Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus II (Pars Altera): Demonstratio Catholica

1. The apostles proclaim the Church of Christ in deed. Putting the power and office of disseminating the Gospel into effect and practice, the apostles not only convert men to Christ, but gather them into ecclesiastical assemblies.

Of the Jews, who on the very day of Pentecost received the faith through the word of Peter, we read: "They therefore that received his word were baptized; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers … And all they that believed were together, and had all things in common … And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they took their food with exultation … And the Lord added daily those who were being saved, together (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό) … But of the rest no man durst join himself to them."¹ From which it is clear that the first Christians at Jerusalem after the departure of Christ neither remained isolated individuals nor adhered to the synagogue, but through the teaching office and ministry of the apostles were gathered into an assembly of their own by the communion of faith, baptism, the bread [eucharistic: 1 Cor 10, 16] and prayer.²

It is confirmed from this, that upon the death of St. Stephen there immediately "was made a great persecution in the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all dispersed through the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles … But Saul was laying waste the church"³ Certainly the Jews would not have persecuted the Church of Christ, if it had not been distinct from the synagogue.⁴

Then the apostles, having left Jerusalem, together with the Gospel spread the Church of Christ also throughout the world. For the Acts and the epistles of the apostles, and above all the Pauline epistles, report: 1°. that Christians everywhere were united into religious assemblies;⁵ 2°. that the Christian assemblies were hierarchically instituted;⁶ 3°. that faith and the sacraments,⁷ gifts and offices⁸ were conferred by the superiors; 4°. that everywhere common worship was celebrated, the elements of which were the preaching of the word of God, prayer and the eucharistic sacrifice;⁹ 5°. that all the particular churches coalesced into one universal Church.¹⁰

Hence the apostles, those most faithful executors of the will of Christ, testify by a unanimous manner of acting that they received from the Lord the mandate of uniting the faithful into an ecclesiastical society. Indeed:

2. The apostles by their doctrine claim the Church for Christ. For they teach that Christ acquired for himself the Church "with his own blood"¹¹ They call Christ the "chief cornerstone" of the Church;¹² head over all the Church (κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ)¹³ They call the Church the bride of Christ, whom he "loved" and for whom he "delivered himself up, that he might sanctify her … and present her to himself a glorious Church";¹⁴ "his [Christ's] body and the fullness of him"¹⁵ Paul confesses that he persecuted the Church of God.¹⁶ The apostles set over the Church were persuaded that they were "ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God"¹⁷ that they had received power from Christ,¹⁸ that they "acted as ambassadors for Christ"¹⁹