In one sense, yes, in another, no. The early chuurch was known as the catholic church (with a small 'C' as 'catholic' simply means 'universal'. So the first universal Christian church would have been 'catholic'. However, since then the Roman Catholic Church some believe, has moved far away from the early Christian church both in practise (in the extra liturgy of the mass, priestly celibacy, rejection of women's priesthood, papal infallibility and so on) and in belief (the introduction of purgatory, over adulation of Mary etc). So in this sense it can be argued that the present Catholic church is no longer the same church as the earliest Christian Church and cannot be regarded as the first Christians. There is, however, a movement both in the Roman Church and in protestant denominations (li