Page:The early Christians in Rome (1911).djvu/145

 II

THE ASSEMBLIES OF CHRISTIANS

The Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline and other New Testament Epistles, bear witness to the favourable reception of the preaching of the new faith. Paul's success in Macedonia, Achaia, in the province of Asia, and in Galatia had been extraordinary. Peter in his First Epistle addresses the converts already scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Paul again expressly mentions in a letter to the Roman Christians, that the faith of the Roman Church was spoken of throughout the whole world.

The story of the progress of Christianity was taken up by the pagan writers Tacitus and Pliny, and was dwelt upon by Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Hermas, Justin, Irenæus, and the other Christian writers of the first and second centuries already quoted.

Thus the great numbers of Christians in Rome and in other centres dating from primitive days, already dwelt upon with some detail, is a clear and indisputable fact.

Nothing did more for the progress and extension of the Christian religion than the constant meeting together, the assemblies of the various congregations of believers.

This was recognized from the earliest days. We read in the Epistle to the Hebrews (x. 25) a solemn injunction to Christians not "to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is."

Definite allusions to such "assemblies of believers" occur in the New Testament writings, in the Acts and in the Epistles, e.g. 1 Cor. xi. 20 and following verses, Jas. ii. 2-4.

The importance attached to these meetings of believers by the rulers and teachers of the Church of the first days,