I was atheist, then radically born again, served in churches briefly, started a house church, moved, fell away and now God has brought me to orthodoxy. It feels like a blindfold has been taken from me. Still need to take the steps to begin the process of joining a church though
Such a great video on the history of the house churches in early Christianity. I pray that God continues to bless you and your channel and that you continue in your service to God in the work you do in making these uplifting videos. God bless you always!!
During the time when we couldn't meet collectively at our church house, our ministering brothers went to church, and preached. Our families listened in their homes, on the phone. Later, we met in small groups in our homes. Eventually, when collective meetings were allowed again, we convened in our school gym so we could worship together and still use social distancing. It was the greatest blessing when we could all worship in the church sanctuary again. We know if 2 or 3 are gathered in Christ's name, He is there. Yet me must not forsake the assembly of the saints. God bless your studying and sharing.
I attend divine liturgy in my Priests home. I look forward to the day we grow enough as a parish for us to get a church building, but I think starting off in a house church was the best way for me to become Orthodox because of the opportunity to be catechized one in one by my Priest.
Our priest has one such house church - the first orthodox church in his area and where the liturgy was served until the council gave him an abandoned church.
I attend (when possible) a Russian Orthodox house church. It's on the ground floor of an old townhouse, priest lives upstairs. Outside its indistinguishable from the other homes around it, inside its indistinguishable from a purpose-built church.
The book of Revelation gives some evidence on liturgy. And: The Christian church at first was seen as a Jewish group. Did the Jews in those days have liturgy? Yes. Did Christians have unusual places to gather? Yes, see Acts - at the river. Then: How long do houses really last? Therefore Dura-Europos is a great finding, and one can assume it was not at all the only house church. In the times to come we might (have to) rediscover the treasure a house church is: Liturgy and spirituality not buried in the beauty of a big church or cathedral. So one should start with ones Icon corner. At once.
Not necessarily orthodox, but I know that house churches were a thing in post protestant reformation England due to persecution. Another example is in holland where non Protestant churches were tolerated but weren’t allowed to show public services or looks like a church. Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or Our lord in the attic is a good example it’s a Catholic Church inside a very normal Dutch house.
I have watched a number of your videos and find them very useful and insightful... Regarding what you have to say about churches in houses in the first century what I do not understand is why does Paul (in Romans 16:5) make a request to the recipient of the letter to - "greet the church" - along with greeting other "named" people.... If the "church" is a building or a sacred place of assembly then how can it be greeted?... The way this verse is worded I would interpret it to mean that the flesh and blood believers are the actual - "church" - and not the inanimate architecture... Can you provide me more information on this so I have your insight?... Thanks!... God Bless, Mark
"The Church" is the body of Christ, and the Church gathers in places that have become known as "churches". Paul was always addressing the body of believers, but the believers were gathering in a particular home/place. Church tradition, the Scriptures, and the various stories/references in this episode tell us that the space used was also important, and remains important till today. Thanks so much for watching!
@@Patristix Thank you for your prompt reply..... Another question I have that you may be able to answer accurately is this: When did the church technically begin?... For instance did it begin before or after Jesus was crucified? Or after Pentecost or after accension or the day Jesus began his ministry? Or did it begin when he greeted his first disciple, etc. ?
I am not being contrary. I just want to know how you know (archeological etc) that these were spaces used for nothing but the gathering of the saints? Where do we get the idea that these (mostly women actually 🙂) had large enough homes to dedicate such a space just for 'Church'? I am sincere in my question.
As a Christian wanting to learn more about house church, I agree with your question, I would think it would be a home in a sense like today larger or smaller yet dwelling place where people gather together to worship but not much larger that today's home
Well produced content, however, it definitely seems like he is reading into historical facts what he wants to see. For instance referring to '2 gold cups' as communion chalices... just because a christian home was raided and property was taken, doesn't mean we can assume it had some sort of religious significance. Read the whole list, it is more likely they just took a bunch of expensive items to punish him for being christian... t
Wait. . .it's not in Salwa is it? We used to live near the church there but weren't at that time Orthodox. We were always blessed by how well their children behaved on outings to Salwa park, it was really a striking witness to see 60 plus well-behaved teens and kids there. And right before we left Kuwait, I went to get my hair cut in another part of Salwa, near to the co-op, and while there I met someone who told me it's his family who owned the Orthodox church building there - small world! God bless you. @AbdulRahman-bi1nu
Not finding anything credible on the house belonging to Peter, other than it being a home in Capernaum used for Christian worship and possibly communal living. The idea that the house belonged to Peter seems to be all assumption. Also, the artifacts found in the Christian home that you mentioned were from nearly 300 years after the 1st century church. Hardly evidence that this is how the “house church” had always operated. God bless!
