The Early Church (30 CE – 300 CE)

The first three centuries of Christianity produced theologians of extraordinary courage and insight. Writing under threat of persecution, the Apostolic Fathers preserved the teachings they had received from the Apostles themselves, while the Apologists defended the faith against pagan philosophy and imperial hostility.

St Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthians with apostolic authority; St Ignatius of Antioch penned letters on his way to martyrdom that remain treasures of Catholic spirituality; St Irenaeus of Lyon systematically refuted Gnosticism and articulated the apostolic tradition. These writings show us Christianity as it was lived and believed in its earliest generations.

The great schools of Alexandria and Antioch emerged, offering different approaches to Scripture and doctrine. Origen pioneered biblical scholarship, while Tertullian gave Latin Christianity its theological vocabulary. By 300 CE, the intellectual foundations of Catholic theology were firmly established.