Ecclesiastical Geography and Topography of the Christian World - Chapter XI

                                                                         Chapter XI

The first diffusion of Christianity: Antioch, Rome, and Alexandria (known to summarize the first three great Churches that represented three regions of the Roman Empire)

The first spread of Christianity (three “initial patriarchates”: Antioch, Rome, and Alexandria)

The history of the Church begins on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem to take part you must confess and acknowledge Jesus died and rose again, as Christ and Lord. The first community is to Jerusalem, where he was head of James, the brother of the Lord: there was a deep conviction that it was necessary first to be Jews. He, however, soon formed a group of Hellenists, Jews of the Diaspora, with culture and different mentalities. Other communities were built in Judea Samaria, and Galilee: Paul found one, the Hellenists, in Damascus in 38 AD. The true missionary expansion centre was Antioch, the centre of Greek culture, where for the first time it was given the name of Christian community members, and where, again for the first time, the gospel message was addressed to the Gentiles. In the 42 AD Apostles sent Barnabas there, a sign of the desire to ensure community unity under their collective leadership.

The city of Antioch became the starting point of the mission in Asia and related to some of the oldest documents of Christianity (the Gospel of Matthew, the Didache, the Epistle Barnabas). The presence of the Apostles is then documented in other centres: Philip in Phrygia and Hierapolis, John to Ephesus and Smyrna, Thomas to Edessa (reign of Osroene, whose king converted to Christianity at the end of the second century), Peter at Caesarea, Tire, Sidon, Antioch and then Rome. A turning point in the history of the Church was marked by the activities of Paul, a Roman citizen, born in Tarsus in Cilicia in 5-10 AD, who studied in Jerusalem and was a disciple of the famous rabbi Gamaliel. Probably adhering to the rigorous party of the Pharisees, he was of Greek language and culture. Once converted, he was able to read the Christian message in the light of Greek culture and therefore present it to non-Jews.

 

The Church of Antioch

The second Church after Jerusalem was Antioch (Today Antakya in southern Turkey), the capital of the Roman province of the East (Syria). In the Roman period, Syria presented itself as a mosaic of peoples, who proudly tried to preserve their culture, religion, and traditions. Among them was a large Jewish diaspora. People lived and breathed the Pax Romana. Order was ensured everywhere within its borders.

Antioch at the time had about half a million inhabitants and was a cosmopolitan city, the centre of all movements in the Middle East. Other large cities were Apamea, Homs, Ba'albek, Damascus, Bosra, Palmyra, Dura Europos, Aleppo, and Edessa. All these centres had a Jewish quarter, formed by Jews in the diaspora, which could number up to 50,000 inhabitants or more. They were artisans and merchants and generally had great influence on the city's social movements. They formed lively and dynamic communities. Among them, the first Christian communities were formed. The miracles and the novelty of Jesus' teaching undoubtedly reached the numerous Jewish communities in Syria.

However, the real and rapid development of Christian communities occurred after the martyrdom of St Stephen. St Luke writes that in those days a great persecution was launched against the Church in Jerusalem, as a result of which most of the Christians, except the apostles, were dispersed to the cities of Judea, Samaria as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. In this setting, St Luke introduces Saul, a great persecutor of the Church. St Luke, describing Saul's conversion, makes us discover the existence in Damascus of a Judeo-Christian community, the first mentioned in the Acts outside Palestine. Now, if we date Saul's conversion to around the year 35, it is interesting to discover, just 5 or 6 years after the Ascension, the existence in Damascus of a community organised around the charismatic personality of Ananias.

St Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, tells us that after his conversion he retired to Arabia, remaining there for some time and that from there he returned to Damascus. The term Arabia then meant the south of Syria, ruled by the Nabataeans (of Arab origin) and populated by a myriad of small Jewish colonies.

City Map of Antioch

City of Antioch

Antioch was the Syrian capital with a Jewish diaspora of about 50,000 people, of Hellenic language and culture, who gathered proselytes among pagan sympathisers. In this cosmopolitan atmosphere, rich in religious and cultural stimuli, the first Christian community arose. The Syrian cities were, therefore, the first to receive the Good News, after Jerusalem.