Peter's house church: there is evidence of a first century house in the ruins. The evidence of it being his house is not definitive obviously, but the circumstantial evidence is very strong. The fact that a 1st century house became a massive Christian centre in the Byzantine age after being actively used for 300 years, in a town connected scripturally with Peter and Jesus, is strong though obviously not definite connection. The artefact evidence is strong. The artefacts in the text at Cirta are from A.D 303. That's 203 years after the 1st century The artefacts in Dura Europos date to around AD 235, that's only 135 years after the 1st century While it's theoretically possible that the 'home church' practice changed dramatically during so short a time, it is unlikely. We rely on those same generations of Christians for preserving the New Testament without adjusting it. Considering that both of these home church finds predate the established New Testament canon, and almost every New Testament manuscript we hold, questioning their continuation as true faith raises a question as to why we trust the New Testament validity which had to be preserved by the same Christians for a much longer time.
@@Patristix "questioning their continuation as true faith raises a question as to why we trust the New Testament validity which had to be preserved by the same Christians for a much longer time." - I assume there were multiple copies of the NT texts but not multiple copies of Dura Europos
This channel is a hidden gem
It really is.
Could not agree more.
I was atheist, then radically born again, served in churches briefly, started a house church, moved, fell away and now God has brought me to orthodoxy. It feels like a blindfold has been taken from me. Still need to take the steps to begin the process of joining a church though
May God bless your journey. ❤️☦️
Would be cool to hear an update on your journey.
I need to thank your parents for raising you mate. Great video
I grew up in a protestant “home church” environment lol. Quite a difference from what we envisioned it as lol
God Bless you brother, this was simply beautiful ❤
Such a great video on the history of the house churches in early Christianity. I pray that God continues to bless you and your channel and that you continue in your service to God in the work you do in making these uplifting videos. God bless you always!!
Thank you for your encouraging comments!
@@Patristix You are so welcome!!🙏
During the time when we couldn't meet collectively at our church house, our ministering brothers went to church, and preached. Our families listened in their homes, on the phone. Later, we met in small groups in our homes. Eventually, when collective meetings were allowed again, we convened in our school gym so we could worship together and still use social distancing. It was the greatest blessing when we could all worship in the church sanctuary again. We know if 2 or 3 are gathered in Christ's name, He is there. Yet me must not forsake the assembly of the saints. God bless your studying and sharing.
I attend divine liturgy in my Priests home. I look forward to the day we grow enough as a parish for us to get a church building, but I think starting off in a house church was the best way for me to become Orthodox because of the opportunity to be catechized one in one by my Priest.
Great facts. You might be the new worlds most interesting man; well for an Orthodox Christian UA-camr like myself.
I continue to love you all's work.
Thank you, friend!
Our priest has one such house church - the first orthodox church in his area and where the liturgy was served until the council gave him an abandoned church.
I attend (when possible) a Russian Orthodox house church. It's on the ground floor of an old townhouse, priest lives upstairs.
Outside its indistinguishable from the other homes around it, inside its indistinguishable from a purpose-built church.
And THAT is an authentic house church!
Holy flipping moly, this is incredible. I haven’t even seen this from Pageau, and I’ve been following him for years now. Top notch gentlemen.
Great content! Thank you again and again!
Short and sweet and yet packed with a lot of great information, instruction and inspiration. God bless!
Thank you very much for your videos! ❤ Unfortunately, my English is very weak (I'm from Russia), but automatic translation makes almost no mistakes.
I'd love to see a video focused solely on the icon/prayer corner
Amazing thank you!! Blessing to you in Jesus Christ
Loved this! Thank you!!!
God bless you brother
Every episode is great! We want more episodes
Thank you so much! We're definitely not running out of topics!
Great work. Thank you so much! ☦️❤️
The book of Revelation gives some evidence on liturgy. And: The Christian church at first was seen as a Jewish group. Did the Jews in those days have liturgy? Yes. Did Christians have unusual places to gather? Yes, see Acts - at the river. Then: How long do houses really last? Therefore Dura-Europos is a great finding, and one can assume it was not at all the only house church. In the times to come we might (have to) rediscover the treasure a house church is: Liturgy and spirituality not buried in the beauty of a big church or cathedral. So one should start with ones Icon corner. At once.
