Ancient Smyrna is the first place ever referred to as the Catholic Church.
The original "catholic" church was founded by Jesus through His apostles. Though most do not seem to realize it, the first time the term "catholic church" is found in the ancient literature is not a reference to a church in Rome, but in a writing from Ignatius of Antioch to the Church of God in Smyrna.
In the early part of the second century A.D. Bishop Ignatius wrote the following:
Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and of the beloved Jesus Christ, which has through mercy obtained every kind of gift, which is filled with faith and love, and is deficient in no gift, most worthy of God, and adorned with holiness: the Church which is at Smyrna, in Asia, wishes abundance of happiness, through the immaculate Spirit and word of God...
See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles...
Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church ...(Ignatius. Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 0.0., 8.1, 8.2).
Therefore the first time that the term "catholic church" is used, it is in a letter to those in Smyrna, not Rome. Thus, as far as the literature is concerned, the Church in Smyrna was The Original Catholic Church of God.
Smyrna was an area in Asia Minor that was under the human direction of Bishop Polycarp. Notice the following written by Irenaeus of Lyon around 170 A.D.:
The Ephesians greet you from Smyrna, from where I am writing you. They… have refreshed me in every respect, together with Polycarp, the bishop of the Smyrnaeans (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, Verse 3 and Chapter 3, Verse 4)
Polycarp, as the Latin (Roman Catholic Church) and Greek (Eastern Orthodox) churches readily acknowledge, had apostolic succession and was placed in charge by the Apostle John.
The second time the term "catholic church" seems to be found in ancient writings is in a letter written about 156 A.D. from the Church of God in Smyrna who wrote about the martyrdom of Bishop Polycarp:
...the elect, of whom this most admirable Polycarp was one, having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the catholic church which is in Smyrna (The Smyrnaeans. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 16.2).
Thus, it was Polycarp's church--the Smyrnaean Church of God--that truly was the original "catholic church." The original term, according to most scholars, was used more of as a description than a title, yet the fact is that the expression "catholic church" was originally directed to the Church of God in Smyrna.
The Smyrnaeans also referred to themselves as part of the Church of God:
The Church of God which sojourns at Smyrna…(The Smyrnaeans. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 0.0. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0102.htm>)
Since the first two times the term "the catholic church" was used was in reference to those of Smyrna, who referred to themselves as the Church of God, in modern times we have utilized the name The Original Catholic Church of God.
The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God in Smyrna was faithful to the original Christian teachings. Not only was the is view of the Christians in Asia Minor, this was also the view of early church historians such as Irenaeus of Lyon and Tertullian of Alexandria, as well as, in more recent times, The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Around 180 A.D., Irenaeus wrote:
Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna…always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time..(Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4).
Notice that Polycarp had apostolic succession, taught what he had learned from the apostles, and according to Irenaeus, his area had apostolic succession.
Tertullian was once a Catholic theologian who lived in the late second and early third centuries A.D. (whoever, he ended up improperly following an apostate named Montanus). Regarding the identity of the true church, Tertullian wrote:
The real question is, 'To whom does the Faith belong? Whose are the Scriptures? By whom, through whom, when and to whom has been handed down the discipline by which we are Christians? The answer is plain: Christ sent His apostles, who founded churches in each city, from which the others have borrowed the tradition of the Faith and the seed of doctrine and daily borrow in order to become churches; so that they also are Apostolic in that they are the offspring of the Apostolic churches' (Tertullian. Liber de praescriptione haereticorum, circa 208 A.D. As quoted in Chapman J. Transcribed by Lucy Tobin. Tertullian. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).
To further answer those questions, Tertullian then concluded that there were only two possibilities at the time (around 200 A.D.) as he wrote,
Anyhow the heresies are at best novelties, and have no continuity with the teaching of Christ. Perhaps some heretics may claim Apostolic antiquity: we reply: Let them publish the origins of their churches and unroll the catalogue of their bishops till now from the Apostles or from some bishop appointed by the Apostles, as the Smyrnaeans count from Polycarp and John, and the Romans from Clement and Peter; let heretics invent something to match this (ibid.).
