PATHEOS PRESS
SHOP
FIND A PLACE OF WORSHIP
Origins
Beginnings
What came to be called Roman Catholicism was born as the new Christian faith grounded in the teachings and passion of Jesus Christ, who lived in 1st-century Palestine under Roman occupation.
Influences
Early Christianity drew on a variety of sources—Jewish ideas, Greek philosophy, Greek and Latin vocabulary—in an attempt to explain complex theological formulations.
Founders
Jesus' first apostles handed authority down in an apostolic succession that developed into a system of bishops, but the specific jurisdiction of Rome's bishop was initially unclear.
Sacred Texts
Several centuries passed before Church authorities weighed a variety of scriptural writings to establish a definitive canon of authoritative texts known as the New Testament.
Historical Perspectives
As she attempts to interpret and implement the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church is reexamining her relationship with the world, other faiths, and fellow Christians.
Follow us on: