Constantine and the Catholic

Church

-Wenura Ravindu™

Introduction

 One of the arguments of many Protestants today against the authority of the Catholic
Church is that Pagan customs and teachings were added to the Church during the reign
of Emperor Constantine. Also, according to a small group of Protestants, the Catholic
Church was founded by Emperor Constantine.
 And also some Muslim scholars use this argument to show that Christianity and Bible
were corrupted by pagan Rome.
 This is also known as the Great apostasy by some anti-Catholics.
 And then we try to go through these arguments and try to research their historicity
and validity.
 I will try to refute the Constantine argument with three main points.
1. Early church fathers
2. Early papacy
3. Historical evidence.
Early church fathers
 According to almost every historian, Catholic Church is established by Jesus Christ
around 33 AD in Jerusalem...[1]

Early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes: “As regards ‘Catholic,’ its original
meaning was ‘universal’ or ‘general.’ . . . in the latter half of the second century at latest, we
find it conveying the suggestion that the Catholic is the true Church as distinct from heretical
congregations (cf., e.g., Muratorian Canon). . . .What these early Fathers were envisaging
was almost always the empirical, visible society; they had little or no inkling of the distinction
which was later to become important between a visible and an invisible Church” (Early
Christian Doctrines, 190–1).

 Then how do we know that Catholic Church is established, by Jesus Christ? What did the
church Fathers tell about the Catholic Church?

Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD)

“Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered
a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a
presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus
Christ is, there is the Catholic Church”
(Letter to the Smyrneans  8:2 [A.D. 110]).

As St.ignatius of Antioch states clearly that the term “ Catholic Church “has already been used
from the first century onwards. It doesn’t originate in Constantine's time. and it shows that
the term Catholic is used for the church which Christ established since the apostolic father's
age. 200 years before the birth of Constantine.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

“And of the elect, he was one indeed, the wonderful martyr Polycarp, who in our days was
an apostolic and prophetic teacher, bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna. For every
word which came forth from his mouth was fulfilled and will be fulfilled”
(Martyrdom of Polycarp 16:2 [A.D. 155]).

Martyrdom of Polycarp is a manuscript written in the form of a letter that relates the religious
martyrdom of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (the site of the modern city of Izmir, Turkey) and disciple
of John the Apostle in the 2nd century AD. It forms the earliest account of Christian martyrdom

2
outside of the. The author of Martyrdom of Polycarp is unknown, but it has been attributed to
members of the group of early Christian theologians known as the Church Fathers.[2]

Tertullian (c. 155 AD – c. 220 AD)

"Where was [the heretic] Marcion, that shipmaster of Pontus, the zealous student of
Stoicism? Where was Valentinus, the disciple of Platonism? For it is evident that those men
lived not so long ago—in the reign of Antonius for the most part—and that they at first were
believers in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, in the church of Rome under the episcopate
of the blessed Eleutherius, until on account of their ever-restless curiosity, with which they
even infected the brethren, they were more than once expelled"
(Demurrer Against the Heretics 30 [A.D. 200]).

Tertullian is a great western theologian who lived in the apostolic fathers' era. Tertullian has been
called "the father of Latin Christianity and "the founder of Western theology".he clearly names the
church which bears orthodox teaching as the catholic church. then it is also a significant letter that
shows the existence of the catholic church before the emperor Constantine.

3
Early Papacy

 In this point, I try to show how the roman papacy existed before the birth of the
emperor Constantine.
 Pope is the bishop of Rome who succeeded from the st. peter, prince of the apostles.

According to Encyclopedia.com, theguardian.com, britannica.com and every reliable source

show that there were more than 30 popes before Constantine legalized Christianity.

Historical evidence

🔎YOUNG STUDENTS LEARNING ENCYLOPEDIA vol.15, p.2292： “For the first 1,000
years of Christianity, all Christians belong to the Catholic Church.”

🔎ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA vol. 15, p. 985： “The Catholic Church is an

organization founded by Jesus Christ in Jerusalem in the year 33 AD..”

4
.

🔎THE NEW BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA p. 287： "The Roman Catholic

Church started its history in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago as the original disciples of Christ
gathered in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. The day in which the Holy
Ghost came is the birthday of the Catholic Church."

🔎MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD RELIGIONS 1999 edition, p.

932： "The Roman Catholic Church is a Christian Church with a highly developed doctoral
and organizational structure. It can trace its history back to the original Apostles of Christ in
the first century."

🔎GROLLIER ENCYCLOPEDIA volume V, p. 106： “The Catholic Church is from the

Greek which means “universal”. It is a divine society founded by Christ endowed by the
outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.”

🔎COMPTON’S ENCYCLOPEDIA 1996 edition： “The Catholic Church is the largest

Christian denomination that has always existed since the first century and is the only
original and true Christian Church in history.”

🔎YOUNG STUDENT’S ENCYCLOPEDIA volume 17, p. 261： “The Roman Catholic

Church is the most ancient Christian denomination having its root in the first century.”

🔎COMPTON'S ENCYCLOPEDIA AND FACTS INDEX vol. 20, p. 2024： “There were no
separate sects or branches of Christianity as there are today. The word Catholic is Greek

5
“katholis” meaning “universal”, a Church where all Christians belong for the firstone
thousand years of Christian history.

🔎THE NEW WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,

INTERNATIONAL EDITION p. 15： “The Catholic Church is the original Christian Church
before the schism of the Church between East and West and the division of the
Reformation.”

🔎WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS 1999 edition page 68:

“The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ who named Penter the first vicar,
developed from Jewish proselytizing and led to the conversion of Imperial Rome in the 4th
century.”.

🔎INTINTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA volume 20, page 520：

“The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ who had twofold natures, being human
and divine.”.

🔎WEBSTER’S NEW EXPLORER ENCYCLOPEDIA page 1038：

“The Catholic Church is the ancient church responsible for introducing Christianity in many
parts of the world.”

Final Q & A

1. Did Constantine use the term “ Roman Catholic” for the church?

6
  The short answer is No. Roman Catholic term is not an official name for the church, which is
led by the successor of st. Peter. church's official catechism was also named the catechism
of the Catholic Church. Not as the catechism of the roman catholic church. the term “Roman
Catholic” was widely used by Anglican Protestants as a pejorative term for the Catholic
Church. but nowadays most Catholics use that term also for the Catholic Church.

2. Did Constantine make Christianity the state religion?

 Many Protestants think that Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion by
issuing an edict of Milan. but the truth is by issuing an edict of Milan Constantine officially
ended the persecution of the Christians.

3. Then who made Christianity the state religion?

 Emperor Theodosius 1 made Catholic Christianity the official religion of the empire by
issuing the edict of Thessalonika. and also it condemned heretical movements such as
Arianism.[3]

Wenura Ravindu © 2021