Early Christian Teachings on Family
Early Christians taught that family life should be marked by honor, obedience, care, and self-control. Ignatius, Polycarp, Theophilus of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, and the Apostolic Constitutions all speak clearly about children, parents, husbands, and wives. They also call the church a true household, where believers live as brothers and sisters in Christ. Some of the strongest passages are direct, while others are broader Bible passages about the household of faith.
155 early-church witnesses · 269 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about family?
Early Christians taught that family duties mattered and should be ordered under Christ. Writers like Ignatius, Clement of Alexandria, Theophilus of Antioch, Polycarp, and the Apostolic Constitutions tell children to obey parents, parents to train children, and husbands and wives to live faithfully together. They also taught that Christians belong to a larger household of faith, so the church can act like a true family.
The evidence is broad and steady on honor, care, and order in the home, but some passages are only indirect because they speak about kinship, household language, or spiritual family rather than family life itself. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christian writers commonly told children to obey parents and parents to raise children in the Lord.
- Marriage was treated as a real Christian duty, not just a private choice.
- Christians also saw the church as a larger family, with believers related as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians teach children to obey their parents?
The sources repeatedly tell children to obey or honor their parents and connect that obedience with what is pleasing to God. They also place parental instruction within Christian formation, not merely social custom.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
Children, be obedient to your parents. Parents, provoke not your children to wrath;
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
...simple and sincere for a while longer. For this is holy, not only with God but also among men: that children should obey their parents with simplicity and without deceit. But if it is right for children to be subject to their parents, how much more should they be subject to the God and Father of all things? Besides, it is not fitting for children in infancy to be wise beyond their years. For just as a person grows in height by an orderly process, so also he grows in wisdom. And when a law commands a person to keep away from something, and he does not obey, clearly it is not the law that causes punishment, but the disobedience and transgression. For a father sometimes orders his own child to keep away from certain things, and when the child does not obey his father's command, he is beaten and punished because of the disobedience. In that case, the things themselves are not the cause of the blows, but the disobedience brings punishment on the one who disobeys. In the same way, for the first man, disobedience brought about his expulsion from Paradise. Therefore, it was not as if there were any evil in the tree of knowledge. Rather, from his disobedience man drew, as from a fountain
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Supporting witness
Ye children, “honour your parents, that it may be well with you.”
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness
For this is holy, not only with God, but also with men, that in simplicity and guilelessness subjection be yielded to parents.
More related quotations from this section 5 shown
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
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Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelphians (Long Version) Supporting witness
Children, obey your parents, and have an affection for them, as workers together with God for your birth [into the world].
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Ephesians 6:1 Supporting witness
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
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Wisdom of Sirach 3:8 Supporting witness
Honor thy father and mother both in word and deed, That a blessing may come upon thee from them.
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1 Timothy 5:4 Supporting witness
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.
How did early Christians think parents should raise their children?
The sources say parents should teach, discipline, and train children in the Lord, not leave them unmanaged. They frame household leadership as a moral duty tied to Christian instruction and care.
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Direct teaching
Husbands, love your wives; and wives, your husbands. Children, respect your parents. Parents, raise your children with the nurture and instruction of the Lord. Honor those who remain in virginity, as the priestesses of Christ; and the widows who maintain seriousness in behavior, as the altar of God. Servants, serve your masters with respectful fear. Masters, give orders to your servants with kindness. Let no one among you be idle; for idleness leads to need. I do not command these things as a person of any importance, though I am in bonds for Christ; but as a brother, I remind you of them. The Lord be with you!
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
You fathers, raise your children in the Lord, bringing them up with the Lord’s discipline and instruction. Teach them trades that fit and agree with the word, so that they do not become wasteful through idleness, go on without punishment from their parents, get freedom before their time, and stray from what is good. Therefore, do not be afraid to correct them and to teach them wisdom with firmness. For your correction will not kill them, but will rather preserve them. For Solomon says somewhere in the book of Wisdom, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; so you will have good hope for him.” “You shall indeed strike him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from death.” And again the same Solomon says, “He who spares his rod hates his son”; and afterward, “Strike his sides while he is an infant, lest he become stubborn and disobey you.” Therefore, he who neglects to admonish and instruct his own son hates his own child. You should therefore teach your children the word of the Lord. Bring them into subjection with sharp stripes, and make them obedient from infancy, teaching them the Holy Scriptures, which are Christian and divine, and handing on to them every sacred writin
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
...d in your house. Only remain humble, and serve the Lord with complete purity of heart, you and your children and your house. Walk in my commands that I command you, and your repentance will be deep and pure. And if you and your household keep these things, every affliction will leave you." And he added, "Affliction will also leave all who walk in these commands of mine."
