What Catholics Should Know About the Word "Catholic"

The word “Catholic” often is used simply as a personal identity by Catholics. For Protestants, it can be a term with a connotation of derision, confusion, or corruption. So, let’s clear this up once and for all. What does the word Catholic mean, and how and when did the Church acquire this name?

What does the word Catholic mean?

This word comes from the Greek word “katholikos” which means “of the whole” or universal. It may be used as an adjective to indicate that something is universal or wide-ranging; the opposite of describing something as parochial, provincial, or narrowly-focused. By using this word, the Catholic Church is proclaiming that she is the Church that is for all people in all places throughout the history of time. This reflects the universal mission of her founder, our Lord Jesus Christ (John 12:32).

How did the Church get the name “Catholic?”

Lutherans are named after Martin Luther. Arians, the fourth century heretics, were named after Arius. But there was no “Bob Catholic” for whom the Catholic Church is named. So, how did the historical Church adopt this name?

Similar to the way the Church had to further define various doctrines only after there was dissent and it became necessary to do so, the Church probably adopted the name “Catholic” out of necessity. It became necessary for the authentic, global community of Christians following the successors of the apostles to distinguish itself from heretical sects. Just to name a few, the Gnostics, Docetists, Montanists, and Arians were religious groups in the early centuries of Church history which claimed to be the real “Church” with the truth about Jesus and his teachings. So, there was an opportunity to make a distinction by adopting the name “Catholic” to indicate that this is the visible, universal Church with the fullness of the faith, not a sect only for certain people or limited to a geographical area.

When did the Church get the name Catholic?

The Church is never called “Catholic” in Scripture, so when did this name arise in Church history? Let’s take a look at the first written reference we have with this name:

See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.

-St. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to Smyrna, 110 A.D.

How early is this reference? Well, it’s about a decade after the death of the last apostle (John). The credentials for the author, St. Ignatius of Antioch, are quite impressive. He became the bishop of Antioch in 67 A.D., around the time when the gospels were being written. In addition, he was a personal student of John the Apostle. Based on this and other evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that applying the name “Catholic” to Christ’s Church is not a late and questionable innovation, but firmly within the bounds of the reliable apostolic tradition. The Apostles’ Creed affirms that we believe in “the Holy, Catholic Church.”

The documents from the first ecumenical council in Nicea in 325 A.D., shortly after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, refer to the Church as the “Catholic Church.” The same name has been used ever since.

"And if ever thou art sojourning in any city, inquire not simply where the Lord's house is--for the sects of the profane also attempt to call their own dens, houses of the Lord--nor merely where the church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the peculiar name of the holy body the mother of us all."

-St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 347 A.D.