The word Catholic (usually written with uppercase C in English when referring to religious matters; derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning "universal")[3][4] comes from the Greek phrase καθόλου (katholou), meaning "on the whole", "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words κατά meaning "about" and ὅλος meaning "whole".[5][6] The first use of "Catholic" was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (circa 110 AD).[7] In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. Click here.

 

Catholic (term)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

This article is about the term. For the church in full communion with the Pope, see Catholic Church. For the beliefs and practices of other denominations that use this term, see Catholicity.

The first use of the term "Catholic Church" (literally meaning "universal church") was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (circa 110 AD).^[1] Ignatius of Antioch is also attributed the earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity" (Greek: Χριστιανισμός) in 100 A.D.^[2] He died in Rome, with his relics located in the Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano.

Part of a series on
Christianity
show Jesus Christ
show Bible Foundations
show Theology
show History Tradition
show Denominations Groups
show Related topics
Christianity portal
v t e

The word Catholic (usually written with uppercase C in English when referring to religious matters; derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning "universal")^[3][4] comes from the Greek phrase καθόλου (katholou), meaning "on the whole", "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words κατά meaning "about" and ὅλος meaning "whole".^[5][6] The first use of "Catholic" was by the church father Saint Ignatius of Antioch in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans (circa 110 AD).^[7] In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages.