DR. VITUS BLOG

This article is about the concept. For the
buildings used in Christian worship, see
Church (building) . For an individual church,
see Church (congregation) . For discussion of
organization and relationships between
individual churches, see Christian
denomination . For other uses, see Christian
Church (disambiguation) .
Medieval illustration of the ecclesia from
the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of
Landsberg (12th century)
c" Christian Church" is an ecclesiological term
generally used by Protestants to refer to the
Church invisible, and/or whole group of people
belonging to Christianity throughout the history of
Christianity . In this understanding, "Christian
Church" does not refer to a particular Christian
denomination but to the "body" of all "believers",
both defined in various ways. Other Christian
traditions, however, believe that the term
"Christian Church" or "Church" applies only to a
specific concrete historic Christian institution,
e.g. the Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox
Church , the Oriental Orthodox Churches, or the
Assyrian Church of the East ).
The Four Marks of the Church first expressed in
the Nicene Creed are that the Church is One (a
unified Body of Particular Churches in full
communion of doctrines and faith with each
other), Holy (a sanctified and deified Body),
Catholic (Universal and containing the fullness of
Truth in itself), and Apostolic (its hierarchy,
doctrines, and faith can be traced back to the
Apostles). [1]
Thus, the majority of Christians globally
(particularly of the apostolic churches listed
above, as well as some Anglo-Catholics )
consider the Christian Church as a visible and
institutional "societas perfecta " enlivened with
supernatural grace, while Protestants generally
understand the Church to be an invisible reality
not identifiable with any specific earthly
institution, denomination, or network of affiliated
churches. [ citation needed ] Others equate the
Church with particular groups that share certain
essential elements of doctrine and practice,
though divided on other points of doctrine and
government (such as the branch theory as taught
by some Anglicans).
Most English translations of the New Testament
generally use the word "church" as a translation
of the Ancient Greek : ἐκκλησία,
translit. ecclesia , found in the original Greek
texts, which generally meant an "assembly". [2]
This term appears in two verses of the Gospel
of Matthew , 24 verses of the Acts of the
Apostles, 58 verses of the Pauline epistles
(including the earliest instances of its use in
relation to a Christian body), two verses of the
Letter to the Hebrews, one verse of the Epistle
of James , three verses of the Third Epistle of
John , and 19 verses of the Book of Revelation.
In total, ἐκκλησία appears in the New Testament
text 114 times, although not every instance is a
technical reference to the church. [3]
In the New Testament , the term ἐκκλησία is
used for local communities as well as in a
universal sense to mean all believers. [4]
Traditionally, only orthodox believers are
considered part of the true church, but
convictions of what is orthodox have long varied,
as many churches (not only the ones officially
using the term "Orthodox" in their names)
consider themselves to be orthodox and other
Christians to be heterodox.
Etymology
The Greek word ekklēsia , literally "called out"
or "called forth" and commonly used to indicate
a group of individuals called to gather for some
function, in particular an assembly of the citizens
of a city, as in Acts 19:32-41 , is the New
Testament term referring to the Christian Church
(either a particular local group or the whole body
of the faithful ). In the Septuagint , the Greek word
"ἐκκλησία" is used to translate the Hebrew
" קהל" (qahal ). Most Romance and Celtic
languages use derivations of this word, either
inherited or borrowed from the Latin form
ecclesia .
The English language word "church" is from the
Old English word cirice , derived from West
Germanic *kirika , which in turn comes from the
Greek κυριακή kuriakē, meaning "of the
Lord" (possessive form of κύριος kurios "ruler" or
"lord"). Kuriakē in the sense of "church" is most
likely a shortening of κυριακὴ οἰκία kuriakē oikia
("house of the Lord") or ἐκκλησία κυριακή
ekklēsia kuriakē ("congregation of the Lord"). [5]
Christian churches were sometimes called
κυριακόν kuriakon (adjective meaning "of the
Lord") in Greek starting in the 4th century, but
ekklēsia and βασιλική basilikē were more
common. [6]
The word is one of many direct Greek-to-
Germanic loans of Christian terminology, via the
Goths . The Slavic terms for "church" (Old Church
Slavonic црькꙑ [ crĭky ], Russian церковь
[ cerkov’ ], Slovenian cerkev) are via the Old High
German cognate chirihha . [ citation needed ]
History
Further information: History of Christianity
An Eastern icon depicting the Descent of
the Holy Spirit . The date of Pentecost is
considered the "Birthday of the Church".
The Christian Church originated in Roman Judea
in the first century AD, founded on the teachings
of Jesus of Nazareth, who first gathered
disciples . Those disciples later became known
as " Christians "; according to Scripture , Jesus
commanded them to spread his teachings to all
the world . For most Christians, the holiday of
Pentecost (an event that occurred after Jesus'
ascension to Heaven ) represents the birthday of
the Church, [7][8][9] signified by the descent of
the Holy Spirit on gathered disciples. [Acts 2]
[10] The leadership of the Christian Church
began with the apostles.
