Introduction
All believers could be thought of as members of God’s
household (Eph. 2.19). Yet individual
congregations were, in themselves, ‘Christian households’—an extension of an
actual household. The characteristics of
a home are different from other social structures or organizations, and so
several characteristics of the home are shared with the church. Ancient authors wrote on the nature of
societies, aware of different practices, customs, laws, and constitutions. They compared the household’s members, relationships,
and dynamics to the city. Christians,
following the Jewish practice of the synagogue, understood a social unit that
fit between the household and the city: the church. Unlike the synagogue, however, the church was
a house church, and in this way the relationship between the home and the
church was even stronger. This essay
highlights several ways in which the Christian family household was extended
into the church ‘family’ in the early Church.
1. Household Values: The home is a place for building others (strong and weak) up, living in harmony, and welcoming
others. These features of the home
appear in the local church:
Romans 15:1-2 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the
failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his
neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Romans 15:5-6 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to
live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one
voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you,
for the glory of God.
2. Household Practices: Also, homes were places for fellowship and eating, and
Christian worship was centred on them, especially in the celebration of the
Lord’s Supper.
Acts 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their
homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts….
Jude 1:12 These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without
fear, looking after themselves….
1 Corinthians 11:20-21 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that
you eat. 21 For in eating,
each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
3. Social Interaction and Living
Life Together
Social interaction was a strong feature of Greek and
Roman cultures. It was a feature of the
home, marketplace, clubs, and temples.
Eating together was a feature of all these settings. The early Church, too, saw social interaction
as a key to the Christian life. Hebrews
10.25 says,
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love
and good works, 25 not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Luke records that the early church in Jerusalem ‘devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers’ (Acts 2.42). Key aspects of the church’s social interaction
were attending the temple together, eating together in one another’s homes, and
worshipping God together (2.46-47). Also,
Jerusalem Christians even voluntarily sold their belongings and distributed the
proceeds to those in need and otherwise held things in common (2.44-45). Their interaction was not only social but
also spiritual—with God, whose presence among them was evident through many
wonders and signs done by the apostles (2.43).
4. Teaching in the Household: Education is always an important feature of the
household, even if children go to school.
In the Graeco-Roman household, a slave may have been tasked to teach or
watch over children, including disciplining them (the paidagogos). Husbands were
expected to educate their wives and hold them to the standards of the
household. Children were trained in the
virtues and values of the household: education outside the home did not replace
this. The house church was also a place
where teaching could take place during the day or night, whether in worship
services or not. We catch a glimpse of
this ministry out of homes from a couple of passages in Acts:
Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease
teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Acts 20:20-21 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that
was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to
Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In
Titus 2, the age, gender, and social differences of the standard Graeco-Roman
family are mentioned as groups receiving special teaching. Other household codes, already found in
philosophical writings (e.g., Aristotle, Politics;
Economics) as the initial building block of society, were applied by
Christian authors to the church (1 Corinthians 7; 1 Thessalonians 4.1-12; Ephesians
5.22-6.9; Colossians 3.18-4.1; 1 Peter 2.13-3.7).
5. Hospitality and Guests in the
Household: One aspect of
the home that served the saints was Christian hospitality. Several verses from the New Testament seem
pertinent for this point, beginning with the verse mentioning Stephanas:
1 Corinthians 16:15-16 Now I urge you, brothers- you know that the household
of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted
themselves to the service of the saints-
16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker
and laborer.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show
hospitality.
1 Timothy 5:9-10 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty
years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for
good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed
the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to
every good work.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
1
Peter
4:9 Show hospitality to
one another without grumbling.
Household hospitality was also extended to strangers—a
cultural practice that became a Christian value. We read, ‘Do not neglect to show hospitality
to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing
it’ (Heb. 13.2). Paul offers a brief
work about how to treat members in the church, strangers to the church, and
those in opposition to the church: ‘Contribute to the needs of the saints;
extend hospitality to strangers. 14
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them’ (Rom. 12.13-14).
A particular form of hospitality to strangers was the
help one church might provide to missionaries from another church, as we read
in 3 John:
3 John 1:5-8 Beloved, it is a
faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they
are, 6 who testified to your
love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a
manner worthy of God. 7 For
they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the
Gentiles. 8 Therefore we
ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the
truth.
