Catholic
CATHOLIC (Gk. katholikos, "general, universal," from kath’ holou, "on the whole"): The
phrase hē katholikē ekklēsia, "the catholic church,"
was first used by Christian writers to distinguish
the entire body of believers from individual bodies.
It then came naturally to designate the orthodox
in distinction from heretics and schismatics. Later
it was applied to faith, tradition, and doctrine;
it was understood as expressing the universality
of the Church ("in Greek that is called 'catholic'
which is spread through all the world," Augustine,
Epist., lii. 1); it distinguished a cathedral from
parish churches, or the latter from oratories or
monastic chapels. After the separation between
the Greek and Latin churches, the epithet "catholic"
was assumed by the latter, as "orthodox"
was by the former. At the Reformation it was
claimed by the Church of Rome in opposition to
the Protestant or Reformed churches; in England
the theory was maintained that the national Church
was the true catholic Church of the land, and the
expression "Roman Catholic" came into use for
the sake of distinction. "Anglo-Catholic" was
coined by analogy with this at the time of the
Tractarian movement. On the continent the single
word "catholic" is the common designation for
that branch of the Church in affiliation with Rome.
By Protestants the term has generally been interpreted
to mean the entire communion of the saved
in all time and places. The word "catholic" in the
phrase "the holy catholic Church" of the Apostles'
Creed is explained by Pearson (Exposition of the
Creed, art. ix.) as indicating that the Church is to
be disseminated through all nations, extended to
all places, and propagated to all ages; that it
contains in it all truths necessary to be known,
exacts absolute obedience from all men to the
commands of Christ, and furnishes us with all
graces necessary to make our persons acceptable
and our actions well-pleasing in the sight of
God. The word was not in the earliest form of the
Creed.