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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 6, NUMBER 11, MARCH 19, 2006 WOULD FIRST CENTURY CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZE IT? It is sometimes presented as an unqualified statement of fact, “If first century Christians came into our worship assemblies today they would not recognize it!” It is sometimes stated as a question, but when it is, it is usually rhetorical in nature; the answer already assumed. “If first century Christians came into our worship assemblies, do you think they would recognize it?” Either way it is meant to assert that what we do today collectively in worship is not at all like what they did in the early years of the church. Never is any proof offered, the assertion is simply made. Well, saying something doesn’t make it fact. In the New Testament there is not a single passage that presents all of the elements that went into a worship assembly of the early church. However, by combining several passages that describe different elements of the worship we can get a very good idea of what took place. Such passages as Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 11:17-34, 14:1-40, 16:1-2 give us a fairly comprehensive picture of the worship of the Lord’s church. C.W. Dugmore, in his extensively documented book, The Influence of the Synagogue Upon the Divine Office, makes the point that the early order of Christian worship was built up from the Jewish synagogue service with the addition of the distinctively Christian rite of the Lord’s Supper. He shows that the synagogue service included Scripture readings, interspersed with Psalm chants, a sermon, prayers, and almsgiving. Dugmore then says that we find the same elements in the early accounts of Christian worship: readings, singing, preaching, praying, and giving. Add to it the distinctive practice of observing the Lord’s Supper and doesn’t that all sound very familiar? The earliest account of a worship service outside of the New Testament that we have actually came from a non-Christian. It came from Pliny the Younger, who was the Roman governor of Bithynia about 112 A.D. The fullest account of a worship service that we have is from the second century. It was written by Justin Martyr in his wonderful First Apology. Justin Martyr was a Gentile by birth, but born in Samaria. He lived from 114 A.D to 165 A.D. He was extremely well educated and studied in the schools of the various philosophers. He eventually came to Christianity and wrote a number of works that have proven to be the most important of the second century. He was a magnificent apologist for the Christian faith. Here is what Justin Martyr wrote concerning the Lord’s Day worship service of the early second century church: “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.” (Apology 1, 67) Martyr did not specifically mention singing in that passage, but he most assuredly did earlier in his Apology, 1, 13, and connected it with prayer. Put this altogether and what do we see? We see the Christians of the early second century meeting together on Sunday where they engaged in the reading of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The “president” (a term used simply to describe the one conducting the service) then preached, exhorting the brethren to the imitation of the good things read. Prayer was offered, to which Justin earlier in his Apology had also connected singing. The Lord’s Supper was served, which is what he discussed in the two chapters preceding this passage, chapters 65, 66. Also a contribution was made into a common treasury. So, yes, the early Christians would recognize the worship services that we engage in. Something else that I find very interesting and important is that the extra-biblical writings of the late first century and the second century clearly indicate that the Christians did not partake of the Lord’s Supper as part of a common meal. Writers such as Pliny, Justin, Clement of Alexandria, and Hippolytus make a clear distinction. They did eat common meals together, but the evidence is clear that they separated the two – even in terms of time. By the early second century the Christians were meeting early on Sunday morning for worship, including the Lord’s Supper (perhaps the early gathering had to do with the persecution they were facing), and if they shared a common meal on that day, it was later on in the evening. (By the way, I have the writings of the individuals mentioned, with the exception of Pliny, and his can be found in any good library for those interested in thorough and deep study of the matter.) We can be confident that when we gather together on Sunday to worship God, we are doing what the early Christians did.
Greg Litmer
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