How did proto-orthodox Christianity develop?

Proto-orthodox Christianity was an early Christian movement that served as the precursor to Christian orthodoxy and the state church of the Roman Empire. The term was coined by scholar Bentley Layton and popularized by Bart D. Ehrman, who described how the movement grew prominent by the end of the third century by stifling opposition and labeling rivals as heretics. While early Christianity featured diverse sects and doctrines, critics argue that proto-orthodoxy had the most common ground with the 1st-century followers of Jesus.

What we know

• Proto-orthodox Christianity is the early Christian movement that acted as the precursor to Christian orthodoxy. [1, 2]
• The term proto-orthodox was coined by scholar Bentley Layton and popularized for non-academic audiences by Bart D. Ehrman. [2]
• By the end of the third century, the proto-orthodox group became prominent, stifling its opposition and claiming its views were always the majority position. [2]
• Older literature frequently referred to the proto-orthodox group as early Catholic. [2]

Still open

• Scholars disagree on whether proto-orthodoxy was simply one of many diverse early sects that successfully suppressed rivals, or if it genuinely represented the most common variety of Christianity tracing back directly to the 1st century.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Bentley Layton?
• how we knowWhat arguments did Bart Ehrman make about early Christianity?
• what caused itHow did the Council of Nicaea shape Christian history?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the core beliefs of global Christianity today?
• compared withHow did Gnosticism interact with early orthodox movements?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a Yale Coptologist connect to popular modern religious debates?Bentley Layton coined a technical term for Coptic and Gnostic studies that Bart Ehrman later popularized globally to challenge traditional views of church history.

Sources

• [1]Proto-orthodox Christianity (Wikidata Q3543814) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Proto-orthodox Christianity · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Orthodox · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Christianity · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Timeline of Orthodox Tewahedo Christianity · CC BY-SA 4.0