The heritage handed on from the apostles to the councils
ὁμοούσιοςhomoousiosthe same substance
ὁμοιούσιοςhomoiousiosa similar substance
One letter apart. One word says the Son is the very same God as the Father; the other only that he is like him, and “like” left room for a Son less than God. Real people fought over words like these. One Iota is a study portal that introduces you to the people of the early Church, and them to you: the apostles, the Fathers and the councils, their courage and their quarrels, and the prayers we still say at every Mass.
Bites Five-minute reads on the people, councils and prayers that shaped the faith, each ending with a question to chew on. Take them at your own pace.
For those who want to dig deeper: a reading plan into the sources themselves, the Fathers and councils in their own words. I’d encourage you to go there.
Did the Council of Nicaea choose the books of the Bible? Did St Nicholas really slap Arius? Test what you think you know.
The apostles and the Fathers were people, not statues. Here are their stories, quarrels and all.
Saints, heretics, emperors and martyrs: see at a glance who taught, baptised, befriended or condemned whom.
The bites
Five-minute reads, each ending with a question to chew on. Read them through history, or follow them through the Mass.
Dig deeper, and perhaps together
When the bites have whetted your appetite, the reading plan takes you into the sources themselves: the apostles, the Fathers and the councils in their own words, in eleven stages at your own pace. I’d encourage it. The sources are shorter and livelier than you might expect, and no Greek or prior study is needed.
If enough people are interested, we’ll start a reading group to discuss it together. Just curiosity, good questions and better company. If that appeals, let me know through the contact form.
Reading plan
Eleven stages, from the Council of Jerusalem to Newman, for those who want to go beyond the bites and into the sources themselves. Read at your own pace; about a fortnight per stage works well.
Each stage opens with a question. Read the primary sources first (they are shorter and livelier than you might expect), then the background if you want the wider story. Tick off each stage as you finish it; your progress is saved on this device.
Books worth owning
Early Christian Writings (Penguin Classics), for stages 1 and 2, and for Polycarp and the Letter to Diognetus in stage 3
Leo Donald Davis, The First Seven Ecumenical Councils, for stages 5–10
Benedict XVI, The Apostles and Church Fathers, for short background throughout
Henry Chadwick, The Early Church (Penguin), the classic one-volume history, as a narrative companion to the whole plan
Most primary sources are also free online at New Advent (newadvent.org/fathers), including Justin, Perpetua and Irenaeus for stages 3 and 4. Pliny’s letters to Trajan are easy to find online, or in Penguin’s The Letters of the Younger Pliny.
Rather read with others?
If enough people are interested, we’ll start a reading group to work through the plan together, one stage per meeting. If that appeals, let me know through the contact form.
Myth or fact?
Things people often say about the early Church and the Mass. Some are true, some are legends, and some are half-remembered films. Pick one for each.
Did they really?
The Apostles and Fathers were persons, not statues. Here are the stories that show it: their courage and their fear, their quarrels and reconciliations, their repentance and the grace that met them, and characters that weren’t always flattering. Councils started early, bishops quit in disgust, a pope was dragged from the altar, and a teenager stole pears. The Church’s teaching came through these people, not around them. Tap any story to read it.
Who’s who
The people of One Iota and how they were connected, from the Twelve at the top down through the centuries. Tap or click anyone to see their connections and a short introduction, with a link to their bite or story. Positions follow time only roughly.
How to read the chart
People
Man Woman Pope, numbered in the succession (popes have their own lane on the left, joined by a dotted line) Bishop or apostle Other Christians Pagan Left the Church, or died out of communion Condemned after death, or whether they left is debated
Borders and crowns
Saint (including saints of the Eastern Catholic Churches) Martyr Saint and martyr Emperor, king, empress or queen Doctor of the Church
Relationships (untick to hide)
A dashed line means the link is uncertain or rests on later tradition. Arrows point from the one who acted (taught, baptised, affirmed, rejected, condemned) to the one acted on. The green and orange lines cover teaching as well as friendship and rivalry: who built on whose thought, and who rejected it.
Councils
Legitimate council Rejected council
Tap a council’s name at the right of the chart for a summary and links.
About One Iota
Our parishes and archdiocese offer plenty of talks and seminars, and good people put real work into them. But I kept noticing that what I wanted, and what I suspect many young Catholics my age want, was something different: not more commentary on the faith, but the story of how it came to us.
Every Sunday I say that the Son is “consubstantial with the Father”. I believe it. But who first said it, and why? What did it cost them? What would the Church look like if they had lost the argument? The early Church fought over words that look tiny, an iota here, a preposition there, and those words turned out to be holding up everything we believe.
So I started reading the apostles, the Fathers and the councils for myself, and One Iota is what came of it: short bites to open the door, a reading plan for going further, and an honest look at the people involved, rough edges included.
One Iota is also the first, pilot series of Bite-size Formation: short, self-paced introductions to aspects of the Catholic faith that parish and diocesan programmes less often cover.
I’m not an expert, just a Catholic who wants to know where his faith came from. If you’d like to read along, and perhaps meet to talk it over, let me know through the contact form below.
What our readers say
A few of the suggestions, questions and reflections readers have sent in, shared with their permission.
Support this project
One Iota is a personal passion project, free to read. If you’ve found it useful, and it has helped you appreciate your faith and the early Church more deeply, any support would be gratefully received.
Get in touch
Suggestions, corrections, questions, interest in a reading group, or a note about what you found helpful: I read every message, and the most thought-provoking may appear above, with your permission.
