Christians looked upon themselves as a separated people, a new race, the true Israel, whose citizenship was no longer in the Roman Empire, though they prayed for its welfare and that of its ruler, but in the heavenly Jerusalem. They are the church “which was created before the sun and moon,” “and for her sake the world was framed.”3

Christian life was ascetic and legalistic. Wednesday and Friday were fasts, which were called “stations,” as of soldiers of Christ on guard. The Lord’s Prayer was repeated thrice daily.8 “Fasting is better than prayer, but almsgiving than both.” Second marriage was discouraged.10 Simple repentance is not sufficient for forgiveness, there must be satisfaction. A Christian can even do more than God demands—works of supererogation—and will receive a corresponding reward.

The word “Catholic” is first used of the church by Ignatius, who employed it in the wholly untechnical sense of “universal.” It is next to be found in the letter of the Church of Smyrna, describing the martyrdom of Polycarp (156), where it is difficult to decide whether the use is technical or not. Its employment as a technically descriptive adjective gradually became common, so that the strongly consolidated church that came out of the Gnostic and Montanist crises is now usually described as the “Old Catholic.

This Old Catholic Church developed its distinguishing characteristics between 160 and 190. The hitherto relatively independent congregations were now knit into an effective union. The power of the bishops was greatly strengthened, a collection of authoritative New Testament Scripture recognized, and a creed formulated. Comparatively loosely organized Christianity now became a rigid corporate body, having recognized official leaders and capable not merely of defining its faith, but of shutting out from its communion all who did not accept its creed or its officers.