Springing out of Second Temple Judaism , from
Christianity's earliest days, Christians accepted
non- Jews (Gentiles ) without requiring them to
fully adopt Jewish customs (such as
circumcision ). [Acts 10-15] [11] The parallels in
the Jewish faith are the Proselytes , Godfearers ,
and Noahide Law , see also Biblical law in
Christianity . Some think that conflict with Jewish
religious authorities quickly led to the expulsion
of the Christians from the synagogues in
Jerusalem[12] (see also Council of Jamnia and
List of events in early Christianity).
The Church gradually spread throughout the
Roman Empire and beyond, gaining major
establishments in cities such as Jerusalem,
Antioch, and Edessa. [13][14][15] It also became
a widely persecuted religion. It was condemned
by the Jewish authorities as a heresy (see also
Rejection of Jesus ). The Roman authorities
persecuted it because, like Judaism, its
monotheistic teachings were fundamentally
foreign to the polytheistic traditions of the
ancient world and a challenge to the imperial
cult . [16] The Church grew rapidly until finally
legalized and then promoted by Emperors
Constantine and Theodosius I in the 4th century
as the state church of the Roman Empire .
Already in the 2nd century, Christians denounced
teachings that they saw as heresies , especially
Gnosticism but also Montanism. Ignatius of
Antioch at the beginning of that century and
Irenaeus at the end saw union with the bishops
as the test of correct Christian faith. After
legalization of the Church in the 4th century, the
debate between Arianism and Trinitarianism , with
the emperors favouring now one side now the
other, was a major controversy. [17][18]
Use by early Christians
Main article: Early Christianity
In using the word ἐκκλησία ( ekklēsia), early
Christians were employing a term that, while it
designated the assembly of a Greek city-state, in
which only citizens could participate, was
traditionally used by Greek-speaking Jews to
speak of Israel, the people of God, [19] and that
appeared in the Septuagint in the sense of an
assembly gathered for religious reasons, often
for a liturgy ; in that translation ἐκκλησία stood
for the Hebrew word קהל (qahal ), which however
it also rendered as συναγωγή ( synagōgē,
"synagogue"), the two Greek words being largely
synonymous until Christians distinguished them
more clearly. [20]
The term ἐκκλησία appears in only two verses
of the Gospels, in both cases in the Gospel of
Matthew . [19] When Jesus says to Simon Peter,
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church", [21] the church is the community
instituted by Christ, but in the other passage the
church is the local community to which one
belongs: "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to
the church." [22]
The term is used much more frequently in other
parts of the New Testament, designating, as in
the Gospel of Matthew, either an individual local
community or all of them collectively. Even
passages that do not use the term ἐκκλησία
may refer to the church with other expressions,
as in the first 14 chapters of the Epistle to the
Romans , in which ἐκκλησία is totally absent but
which repeatedly uses the cognate word κλήτοι
( klētoi, "called"). [23] The church may be referred
to also through images traditionally employed in
the Bible to speak of the people of God, such as
the image of the vineyard used particularly in the
Gospel of John . [20]
The New Testament never uses the adjectives
"catholic" or "universal" with reference to the
church, but does indicate that the local
communities are one church, that Christians
must always seek to be in concord, that the
Gospel must extend to the ends of the earth and
to all nations, that the church is open to all
peoples and must not be divided, etc. [19]
The first recorded application of "catholic" or
"universal" to the church is by Ignatius of Antioch
in about 107 in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans,
chapter VIII. "Wherever the bishop appears, there
let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is,
there is the Catholic Church." [24]
Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus ,
Tertullian and Cyprian held to the view that the
Christian Church was a visible entity, not an
invisible body of believers.
Christianity as Roman state
religion (380 AD)
An icon depicting Constantine I ,
accompanied by the bishops of the First
Council of Nicaea (325), holding the
Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed of
381 .
On February 27, 380, the Roman Empire officially
adopted the Trinitarian version of Christianity as
the state church of the Roman Empire. Prior to
this date, Constantius II (337-361) and Valens
(364-378) had personally favored Arian or Semi-
Arian forms of Christianity, but Valens' successor
Theodosius I supported the Trinitarian doctrine
as expounded in the Nicene Creed from the 1st
Council of Nicea.
On this date, Theodosius I decreed that only the
followers of Trinitarian Christianity were entitled
to be referred to as Catholic Christians , while all
others were to be considered to be heretics,
which was considered illegal. [25] In 385, this
new legal situation resulted, in the first case of
many to come, in the capital punishment of a
heretic, namely Priscillian, condemned to death,
with several of his followers, by a civil tribunal
for the crime of magic. [26] In the centuries of
state-sponsored Christianity that followed,
pagans and "heretical" Christians were routinely
persecuted by the Empire and the many
kingdoms and countries that later occupied the
place of the Empire, [27] but some Germanic
tribes remained Arian well into the Middle
Ages[28] (see also Christendom ).
The Church within the Roman Empire was
organized under metropolitan sees, with five
rising to particular prominence and forming the
basis for the Pentarchy proposed by Justinian I .