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Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians Supporting witness
and to train up their children in the knowledge and fear of God.
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Ignatius of Antioch, Connection to Ephesians 6:1 Supporting witness
Ye parents, impart a holy training to your children. Ye children, "honour your parents, that it may be well with you."
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Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Supporting witness
Let your children be partakers of true Christian training;
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
40. Let the presbyters and deacons do nothing without the bishop's consent, for he is the one entrusted with the Lord's people and will be required to give an account for their souls. Let the bishop's own property, if he has any, and the property that belongs to the Lord, be clearly kept separate. Then, when he dies, he may have authority to leave his own property as he wishes and to whomever he wishes. In this way, under a pretense about the church's revenues, the bishop's own property will not be diminished, since he may sometimes have a wife and children, or relatives, or servants. For this is just before God and men: that neither the Church suffer any loss because people do not know which revenues are the bishop's own, nor his family, under pretense of the Church, be ruined, or his relatives fall into lawsuits, and so his death become open to reproach.
Did early Christians think believers had duties to their household and relatives?
These sources show that Christians expected care for household members, relatives, widows, orphans, and dependents. The household is treated as a real sphere of stewardship, provision, and mercy.
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Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
For who that marries lawfully does not despise mother and father, and his whole family connection, and all his household, cleaving to and becoming one with his own wife, fondly preferring her?
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching
..., whether he has chosen chastity, or whether he has joined himself in marriage for the begetting of children, must firmly remain in his own purpose and not turn aside to what is worse. For if he is able to increase and intensify the pattern of life he has chosen, he gains greater honor with God because of pure self-control that comes from reason. But if he goes beyond the rule he chose, he will then fall back into a lesser hope of glory. For just as chastity has its own duties and ministries, marriage also has its own duties and ministries that belong to the Lord. I mean the care of children and of a wife. For what properly occupies the man who is complete in marriage is the marriage bond itself, so that he may show care and foresight for everyone in the common household. Therefore, he says, bishops ought to be appointed from those who have first trained themselves in ruling their own house, so that they may also be able to preside over the whole Church. So then, each person, in whatever calling he was called, as 1 Corinthians 7:24 says, must carry out his ministry in deed, so that he may become free in Christ and receive the reward due to his ministry. And again, speaking about
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...n the corner of the house-top, than with a contentious and an angry woman." You, therefore, who are Christian women, do not imitate such as these. But you who intend to be faithful to your own husband, take care to please him alone. And when you are in the streets, cover your head, for by such a covering you will avoid being viewed by idle persons. Do not paint your face, which is God's workmanship. For there is no part of you which wants ornament, since all things which God has made are very good. But the lascivious additional adorning of what is already good is an affront to the bounty of the Creator. Look downward when you walk abroad, veiling yourself as becomes women.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
For in fine, in food, and clothes, and vessels, and everything else belonging to the house, I say comprehensively, that one must follow the institutions of the Christian man, as is serviceable and suitable to one's person, age, pursuits, time of life.
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Supporting witness
Let them also be chaste, reckoning their husbands as their only partners, to whom indeed they have been united according to the will of God.
Did early Christians call the church a family?
The sources call believers brothers and sisters and describe the church as a household or family in Christ. This is a spiritual use of family language, not a denial of natural family, but a reordering of identity around faith.
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Minucius Felix, Octavius Direct teaching
Thus we call one another, to your envy, brethren: as being men born of one God and Parent, and companions in faith, and as fellow-heirs in hope.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness
On this account, too, according to age, we recognise some as sons and daughters, others we regard as brothers and sisters, and to the more advanced in life we give the honour due to fathers and mothers.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness
On behalf of those, then, to whom we apply the names of brothers and sisters, and other designations of relationship, we exercise the greatest care that their bodies should remain undefiled and uncorrupted;
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Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness
and yet the family of the apostles is rather of the character that bears all things and endures all things, even although a man may assail them with revilings and curses.
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Ephesians 2:19 Direct teaching
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
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Ephesians 3:15 Direct teaching
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
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Hebrews 2:11 Direct teaching
For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
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Matthew 12:50 Direct teaching
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
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Mark 3:35 Direct teaching
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
Common Questions
Did early Christians value family life?
Yes. They taught honor for parents, care for children, faithfulness in marriage, and responsibility for the household.
Did early Christians think the church was a family?
Yes. Writers like Clement and the Apostolic Constitutions use household and brother-sister language for Christian life.
Did early Christians tell children to obey their parents?
Yes. Ignatius, Clement of Alexandria, and Theophilus of Antioch all say children should obey or honor their parents.
Source Index for Family
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 269 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 155
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 114
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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Book 79 1:3
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