When
did the term "Roman Catholic Church" first come into being?
Full
Question
When
did the term "Roman Catholic Church" first come into being?
Answer
It
is not possible to give an exact year when the Catholic Church began
to be called the "Roman Catholic Church," but it is
possible to approximate it. The term originates as an insult created
by Anglicans who wished to refer to themselves as Catholic. They thus
coined the term "Roman Catholic"
to distinguish those in union with Rome from themselves and to create
a sense in which they could refer to themselves as Catholics (by
attempting to deprive actual Catholics to the right to the term).
Different
variants of the "Roman" insult appeared at different times.
The earliest form was the noun "Romanist" (one belonging to
the Catholic Church), which appeared in England about 1515-1525. The
next to develop was the adjective "Romish" (similar to
something done or believed in the Catholic Church), which appeared
around 1525-1535. Next came the noun "Roman Catholic" (one
belonging to the Catholic Church), which was coined around 1595-1605.
Shortly thereafter came the verb "to Romanize" (to make
someone a Catholic or to become a Catholic), which appeared around
1600-10. Between 1665 and 1675 we got the noun "Romanism"
(the system of Catholic beliefs and practices), and finally we got a
latecomer term about 1815-1825, the noun "Roman Catholicism,"
a synonym for the earlier "Romanism."
A
similar complex of insults arose around "pope." About
1515-25 the Anglicans coined the term "papist" and later
its derivative "papism." A quick follow-up, in 1520-1530,
was the adjective "popish." Next came "popery"
(1525-1535), then "papistry" (1540-1550), with its later
derivatives, "papistical" and "papistic."
(Source: Random
House Webster's College Dictionary, 1995
ed.)
This
complex of insults is revealing as it shows the depths of animosity
English Protestants had toward the Church. No other religious body
(perhaps no other group at all, even national or racial) has such a
complex of insults against it woven into the English language as does
the Catholic Church. Even today many Protestants who have no idea
what the origin of the term is cannot bring themselves to say
"Catholic" without qualifying it or replacing it with an
insult.
Answered
by: Catholic
Answers Staff
Answered
by ABE Ministry:
As
Founder and Chairman of ABE Ministry, it is Raider Fan's duty to
simply supply one fact (there are more) which is in no way intended to
denigrate the reputation of the normally reliable Catholic
Answers answers but, come on, what Catholic Traditionalist does not
know their answer was an error of galactic proportions?
From
the letter "Fitts exemplo" to the Archbishop of Terraco,
Dec. 18, 1208]
423
By the heart we believe and by the mouth we confess the one
Church,
not of heretics but the Holy
Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic (Church) outside
which we believe that no one is saved.
