Church and the Ministry in the Early Centuries

Scholars can only reconstruct what the lives of the first Christians were like with the limited evidence available to them. In 1902, this Scottish theologian set out to do just that, and published a series of lectures he had given on the subject. Drawing from biblical and other ancient texts, Lindsay paints a picture of first century churches, their leaders, and their missionaries. In particular, he traces the development of the ministry itself and how it evolved into the priesthood of the Catholic Church. As well as investigating how Roman religious customs influenced the early Church’s hierarchy, he briefly sketches some of the first Christian controversies concerning the roles of church leaders.

Kathleen O’Bannon
CCEL Staff