Of these five, one was in the West (Rome ) and
the rest in the East (Constantinople , Jerusalem,
Antioch, and Alexandria). [29]
Founded in 363 AD, Mar Mattai
monastery , a Nestorian Church , is
recognized as one of the oldest Christian
monasteries in existence. [30]
Even after the split of the Roman Empire the
Church remained a relatively united institution
(apart from Oriental Orthodoxy and some other
groups which separated from the rest of the
Church earlier). The Church came to be a central
and defining institution of the Empire, especially
in the East or Byzantine Empire , where
Constantinople came to be seen as the center of
the Christian world, owing in great part to its
economic and political power. [31][32]
Once the Western Empire fell to Germanic
incursions in the 5th century , the (Roman)
Church became for centuries the primary link to
Roman civilization for medieval Western Europe
and an important channel of influence in the
West for the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine ,
emperors. While, in the West, the so-called
orthodox Church competed against the Arian
Christian and pagan faiths of the Germanic rulers
and spread outside what had been the Empire to
Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, and the western
Slavs , in the East Christianity spread to the Slavs
in what is now Russia , south-central and eastern
Europe. [33] The reign of Charlemagne in
Western Europe is particularly noted for bringing
the last major Western Arian tribes into
communion with Rome, in part through conquest
and forced conversion.
Starting in the 7th century the Islamic Caliphates
rose and gradually began to conquer larger and
larger areas of the Christian world . [33] Excepting
North Africa and most of Spain , northern and
western Europe escaped largely unscathed by
Islamic expansion, in great part because richer
Constantinople and its empire acted as a
magnet for the onslaught. [34] The challenge
presented by the Muslims would help to solidify
the religious identity of eastern Christians even
as it gradually weakened the Eastern Empire. [35]
Even in the Muslim World , the Church survived
(e.g., the modern Copts , Maronites , and others)
albeit at times with great difficulty. [36][37]
Great Schism of 1054
Although there had long been frictions between
the Bishop of Rome (e.g. the patriarch of the
Catholic Church proper) and the eastern
patriarchs within the Byzantine Empire, Rome's
changing allegiance from Constantinople to the
Frankish king Charlemagne set the Church on a
course towards separation. The political and
theological divisions would grow until Rome and
the East excommunicated each other in the 11th
century , ultimately leading to the division of the
Church into the Western (Catholic ) and Eastern
(Eastern Orthodox) Churches. [33] In 1448, not
long before the Byzantine Empire collapsed, the
Russian Church gained independence from the
Patriarch of Constantinople . [38]
As a result of the redevelopment of Western
Europe, and the gradual fall of the Eastern
Roman Empire to the Arabs and Turks (helped
by warfare against Eastern Christians ), the final
Fall of Constantinople in 1453 resulted in
Eastern scholars fleeing the Moslem hordes
bringing ancient manuscripts to the West, which
was a factor in the beginning of the period of
the Western Renaissance there. Rome was seen
by the Western Church as Christianity's
heartland. [39] Some Eastern churches even
broke with Eastern Orthodoxy and entered into
communion with Rome ( the "Uniate" Eastern
Catholic Churches).
Protestant Reformation in the
16th century
The changes brought on by the Renaissance
eventually led to the Protestant Reformation
during which the Protestant Lutheran and the
Reformed followers of Calvin, Hus, Zwingli,
Melancthon, Knox, and others split from the
Catholic Church. At this time, a series of non-
theological disputes also led to the English
Reformation which led to the independence of
the Church of England . Then, during the Age of
Exploration and the Age of Imperialism , Western
Europe spread the Catholic Church and the
Protestant and Reformed churches around the
world, especially in the Americas. [40][41] These
developments in turn have led to Christianity
being the largest religion in the world today. [42]
Catholic tradition
See also: Historical development of the
doctrine of Papal Primacy
The Catholic Church teaches in its doctrine that
it is the original church founded by Christ on the
Apostles in the 1st century AD. The papal
encyclical Mystici corporis (Pope Pius XII,
1943), expresses the dogmatic ecclesiology of
the Catholic Church thus: "If we would define and
describe this true Church of Jesus Christ—which
is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman
Church–we shall find no expression more noble,
more sublime, or more divine, than the phrase
which calls it 'the Mystical Body of Jesus
Christ'." The Second Vatican Council's dogmatic
constitution, Lumen gentium (1964), further
declares that "the one Church of Christ which in
the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and
apostolic, ... constituted and organized in the
world as a society, subsists in the Catholic
Church, which is governed by the successor of
Peter and by the Bishops in communion with
him". [43][44] Likewise, the encyclical of Pope
Pius IX, Singulari Quidem , states in a similar
vein, "There is only one true, holy, Catholic
Church, which is the Apostolic Roman Church.
There is only one See founded on Peter by the
word of the Lord... Outside of the Church, no
one can hope for life or salvation unless he is
excused through ignorance beyond his control." It
is also a common theme in Catholic devotional
and catechetical literature: "The Holy Catholic
and Apostolic Church is the only flock of which
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only
Shepherd." (Catholic Book of Prayers, Pg. 236,
"One Flock, One Shepherd") [45]
A 2007 declaration[46] of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith clarified that, in this
passage, "'subsistence' means this perduring,
historical continuity and the permanence of all
the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic
Church, in which the Church of Christ is
concretely found on this earth", and
acknowledged that grace can be operative within
religious communities separated from the
Catholic Church due to some "elements of
sanctification and truth" within them, but also
added "Nevertheless, the word 'subsists' can only
be attributed to the Catholic Church alone
precisely because it refers to the mark of unity
that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I
believe... in the 'one' Church); and this 'one'
Church subsists in the Catholic Church."
