was still strong as the sole Emperor. There was however a mistake committed by Constantine when he transferred the seat of government of the Empire to a new city he built called Constantinople in the Eastern Rome. That split the headquarter of the Catholic Church between Rome which is the West and Constantinople in the East. But its another story that will be dealt with later in the web blog.
From the catacombs and hiding places Christians were finally given freedom under Constantine to practice the Catholic Religion and for that in spite of the so called failures of Constantine, he was instrumental in the spread of Christianity in the world. He was a ruler of Pagan Rome that became a Christian Rome yet he had to continue to rule in an empire which allowed the freedom of religion of any kind to practice their beliefs. It was a tough balancing act since he had his Roman Citizens to serve too. It was also a time when the young religion was still in infancy and Doctrinal issues were not yet settled which led to some heretical teachings to penetrate the church but they did not succeed.
Synopsis: Restores goods to the Catholic Christians; written about the same time as the edict of toleration, according to Ceillier.
Greeting to thee, our most esteemed Anulinus. It is the custom of our benevolence, most esteemed Anulinus, to will that those things which belong of right to another should not only be left unmolested, but should also be restored. Wherefore it is our will that when thou receive this letter, if any such things belonged to the Catholic Church of the- Christians, in any city or other place, but are now held by citizens or by any others, thou shalt cause them to be restored immediately to the said churches. For we have already determined that those things which these same churches formerly possessed shall be restored to them. Since therefore thy devotedness perceives that this command of ours is most explicit, do thou make haste to restore to them, as quickly as possible, everything which formerly belonged to the said churches,-whether gardens or buildings or whatever they may be -- that we may learn that thou hast obeyed this decree of ours most carefully.
Farewell, our most esteemed and beloved Anulinus.
Its very clear from the Edict of Milan and the Letter of both Constantine and Licinius that the Catholic Church as a Christian religion was already well established with places of worship or churches all over the provinces and territories of the vast Roman Empire. Not only that it withstood all the persecutions of the different rulers and emperors it was flourishing church by the turn of the 4th Century. It was established with ecclesiastical hierarchy of Bishops and priests as well as form of worship and laws from the time of the Apostles up that point in time when the Edict of Milan was issued in the entire Roman Empire. The resiliency, martyrdom, and faithfulness of the Early Christians to the Christian faith and religion of the Catholic Church was really amazing and awesome.
Such historical record shows that the Catholic Church was not and never was established by Constantine because it was even older than him and was already widely existing in different cities and places with each church under the care of a Bishop. In fact record would show that the reason why Constantine became involved in the different Councils called to settle disputes among the bishops on matter of doctrines was because he then later on became the sole ruler of Rome as sole Emperor after he defeated later Licinius Augustus emperor of the Eastern Rome. As the uncontested Emperor he became the arbiter of disputes among religions in the Empire not only the Catholic Church. It is interesting to note that Constantine totally converted only to the Catholic Church before he died just after he received his baptismal as member of the Catholic Church not when he was still strong as the sole Emperor. There was however a mistake committed by Constantine when he transferred the seat of government of the Empire to a new city he built called Constantinople in the Eastern Rome. That split the headquarter of the Catholic Church between Rome which is the West and Constantinople in the East. But its another story that will be dealt with later in the web blog.
From the catacombs and hiding places Christians were finally given freedom under Constantine to practice the Catholic Religion and for that in spite of the so called failures of Constantine, he was instrumental in the spread of Christianity in the world. He was a ruler of Pagan Rome that became a Christian Rome yet he had to continue to rule in an empire which allowed the freedom of religion of any kind to practice their beliefs. It was a tough balancing act since he had his Roman Citizens to serve too. It was also a time when the young religion was still in infancy and Doctrinal issues were not yet settled which led to some heretical teachings to penetrate the church but they did not succeed.
For complete story and information of HOW THE CHURCH WAS BUILT, you may buy a copy of THY KINGDOM COME an ebook writen by Bro. Manny OTFS Chief Apologist which will be available to you soon in PDF or in Disc.
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