The Judeo-Christian community in Antioch opens early pagans. The community is growing rapidly. Also early problems for the relationship with the mother church in Jerusalem. At that moment the figure of Joseph - Barnabas was sent to Antioch by the apostles to establish a link between Jerusalem, the apostles, and the Antioch community.

In Antioch, for the first time, the disciples were given the name Christians (Christianoi). Probably the reason for this new name is the first sign of the separation between Jews and Christians. But more likely this name was coined by the public administration, which used it to designate the followers of Christ and better control the religious movements in the metropolis. The fact that Christianoi is a Latinised adjective leads us to this interpretation.

The Church of Antioch was the first missionary Church at Antioch Barnabas and Saul (Paul) are chosen, after an 'intense prayer and fasting for the new mission. Community elders lay hands on Paul and Barnabas and send them on behalf of the Antiochian Church. Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark leave Antioch and head towards the port of Seleucia from where boats at a time in Cyprus aboard a ship, continuing into the Pamphylia and Anatolia. So, we have the first missionary expedition of the Church.

The expansion outside the Jewish community led to the problem of circumcision and the relationship with Judaism. The problem emerged after the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. Some Judeo-Christians from the Jerusalem Pharisee movement, who had come to Antioch, claimed that pagan converts should be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law. The dispute was resolved with a compromise at the 'first council', the one in Jerusalem in 49. The Apostles would continue their mission among the Jews, Paul, and Barnabas among the Gentiles, who would remain free from the Mosaic Law while observing certain precepts such as abstaining from meat sacrificed to idols and accepting certain marriage impediments. Paul made three missionary journeys, then was arrested in 58 and taken to Rome, where he was released in 63: it is not known what he did next, but in any case, around 66 he was back in Rome, where he was beheaded in 67.

Presence of Peter in Antioch

According to the 'Epistle to the Galatians also Peter went to Antioch and he remained for some time. Maybe we need to date this first Paul undertakes his third trip. It is assumed, moreover, that Peter came to Antioch, given the central location of the metropolis. The Syrian Church has always fiercely guarded tradition which saw in Antioch the second centre of Christendom, after Jerusalem and before the Rome office. Even today, five patriarchs have the honour of the patriarchal Antioch title. It can assume, again, that Antioch has been nearly all the apostles, who went from Jerusalem to the north and east. The writer Michael the Syrian, Patriarch of Antioch of the 12^th Century, picked up old traditions on the passage of the apostles.

Antioch: The cave on the slopes of Mount Silpius, according to tradition, the church of St Peter. Even today it is still a destination for pilgrims.

Other Syrian Churches

About the Syrian Church, we must also add that the Acts of the Apostles describe the beginnings of Christianity in the community of Jerusalem and Antioch and St. Paul's journeys into the world of Hellenic tradition. But at the same time took place the Christian expansion in the world of culture whose language Aramaic, thanks to its thousand-year heritage, constituted a means of rapid spread of the Christian faith in the entire eastern world. To this, they helped spread Jewish settlements and their pilgrimages to Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost, Acts of the Apostles mention the presence of Parthians, Medes, Elamites etc. Those definitely returned to their countries They told what had happened in Jerusalem. Another factor in the spread of Christianity in the Aramaic world was the Jewish-Roman wars (rebellions): Christians in Jerusalem, recalling the prophecy of the Lord, left the Holy City during the first two revolts against the Romans, and took refuge in Pella in northern Jordan, from where through the Golan, penetrated gradually into the Syro-Aramaic world, reaching up to northern cities, including Arbil and Edessa. The presence of these refugees Judeo-Christians certainly constituted a favourable opportunity to raise awareness and spread the gospel, since the Aramaic language was what united them to the Jews and the Gentiles.

