This may be the central historical question of the entire journey.
Instead of beginning with what Catholics and Protestants believe in the twenty-first century, ask:
What did Christians living closest to the Apostolic age believe?
Their writings are not Scripture.
Individual early Christians were not infallible.
They sometimes disagreed.
But they are historical witnesses.
Investigate One Belief at a Time
Baptism
Was Baptism merely symbolic?
Did early Christians connect it with forgiveness, regeneration, new birth and incorporation into Christ?
What Did Early Christians Believe About Baptism? →
Eucharist
Did Christians understand Communion as merely symbolic?
How did Christians close to the Apostolic period speak about Christ's Body and Blood?
Did Early Christians Believe in the Real Presence? →
Bishops and Apostolic Succession
How early do bishops, presbyters and deacons appear?
How did Christians understand continuity with the Apostles?
Explore Apostolic Succession →
Confession
How were serious sins after Baptism handled?
Was reconciliation understood as exclusively private?
Explore Confession in the Early Church →
Scripture and Tradition
How did Christianity function while the New Testament canon was still being recognized?
What did ancient Christians mean by Apostolic Tradition?
Explore Scripture and Tradition →
Mary and the Saints
When does Christian reflection about Mary appear?
How early were martyrs honored?
Explore Mary in the Early Church →
Use the Same Test Every Time
For each question:
- Read Scripture.
- Examine the earliest surviving Christian evidence.
- Move chronologically forward.
- Understand the Catholic position.
- Understand serious alternative interpretations.
- Ask which explanation best accounts for the evidence.
The evidence should come before the slogan.