Tertullian essentially claimed no other group could prove they were the church started by the apostles. Note that he specifically mentioned the Smyrnaeans who traced themselves through John and Polycarp.
The Eastern Orthodox state the following in a ceremony about Polycarp:
As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O Hieromartyr Polycarp ...This apostolic and prophetic man, and model of faith and truth, was a disciple of John the Evangelist (Polycarp the Holy Martyr & Bishop of Smyrna. Greek Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/saints.asp?contentid=439 8/27/05).
Irenaeus noted that Polycarp would not accept the authority of the Bishop of Rome (who was then Anicetus) as Polycarp would not change from teachings that he learned from John and the other apostles regarding observance of Pascha (the Roman Bishop preferred the Sunday after the Pascha date):
And when the blessed Polycarp was sojourning in Rome in the time of Anicetus, although a slight controversy had arisen among them as to certain other points…For neither could Anicetus persuade Polycarp to forego the observance [in his own way], inasmuch as these things had been always observed by John the disciple of our Lord, and by other apostles with whom he had been conversant; nor, nor, on the other hand, could Polycarp succeed in persuading Anicetus to keep [the observance in his way], for he maintained that he was bound to adhere to the usage of the presbyters who preceded him. And in this state of affairs they held fellowship with each other; and Anicetus conceded to Polycarp in the Church the celebration of the Eucharist, by way of showing him respect; so that they parted in peace one from the other, maintaining peace with the whole Church, both those who did observe [this custom] and those who did not Irenaeus. (FRAGMENTS FROM THE LOST WRITINGS OF IRENAEUS. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Excerpted from Volume I of The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors); American Edition copyright © 1885. Electronic version copyright © 1997 by New Advent, Inc.).
The Bishop of Rome, Anicetus, conceded enough that no recorded major ‘blowup’ between the two survived. Yet, both groups remained separate. This was also later confirmed by Bishop Polycrates' letter to the later Roman Bishop Victor (approximately four decades after Bishop Polycarp's visit to Rome). Bishop Polycrates claimed that his area had apostolic succession and listed the bishops/patriarchs of the area from the time of the apostles until the late second century:
We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord's coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead ? All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren throughout the world, and have gone through every Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For those greater than I have said ' We ought to obey God rather than man'...I could mention the bishops who were present, whom I summoned at your desire; whose names, should I write them, would constitute a great multitude. And they, beholding my littleness, gave their consent to the letter, knowing that I did not bear my gray hairs in vain, but had always governed my life by the Lord Jesus (Eusebius. Church History. Book V, Chapter 25).
The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches that "the See of Ephesus, {was} founded by St. John the Apostle" ( The Byzantine Empire. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. Nihil Obstat. November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 2 Feb. 2010 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03096a.htm>).
Many Roman and Orthodox Catholic writers acknowledge Polycarp as to having been in charge of an apostolic see and that this see was faithful:
Episcopal sees were dotted all over the world which ever after traced their line of bishops back to their apostolic founder. Timothy was placed at Ephesus, Titus in Crete, Polycarp in Smyrna. When St. John wrote his Apocalypse, he addressed himself to the bishops of the seven principal churches of Asia Minor, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, which were all metropolitan sees. (Paulist Fathers. Genesis of the Catholic Church. In Catholic World, part 2. Paulist Fathers, 1881. Original from the University of California, Digitized Feb 11, 2010, p. 185)
Polycarp...Appointed to be Bishop of the See of Smyrna by the Apostles themselves, at the age of 40, he provides us with an important link in our long historical chain of Orthodox tradition clasping together the Apostles and the Second Century Church. (Youssef HG, Bishop. St. Polycarp the Blessed Peacemaker. Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. http://suscopts.org/resources/literature/174/st-polycarp-the-beloved-peacemaker/ viewed 12/01/2012)
Smyrna...Christianity was preached to the inhabitants at an early date. As early as the year 93, there existed a Christian community directed by a bishop for whom St. John in the Apocalypse (i, II; ii, 8-11) has only words of praise…There were other Christians in the vicinity of the city and dependent on it to whom St. Polycarp wrote letters (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", V, xxiv). When Polycarp was martyred…the Church of Smyrna sent an encyclical concerning his death to the Church of Philomelium and others (Vailhe’ S. Transcribed by Lucia Tobin. Smyrna. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).
