Lecture 11: Institutional Development before Constantine
activities of worship and prayer were balanced by a genuine
care for the poor and needy within the community.• Local administrative structures were required at least in part
because Christians were increasingly in a position to dispose of
property, a clear sign that persecution was sporadic rather than
steady over these centuries.
o After 180, we find the first examples of unmistakable Christian
art in the form of biblical themes on sarcophagi; such sculpting
and accompanying inscriptions indicate a certain degree of
wealth. Many sarcophagi were discovered by archaeologists in
the catacombs, the underground chambers that served as places
of burial and were sometimes used by Christians, especially in
Rome, for places of worship.o By the 3rd century, communities began to meet in houses that
were intended to be “churches” from the start, rather than
meeting in ordinary households. An example is the house-
church at Dura-Europos, destroyed around 250 C.E., with its
separate baptistery and frescoes.o An example of the administration of property can be found in
Callixtus of Rome: As a deacon, he was put in charge of funds
for the support of widows, but he lost the funds and had to flee.
Later, presumably having been restored to trust, he was put in
charge of the burial chambers along the Appian Way and, still
later, became the bishop of Rome (217–222).Regional Spheres of Influence
• The institutional expansion of Christianity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries
included the development of regional spheres of influence.• The term “diocese” for the geographical region administered by
a bishop (with the help of his clergy) derives—as does the term
episkopos (“bishop”)—from Greek political usage: The term was
used for economic administration over a geographical area in
Hellenistic Egypt.