The Catholic Church teaches that only corporate
bodies of Christians led by bishops with valid
holy orders can be recognized as "churches" in
the proper sense. In Catholic documents,
communities without such bishops are formally
called ecclesial communities .
Orthodox tradition
St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in
Alexandria, Egypt.
The term orthodox is generally used to
distinguish the faith or beliefs of the "true
Church" from other doctrines which disagree,
traditionally referred to as heresy .
The Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental
Orthodox Church each claim to be the original
Christian Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church
bases its claim primarily on its assertion that it
holds to traditions and beliefs of the original
Christian Church. It also states that four out of
the five sees of the Pentarchy (excluding Rome)
are still a part of it. The Oriental Orthodox
churches' claims are similar to those of the
Eastern Orthodox Church. They never adopted
the theory of the Nature of God, which was
formulated later than the break that followed the
Council of Chalcedon.
This concept of "orthodoxy" began to take on
particular significance during the reign of the
Roman Emperor Constantine I , the first to
actively promote Christianity. Constantine
convened the first Ecumenical Council , the
Council of Nicea, which attempted to provide the
first universal creed of the Christian faith.
The major issue of this and other councils
during the 4th century was the christological
debate between Arianism and Trinitarianism .
Trinitarianism is the official doctrine of the
Catholic Church and is strongly associated with
the term "orthodoxy", although some modern
non-trinitarian churches dispute this usage.
Lutheran tradition
The Church is the congregation of
saints, in which the Gospel is rightly
taught and the Sacraments are rightly
administered. – Augsburg
Confession [47]
The Lutheran Churches traditionally hold that their
tradition represents the true visible Church . [48]
The Augsburg Confession found within the Book
of Concord , a compendium of belief of the
Lutheran Churches, teaches that "the faith as
confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing
new, but the true catholic faith, and that their
churches represent the true catholic or universal
church". [49] When the Lutherans presented the
Augsburg Confession to Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor in 1530, they believe to have "showed
that each article of faith and practice was true
first of all to Holy Scripture, and then also to the
teaching of the church fathers and the
councils". [49]
Nevertheless, the Lutheran Churches teach that
"there are indeed true Christians in other
Churches" as "other denominations also preach
the Word of God, though mixed with error"; since
the proclamation of the Word of God bears fruit,
Lutheran theology accepts the appellation
"Church" for other Christian denominations. [48]
Anglican tradition
Anglicans generally understand their tradition as
a branch of the historical "Catholic Church" and
as a via media ("middle way") between traditions,
often Lutheranism and Reformed Christianity, or
Roman Catholicism and Reformed
Christianity. [50]
Reformed tradition
Reformed theology defines the Church as being
invisible and visible --the former includes the
entire communion of saints and the latter is the
"institution that God provides as an agency for
God's saving, justifying, and sustaining activity",
which John Calvin referred to as "our
mother". [51] The Reformed confessions of faith
emphasize "the pure teaching of the gospel (pura
doctrina evangelii ) and the right administration of
the sacraments ( recta administratio
sacramentorum)" as "the two most necessary
signs of the true visible church". [52]
Methodist tradition
Methodist preachers are known for promulgating
the doctrines of the new birth and entire
sanctification to the public at events such as tent
revivals and camp meetings , which they believe
is the reason that God raised them up into
existence. [53]
Methodists affirm belief in "the one true Church,
Apostolic and Universal", viewing their Churches
as constituting a "privileged branch of this true
church". [54][55] With regard to the position of
Methodism within Christendom , the founder of
the movement "John Wesley once noted that
what God had achieved in the development of
Methodism was no mere human endeavor but
the work of God. As such it would be preserved
by God so long as history remained." [56] Calling
it "the grand depositum" of the Methodist faith,
Wesley specifically taught that the propagation
of the doctrine of entire sanctification was the
reason that God raised up the Methodists in the
world. [57][53]
Related concepts
The term "orthodoxy " or "orthodox faith", with a
lower-case O and thus distinguished from the
term Orthodox Church , have been used to
distinguish the "true church" from supposedly
heretical groups. The term became especially
prominent in referring to the doctrine of the
Nicene Creed and, in historical contexts, is often
still used to distinguish this first "official"
doctrine from others. [18]
The "Body of Christ" (cf. 1Cor 12:27 ) and
" Bride of Christ" (cf. Rev 21:9 ; Eph
5:22-33 ). These terms are used to refer to the
whole community of Christians seen as
interdependent in a single entity headed by
Jesus Christ. [58]
The terms "Churches Militant, Penitent, and
Triumphant" (Latin : Ecclesia Militans and
Ecclesia Triumphans ), taken together, are used
to express the concept of a united Church that
extends beyond the earthly realm into
Heaven. [59] The term Church Militant comprises
all living Christians while Church Triumphant
comprises those in Heaven . Related is the
"Church Suffering" or "Church Expectant", a
Catholic concept encompassing those Christians
in Purgatory, no longer part of the Church
Militant and not yet part of the Church
Triumphant.
