Inspired by A Short History of Religion in The Catechism of Saint Pius X.
From its beginnings, the Christian faith went through extremely harsh trials. Those difficulties showed that the Church was not a purely human work, but sustained by God.
During the first three centuries of Christianity, the disciples of Jesus Christ suffered numerous and severe persecutions ordered by different Roman emperors. They were not continuous, but were repeated again and again: after brief times of calm, violence returned with renewed intensity.
When Christians were discovered, they had to give an account of their faith. The authorities required them to offer incense to the idols as a sign of obedience to pagan worship. Those who refused were subjected to humiliations, punishments, and torments, until, in many cases, death.
Christians did not provoke disorders nor give cause to be persecuted. They gathered to pray and attend the Holy Sacrifice, generally in underground, secluded, and silent places. Many of those ancient cemeteries—the catacombs—can still be visited in Rome and other cities.
Even these precautions were not enough. A countless multitude of men, women, and children preferred to give their lives rather than renounce Jesus Christ. With the shedding of their blood, they confirmed the same faith for which the Apostles had previously died.
The word martyr means witness. Their testimony showed the world that the Christian faith was worth more than life itself.
From the first centuries, the Church honored these faithful in a special way. It collected their bodies and gave them a dignified burial in the resting places of Christians, formerly called dormitories or places of dormition, because death was understood as a sleep awaiting the resurrection. Thus it venerated their memory and proposed them as an example for all.
The Church did not enjoy stable peace until the time of the emperor Constantine. After defeating his enemies and receiving a vision from heaven that strengthened his decision, he promulgated edicts that granted everyone the freedom to embrace the Christian religion. He did not force anyone to become Christian: he put an end to the persecutions and recognized the right to profess the faith freely.
Thanks to these provisions, Christians recovered their confiscated goods. No one could persecute them for their religion anymore; they ceased to be excluded from public offices and were able to build churches freely. On several occasions, the emperor himself contributed with his resources to erect temples dedicated to the worship of God.
The confessors of the faith who were still imprisoned were set free. Christian celebrations began to be held publicly and solemnly, and many pagans felt drawn to faith in the true God.
Having defeated his last rival, Constantine remained as the sole lord of the Roman Empire. Then the cross of Jesus Christ began to wave on the imperial banners as a visible sign of the triumph of the faith.
Later, he divided the Empire into two large regions—East and West—and moved the eastern capital to the ancient city of Byzantium, by the Bosphorus Strait. After beautifying it, he called it Constantinople (year 330), and over time it became a “new Rome” due to its political weight.
But with that growth, problems arose. Some high-ranking ecclesiastics in Constantinople allowed pride and the desire for novelties to influence their decisions. They aspired to an authority similar to that of the Roman Pontiff, and even primacy over the entire Church.
From these pretensions were born serious conflicts that lasted for centuries. In the 9th century the great Schism of the East occurred: a significant part of the Eastern Churches broke communion with the Church of the West and ceased to recognize the authority of the Roman Pontiff, successor of Saint Peter and Vicar of Jesus Christ according to Catholic doctrine.
After emerging victorious from the persecutions of paganism, the Church faced an even more difficult enemy: the errors born within its own ranks. Some Christians departed from the faith received from the Apostles and spread teachings contrary to the Gospel. This doctrinal struggle has accompanied it for centuries and, according to the Catholic perspective, continues in different forms to this day.
However, the Church maintains confidence in the promise made by Jesus Christ to the apostle Saint Peter:
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
This promise sustains the hope that the Church will preserve the deposit of faith intact until the end of time.
Already in the times of the Apostles, people appeared who, moved by ambition, interest, or the desire to impose their own ideas, began to alter Christian teaching. The Apostles responded with preaching, with their inspired writings, and through the decisions of the first Council of Jerusalem, where they resolved important issues for the nascent Church.
According to Catholic teaching, heresies attempt to alter one or another of the truths that God has revealed and that the Church faithfully guards. Among the best known are:
Among all the heresies, the original text gives special importance to the Protestant Reformation, which arose in the 16th century and was promoted mainly by Martin Luther and John Calvin.
From the perspective of Catholic doctrine, this movement rejected apostolic Tradition as a source of Revelation, reducing it solely to Sacred Scripture. Furthermore, by separating the interpretation of the Bible from the legitimate Magisterium of the Church, it opened the way to multiple particular interpretations.
The author considers that this rupture weakened the foundations of doctrinal unity and favored the appearance of numerous errors and divisions within Christianity.
For twenty centuries, the Church has endeavored to faithfully guard the deposit of faith received from Jesus Christ and to protect the faithful from doctrines it considers contrary to the Gospel. When circumstances have required it, it has gathered its bishops in Ecumenical Councils or General Councils.
It is a solemn assembly convoked by the Roman Pontiff, in which the bishops of the entire Church and other prelates called by the Pope participate. It may be presided over by the Pontiff himself or his legates.
According to Catholic doctrine, this assembly represents the teaching Church and counts on the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when its definitions on faith and morals are approved by the Roman Pontiff, they constitute a sure and infallible teaching for the entire Church.
The Council of Trent. The council that responded to the Reformation was the Most Holy Council of Trent, so called after the city where it was held. In it, the Church reaffirmed the principal truths of the Catholic faith, corrected disciplinary abuses, and promoted a profound renewal of ecclesial life.
The Division of Protestantism. The author of this ancient compendium maintains that, after its condemnation at Trent, Protestantism began to manifest profound internal divisions. Over time, numerous confessions and separated communities appeared, each with different interpretations of the Christian faith. From the traditional Catholic perspective, this multiplicity of denominations is a consequence of having abandoned a common doctrinal authority.