The history of the Catholic Church begins with the teachings of Jesus Christ (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30), who lived in the Herodian Tetrarchy (later formed into the Roman province of Judea (Roman province) by the Roman Empire).[1] The Catholic Church teaches that it is the continuation of the early Christian community established by Jesus Christ,[2] that its bishops are the successors to Jesus's apostles, and the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, is the sole successor to Saint Peter[3] who was appointed by Jesus in the New Testament as head of the church and ministered in Rome.[4][5] By the end of the 2nd century, bishops began congregating in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues.[6] By the 3rd century, the bishop of Rome began to act as a court of appeals for problems that other bishops could not resolve.[7]