About Aramaic Language

Aramaic is a Semitic language with about 3,000 years of history. In the past, it was the language of religious worship and the administrative language of empires. It is the language in which the Talmud and parts of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Ezra were originally written. It was the language spoken fluently in Israel (next to Greek) at the time of Jesus. Currently, Aramaic is used: in Syria in the villages of Ma'lula, Bh'ah, Hascha, and Kamishlié. In Turkey: Tur-Abdin, Mardin. In Northern Iraq: Krakosh, Elkosh, Erbil (the capital of the Kurdish region), Ankawa. During the 12th century B.C., the Arameans, i.e. the original population speaking the Aramaic language in its earliest phase and settled in today's Syria and Lebanon, began to settle in the lands that are now part of present-day Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Aramaic thus came to be spoken in an area between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Tigris River. The Jews of the diaspora brought the language to North Africa and Europe, while Christian missionaries used it by preaching in Persia, India, and China. From the 7th century, however, Arabic took over from Aramaic as the lingua franca of the Near East. However, Aramaic remained the liturgical and literary language of Jews, Mandeans and some Christian denominations including the Lebanese Maronites. Today, Aramaic is still used by small communities scattered throughout its ancient range.

The Church of Rome

The third largest church in chronological order, but always first in the legal-judicial and honour. We do not know the first missionaries came to Rome, which had to be of Jewish origin. If in 56 AD Paul states that "for many years" wanted to go to the capital (Rom 15,23), it means that Christians were there for decades, evangelized by Jews. The news that Peter, according to Eusebius, came to Rome in the year 41 AD is not demonstrable. Suetonius († after 130) reports that Emperor Claudius "expelled from Rome the Jews, who were in constant agitation for inciting Cresto." The news of Suetonius is compared with that of the Acts of the Apostles, which mentions Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth and were already Christians. The two texts agree on the decision of Emperor Claudius and contrast in the Jewish sector. The name Cresto seems obviously a distortion of Christ, because even in the second century. the words Christ and Christians were written in Chrestus and Chréstians. In Rome, at that time there were a dozen synagogues, which were places for the spread of Christianity and for the emergence of strong opposition from Jews and unrest in Jewish quarters.

The episode therefore, which is dated in the years 41-42 A.D, or 49 A.D according to some scholars, may refer to disagreements that broke out between traditional Jews and converts to Christ. Claudius most likely did not expel all the Jews but only some leaders including Aquila and Priscilla. Suetonius' account reveals that Jews and Christians were not yet perceived as distinct. So, a few decades after the death of Jesus, there was a substantial community in Rome. Rome was the capital to which many people came from the East.

 

Another testimony is that of Tacitus († ca 117): he writes that Nero condemned 'a great multitude' of Christians to be killed. Suetonius also recalls the persecution of Christians by Nero. In the two authors, a clear distinction now appears between Jews and Christians.

The presence of Peter and Paul in Rome

Letter to the Romans written ca 56 in Corinth announces Paul's visit to Rome (15.23). Then the Acts of the Apostles speaks of it.

Invocation to Saints Peter and Paul. Graffiti in the Catacombs of St Sebastian

The First Epistle of Peter was written in Rome and sent to the Christians of Asia Minor; the Gospel of Mark, too, as is commonly admitted was written in Rome and intended primarily for the pagans who had become Christians. Peter's martyrdom took place around 65, Paul's around 67; they were joined by a great host of the elect, wrote Clement Roman. Their tombs are attested since the end of the 2nd century. The Christian community of Rome was large and its importance was known everywhere. It was a mixed community, composed of Jews and Gentiles converted from different provinces of the Empire, e.g. according to the Liber Pontificalis Evaristo (towards the year 100) it was Antioch, Aniceto (around 160) of Syria, Vittore African (about 189-199).

The Meeting of Peter and Paul in Rome. Catacombs of St Sebastian.

The Christians of Rome also suffered several waves of persecution: Nero in 65, Domitian in 96, then in the years 140-150, 165 and so on. The persecutions in Rome, as well as that of Nero, were not general, but "sporadic and continuous " that is based on specific complaints which made life very precarious for Christians.

During the second century. He affirmed the concept that "the two most glorious Apostles Peter and Paul founded and established in Rome this great Church, ancient and known by all" (Saint Irenaeus).