The communion of saints (Latin: communio
sanctorum ) is the spiritual union of the members
of the Christian Church, living and the dead. It is
a union in faith and prayer that binds all
Christians regardless of geographical distance or
separation by death. In Catholic theology, this
union encompasses the Church Militant, the
Church Triumphant, and the Church Suffering. [60]
Apostolic succession
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci ,
depicting Jesus with his twelve Apostles
" Apostolic succession" is a doctrine of the
Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Churches ,
the Oriental Orthodox churches, the Moravian
Church , the Scandinavian Lutheran Churches,
Anglican Communion , and others. [61] The
doctrine asserts that the bishops of the "true
Church" enjoy the favor or grace of God as a
result of legitimate and unbroken sacramental
succession from Jesus' apostles. [62] According
to this doctrine, modern bishops, therefore, must
be viewed as part of an unbroken line of
leadership in succession from the original
apostles: though they do not have the authority
and powers granted uniquely to the apostles,
they are the apostles' successors in governing
the Church. [63]
Other protestants see the authority given to the
apostles as unique, proper to the apostles alone,
to the extent that they generally reject the idea of
a succession of bishops to the apostles in
governing the Church. Their view of
ecclesiastical authority is accordingly
different. [62]
One true church
See also: One true church
The phrase "One, holy, catholic, and apostolic
Church " appears in the Nicene Creed (μίαν,
ἁγίαν, καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν)
and, in part, in the Apostles' Creed ("the holy
catholic church", sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam ,
which in Greek would be: ἁγίαν καθολικὴν
Ἐκκλησίαν). [64][65] The phrase is intended to
set forth the four marks, or identifying signs, of
the Christian Church—unity, holiness, universality,
and apostolicity—and is based on the premise
that all true Christians form a single united group
founded by the apostles. [66]
The word " catholic" is derived from the Greek
adjective καθολικός pronounced katholikos ,
which means "general" or "universal". [67] Applied
to the Church, it implies a calling to spread the
faith throughout the whole world and to all ages.
It is also thought of as implying that the Church
is endowed with all the means of salvation for
its members. In this sense the Church is taken
by Christian theology to refer to the single,
universal community of faithful. Baptism and
communion signifies membership of the Church.
Excommunication is expulsion from the visible
community of the Church, and is a remedial
denial of the sacraments to a baptized Christian
that does not invalidate that Christian's baptism.
This can be traced back to the New Testament
and to Jesus himself: Matthew 18:15-18 ,
Matthew 16:18-19 , Acts 8:18-24 , Galatians
1:6-9 , 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 , 1 Corinthians
5 , 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 , 1 Timothy
1:18-20 , Titus 3:10 , 3 John 9-11 , Jude
8-23 , John 15:6 , 1 Corinthians 5:5 .
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, the earliest known
writer to use the phrase "the catholic church",
excluded from the Church heterodox groups
whose teaching and practice conflicted with
those of the bishops of the Church, and
considered that they were not really Christians. In
keeping with this idea, many churches and
communions consider that those whom they
judge to be in a state of heresy or schism from
their church or communion are not part of the
catholic Church. This is the view of the Catholic,
Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox
churches.
St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the largest
church building in the world today. [68]
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental
Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church each
regard themselves as the one true and unique
church of Christ, and claim to be not just a
Christian church but the original church founded
by Christ, preserving unbroken the original
teaching and sacraments. The Catholic Church
teaches that "the one Church of Christ, as a
society constituted and organized in the world,
subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the
Successor of Peter and the bishops in
communion with him. Only through this Church
can one obtain the fullness of the means of
salvation since the Lord has entrusted all the
blessings of the New Covenant to the apostolic
college alone whose head is Peter." [69][70]
Similarly, the Eastern Orthodox Church believes it
is "the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church,
founded by Jesus Christ and His apostles. It is
organically and historically the same Church that
came fully into being at Pentecost . "[71] They see
the members of other churches as linked in only
an imperfect way with the one true Church,
recognising Protestants not as churches but as
ecclesial or specific faith believing
communities. [72] Historically, Catholics would
label members of certain Christian churches
(also certain non-Christian religions) by the
names of their founders, either actual or
purported. Such supposed founders were referred
to as heresiarchs . This was done even when the
party thus labeled viewed itself as belonging to
the one true church. This allowed the Catholic
party to claim that the other church was founded
by the founder, while the Catholic church was
founded by Christ. This was done intentionally in
order to "produce the appearance of the
fragmentation within Christianity"[73] –a problem
which the Catholic side would then attempt to
remedy on its own terms.
