The origins of Christianity in Spain are shrouded in a profound mystery around which the legend was pleased to weave its plots by fabling, according to a tradition that does not bring us back beyond the century. VIII, the arrival in Spain of the apostle St. James, who would have arrived there around 40. The tradition of a Spanish journey of St. Paul who, writing to the Romans, actually announced twice (Romans, XV, 24, 28) his intention to stop in Rome when he went to Spain. But did this journey actually take place? or instead St. Paul, having arrived in Rome in circumstances so different from those he imagined, never left the city because he was a victim of the Neronian repression of 64? It is known that to admit the Spanish journey of St. Paul it is also necessary to admit that the apostle was freed from his imprisonment, went to Spain, from here to the East, and then back to Rome where he would suffer martyrdom towards the 67. But this hypothesis, necessary moreover in order to place the so-called pastoral epistles chronologically in some way, is rejected by those who do not admit the authenticity of these epistles on the basis of internal arguments. On the other hand it should be remembered that in theFirst Clementis, written by Rome towards the end of the century. IV, it is stated that Paul suffered martyrdom after having constituted himself herald of the divine verb in the East and in the West (κήρυξ γενόμενος ἔν τε τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἐν τῇ δύσει) using an expression, τὸ τέρμα τες, enough, it states, τὸ τέρμα ωσ, enough there can be seen an equivalent designation of Spain and reminiscent of Horace ‘s Hesperia ultima, and Lucano ‘s extremique orbis Iberi “. Also the Muratorian canon, probably drawn up in Rome towards the middle of the century. II, attests to the reality of Paul’s trip to Spain. However, despite these clues, even a conservative historian such as the Benedictine H. Leclercq was able to write that “history claims more positive certainties and, since it is not possible, in this case, to produce them, St. Paul’s trip to Spain does not it goes beyond the limits of verisimilitude “. This opinion could also be defined as optimistic by those who consider the fact that, however one wants to interpret the texts adduced, the profound trace that the apostle has always left wherever he has passed is absolutely missing in the history of Spanish Christianity. A news reported by the “Little Roman Martyrology” states that, after the journey of St. Paul, Spain was visited by seven bishops sent by St. Peter, who would have founded some churches in the region between the Betica and the Tarraconense. If this news is to be considered as absolutely legendary, it is nevertheless important both because it hints at a very probable fact (as it would appear from the history of the relations of the Spanish churches with the church of Rome) by reconnecting the first flourishing of Christianity in Spain with Italy (not it should also be forgotten that the history of Spanish Christianity shows us this in excellent relations with African churches, which suggests that Africa too has made its contribution to the Christianization of the peninsula), and because it indicates the area where Christianity actually had to make his first appearance. who would have founded some churches in the region between the Betica and the Tarraconense. If this news is to be considered as absolutely legendary, it is nevertheless important both because it hints at a very probable fact (as it would appear from the history of the relations of the Spanish churches with the church of Rome) by reconnecting the first flourishing of Christianity in Spain with Italy (not it should also be forgotten that the history of Spanish Christianity shows us this in excellent relations with African churches, which suggests that Africa too has made its contribution to the Christianization of the peninsula), and because it indicates the area where Christianity actually had to make his first appearance. who would have founded some churches in the region between the Betica and the Tarraconense. If this news is to be considered as absolutely legendary, it is nevertheless important both because it hints at a very probable fact (as it would appear from the history of the relations of the Spanish churches with the church of Rome) by reconnecting the first flourishing of Christianity in Spain with Italy (not it should also be forgotten that the history of Spanish Christianity shows us this in excellent relations with African churches, which suggests that Africa too has made its contribution to the Christianization of the peninsula), and because it indicates the area where Christianity actually had to make his first appearance.
However yes of all this, Irenaeus at the end of the century. II, explicitly states that Christianity spread in Spain (Adversus haereses, I, 10) and Tertullian, a few decades later, can boast that “Hispaniarum omnes termini” have now been reached by Christian propaganda (Adversus Iudaeos, 7). Yet we still have to wait until the middle of the century. III so that Spanish Christianity gives the first trace of itself. The episode, which must be placed in the frame of the famous baptismal controversy between St. Cyprian and Stephen II and on which we are fully informed by the letter LVII (ed. Bayard) of the bishop of Carthage, shows us two Spanish bishops, Martial of Emerita Augusta (Mérida) and Basilides of Legio(León), who for having received the libellus of sacrifice during the persecution of Decius, had been deposed by the episcopate. Reinstated by Pope Stephen, surprised in his good faith, at the request of the clergy and the faithful of the two churches, they are formally declared unworthy of the episcopate by the Council of Carthage in 254. A few years later Fruttuoso bishop of Zaragoza, with the two deacons Eulogio and Augure, he suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Valerian. News of other Spanish martyrs of Diocletian’s persecution can be obtained, with some caution, from the Peristephanonby Prudenzio. Christianity must have actually spread on a large scale in Spain: this deduction amply confirmed by the acts of the council of Elvira, the oldest council of which disciplinary canons have been preserved. In a locality corresponding to today’s Alarife, about 8 km. from Granata, around the year 300, 19 Spanish bishops gathered, respectively: for Galicia, the bishop of Legio (León); for the Tarraconense, the bishop of Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza); for Lusitania the bishops of Emerita (Mérida), Ossonova (Faro) and Evora ; for Carthaginian the bishops of Acci (Guadixi, Castulo, Mentesa, Urci Toletum, Salavia, Eliocroca, Basti ; for Baetica the bishops of Corduba, Hispalis (Seville), Tuccis, Ipagrum, Illiberis, Malaca. In the documents there is still a reminder of the representatives, priests, of at least 13 other churches. The document does not allow us to ascertain with certainty what the organization of the Spanish church was at that time, which seems to have not yet known the metropolitan institution. Canon 58 speaks of that place “in quo prima cathedra constituta est episcopatus”, but this text, in which one could see a hint of a hierarchy among the various churches established in Spanish cities, is too vague, so much so that, for example., Batiffol interprets it as an allusion to Roman supremacy (P. Batiffol, La ” prima cathedra episcopatus ” du concile d’Elvire, in The journal of theological Studies, 1922, pp. 263-270). Only later, when the ecclesiastical organization showed the tendency to model itself on the civil organization, the Spanish church was divided into six metropolitan centers: Bracara, Emerita, Hispalis, Toletum, Caesaraugusta, Palma, respectively for Galicia, Lusitania, la Betica, Carthaginian, Tarraconense and the Balearic Islands. Among all these seats, Seville had particular importance as the seat of the Vicar of Spain, from the Constantinian era, replaced, in fact or by law, in the Visigothic era, by that of Toledo.