The Church of Alexandria

Historical and geographical context

Octavian Augustus, after the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BC created the Imperial Roman province of Egypt under the government prefect of equestrian rank. The new province belonged to the Roman people under the control of the emperor. They respected the local legal tradition under Roman control, as the cults and the various shrines.

As urbanisation grew, the territory was divided into nomoi (an administrative unit), the centre of which was the main village (metropolis - mother city) With Septimius Severus, both Alexandria and the other metropolises could have a city council with administrative responsibilities at the end of the 4th century Egypt became a diocese an administrative unit of the Empire encompassing several provinces in Egypt and Libya.

We do not know exactly when Christianity arrived in Alexandria. The testimony of Eusebius is betrayed. According to him, Mark the Evangelist had gone to Egypt to preach the gospel. There are no testimonies before this late statement. Mark was to be succeeded by Annianus. In any case, Christianity had to arrive very early due to the proximity of Jerusalem and the presence of an important Jewish community in Alexandria, because the synagogue network was an instrument for the spread of Christianity. In the last hundred years, the discovery outside Alexandria of numerous Christian papyri (biblical and non-biblical) dating back to the first century bears witness to a good presence of Christians already in the 2nd century, but not otherwise documented. At the beginning of the 2nd century, many Christian texts were also composed in Egypt, including the Letter of Barnabas, which confirms the presence of a well-developed mature Christianity. However, there are still problems documenting this period. Nevertheless, the Church of Alexandria acquired in the first centuries the importance of one of the four first patriarchates and embraced the entire region, including Libya, with its influence.

At the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century, important figures for Christianity such as Panteno, Clement of Alexandria, Bishop Demetrius and Origen appeared in Egypt. Clement testifies to the existence in Alexandria of a strong Christian community that was also socially elevated and cultured. The situation was different in the extensive Egyptian hinterland. The Christianisation of the countryside is not well documented, but we learn from some sources that the countryside remained pagan for a long time. The Christianisation of Egypt accelerated considerably in the 4th century when the countryside also became Christian.

Regarding the episcopal sees in the province of Egypt

Alexander, bishop of Alexandria (312-328), and Athanasius state that a local synod of a hundred bishops had met before 325 to judge Arius. A. Martin identified only 57 episcopal sees for Egypt and 16 for Libya and the Pentapolis for this period. All of Egypt, Libya, Nubia, and Ethiopia depended on the Patriarch of Alexandria.

At the beginning of the 4th century, we can place about 150 episcopal sees in Roman Africa on a map, but no archaeological or epigraphic evidence that is definitely Christian remains. Africa is a special case as far as secure sources before Constantine are concerned.

Libya

 In Libya, which was part of the dioecesis aegyptiaca, Christianity arrived very early, especially in the central part, Cyrenaica, which had been colonised by the Greeks. The arrival of the first Christians in Cyrenaica is unknown, but Libyan Jews from Cyrene and the region appear several times in the New Testament. We do not know much about the history of the Churches in Libya. However, they developed, at least in the 3rd century, very rapidly. As early as the 3rd century, the Libyan Churches were closely connected with that of Alexandria, whose bishop, Dionysius, sent letters to two bishops of Libya: one to Ammonius of Berenice against Sabellius, and another to Basilides, bishop of the ecclesial communities of the Pentapolis. We also know some martyrs of the Libyan Church: Macarius, Theodore, and others. The traditional dependence of the Libyan Churches on the bishop of Alexandria was confirmed by Canon 6 of the Council of Nicaea. In the 6th century, not only the main cities of Libya, but also small towns or villages were episcopal sees, and today we have numerous titular bishops of the ancient Libyan dioceses.

 

Tawadros II, the so-called 'Coptic pope', 2015. 

In the 6th century, Monophysites prevailed in the Libyan and Egyptian provinces, which favoured the Arab conquest due to its opposition to Constantinople. The Egyptian (Coptic) Church became a kind of national Church with a strong ethical-linguistic identity. (To be Continued)

Fr. Nicholas Macedon OCD

Carmelite Priory, Oxford.            

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