Christian congregations have been holding meetings of one sort or another since the Ascension of Jesus Christ around 33 CE. While they did not immediately start building churches, instead seeking other pre-existing places of worship, church buildings were erected early in Christian history.
Where Christians First Met
The first recorded meeting places for Christians were in Jewish Synagogues and the homes of believers. As Christianity was birthed out of Judaism, and Jesus preached and read scripture in synagogues Himself, many early Christians were Jews and adapted their meeting places to their new beliefs. The synagogue system, established by the much-maligned pharisees, arose in many major cities throughout the Roman Empire and were some of the first places Christianity spread. We often find the Apostle Paul in particular preaching and teaching in synagogues on his travels.
Home Meetings
Home meetings were the other places in which early Christians met. Meeting in the synagogues was often contentious with Jews who did not convert to Christianity, or religious persecution necessitated a more private meeting place. Also, wealthy believers had ample meeting space for the growing Christian communities, such as Lydia in Acts 16, in whose house may have been the first European house church:
“14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 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…”
The Oldest Christian “House Church”
The oldest known “house church” which was converted to use for a congregation is the Dura-Europos church in Syria. Built sometime around the 230s CE, it also contained what may be the oldest known Christian art, with several Frescos of Old and New Testament scenes, as well as a Baptistry. Its present condition is unknown, as the area has been under the control of Islamic militants for some time amidst the ongoing strife in Syria, but the frescoes have been preserved at Yale University from its 1930s excavation.
The Earliest Church Structure
Megiddo church in near Tel Megiddo, Israel is the earliest known church structure. Built at least around 230 CE, it contains one of the oldest statements of Jesus as divine outside of the Bible. In Greek, it reads:
“The God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.”
It is unknown as to whether or not the Megiddo church was purpose-built to be a church building, or was some sort of converted structure.
The Oldest Purpose-Built Church
Aqaba Church in Aqaba, Jordan, built around 300 CE, is the oldest building built for the purpose of being a Christian Church. Its structure is that of many other early church buildings, in the shape of a cross. Although an earthquake in 363 CE extensively damaged the church, its burial underneath the sand protected its surviving walls. Along with the other two churches above, Aqaba Church was built before the reign of Constantine and the legalization of Christianity, so these churches survived through various persecutions, such as that of Diocletian in the early 300s.
These early churches point toward a wide-ranging, growing Christianity with resources and congregants who were able to pool together what they had to build meeting places and commit themselves to an open expression of their faith.
