One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Subtitle: The Early Church Was the Catholic Church
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: October 2000
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 334
ISBN-13: 9780898708028
Subjects: Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church; Religion; Church history; Christianity - Theology - Catholic; Religion - Catholicism; Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600; Primitive and early church, ca; Doctrines; Christian Theology - Catholic; Christian Theology - Ecclesiology; Christianity - History - Catholic; Religion - Classic Works; Catholic Church; Catholicity; Church; Holiness
First sentence: Very often in the history of Christianity, "reformers", by whatever name, have aspired to return to "the early Church".
Description: "Throughout the history of Christianity, "reformers", by whatever name, have aspired to return to "the early Church". The Church of their own day fails to live up to what they think Christianity should be, and they desire to return to the early Church as described in the New Testament and early Christian literature.".

"Kenneth Whitehead shows in this book how, according to these same sources, the early Church was already in all essential respects the same Church as the Catholic Church of today. The Church consists of believers in Christ who profess her creed and are subject to the authority of her hierarchy, just as the first Christians accepted the preaching of the apostles chosen by Jesus and were subject to their authority (as can abundantly be seen in the Acts of the Apostles).

The Church of Christ purveys both word and sacrament for the sake of the sanctification and salvation of her members through the ministry of ordained priests and bishops, all of whom are ultimately under the authority of the bishop of Rome, the Pope. All these things were also strictly true of "the early Church" - as demonstrated in this book."--BOOK JACKET.