Did Early Christians Oppose Abortion?
Early Christian writings clearly reject abortion and speak of it as killing a child. The Didache, Barnabas, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, and the Apostolic Constitutions all say this in direct language. Bible passages about unborn life and murder fit this same pattern. The view is broad and early, with strong agreement across the witnesses here.
134 early-church witnesses · 226 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about abortion?
Early Christian writers clearly taught that abortion was wrong and treated it as the killing of a child. The Didache, Barnabas, Athenagoras, Minucius Felix, Tertullian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all speak against abortion in direct terms, and some also connect it with child-murder or murder before birth. The Bible passages most directly tied to this theme in the supplied set are the commands against murder and the texts that speak of the child in the womb.
The evidence is broad across the second and third centuries, and it points in the same direction with very little disagreement in the selected witnesses. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- The Didache and Barnabas say not to murder a child by abortion.
- Athenagoras calls abortion murder and links the fetus with God's care.
- Tertullian says Christians may not destroy the foetus in the womb.
- Later church writing in the Apostolic Constitutions repeats the same ban.
- Bible passages in this set support the value of life in the womb.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians forbid abortion?
Several early Christian writings in this set explicitly forbid abortion or child-killing. They present the practice as morally wrong and, in some sources, as murder.
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Direct teaching
...5. You shall not practice magic. You shall not practice witchcraft. You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor kill the child that has been conceived. You shall not covet the things of your neighbor, Exodus 20:17. You shall not forswear yourself, Matthew 5:34. You shall not bear false witness, Exodus 20:16. You shall not speak evil. You shall bear no grudge. You shall not be double-minded or double-tongued, for to be double-tongued is a snare of death. Your speech shall not be false or empty, but fulfilled by deed. You shall not be covetous, nor rapacious, nor a hypocrite, nor evil disposed, nor haughty. You shall not take evil counsel against your neighbor. You shall not hate any man. But some you shall reprove, and concerning some you shall pray, and some you shall love more than your own life.
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Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas Direct teaching
...e Lord in vain. You shall love your neighbor more than your own soul. You shall not kill a child by procuring abortion; nor shall you destroy it after it is born. You shall not withhold guidance from your son or daughter, but teach them the fear of the Lord from infancy. You shall not covet your neighbor’s possessions, nor be greedy. You shall not associate with the haughty, but shall be counted with the righteous and lowly. Accept the trials that come to you as good. You shall not be double-minded or use double-talk, for double-talk is a snare of death. You shall be subject to the Lord and to other masters as the image of God, with modesty and fear. You shall not issue orders bitterly to your servant, who trusts in the same God, lest you fail to show reverence to God who is above both; for He came to call people not by appearance, but as the Spirit prepared them. Share all things with your neighbor; do not call things your own; for if you are common partakers of things incorruptible, how much more of those which are corruptible! Do not be hasty with your tongue, for the mouth is a snare of death. As far as possible, be pure in your soul. Do not be quick to take, while withholdi
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Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness
But the Gentiles, Both Cruelly Expose Their Children Newly Born, and Before They are Born Destroy Them by a Cruel Abortion.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...se witchcraft, for He says, "You shall not allow a witch to live." You shall not kill your child by abortion, nor kill what is begotten. For everything that is formed and has received a soul from God, if it is killed, will be avenged, because it was unjustly destroyed. You shall not covet the things that belong to your neighbor, such as his wife, his servant, his ox, or his field. You shall not swear falsely, for it is said, "You shall not swear at all," Matthew 5:34. But if that cannot be avoided, you shall swear truthfully, for everyone who swears by Him shall be commended. You shall not bear false witness, for he who falsely accuses the needy provokes to anger Him who made him, Proverbs 14:31.
Did early Christians call abortion murder?
Some early writers do not just oppose abortion; they directly call it murder or child-murder. Athenagoras is especially explicit, and other sources in this dossier use equally strong criminal or violent language.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Direct teaching
...on guilt and defilement, could we kill people? And when we say that women who use drugs to cause an abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, by what reasoning should we commit murder ourselves? For the same person cannot both regard the fetus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God's care, and then, after it has come into life, kill it. Nor can the same person refuse to expose an infant, because those who expose infants are guilty of child-murder, and then, on the other hand, destroy it after it has been raised. But in all things we are always consistent and the same, submitting ourselves to reason, and not ruling over it.
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Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness
For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very fœtus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God's care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it;
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Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness
In our case, murder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fœtus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance.
Did early Christians think the unborn were human life?
The strongest texts in this set treat life in the womb as real human life worth protecting. The early Christian witnesses are reinforced by biblical passages about life in the womb and the fruit of the womb.
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Tertullian, De Anima (On the Soul) Direct teaching
The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the man who shall cause abortion, inasmuch as there exists already the rudiment of a human being, which has imputed to it even now the condition of life and death, since it is already liable to the issues of both, although, by living still in the mother, it for the most part shares its own state with the mother.
Did early Christians connect abortion with killing children?
Yes. The Didache says, 'You shall not murder a child by abortion,' and Barnabas says, 'You shall not kill a child by procuring abortion.' The Apostolic Constitutions repeats the same ban, showing that this was a stable Christian teaching over time.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
You shall not slay your child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten;
Which Bible passages are most relevant to abortion?
The most directly relevant Bible passages in this set are the commands against murder and the passages that speak of the womb and unborn life. Psalm-like and prophetic texts about God forming life before birth, along with passages about the fruit of the womb, fit the early Christian argument against abortion.
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Exodus 20:15 Direct teaching
Thou shalt not kill.
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Deuteronomy 5:17 Direct teaching
Thou shalt not commit murder.
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Jeremiah 1:5 Supporting witness
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
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Psalms 139:13 Supporting witness
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
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Luke 1:41 Supporting witness
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
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Job 31:15 Supporting witness
Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
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Judges 13:7 Supporting witness
And he said to me, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bring forth a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat no unclean thing; for the child shall be holy to God from the womb until the day of his death.
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Psalms 127:3 Supporting witness
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Common Questions
Did the early church forbid abortion?
Yes. The Didache, Barnabas, Athenagoras, Tertullian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all reject abortion in direct language.
Did early Christians think abortion was murder?
Yes. Athenagoras says women who use drugs to cause abortion commit murder, and Tertullian says Christians must not destroy the foetus in the womb.
Which early Christian writings mention abortion most clearly?
The Didache, Barnabas, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, and the Apostolic Constitutions are the clearest witnesses in this set.
Source Index for Abortion
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 226 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 134
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Didache, Connection to Exodus 20:15
Bible Passages 80 shown of 92
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.