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To: JHavard
Here's one place it's described:

Early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes: "As regards 'Catholic' . . . in the latter half of the second century at latest, we find it conveying the suggestion that the Catholic is the true Church as distinct from heretical congregations (cf., e.g., Muratorian Canon). . . . What these early fathers were envisaging was almost always the empirical, visible society; they had little or no inkling of the distinction which was later to become important between a visible and an invisible Church" (Early Christian Doctrines, pg.190).

3,317 posted on 10/27/2001 9:00:40 PM PDT by Proud2BAmerican
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To: Proud2BAmerican
Early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes: "As regards 'Catholic' . . . in the latter half of the second century at latest, we find it conveying the suggestion that the Catholic is the true Church as distinct from heretical congregations (cf., e.g., Muratorian Canon). . . . What these early fathers were envisaging was almost always the empirical, visible society; they had little or no inkling of the distinction which was later to become important between a visible and an invisible Church" (Early Christian Doctrines, pg.190).

So this supports what I said, it was near 300AD before the term "catholic church" was used as a noun, thanks for the support.(^g^)

3,319 posted on 10/27/2001 9:20:54 PM PDT by JHavard
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