LESSON 20 – THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH

God, who incarnated as human, established the Church. When Peter said that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus told him,

Upon this rock, I will build my Church. (Matthew 16:16-20)

So, the head of the church is Saint Peter.

The Acts of the Apostles is the book that contains the New Testament Church history.

Do you know the importance of the feast of Pentecost?

After the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples of Jesus and Mother Mary prayed together at Mount Zion. That was when the Holy Spirit came in the form of cloven tongues like fire. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages. In order to commemorate this incident, we celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

On the day of Pentecost, 3000 people who heard the speech of St. Peter, the head of the disciples, believed in Jesus and got baptized.

Eusebius, who is a father of church history, says that St. Peter established the church in Antioch in AD 37.

The Patriarch of Antioch, who is the successor of St. Peter, is the head of our Church. The Patriarchs are known as ‘Ignatius’, meaning “Fiery”.