Most of us have used the word “Christian” our entire lives without ever pausing to ask where it actually came from. The word has Greek and Latin roots, was almost certainly coined by outsiders as a kind of nickname, and for much of the early Church it carried real social stigma. Far from being a badge of honour from the start, “Christian” was closer to a slur — and the early believers chose to wear it with pride anyway.
The word “Catholic” has been the proper name of the one, holy, apostolic Church since the sub-apostolic era. This article traces the word’s etymology from St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 107 AD) through the great Fathers, examines its codification in the creeds and Catechisms, and responds to five major Protestant objections — demonstrating that the Catholic Church has borne this name continuously since the first century.
Part Five How Has the Church Survived Two Millennia? Over four parts, (click Catholic Church History) we’ve journeyed through two thousand years of Catholic Church history. We began with Christ’s establishment of the Church through Peter, witnessed the persecution and doctrinal councils that defined orthodoxy, explored the medieval synthesis that shaped Western civilization, and examined…
Part Four What Happened on October 31, 1517? Through the first three parts of this series, (Click History of the Catholic Church), we’ve traced the Catholic Church from its biblical origins through apostolic growth, persecution and doctrinal definition, and medieval cultural dominance. We’ve seen how the Church preserved civilization, built universities, and created the intellectual…
Part Three What Happened When Rome Fell? In the first two parts of this series, (see link to the Catholic Church History), we traced the Catholic Church from its biblical foundations through the apostolic age, survived three centuries of Roman persecution, and witnessed the great ecumenical councils define orthodox doctrine on the Trinity and Christology….
Part Two How Did the Church Survive Three Centuries of Persecution? In Part 1 of this series, (go to Article here) we examined the biblical foundations of the Catholic Church and the apostolic age. We saw how Christ established His Church through Peter, how the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, and how the apostles spread…
Discover how the Catholic Church traces its origins directly to Sacred Scripture — from Old Testament prefigurements of Peter’s office and the New Covenant, through Pentecost, the Council of Jerusalem, and the martyrdom of the Apostles in Rome. Part One of a five-part series on two millennia of Catholic Church history.
