The church’s structure of the sub-apostolic era and Christian persecution

Abstract

The establishment of the church’s identity for Christianity had only begun during the life and after the resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the historical facts of first century, but the transition of its ideals had begun to take effect into a different model of the church. The sub-apostolic era meant that there was no longer a leader in a fleshly form to represent the fate of Christianity or the gentiles to whom the message was newly introduced and who were now intended to carry on the message of its teachings. The resulting dispersal that the Christians faced from the severe persecution that they endured, because of the new doctrine introduced by Christ, still did not negate the church’s transparency for a revolutionizing change that would eventually form a solidified foundation of its intended purpose and structure. This article will attempt to demonstrate the primitive church’s structure, which became manifested during and after the sub-apostolic era and the impending persecution for the followers of early Christianity.