So you can see that things were from the beginning in the Christian church the terminology of pope and the word catholic.
pope(n.)
"the Bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church," c. 1200, from Old English
papa (9c.), from Church Latin
papa "bishop,
pope" (in classical Latin, "tutor"), from Greek
papas "patriarch, bishop," originally "father" (see
papa).
Applied to bishops of Asia Minor and taken as a title by the Bishop of Alexandria c. 250. In the Western Church, applied especially to the Bishop of Rome since the time of Leo the Great (440-461), the first great asserter of its privileges, and claimed exclusively by them from 1073 (usually in English with a capital
P-).
catholic(adj.)
mid-14c.,
catholik, "of the doctrines of the ancient Church" (before the East/West schism), literally "universally accepted," from French
catholique, from Church Latin
catholicus "universal, general," from Greek
katholikos, from phrase
kath' holou "on the whole, in general," from
kata "about" + genitive of
holos "whole" (from PIE root
*sol- "whole, well-kept").
Medieval Latin
catholicus was practically synonymous with
Christianus and meant "constituting or conforming to the church, its faith and organization" (as opposed to local sects or heresies).
With capital
C-, it was applied by Protestants to the Church in Rome by c. 1554, after the Reformation began in England. The general sense of "embracing all, universal" in English is from 1550s. The meaning "not narrow-minded or bigoted" is from 1580s. The Latin word was rendered in Old English as
eallgeleaflic.
Catholic
"member of the Roman Catholic church," 1560s, from
Catholic (adj.).
Christian(n., adj.)
1520s as a noun, "a believer in and follower of Christ;" 1550s as an adjective, "professing the
Christian religion, received into the
Christian church," 16c. forms replacing Middle English
Cristen (adjective and noun), from Old English
cristen, from a West Germanic borrowing of Church Latin
christianus, from Ecclesiastical Greek
christianos, from
Christos (see
Christ). First used in Antioch, according to Acts xi.25-26:
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Meaning "having the manner and spiritual character proper to a follower of Christ" is from 1590s (continuing a sense in the Middle English word).
Christian name, that given at christening, is from 1540s (also continuing a sense from Middle English
Cristen).
Christian Science as the name of a religious sect is from 1863.
My Comment: The whole issue I have is that those of the RCC and the use of Catholic vs Christian is that it really creates a separation. One connotes a follower of the church, while the other of Christ Jesus. There is a difference. I realize that many Christians which I see as all encompassing, will state the denomination i.e. Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, which is exactly what I see calling oneself Catholic as being. At one time it might have had that universal aspect to it, but no longer. Christian fits that more now, regardless of its origin, and to me more appropriate to one who is a disciple/follower of Christ Jesus regardless of the denomination.
With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
\o/
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