The Rise of the Roman Catholic Church

Historian Bruce Shelly noted that the first century was a period of spiritual expansion.
“Ignited by the Event, the presence of Jesus Christ,” he wrote, “the church hurtled in all
directions, geographic as well as social. The second and third centuries provided the
channel for this power.” This was a defining time for the church. It was a time that defined
its shape and doctrine. The first century characterized what it meant to be “catholic.” “It was
more than an organization. It was a spiritual vision, a conviction that all Christians should be
in one body,” concluded Shelly. By AD 380, Christianity was firmly established, and
emperor Theodosius made belief a matter of imperial command. “We shall practice that
religion which the divine Peter the Apostle transmitted to the Romans,” he decreed. “We
command that those persons who follow this rule shall embrace the name of Catholic
Christians.”

Before Theodosius’ decree, the church in Rome began to assert itself as the leading church
in the Christian world. It did not mean every believer gave the Roman church its allegiance.
Yet the way in which so many prominent men flocked to Rome and accepted its doctrine
helped increase its dominance.

The rise of the Roman Catholic Church is one of gradual change. The early challenges from
heretic groups compelled early Christians to refute unscriptural theology using the
philosophies of the day. “At the turn of the second to the third century,” noted historian
Everett Ferguson, “the Church Fathers furthered the process of philosophical reflection on
Christian doctrines.” The issue stemmed from appealing to non-Christians with philosophy
and rationality with little appeal to the New Testament. This external, non-scriptural appeal
to outsiders extended to those inside the church, justifying faith through the philosophical
rationale of the day. However their intentions may have been, their methodology itself was
heretical.

A number of factors contributed to the Roman Catholic Church’s influence. First, it was the
administrative ability of the bishops to hold together the diverse elements of the church.
Second, the Roman church grew enormously from both immigration and conversion. Third,
because Rome was already the capital of the Western Empire, people looked upon the city
for leadership, a political habit that influenced thinking in the church. Fourth, Rome
maintained a reputation of steadiness and balance in preserving apostolic traditions. Fifth,
the Roman church acquired considerable wealth and used it to care for its poor and send
money to the relief of Christians elsewhere. Money attracts authority. Sixth, Christians held
positions of power and influence in the Roman government. Seventh, it was the only
apostolic church in the West. Finally eighth, it was traditionally the city of the martyrdom of
Peter and Paul.

Rome’s growing influence was part of the increasingly complex church structure emerging
in the third and fourth centuries. Church organization developed in two important ways: first,
the authority of church councils and, second, the authority of certain bishops over other
bishops. As the church grew, it adopted the structure of the empire. As the churches within
the province thrust into the countryside, other churches were established to meet the needs
of the converts. As the fourth century began, the Catholic churches established general
policies through regular regional councils of bishops. They handled the day-to-day affairs
under the oversight of bishops in the area. During this time frame, the bishop of Rome
soared to major importance.

By the end of the sixth century, as the collapse of the Western Roman Empire became
final, the Roman Catholic Church clearly entrenched itself as a leader in the Christian world.
Men like Pope Gregory I firmly established the papacy as supreme in the Roman Catholic
Church in politics and theology. The West’s first denominational church was established.
– Kevin Goddu