Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: Mrs. Don-o
To say "Roman Catholic" is something of an anachronism. The Church was "Catholic," tout court. It was only after the 16th Century that the term "Roman Catholic" gained any currency:

So the distinctive term "Roman Church" was not used before then, and that "Roman Catholic" should not be used?

323 posted on 04/26/2015 7:28:08 AM PDT by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 153 | View Replies ]


To: daniel1212
"So the distinctive term "Roman Church" was not used before then, and that "Roman Catholic" should not be used?"

Hmm. I don't quite know what to say.

Apparently the term "Roman Catholic" was first invented in the 17th century --- by Anglicans. I don't think it's used in official Catholic church documents.

In an earlier era, the Byzantines were the "Roms" (because Constantinople was the "Second Rome" and the Eastern Empire was the Roman Empire) and the Catholics were the "Franks" --- so called mostly by the Muslims. I remember how startled I was to read all of Western Europe, west of Ukraine, called the "Land of the Franks."

It's a little confusing, because some early (pre-Reformation) documents use the term "Roman Church" to mean the "whole" church, but others use it to mean just the See of Rome, that is, the Diocese of Rome.

I've seen it used to designate the Latin Rite, but that's even more confusing, because (1)most Western Christians don't use Latin liturgically anymore, and (2) properly speaking, it's not a "rite" but a "Church." The Melkites, Maronites, and Chaldeans, similarly, are not "rites" but "Churches." Catholic Churches!!

As for whether "Roman Catholic" should be used now for Western Catholics, it seems like it's so widespread there's no stopping it.

My inclination, though, is that "Catholics" in the West should simply be called "Catholic".

I trust I have made myself sufficiently obscure?

327 posted on 04/26/2015 7:59:49 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("The Holy Catholic Church: the more Holy she is, the more Catholic she is.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 323 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson