While most people today use the term “Catholic Church” to refer to a specific hierarchical organization (typically the Roman Catholic Church), the phrase actually has a broader range of meaning. Historically, the term simply referred to the universal church consisting of everyone who is genuinely in Christ. (This is in contrast to the local church, which consists only of the believers in a particular area who gather together under a specific set of local leaders). Thus, any religious organization that claims to be “the catholic church” is, by definition, claiming to be the one true church on earth to which all genuine believers must be a part.
What does “catholic” mean?
The word “catholic” is a transliteration of the Greek word καθολικός (katholikos), which, in turn, is derived from two Greek words: κατά (kata), meaning “according to” and ὅλος (holos) meaning “whole, entire.” Thus, καθολικός means “about or regarding the whole.”
In English, the word “catholic” literally means “universal in extent, involving all, or of interest to all.”1 In the context of Christianity, it means “pertaining to the whole Christian body or church.”2 Thus, the term “catholic church” literally means the “universal church”.
The early history of the term “catholic church”
The Greek word from which we get “catholic” was first applied to the church by an early-second-century bishop named Ignatius of Antioch. He used the term only once (at least, in his surviving writings), in his letter to the church at Smyrna. He said:
“Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church,” (Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 8)3
Ignatius certainly displays a very high view of local church leaders in all his letters, including in this passage. But when we examine the comparison he is making here, we see that “catholic church” is not referring to an institutional hierarchy. The local church is defined by those who gather under the bishop in the same way that the catholic or universal church is defined by “wherever Jesus Christ is.” On this early usage, anyone who is in Christ is part of the catholic church. Ignatius certainly expected such Christians to submit to one’s local church leaders, but he had no concept of a pope or any earthly leader over the entire catholic or universal church.
Interestingly, our next earliest use of the term is also connected to the second-century church at Smyrna. In a letter sent from the church to recount the noble death of a martyr named Polycarp, the author opened with the greeting:
“The church of God which sojourns at Smyrna, to the church of God sojourning in Philomelium, and to all the congregations in the holy and catholic church in every place,” (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Prologue).4
The letter contains other references to “the whole catholic church throughout the world,”5 and notably speaks of:
“our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls, the Governor of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the catholic church throughout the world,” (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Chapter 19)6
Again, we see a picture of the “catholic church” as the universal union of all Christians everywhere in contrast to local assemblies gathering in particular places. The term “catholic church” here does not imply any institutional hierarchy in which all local congregations are under one earthly head like a pope. Indeed, once again, the only leader over the catholic church is Christ Himself.
The creeds and the “holy catholic church”
The most popular ancient Christian creeds (the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, etc.) contain a confession of belief in “the holy catholic church.” The creeds themselves give no elaboration on what was originally meant by the phrase. The Nicene creed does, perhaps, give us a clue. It pairs the phrase “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church” with “We acknowledge one baptism.” This is somewhat reminiscent of Paul’s words:
“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” (Ephesians 4:4-5).
The idea, again, appears to be one universal church united by the faith they share and the Lord they confess, believe, and follow. It is a church made up of all genuine believers.
But which church is truly catholic?
Today, many Protestant Christians as well as Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and others all recite such creeds with sincerity. They all profess to believe in “one catholic church.” Yet, they do not mean the same thing by this clause.
Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox identify their own ecclesiastical organizations as the catholic church. Protestants who use the term, however, simply mean what Ignatius or the church at Smyrna meant: that, in contrast to the local church, we ought also to realize that we are part of a larger assembly of all who are in Christ. Through the cross, Jesus “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (Revelation 5:9) and, by His blood, we are made a part of that great crowd, (Revelation 7:9). As Peter says:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
On this view, no one denomination, group, sect, or local gathering is itself the catholic or universal church. Rather, every person anywhere who is in Christ is a part of His body and therefore a part of the universal church. He or she is my brother or sister.
When a particular organization, group, or hierarchy claims to be the “catholic” church, they are, by definition, claiming to be the “one true church” or the universal body of Christ. They are claiming, in effect, that one must be a member of their organization and submit to their hierarchy, otherwise, you are excluded from Christ Himself! This is not what the earliest Christians meant by the term “catholic church,” and it is certainly not a view found anywhere in Scripture.
While a Christian certainly should gather with a local church shepherded by biblically qualified leaders, one does not need to bow the knee to a pope or patriarch in order to be a part of Christ’s universal church. The true catholic church has but one shepherd overall, and that is Jesus Himself.