Although Catholics reject Branch theory , Pope
Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II used the
"two lungs" concept to relate Catholicism with
Eastern Orthodoxy. [74]
There are long standing controversies over
whether Protestant religious denominations
should be called "Church" or not and whether the
Roman Catholic Church's sense of the word
"Catholic" is the only correct one. Catholic
epistemology has been criticized by Eastern
Orthodox Christians and Protestants. For
example, in 2001, several leaders from the
Church of Denmark released a public statement,
saying in part, [75]
Historically, Catholics would label members of
certain Christian churches (also certain non-
Christian religions) by the names of their
founders, either actual or purported. Such
supposed founders were referred to as
heresiarchs . This was done even when the party
thus labeled viewed itself as belonging to the
one true church. This allowed the Catholic party
to claim that the other church was founded by
the founder, while the Catholic church was
founded by Christ. This was done intentionally in
order to "produce the appearance of the
fragmentation within Christianity"[76] –a problem
which the Catholic side would then attempt to
remedy on its own terms.
The Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran
Churches teach that "their churches represent the
true catholic or universal church". [49] It holds,
however, that "there are indeed true Christians in
other Churches" as "other denominations also
preach the Word of God, though mixed with
error". [48]
Many other Christian groups take the view that
all denominations are part of a symbolic and
global Christian church which is a body bound
by a common faith if not a common
administration or tradition. Like the Catholic
Church, the Orthodox Church, and some others
have always referred to themselves as the
Catholic church. [77] Oriental Orthodoxy shares
this view, seeing the Churches of the Oriental
Orthodox communion as constituting the one
true Church. In the West the term Catholic has
come to be most commonly associated with the
Catholic Church because of its size and
influence in the West, and because that is
historically its name (although in formal contexts
most other churches still reject this naming,
because the title "Catholic Church" is so linked
with the notion of being the one true church).
Visible and invisible church
Main articles: Church invisible and Church
visible
"... one holy Church is to continue
forever. The Church is the congregation
of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly
taught and the Sacraments are rightly
administered." – Augsburg
Confession [78]
Many Protestants believe that the Christian
Church, as described in the Bible, has a twofold
character that can be described as the visible
and invisible church.
In this view, the church invisible consists of all
those from every time and place who are vitally
united to Christ through regeneration and
salvation and who will be eternally united to
Jesus Christ in eternal life . The universal,
invisible church refers to the "invisible" body of
the elect who are known only to God, and
contrasts with the "visible church"—that is, the
institutional body on earth which preaches the
gospel and administers the sacraments. Every
member of the invisible church is considered
saved, while the visible church contains some
individuals who are saved and others who are
unsaved. [comp. Mt. 7:21-24] This concept
has been attributed to St Augustine of Hippo as
part of his refutation of the Donatist sect, [79] but
others question whether Augustine really held to
some form of an "invisible true Church"
concept. [80] Catholics and Eastern Orthodox see
this dual ecclesiology as semi- Donatism and a
deviation from historic teaching.
The church visible, in this same view, consists of
all those who visibly join themselves to a
profession of faith and gathering together to
know and serve the head of the church, Jesus
Christ. It exists globally in all who identify
themselves as Christians and locally in particular
places where believers gather for the worship of
God. The visible church may also refer to an
association of particular churches from multiple
locations who unite themselves under a common
charter and set of governmental principles. The
church in the visible sense is often governed by
office-bearers carrying titles such as minister ,
pastor , teacher, elder , and deacon .
For the Catholic Church and the Eastern
Orthodox Church, making a real distinction
between "the heavenly and invisible Church,
alone true and absolute" and "the earthly Church
(or rather "the churches"), imperfect and relative"
is a " Nestorian ecclesiology" [81] and is thus
deemed by both as heretical.
Catholic theology reacted against the Protestant
concept of a "purely" invisible church by
stressing the visible aspect of the church
founded by Christ; but in the 20th century the
Catholic Church has placed more stress on the
interior life of the church as a supernatural
organism. In an encyclical, Pope Pius XII stated
that the Catholic Church is the "Mystical Body of
Christ". [82][83] This encyclical rejected two
extreme views of the church: [84]
1. A rationalistic or purely sociological
understanding of the church, according to which
it is merely a human organization with structures
and activities, is mistaken. The visible church
and its structures do exist but the church is
more, as it is guided by the Holy Spirit :
2. An exclusively mystical understanding of the
Church is mistaken as well, because a mystical
"Christ in us" union would deify its members and
mean that the acts of Christians are
simultaneously the acts of Christ. The
theological concept una mystica persona (one
mystical person) refers not to an individual
relation but to the unity of Christ with the Church
and the unity of its members with him in
her. [86]
Church government
Main article: Ecclesiastical polity
Major forms of church government include
episcopal governance (Anglican, Catholic ,
Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy),
presbyterian governance, and congregational
governance ( Baptist, some Pentecostal,
Congregationalist, charismatic, and other
Protestant denominations). Before the Protestant
Reformation, church leaders (the bishops) were
universally understood to gain their authority
through apostolic succession via the Sacrament
of Ordination .
