The Church was under attack by non-believers. The rest of the community who did not agree with Catholic beliefs were out to get them, they wanted to prove that nothing is "real" if it could not be proven through science. Nevertheless, the Church did not cease their fight. They continuously insisted that they were merely a source of truth through God. They also confidently claimed that all those who lived with disbelief were to be damned in their afterlife (Catholicism History). It was very apparent that the rest of the world was not having it and they did not care what the consequences were for not believing; they refused to be Bible huggers, basically. They were questioned left and right on their intentions and still, to this day are not supported fully.
These times were tests of faith and how strong their belief was willing to be taken, while keeping their utmost loyalty. Their goal was and still is to keep unity in the entirety of their belief system. The early church spoke about its community of followers as "catholic," a word which means universal. Their fidelity holds true even today as the whole Catholic/Christian church still professes "one holy, catholic, and apostolic church" in the Nicene Creed ("The Roman Catholic Church and The Catholic Communion"). In order for one to belong to the church, their faith must be professes and they shall accept the gospel of Jesus to be the ultimate truth, in the form that it has been handed down in tradition and in the ways it has been interpreted by the bishops and the pope. Aside from the eternal body and blood of Christ, the most significant aspect of this divine tradition is the Bible, which is propagated by the people of the church itself. In accordance with the Roman Catholic catechism, the church is the one and only Christian-like body that is "one, holy, and catholic (universal)" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church").