Where did the name “Catholicism” actually come from and has the religion ever been called something else?

Added on February 12, 2011 6 comments

Where did the name “Catholicism” actually come from and has the religion ever been called something else?
It is quite clear where the name “Christianity” came from; Jesus CHRIST. However, I have no idea what the name “Catholicism” or “Catholic” is based on, and I wonder if it has always been called that or did Catholicism use to just be called Christianity?

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Answer by Earth Angel
Catholic means universal. It is the church in the world. So even Protestants can be catholic, they just aren’t Roman Catholic.

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Written by Isaiah about 1 year ago.

The word “catholic” (yes with a lower case c – look it up!) means cosmopolitan, broad-minded, universal. None of these things descibes the true people of God now does it?
Written by Robin Runesinger about 1 year ago.

Initially Christianity was considered a synagogue type congregation. As more Greeks cam into the church, it soon became known as “ekklesia” which now is synonymous with church (ecclesiastical). It became a universal church after the baptism of Cornelius the Roman. When Peter said “God is no respecter of persons.”
Written by Pastor Billy about 1 year ago.

Pastor Billy says: before being call Catholicism it was called “the Way”. The first person quoted calling the Christian Church the Catholic Church was the bishop of Antioch Ignatius in ~100 AD. Antioch is the same place (probably within 30years) where followers of Jesus are first known as Christian. The true Christian Church is first known as Catholic.

Catholic doesn’t mean universal this is not a fair representation of the word and when Protestants use that definition they are lead to believe they can be catholic outside of the Church, outside of Roman Catholicism. They are given a false interpretation as a geographical spreading of the community. Catholic comes from the two Greek words cata and holos meaning according to the whole, Katholikos. Catholic infers a universality of doctrine and belief not merely a spreading to the four corners of the world.

Ignatius of Antioch

Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).
Written by faithandreason about 1 year ago.

Catholic means “universal”. It is used to describe that the faith and teachings are the same in every Catholic church that you go to in every part of the world.

The name Catholic was used during the primitive church era (directly after Christ died), to differentiate Catholic church with other churches that emerge at that time who conduct false teachings about Jesus. A new name was needed because every church claims they are of the Christian faith, although they teach other things than the original Christianity.

How can we know that Catholic is the true church and call other church false?

Personally, I think Jesus handing over the Key of the Kingdom to Peter (which will emerge as the first Catholic pope) is Jesus way of telling that this is the true Church which teachings He approves of, and to provide a clear answer when later people who seek for the true Christian church.

Catholic definitely doesn’t mean that Protestant can join in to. Protestants, like everybody else, can join when they receive the first three sacraments: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist.
Written by DougLawrence about 1 year ago.

The Church that Jesus founded has been known as Catholic, which means universal, since at least 107 AD, as found in the authentic writings of St. Ignatius.

One universal Christian church. The Catholic church.

The Catholic church was the only Christian church in existence for the first 1500 years of modern world history, and it remains the one church in which all the authentically Christian denominations continue to subsist, whether they realize it, or not.
Written by travis about 1 year ago.

good question, riddle me this batman, if Christianity came from Christ why do no Christian churches have His name in there titles?

But here is a stab (in the dark) at answering your question: Queen Cathy may have something to do with it.

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