# What did life really look like for the early church?



## Pergamum (Dec 27, 2011)

I am looking for the best book or article recommendations telling what life really looked like for the early church. What did an early church service look like?

Here is a footnote I recently discovered. Also, Two months ago I remember reading about exorcisms prior to baptism.



> See Calvin and Mayor for comments on Extreme Unction. Oil was used sacramentally in the early church, as part of baptism. In fact, the Apostolic Constitutions 3.2.16 deal with the impropriety of male deacons anointing female catechumens: speaks of the baptism of women: “For we stand in need of a woman, a deaconess, for many necessities; and first in the baptism of women, the deacon shall anoint (chriō) only their forehead with the holy oil, and after him the deaconess shall anoint them [all over] (aleiphō): for there is no necessity that the women should be seen by the men.” Basil the Great, On the Spirit 66 admits that that practice has no sure biblical basis.




I am curious about early church services, the process of catechism, the agape feast, baptism, etc.


What would an early Christian experience in weekly worship?


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## TimV (Dec 27, 2011)

I remember it well! Life was short and brutal!


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## SolaScriptura (Dec 27, 2011)

Worship services in the earliest early church looked exactly like those in the most faithfully Reformed congregations of today.
Except for the clothes. The clothes looked different.


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## KMK (Dec 27, 2011)

How early is 'early'?


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## Pergamum (Dec 27, 2011)

100-300 AD is a good time to consider.


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## CharlieJ (Dec 27, 2011)

Pergy, the Didache is the earliest source of info, but it is remarkably brief. For a description of early Christian worship, see also Justin Martyr, First Apology, 61,65-67. Then, check out the Didascalia Apostolorum for 3rd century info. The rest has to be pieced together by references in various church Fathers. By the 4th century, we have lots of detail. We can reconstruct almost the complete liturgy of baptismal and eucharistic practices.


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## Pergamum (Dec 27, 2011)

CharlieJ said:


> Pergy, the Didache is the earliest source of info, but it is remarkably brief. For a description of early Christian worship, see also Justin Martyr, First Apology, 61,65-67. Then, check out the Didascalia Apostolorum for 3rd century info. The rest has to be pieced together by references in various church Fathers. By the 4th century, we have lots of detail. We can reconstruct almost the complete liturgy of baptismal and eucharistic practices.



Has anyone actually done this and compiled it in a book so that I don't have to research it all myself?


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