Metaphors
Christian scriptures use a wide range of
metaphors to describe the Church. These
include:
Family of the Father, the Lord
Almighty[Eph. 3:14-15] [2Cor. 6:18]
Jesus' family, his mother and brothers, and
sisters[Matt. 12:49-50]
Bride of Christ [Eph. 5:22-32]
[Rev. 21:9-10]
Branches on the vine [John 15:1-6]
Olive tree[Rom. 11:17-24]
God's field [1Cor. 3:6-9]
God's building [1Cor. 3:9]
Harvest[Matt. 9:37-38] [Matt. 13:1-30]
[John 4:35]
Tree [Matt. 13:31-32] [Mark 4:31-32]
[Luke 13:19]
Net[Matt. 13:47-48] [John 21:5-11]
Great Sheet [Acts 10:9-15]
Spiritual house, a royal
priesthood[1Pet. 2:4-8]
Household and temple of
God[Eph. 2:19-22] [Rev. 21:10-14]
City of God, New Jerusalem[Heb. 12:22-23]
[Rev. 3:11-13]
Assembly of the firstborn [Heb. 12:23]
Mother [Gal. 4:24-31]
God's house[Heb. 3:3-6]
Pillar and buttress of the truth [1Tim. 3:15]
Body of Christ [1Cor. 12:12-27]
[Col. 2:18-19]
Temple of the Holy Spirit [John 4:23-24]
[1Cor. 3:10-17] [2Cor. 6:16]
[Eph. 2:20-22] [Rev. 21:2-3]
Sheep and flock [John 10:1-16]
Divisions and
controversies
Today there is a wide diversity of Christian
groups, with a variety of different doctrines and
traditions. These controversies between the
various branches of Christianity naturally include
significant differences in their respective
ecclesiologies.
Christian denominations
Main article: Christian denominations
A denomination in Christianity is a generic term
for a distinct religious body identified by traits
such as a common name, structure, leadership,
or doctrine. Individual bodies, however, may use
alternative terms to describe themselves, such
as "church" or "fellowship". Divisions between
one group and another are defined by doctrine
and church authority; issues such as the nature
of Jesus , the authority of apostolic succession,
eschatology , and papal primacy often separate
one denomination from another. Groups of
denominations often sharing broadly similar
beliefs, practices, and historical ties are known
as branches of Christianity.
Individual Christian groups vary widely in the
degree to which they recognize one another.
Several groups claim to be the direct and sole
authentic successor the church founded by
Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD. Others,
however, believe in denominationalism, where
some or all Christian groups are legitimate
churches of the same religion regardless of their
distinguishing labels, beliefs, and practices.
Because of this concept, some Christian bodies
reject the term "denomination" to describe
themselves, to avoid implying equivalency with
other churches or denominations.
The nave of St. Peter's Church
Phibsborough, Dublin , Ireland
St. Andrew's Church, Darjeeling. Built-
1843, Rebuilt- 1873
The Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox
Church believe that the term one in the Nicene
Creed describes and prescribes a visible
institutional and doctrinal unity, not only
geographically throughout the world, but also
historically throughout history. They see unity as
one of the four marks that the Creed attributes to
the genuine Church, and the essence of a mark
is to be visible. A church whose identity and
belief varied from country to country and from
age to age would not be "one" in their
estimation. As such they see themselves not as
a denomination, but as pre-denominational; not
as one of many faith communities, but the
original and sole true Church.
Many Baptist and Congregationalist theologians
accept the local sense as the only valid
application of the term church. They strongly
reject the notion of a universal ( catholic) church.
These denominations argue that all uses of the
Greek word ekklesia in the New Testament are
speaking of either a particular local group or of
the notion of "church" in the abstract, and never
of a single, worldwide church. [87][88]
Many Anglicans, Lutherans , Old Catholics , and
Independent Catholics view unity as a mark of
catholicity, but see the institutional unity of the
Catholic Church as manifested in the shared
apostolic succession of their episcopacies,
rather than a shared episcopal hierarchy or rites.
Reformed Christians hold that every person
justified by faith in the Gospel committed to the
Apostles is a member of "One, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church". From this perspective,
the real unity and holiness of the whole church
established through the Apostles is yet to be
revealed; and meanwhile, the extent and peace of
the church on earth is imperfectly realized in a
visible way.
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod declares
that only believers in the doctrine of justification
are members of the Christian Church, excluding
all others, even if those others are in external
communion with the Church and even if they
hold a teaching office in it. [89]
World Christianity
Main article: World Christianity
A number of historians have noted a twentieth-
century "global shift" in Christianity, from a
religion largely found in Europe and the Americas
to one which is found in the global south . [90]
[91][92] Described as "World Christianity" or
"Global Christianity," this term attempts to
convey the global nature of the Christian religion.
However, the term often focuses on “non-
Western Christianity” which “comprises (usually
the exotic) instances of Christian faith in ‘the
global South’, in Asia, Africa and Latin
America.” [93] It also includes indigenous or
diasporic forms in Western Europe and North
America. [94]
Other debates
Other debates include the following:
"Churchianity" is a pejorative term for
practices of Christianity that are viewed as
placing more emphasis on the habits of
church life or its institutional traditions than
on the teachings of Jesus . Hence the
replacement of "Christ" by "Church" in the
word " Church ianity". Some Protestants apply
it to churches that they view as having moved
the central focus from Christ to the Church.