The channel Orthodox Shahada has a very good video on this topic. The continuity between old testament and new testament liturgical practices.
Fascinating
Love all your videos!
Another great one!
Not necessarily orthodox, but I know that house churches were a thing in post protestant reformation England due to persecution. Another example is in holland where non Protestant churches were tolerated but weren’t allowed to show public services or looks like a church. Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or Our lord in the attic is a good example it’s a Catholic Church inside a very normal Dutch house.
good video
I have watched a number of your videos and find them very useful and insightful... Regarding what you have to say about churches in houses in the first century what I do not understand is why does Paul (in Romans 16:5) make a request to the recipient of the letter to - "greet the church" - along with greeting other "named" people.... If the "church" is a building or a sacred place of assembly then how can it be greeted?... The way this verse is worded I would interpret it to mean that the flesh and blood believers are the actual - "church" - and not the inanimate architecture... Can you provide me more information on this so I have your insight?... Thanks!... God Bless, Mark
"The Church" is the body of Christ, and the Church gathers in places that have become known as "churches". Paul was always addressing the body of believers, but the believers were gathering in a particular home/place. Church tradition, the Scriptures, and the various stories/references in this episode tell us that the space used was also important, and remains important till today.
Thanks so much for watching!
@@Patristix Thank you for your prompt reply..... Another question I have that you may be able to answer accurately is this: When did the church technically begin?... For instance did it begin before or after Jesus was crucified? Or after Pentecost or after accension or the day Jesus began his ministry? Or did it begin when he greeted his first disciple, etc. ?
I am not being contrary. I just want to know how you know (archeological etc) that these were spaces used for nothing but the gathering of the saints? Where do we get the idea that these (mostly women actually 🙂) had large enough homes to dedicate such a space just for 'Church'? I am sincere in my question.
As a Christian wanting to learn more about house church, I agree with your question, I would think it would be a home in a sense like today larger or smaller yet dwelling place where people gather together to worship but not much larger that today's home
Think: a chapel (mini church) in a house.
Exactly this! A house-church is literally a church-church but in a house
My husband wants to build a church in a shed at our house.
Well produced content, however, it definitely seems like he is reading into historical facts what he wants to see. For instance referring to '2 gold cups' as communion chalices... just because a christian home was raided and property was taken, doesn't mean we can assume it had some sort of religious significance. Read the whole list, it is more likely they just took a bunch of expensive items to punish him for being christian... t
My church in Kuwait is actually a house lent to the Church by a Muslim family for two to three generations
That's beautiful!
Wait. . .it's not in Salwa is it? We used to live near the church there but weren't at that time Orthodox. We were always blessed by how well their children behaved on outings to Salwa park, it was really a striking witness to see 60 plus well-behaved teens and kids there. And right before we left Kuwait, I went to get my hair cut in another part of Salwa, near to the co-op, and while there I met someone who told me it's his family who owned the Orthodox church building there - small world! God bless you. @AbdulRahman-bi1nu
Not finding anything credible on the house belonging to Peter, other than it being a home in Capernaum used for Christian worship and possibly communal living. The idea that the house belonged to Peter seems to be all assumption.
Also, the artifacts found in the Christian home that you mentioned were from nearly 300 years after the 1st century church. Hardly evidence that this is how the “house church” had always operated.
God bless!
Peter's house church: there is evidence of a first century house in the ruins. The evidence of it being his house is not definitive obviously, but the circumstantial evidence is very strong. The fact that a 1st century house became a massive Christian centre in the Byzantine age after being actively used for 300 years, in a town connected scripturally with Peter and Jesus, is strong though obviously not definite connection.
The artefact evidence is strong.
The artefacts in the text at Cirta are from A.D 303. That's 203 years after the 1st century
The artefacts in Dura Europos date to around AD 235, that's only 135 years after the 1st century
While it's theoretically possible that the 'home church' practice changed dramatically during so short a time, it is unlikely. We rely on those same generations of Christians for preserving the New Testament without adjusting it. Considering that both of these home church finds predate the established New Testament canon, and almost every New Testament manuscript we hold, questioning their continuation as true faith raises a question as to why we trust the New Testament validity which had to be preserved by the same Christians for a much longer time.
@@Patristix "questioning their continuation as true faith raises a question as to why we trust the New Testament validity which had to be preserved by the same Christians for a much longer time." - I assume there were multiple copies of the NT texts but not multiple copies of Dura Europos