People need to quit confusing “Catholic”, which means universal, with “Roman Catholic”. In the early Christian Church, everybody was considered “Catholic”. Some useful sources include www.goarch.org, www.oca.org and www.antiochian.org.
“In the early Christian Church, everybody was considered “Catholic”
Yes, and the “Catholics” of the early Christian Church believed in the true prescence of Christ in the Eucharist just as the Catholic Church of today continues with this timeless teaching of Jesus:
St. Paul himself could not have been more clear: 1Cor 10:16, “The cup of the blessing that we bless, IS IT NOT THE SHARING OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST? And the bread that we break, IS IT NOT THE PARTAKING OF THE BODY OF THE LORD?”
I agree, the non-Catholic Christian Churches of today hold little in common with the original “Catholic” church of the apostles.
Not everyone was catholic. There were catholics and heretics. And there were plenty of heretics, as well as cults posing as Christian, as there are today.
Agreed. I would put it as “Catholic” means universal and also can mean that present day organization headquarted in Rome with Benedict as its head. Propagandists play on the confusion engendered by the ambiguity.
“everybody was considered Catholic”
you can only be considered Catholic if you hold the Catholic FAITH.
many departed from this Faith in the 16th century over Baptism, the Eucharist, Predestination, the Bible, Apostolic Succession, etc etc.
Toothfairy. How perfect a name in light of this comment:
“People need to quit confusing “Catholic”, which means universal, with “Roman Catholic”.”
No, people need to stop using the term “Roman Catholic”. I’m Catholic. “Roman Catholic” was originally a Protestant term.
Did you read the whole passage from Ignatius? Not only does he use the word, “Catholic,” but identifies that which is Catholic as that which is done under the authority of the bishop.
Add to that I Clement, written between 60 AD and 97 AD (likely earlier than parts of the bible!), who states that such bishops have authority granted to them by the disciples, including the authority to appoint more bishops to succeed themselves, presbyters, and deacons.
well, yes and no. Everybody who followed the Apostolic faith (catholics, orthodox, orientals, assyrians) were Catholic. Gnostics, Paulicians, Marcionites, etc. were not...