Larger homes gave special attention to the hosting of
guests. Vitruvius Pollio says:
For when the Greeks became more luxurious, and their
circumstances more opulent, they began to provide dining rooms, chambers, and
store-rooms of provisions for their guests from abroad, and on the first day
they would invite them to dinner, sending them on the next chickens, eggs,
vegetables, fruits, and other country produce. This is why artists called
pictures representing the things which were sent to guests “xenia.” Thus, too,
the heads of families, while being entertained abroad, had the feeling that
they were not away from home, since they enjoyed privacy and freedom in such
guests' apartments (The Ten Books on
Architecture VI.7.4).
Paul, committed to take the Gospel to the nations, took
full advantage of this custom. We see
him making plans or accepting invitations to stay in the guest rooms of
families:
Acts 16:15 And after she was
baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she
prevailed upon us.
Acts 21:16 And some of the
disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of
Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Titus 3:12 When I send Artemas
or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided
to spend the winter there.
Philemon 22 At the same time,
prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will
be graciously given to you.
1 Corinthians 16:5-7 I will visit you
after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you
or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I
go. 7 For I do not want to
see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord
permits.
Titus 3:12-13 When I send Artemas
or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided
to spend the winter there. 13
Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they
lack nothing.
Thus we can see how helpful the Graeco-Roman concept of
the home and its architecture was for the early Christian mission. Paul could expect to find lodging in the
guest rooms of these houses, receive people where he was staying to evangelise
or teach them about the Christian faith, or be welcomed to other homes where
the same activity would be welcome.
Also, as persons came to faith, the same homes could be used to entertain
worshippers.
6. Inclusiveness, Membership, and
Mutuality: The home also
provided an interesting ‘space’ for ministry to everyone. A Roman religion such as Mithraism was
designed for males, particularly those in military service. Judaism was typically for Jews, although
God-fearing Gentiles were allowed to attend.
The openness of Graeco-Roman religion to various deities allowed people
to attend various festivals and temples in the city. However, Christianity was both more open and
more closed in its worship, and the house setting was perfect for these
distinctions. It was more open in the
sense that the home was the natural place for masters and slaves, males and
females, adults and children, and persons of different ethnic groups (because
of ethnic groups in the cities and because most slaves were foreign) to come
together. It was more closed in that
Christianity was not an open religion fitting into the rest of polytheistic
society but made the exclusive claim of devotion to one God. It also held members to a holy standard of
living. It judged and excluded those who
did not comply. Worship and community were
conducted in and through homes where others could be welcomed—either as
extended members of the family or as guests.
One remarkable difference Christian life offered was in
regard to the church as the basic, family unit.
This notion stood over against the notion of the individual believer as
the basic unit—without ignoring the importance of every person. But individuals
were also members. Thus, for example, the church could be
described as a single body with many members sharing their gifts for the
benefit of others and the church itself (Romans 12.3-13; 1 Cor. 12.11-25; Eph.
4.1-16). Such a Christian theology of
the church did not argue for an equality in the sense that there were or should
be no distinctions between people, such as masters and slaves, men and women,
parents and children, or even Jews and Gentiles. However, placed within the home, there was a mutuality
(over against the ‘sameness’ of ‘equality’) that derived from the notion of
family or body as a unit. All were
members of the same unit, and each worked for the mutual upbuilding and benefit
of the others. Everyone was a ‘brother’
in the family (among the many references in the New Testament, note several:
Jn. 20.17; 21.23; Acts 1.15; 9.17; 15.23; 21.17; 28.14; Rom. 1.13; Philemon 16;
Heb. 2.11-12, 17; James 1.2; 1 Pt. 2.17; 5.9; 1 Jn. 3.10-17). Hebrews’ author says, ‘Let brotherly love
continue’ (13.1)—the mark of the household church. Even the runaway, Christian slave was a
‘child’ (in the faith?) to Paul and a ‘brother’ to the master: , familial
relationships were extended to members of the household church and all
believers:
Philemon 10-12, 16 I appeal to you for
my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to
you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you,
sending my very heart…. 16 no
longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother- especially to
me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
There was no equality in gifts but a sharing of gifts,
and no equality of position but a mutuality in the family life. Some had greater responsibility or were more
‘presentable,’ whereas others were less so.
The Christian church, however, did not leave these
differences as they were. Instead, they
acknowledged that weaker members were indispensable,
that less honourable members were to be shown greater honour, and that less ‘presentable’ members were to be
treated with greater modesty (1 Cor.
12.22-24). ‘Equality’ was not sameness in functions or roles or gifting or abilities but in the same care shown by each member to
the others (1 Cor. 12.25). Children did
not try to be or did not insist on being adults or parents, but this did not
mean that they were disadvantaged. They
were part of the family, with their needs met like everyone else. They played the role that children play in
the family. The household codes in the
New Testament, such as Col. 3.18-4.1 and Eph. 5.22-6.9, are there not to argue
that everyone was equal in the sense of being the same but that everyone was part of a unit—the family—and that,
if Christ were the focus of and model for everyone, the strife that erupts in
that unit of the family could be removed.
The family was the smallest denominator for the household church in
Christ, and its health extended into larger unit of the household church. This might be seen rather clearly in that
Paul’s description of the Christian household in Eph. 5.22-6.9 is the final
part of a larger section in Ephesians addressing unity in the church, which
starts already in Eph. 4.1:
Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, a
prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to
which you have been called, 2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in
love, 3 eager to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
7. Exaltation of the Slave and
Service in the Household: Moreover,
an even more remarkable understanding existed in the early Christian household
church: the uplifting of the lowest role, ‘slave,’ as the one to model
Christian life and ministry. Christ
himself took this role on behalf of the church: ‘For I tell you that Christ
became a servant…’ (Rom. 15.8). He took
on the form of a slave (Phl. 2.7), and so did his followers (some translations
may use ‘servant’ instead for the Greek, doulos):
·
James,
(1.1) Peter (2 Pt. 1.1), Jude (v. 1), Paul and Timothy (Phl. 1.1) take the
title to themselves
·
Christian
prophets are called ‘slaves’ (Rev. 10.7; 11.18)
·
Moses—God’s
slave (Rev. 15.3)
·
Paul
identifies himself as a slave of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1.1; Titus 1.1).
·
Epaphras
(Col. 4.11) is called a ‘slave’ for his role in ministry
·
Ministers
in the church are the Lord’s slaves (2 Tim. 2.24-25a)
The slave’s modelling of humble service is representative
of Christ’s incarnation, birth in humble circumstances, and obedience to the
Father. This humility is even extended
to execution on the painful, humiliating cross.
And yet this form of service is held up as the key to peace and unity in
the Christian home (Eph. 5.21-6.9), as each member models his or her role in
the family after Christ.
The humble, even suffering, service of a slave
undoubtedly explains why the early Church seldom found ‘leadership’ language or
thinking relevant to ministry. Instead of ‘leaders’ one finds ‘overseers,’ (episkopoi), people with oversight over certain tasks (ergon, 1 Tim.
3.1), such as hospitality, teaching, finances, and—as the head of a household—management
of church members through respect and humility (1 Tim. 3.1-7). The household manager is accompanied in the
early home church in ministry by ‘deacons,’ persons who serve others (e.g., 1 Tim. 3.8-13).
All Christians were to see themselves as slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ
(1. Revelation: 11.18; Rev. 1.1; 2.20; 7.3; 19.2, 5; 22.3), as Paul himself did
(Rom. 12.11; 14.18, contrast 16.18), whereas actual slaves were to see
themselves as free persons (1 Pt. 2.16; 1 Cor. 7.22; 1 Th. 1.9). One can only hope that this simple study
messes with so much literature since the 1970s/1980s about ministry as
‘leadership’.
8. The Home Business and the
Church: The family home, as
already indicated, was associated with a business. The head of the household would likely have a
slave or slaves who worked in the business, and, typically, freedmen remained part
of the master’s business. Moreover, the
family head was likely a patron and had various people depending on him for one
need or another. Thus, the family was
extended further into society than those (including slaves and freedmen) living
in the house itself. Persons in relation
to the home or involved in business with it might show up to the house to
conduct business for a certain portion of the day, and then the master with his
freedmen and others might process to the marketplace for further business. In this way, the home and family was
associated with a wide variety of persons in different social roles. The home and business relationships and the
system of patronage enabled early church evangelism and church planting,
especially with an apostle as guest meeting visitors in the home. We can well imagine this with Paul in
Corinth, staying with Aquila and Priscilla, who were fellow Jews involved in
the same trade (Acts 18.3).
Conclusion
Thus, the church as a family expanded to include slaves
and guests provided an excellent beginning to features of church life that
bonded the members into a tightly connected unit. Instead of a church that sought to have
family (and other) ministries, it was itself a sort of family. ‘Brothers’ and ‘sisters’ lived out the
Christian life together in home settings.
The expansion of the family to a larger group meant that single people
were included in the life of children, peers, married adults, and the elderly
for their own benefit and for the benefit of the ‘family’. Family values, practices, social interaction,
life together, education, hospitality, inclusiveness, membership, mutuality,
service, and business activity were features of the household that extended
into the life of the church.
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Earlier Post: 'How Do We Form Christian Community?' (Lessons on community are considered in regard to an English village setting. While not a Biblical study, the essay considers how aspects of community might be developed by Christians in light of the present challenges that undermine community.)
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