Early Christian worship and community
Acts, the Didache, and Justin's First Apology offer different kinds of evidence for the Church's prayer, baptism, fasting, Sunday gathering, and Eucharistic thanksgiving.
Historical context
These witnesses span communities and genres. Acts is canonical narrative, the Didache is an early church manual with a debated date, and Justin writes a public defense in the mid-second century.
Key points
- Compare sources before generalizing about a single uniform early liturgy.
- Justin, First Apology 61 and 65–67, gives a particularly concrete account of initiation and Sunday assembly.
Scripture
- Acts 2:42-47 — Apostolic teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 — Paul addresses abuse surrounding the Lord's Supper.
Primary sources
Acts describes the Jerusalem community:
Acts summarizes the Jerusalem believers as devoted to apostolic teaching and communal life, immediately adding the breaking of bread and prayers.
They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.
Passage context and translation
Acts summarizes the Jerusalem community after the Pentecost proclamation with four linked practices: apostolic teaching, communal life, breaking bread, and prayers.
After the excerpt
Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Justin reports:
Justin's second-century account says that apostolic memoirs or prophetic writings were read in the Sunday assembly.
And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.
Passage context and translation
Justin explains second-century Sunday worship to a Roman audience, including readings, exhortation, prayer, the Eucharist, and care for the poor. This early witness is shared across Christian traditions.
Before the excerpt
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things.
After the excerpt
Then we all rise together and pray
Sources and further reading
Related records
- What Is Orthodoxy?
- Fasting & Ascetic Life
- Pentecost and the Jerusalem Church
- Didache and early Christian practice
- Justin Martyr describes worship
- Justin Martyr
- Prayer, reading, and assembly in early Christianity
- The Lord's Supper and Eucharist in context
- Church, Worship, and Sacraments in the Fathers
- Clement of Rome