The first three centuries of Christianity

The first three centuries of Christianity are presented by Ivan as the period in which Christianity existed on earth only as the Church: the Church was not one institution among others but the whole earthly reality of the faith. His claim supplies the historical premise for his argument about the later encounter between Christianity and the Roman State.## Christianity and the Church In his article, Ivan says that during these first three centuries Christianity existed on earth only in the Church and was nothing but the Church. The formulation makes the Church the original and comprehensive social form of Christianity, rather than a religious body alongside an independent political order.

Rome’s Conversion

When the pagan Roman Empire desired to become Christian, it included the Church by becoming Christian, but it remained pagan in many of its departments. Conversion therefore did not mean that the State itself was wholly remade: the political order retained too much of pagan civilization and culture, including features embedded in its objects and fundamental principles.

Historical Significance

Ivan’s account draws a distinction between the Church’s original place in Christian life and the later State’s incomplete conversion. The first three centuries serve as the benchmark against which he considers the continuing presence of pagan structures within a Christian empire; his argument turns on the difference between admitting the Church and transforming the State.