The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God holds to the same teachings, practices, liturgy, and traditions that have been preserved throughout the church age by the faithful followers and those who have succession from the original apostles. Additionally, unlike the Latin and Greek churches, The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God does not accept that changes made in Ecumenical Councils, such as those called by and presided over by Roman emperors, must be adhered to by the faithful Christians.
Furthermore, while the Latin and Greek churches have their own version of what is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, their versions were changed as a result of various councils and/or synods. The oldest know "creed" is called the "old Roman creed" and it better reflects the original faith than later versions could.
In the latter portion of the third century and even into the fourth century, many Smyrnaeans (especially those with a Jewish heritage) in the Asia Minor area were known as Nazarenes and some were known as Paulicians.
The Bible records that the Apostle Paul was considered to be the head of the Nazarenes:
1...Paul...5 For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes (Acts 24:5).
The fourth century Catholic historian Epiphanius wrote of this group from the time of 69/70 A.D. until his day, and he starts out with an interesting admission:
All Christians were called Nazarenes once…They were so-called followers of the apostles…they dedicate themselves to the law…However, everyone called the Christians Nazarenes as I said before. This appears from the accusation against Paul…[Acts 24:5]… For they use not only the New Testament but also the Old…For they also accept the resurrection of the dead and that everything has origin in God…Only in this respect they differ from the Jews and Christians: with the Jews they do not agree because of their belief in Christ, with the Christians because they are trained in the Law, in circumcision, the Sabbath and the other things… This heresy of the Nazarenes exists in Beroea in the neighborhood of Coele Syria and the Decapolis in the region of Pella and in Basanitis in the so-called Kokabe, Chochabe in Hebrew. For from there it took its beginning after the exodus from Jerusalem and to go away since it would undergo a siege. Because of this advice they lived in Perea after having moved to that place as I said. There the Nazarene heresy had its beginning (Epiphanius. Panarion 29 as cited in Pritz, Nazarene Jewish Christianity. Magnas, Jerusalem, 1988, pp. 30-35).
Notice that Epiphanius states that the remnant who fled to Pella from Jerusalem, while professing Christ, believed the entire Bible, and had practices that he did not.
Were these Nazarenes faithful Christians or not?
Yes, they were. Notice the following from the Roman Catholic priest and scholar B. Bagatti:
...the Nazarenes did not differ much in faith from the gentile Christians...
St. Epiphanius, speaking of the Nazarenes...they celebrated Easter on the 14th...
They live in the city of Boroea (Aleppo), in Coelo-Syria, in the Decapolis near Pella and in Batanea in the place they call Cochabe and in Hebrew Kocabe. There name Nazarene comes from Nazareth "which today is a village in which the house of Joseph (Jesus) was educated"...
St. Jerome, writing..."Nazarenes. They believe in Christ, Son of God, born of the Virgin..."
In conclusion, regarding the Nazarenes, both St. Epiphanius and St. Jerome have nothing to condemn them for except the observance of customs forbidden by the Councils (Bagatti, Bellarmino. Translated by Eugene Hoade. The Church from the Circumcision. Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970. Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, pp.31,34,35).
The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God keeps the original apostolic faith to this day and still does not accept that they must follow various decisions of the Latin-Greek councils.
The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God has followers who meet/reside in the Caribbean, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the South Pacific.
The Original Apostolic Catholic Church of God. Euclides Morillo 130, Arroyo Hondo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Email oaccog@gmail.com
Iglesia Católica Apostólica Original de Dios, Inc. Puerto Rico.