@cosmicfolklore wondered why there were so many Church denominations, and he suggested that I make a thread about why so many appeared. ( Picking on Brits a Bit :: General Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/picking-on-brits-a-bit.107465/post-37139254 )
The question basically asks about the many Protestant churches that formed after the start of the 16th century Reformation. The short answer is that it started either with Luther's 16th century Reformation, or with Reformed Protestant groups that formed in the wake of Luther's denomination.
How you would give a longer answer depends on how much importance you give to institutional unity and authorities, and how they should function in the Church. This part of the story goes back to the very beginning of Christianity, then the development of papal authority, and the dynamics of the Reformation.
Here's how I characterized developments in the first few centuries AD on the other thread
The question basically asks about the many Protestant churches that formed after the start of the 16th century Reformation. The short answer is that it started either with Luther's 16th century Reformation, or with Reformed Protestant groups that formed in the wake of Luther's denomination.
How you would give a longer answer depends on how much importance you give to institutional unity and authorities, and how they should function in the Church. This part of the story goes back to the very beginning of Christianity, then the development of papal authority, and the dynamics of the Reformation.
Here's how I characterized developments in the first few centuries AD on the other thread
In 30 AD, differences over organization and doctrinal questions were clearer-cut because you had Jesus who was the obvious head and could just answer questions directly. In John 6:60-66, some of Jesus' disciples didn't like that He told them that they would have to eat His body, so they stopped following Him. For the future, Jesus appointed apostles who oversaw the Church and gave them his teachings.
In the rest of the 1st century, the apostles led the Church. They used councils like the one in Acts 15 to solve problems. The main splitoff from that period that comes to mind was gnostics like Simon Magus who conflicted with Peter in Acts. To care for the Church after them, the apostles appointed "episcopoi" (ἐπίσκοποι/bishops/overseers/supervisors), and put down basic teachings in the form of the NT, along with oral traditions and customs.
Then from the 2nd century until today, you have a succession of these episcopoi/bishops overseeing the church. They finalized the NT in about the turn of the 1st-2nd century AD, and passed down traditions outside of what's specified in the Bible. They have also used councils to solve disagreements.
In the mid-2nd to late 2nd century a disagreement called the Quartodecimian Controversy arose over the date for celebrating Paskha/Easter. I recall that the main bishop in Rome, the Pope, had the idea that the church in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) should accept the Pope's position because of Rome's importance. But the other Christian bishops in Asia Minor ended up agreeing with the Pope's position without the controversy reaching a head and having to test whether the Pope actually had authority over the rest of the Church.
From the late 2nd century onwards, I see increasing deference given in the Western Christian Church's writings and traditions to the idea of the bishop of Rome holding supreme authority over the rest of Christendom, and the extent of the proposed authority increased as well.
In the rest of the 1st century, the apostles led the Church. They used councils like the one in Acts 15 to solve problems. The main splitoff from that period that comes to mind was gnostics like Simon Magus who conflicted with Peter in Acts. To care for the Church after them, the apostles appointed "episcopoi" (ἐπίσκοποι/bishops/overseers/supervisors), and put down basic teachings in the form of the NT, along with oral traditions and customs.
Then from the 2nd century until today, you have a succession of these episcopoi/bishops overseeing the church. They finalized the NT in about the turn of the 1st-2nd century AD, and passed down traditions outside of what's specified in the Bible. They have also used councils to solve disagreements.
In the mid-2nd to late 2nd century a disagreement called the Quartodecimian Controversy arose over the date for celebrating Paskha/Easter. I recall that the main bishop in Rome, the Pope, had the idea that the church in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) should accept the Pope's position because of Rome's importance. But the other Christian bishops in Asia Minor ended up agreeing with the Pope's position without the controversy reaching a head and having to test whether the Pope actually had authority over the rest of the Church.
From the late 2nd century onwards, I see increasing deference given in the Western Christian Church's writings and traditions to the idea of the bishop of Rome holding supreme authority over the rest of Christendom, and the extent of the proposed authority increased as well.
