Loading…

Christian History Magazine—Issue 37: Worship in the Early Church is unavailable, but you can change that!

Justin Martyr reveals that 2nd century Christian gatherings were not unlike contemporary Christian worship services. Hippolytus’ 3rd century Eucharistic prayer has provided a template for the Church’s timeless Communion liturgy. Clement of Alexandria wrote hymns to be sung corporately and strongly supported the visual arts in worship. Learn about these and many more Early Church worship practices...

Repentance was an involved process in the early church. Sin was seen not as a personal matter but as something that destroyed the unity of the church. Penitents fasted and prayed for the forgiveness of their sins, appeared before the church to make public confession, and were barred from the Lord’s Supper until they gave evidence of a change of heart and were absolved. (The only exception was for people facing persecution. They were readmitted to the Lord’s Supper so they could receive strength.)