Theological glossary · FaithLogic

Catholicity (catholic)

The universality and wholeness of the church — the whole church, of all times, places, and peoples, holding the whole faith. Not (in the creed) a denominational label.

Greek katholikos, 'according to the whole, universal'; first applied to the church by Ignatius (c. 108).

Matthew 28:19 ('all nations'); Revelation 5:9 ('every tribe and language and people and nation'); Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:6.

In the early church 'catholic' meant the universal church holding the apostolic faith, as against local, partial, or heretical bodies. After the Reformation, Protestants continued to confess 'the holy catholic church' in the creed while the term 'Catholic' also became the proper name of the church in communion with Rome.

Catholicity has an extensive sense (the church spread through all the world and history) and an intensive sense (each local church, holding the whole faith, is fully the church).

Whether catholicity is fully found only in one communion or is shared, in degrees, among the divided churches.

Open in the glossary for related terms and the doctrines this concept appears in.