初期キリスト教における教会間交流

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I. Mission and Interchange The primitive church was oriented to preach and prevail in the world. Less twenty years after the death of Christ many churches existed in the cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and even in Rome. Apostle Paul greatly contributed to strengthen those churches, traveling the eastern Mediterranean world three times. He was the greatest travellor in the ancient world. Not only Paul but many apostles taraveled and many churches exchanged circulars. What was the purpose of these frequent human interchange ? I suppose it was the collective demand of the leaders of the church for unity of faith. II. The Second Century Paul came to Rome, it is a historical fact. But we can't confirm Peter's coming there. However, Christians travelled actively from the first century. The first famous one was Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch. He was arrested and sent to Rome as a criminal. During this journey he wrote many letters to five churches such as Rome, Ephesus, Smyrna and so on. His friends carried his letters and they were used as circulars. Ignatius wrote a letter to Polycalp of Smyrna also, who was invited by Anicetus of Rome and attended the meeting, which was the first synod as far as we know. The Christians of Lyon also had a close relation with those of Phrygia. After a severe persecution ended, the Chrsitians of Lyon sent a letter telling it(Eusebius, Hist. Ecc, v. 1-2). Justin was born in Palestine and lived in Rome. His disciple Tatian was an Assyrian and came to Rome. Valentinus, a Gnostic was Egyptian, then he worked in Rome. In a word, Christians and churches had frequent interchange beyond our imagination. And Churches began to unite and often had synods. The church of Rome began to claim its supremacy but often had to be registed. III. The Third Century; Alexandria, Carthage and Rome In the third century, Chrsitians multiplied considerably. The emperors like Septimius Severus, Decius, and Valerian ordered to persecute the churches. But those persecutions ended shortly, so churches tried to make synods after them. We examine three big churches and their bishops. Dionysios, the bishop of Alexandria, wrote many letters to almost all the churches in the empire, and those letters quoted in Eusebius' Hist. Ecc. He was an onthodox leader and was respected by many churchmen of other provinces. Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, was popular bishop and good leader. He wrote much as a church father. He was a rigorist against the lapsi and insisted re-baptism for those who had baptized by the clergy who lapsed at the persecution. He called general synods again and again and fought against the enemies. Other bishop like Firmilian of Cappadocia suppoeted him by his letter. Cyprian had a close interchange with Roman bishops and psresbyters, such as Cornelius and Stephanus. They were generally torelant to the lapsi, so Cyprian criticized them, especially Stephanus often. But he was martyred when Valerian ordered the sacrifice to the clergy of the curches. IV. Unity and Catholic orthodoxy In the middle of the third century, Churches established the system of synod it seems. From all provinces of the empire, Arabia in the east to Spain, gathered sometimes for discussing the problem after persecution. We can't see the supremacy of Roman Papacy yet. Some strong and earnest and respected bishop's churches became leader-church, Dionysius' Alexandria, Cyprian's Carthage. The important fact was that all of them insisted and hoped unity of Christianity and fought with heretics (in future!). They were the catholic leaders.
2009-03-26

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松本宣郎
東北大学

初期キリスト教における教会間交流

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