When did the Roman Catholic Church begin?

Fall Religions & Cults Catholicism

TL;DR:

The Roman Catholic Church didn’t begin on a single date—it developed gradually as church leadership, tradition, and claims of authority drifted from the New Testament biblical pattern. Its history warns that even a church with an orthodox foundation can slowly compromise the Bible until error becomes doctrine.

what does the bible say?

The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) grew out of centuries of accumulated errors. Its foundation was orthodox, but it slowly drifted as those errors compounded. Therefore, there’s no official starting date. The term “Roman Catholic Church” came into common use during the Protestant Reformation to distinguish that church from the push to return to orthodoxy.

Factors contributing to the RCC included a shift away from a plurality of elders (e.g., Acts 14:23) toward the creation of bishop and pope offices, consolidating power in fewer hands. Rome also placed tradition on equal footing with Scripture, opening the door for papal and conciliar interpretations that reinterpreted Scripture and made them binding on Christians. The situation worsened as the spiritual leadership of 5 other cities fell out with Rome, resulting in the Great Schism and the loss of their balancing influence. When the Eastern Roman Empire later fell, an isolated Rome viewed itself as the true and superior church.

The Council of Trent in 1545–1563 officially declared salvation by faith anathema (condemned). Thus, by at least that time, the RCC had officially abandoned Scriptural fidelity. The development of the Catholic Church reminds us that every church risks supplanting Scripture with another authority, and we combat that by ensuring everything we believe is supported by God's Word.

from the old testament

The formation of the Roman Catholic Church is not found in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) emerged long after the Bible canon was formed, so it does not speak directly to it. However, Scripture still speaks to principles that shaped the Roman Catholic Church.
The early church was designed with a plurality of elders. For example, Acts 14:23 reads, “when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” The plural use of “elders” shows that multiple elders were common. Though all elders/pastors are to be qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1–7), that doesn’t make them sinless. With multiple qualified men, they can correct one another. When the second-century church elevated the role of “bishops” (originally another word for an elder, cf. Titus 1:5–7), the church began placing some men with less accountability over others. When the office of Pope was created, even fewer men checked power. When the Western and Eastern churches separated, one man remained with no equal to serve as a counterbalance.
The RCC treats tradition as Scripture when it becomes the “official” tradition of the RCC, such as when the Pope declares something true or a Council defines it. The New Testament does mention tradition, but it refers to the Apostles' tradition before it was written down (e.g., 2 Thessalonians 2:15). Once Scripture was written, it became “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). By accepting tradition alongside Scripture, the RCC expanded and then ultimately lost Scripture.
The RCC claims a right to define doctrine because of a supposed lineage back to Peter. They argue that Jesus built the church on him (Matthew 16:18); therefore, those in his line have the same authority to expand and interpret Scripture. However, this is problematic on multiple levels. Scripture provides no evidence that Peter was even an elder in Rome, let alone a “pope.” Paul rebuked Peter when he began sinfully isolating himself from Gentiles (Galatians 2:11–14), showing that even Peter was accountable to Scripture and to the other elders when he erred. Scripture doesn’t teach any ongoing succession; instead, it says that just as prophets were given for a time, so were Apostles (Ephesians 2:20). That time has passed, and we have all we need for life and godliness in the written Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

implications for today

One of the saddest things about the Roman Catholic Church was that it had the same foundation as orthodox Christianity. There’s no reason it had to turn out as it did! Though the Roman Catholic Church shares a theological background with us, it shows how placing human opinion alongside Scripture as authoritative can push an otherwise sound ship off course.

For us, the lesson is to remain vigilant in our own faithfulness. When the Protestant Reformation started, it wasn’t originally an attempt to split from the RCC. It was the desire to bring the RCC back into alignment with Scripture. Only when that failed, and the religious powers refused to be corrected, did the split happen.

But how could the Reformers be so bold as to claim what was right and what was wrong? By affirming sola scriptura, “scripture alone.” They understood that Scripture alone was God-breathed and thus sufficient for living righteously (2 Timothy 3:16–17). They determined what was wrong by comparing everything against Scripture. Anything that contradicted it—indulgences, purgatory, the sacrament of penance, human merit toward salvation—needed to go.

This doesn’t mean the Reformation was perfect or that every Reformer behaved well during that time of confusion. However, the movement embodied the standard the true church has always held: Scripture is our infallible, inerrant, and sufficient authority. Let us continue their efforts by ensuring our own churches don’t fall into the RCC trap, but remain Bereans (Acts 17:11) and test everything by God's Word!

understand

The Roman Catholic Church has no official founding date.
Three major factors contributed to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church: the replacement of plural elder leadership with the bishop and pope offices, which concentrated power in fewer hands; the elevation of church tradition to equal authority with Scripture; and the claim of Petrine succession as the basis for doctrinal authority.
By the Council of Trent (1545–1563), which officially condemned salvation by faith alone, the RCC had formally abandoned the gospel and biblical fidelity.

reflect

How does the pattern of the RCC's slow drift warn you about the danger of making small theological compromises?
How can we distinguish between Catholics who want to follow Jesus and the institution of the Roman Catholic Church?
How does the RCC’s elevation of tradition over Scripture challenge you to examine whether any of your own traditions or assumptions compete with the Bible's authority in your life?

engage

How do Roman Catholic beliefs and practices differ from what the Bible says?
What biblical basis supports the RCC's claim of Petrine succession, and how does Paul's public rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2 undermine that argument?
How should the distinction between errors in Roman Catholic doctrine and the genuine faith of individual Catholics shape the way we engage with Catholic friends, family, and coworkers?

More Resources

Catholicism

Can a Catholic be saved?

Salvation is not determined by church affiliation but by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Catholics, like individuals of any denomination, are saved if they trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross for their salvation. At the same time, some Roman Catholic teachings on salvation diverge from the biblical message of grace through faith alone.

Catholicism

Are Catholic practices biblical?

Catholic practices rely on extrabiblical traditions for grace, but the Bible shows that salvation and access to God come through faith in Jesus alone. No ceremony, sacrament, or tradition can save a person or replace a direct relationship with God through Christ.

Catholicism

Are Catholic beliefs biblical?

Catholic beliefs go beyond what the Bible teaches—adding traditions, mediators, and practices that shift focus away from Christ alone. Salvation, authority, and access to God are found fully and finally in Jesus—not in human systems, rituals, or extra-biblical traditions.

Catholicism

Is the Roman Catholic Church the first church?

The church began at Pentecost as the Spirit-formed body of Christ, not as a single institution—and the New Testament presents Christ alone as its head. While Roman Catholicism traces historical roots to early Christianity, its later claims of papal supremacy go beyond the pattern of shared elder leadership seen in the early church.