No, you would have to prove that there was an overall governing authority. The letters to each of the churches was addressed to an independent church. Whether it was the seven churches mentioned in Revelation or in the other letters to the Romans, the church at Corinth, Ephesus or wherever. The message to each of the churches in Revelation is particularly telling. Each of those churches were given commendations and warnings independently of any overall “church”. Each of those churches were obviously acting independent of the others or the same commendations or warnings would have been given to all of them if they had been under one governing authority defining practices and doctrine. No edicts were given to the churches from a central hierarchy.
Wrong. There was plenty of authority from the Bishops of the five patriarchates. Read the didache, read the writings of St. John Chrysostom, the earliest liturgy was the Liturgy of St. Justin Martyr. (100 AD) St. John lived around 300 AD. St. Ignatius lived in the 100’s, and was an early martyr.....this blows your 400 AD theory all to heck. There is plenty of documentation to back me up, you have NONE, which is why you won’t post it.
What were you thinking? Don't you know that the ground rules for this debate are that Catholics are the ones who have to prove the negative?