Developing a post-apostolic identity: examining the influence of education within the Ancient Church and its role in the development of a Ductu in Primitiva Ecclesia

The aim of this thesis is to provide a deeper perception and understanding of the place of education and teaching that was at work in the early church and its role in the development of the leadership in the early church. This involves an examination of the epistemological changes that occurred from New Testament times through the first three centuries of the Church, and an examination of how the ancient Church applied that understanding through it various pedagogical methodologies to effect and incorporate a real change in the ontological nature of the Church, resulting in an ‘organisation’ and leadership that in many ways modelled the Roman state and redefined the Church’s heritage.