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PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
The Early Church
To understand the differences between the first Christians’
view of the care of souls and that of the Early Church it is
necessary to recall the change that occurred in the conception
of the Church itself. It was closely linked with the idea of the
Kingdom of God as expressed in the New Testament, while the
Kingdom itself was transferred in thought to a remote future
age. For the first Christians the ‘Kingdom’ was the realm of
God’s grace and power: a spiritual reality. For the Early Church
the church door was the gateway into the Kingdom.
In its view of personality, also, the Early Church differed
` from the Apostolic Church. Christianity was first thought of as
the natural fulfilment of man’s original destiny. A problem for
earnest and eager discussion was the precise meaning of
Christian perfection and how it could be achieved. How to live
without sin was an anxiously debated question.
The Early Church also considered that perfection was the
aim of human development, but now the imperfection to be
overcome was physical as well as spiritual. The body itself was
a stumbling-block. Again, among the first Christians the most
important aim of the care of souls was to lead the individual to
~ Christ, the Saviour. In the Early Church a marked strain of
moralism appeared and a clear tendency towards pedagogic
authoritarianism. Christ was revealed as the divine Judge and
Lawgiver.
The Early Church’s ideal for the care of souls is to be
understood only if we bear in mind the situation with which it had to
deal. Multitudes were beginning to seek Christianity. The moral
level was low and the quality of faith manifested was elementary.
The converts brought with them to the churches many
superstitions and pagan practices derived from the religions they had
hitherto known. The greatest need of these new Christians was
for instruction and personal discipline.
The unique characteristic of the Early Church’s practice in
the care of souls was, therefore, its insistence upon discipline
in the devotional life. There is evidence that mental discipline in
the wider sense was also imposed on converts. Certainly a
welldefined system of prayer discipline was enjoined. Fixed times
were to be set aside for prayer and worship. A person striving
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