Others, such as the Orthodox Church and the
Catholic Church, see Christ as the centre, but
the Church also as essential (extra Ecclesiam
nulla salus ) because of the close union
between Christ and the Church described in
Biblical passages such as the Epistle to the
Ephesians (see Bride of Christ), and they view
the worship and piety of certain Protestants
as centred on celebrity pastors and factions
rather than on Christ.
There are many opinions as to the ultimate
fate of the souls of individuals who are not
part of a particular institutional church, i.e.,
members of a particular church may or may
not believe that the souls of those outside
their church organization can or will be saved.
There have always been differing opinions as
to the divinity of God, the Son or his unity
with God, the Father . Although, historically,
the most significant debate in this arena was
the Arianism and trinitarianism debate in the
Roman Empire, debates in this realm have
occurred throughout Christian history.
It has been debated in Protestantism whether
or not the Christian Church is in fact a unified
heavenly institution with the earthly institutions
relegated to secondary status.
See also
Christianity portal
Religion portal
Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral
Church attendance
Christian ecumenism
Church architecture
Churching of women
Evangelical Catholic
Germanic Christianity
Great Church
High church and Low church
Kingdom of God
List of Christian denominations
List of Christian denominations by number of
members
List of popes
Priesthood of all believers
Restoration Movement
Role of the Christian Church in civilization
Unam sanctam
Inculturation
Missiology
References
1. ^ The four traditional notes of the Christian
Church Google Link
2. ^ Liddell and Scott:ἐκκλησία
3. ^ "Ekklesia: A Word Study" . Acu.edu.
Archived from the original on 3 September
2006. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
4. ^ McKim, Donald K., Westminster Dictionary
of Theological Terms , Westminster John Knox
Press, 1996
5. ^ Harper, Douglas (2001). "church" . Online
Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
"O.E. cirice "church," from W.Gmc. *kirika , from
Gk. kyriake (oikia) "Lord's (house)," from kyrios
"ruler, lord.""
6. ^ Harper, Douglas (2001). "church" . Online
Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
"Gk. kyriakon (adj.) "of the Lord" was used of
houses of Christian worship since c. 300,
especially in the East, though it was less
common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike."
7. ^ The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica.
"Pentecost | Christianity" . Encyclopædia
Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
8. ^ "Religions - Christianity: Pentecost" .
bbc.co.uk . British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC). Retrieved 4 November 2016.
9. ^ Milavec, Aaron (2007). Salvation is from
the Jews (John 4:22): Saving Grace in Judaism
and Messianic Hope in Christianity . Liturgical
Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780814659892 . Retrieved 4
November 2016.
10. ^ "Pentecost (Whitsunday)" . Catholic
Encyclopedia . Accessed on 4 November 2016.
11. ^ "Church as an Institution", Dictionary of the
History of Ideas , University of Virginia Library
[1] Archived 2006-10-24 at the Wayback
Machine
12. ^ An Overview of Christian History , Catholic
Resources for Bible, Liturgy, and More [2]
13. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Acts
of the Apostles" . Catholic Encyclopedia . New
York: Robert Appleton Company.
14. ^ Donald H. Frew, Harran: Last Refuge of
Classical Paganism Colorado State University
Pueblo "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2004-08-26. Retrieved
2007-05-19.
15. ^ From Jesus to Christ: Maps, Archaeology,
and Sources: Chronology , PBS, retrieved May 19,
2007 [3]
16. ^ Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe, Christianity and the
Roman Empire: Reasons for persecution , Ancient
History: Romans, BBC Home, retrieved May 10,
2007 [4]
17. ^ Michael DiMaio, Jr., Robert Frakes,
Constantius II (337-361 A.D.) , De Imperatoribus
Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman
Rulers and their Families [5]
18. ^ a b Michael Hines, Constantine and the
Christian State, Church History for the Masses
[6]
19. ^ a b c François Louvel, "Naissance d'un
vocabulaire chrétien" in Les Pères Apostoliques
(Paris, Cerf, 2006 ISBN 978-2-204-06872-7 ), pp.
517-518
20. ^ a b Xavier Léon-Dufour (editor),
Vocabulaire de théologie biblique (Paris, Cerf,
1981 ISBN 2-204-01720-5 ), pp. 323-335.
21. ^ Matthew 16:18
22. ^ Matthew 18:17
23. ^ Julienne Côté, Cent mots-clés de la
théologie de Paul (ISBN 2-204-06446-7 ), pp.
157ff
24. ^ http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/
text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-longer.html
25. ^ Halsall, Paul (June 1997). "Theodosian
Code XVI.i.2" . Medieval Sourcebook: Banning
of Other Religions . Fordham University. Retrieved
2006-11-23.
26. ^ Healy, Patrick (1913).
"Priscillianism" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert
Appleton Company.
27. ^ Ramsay MacMullen , Christianity and
Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries , Yale
University Press, September 23, 1997
28. ^ Christianity Missions and monasticism ,
Encyclopædia Britannica Online [7]
29. ^ Deno Geanakoplos, A short history of the
ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople ,
Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarch, retrieved
May 20, 2007 [8]
30. ^ Moosa, Matti (28 April 2012). "The
Christians Under Turkish Rule" .
31. ^ MSN Encarta: Orthodox Church, retrieved
May 12, 2007 . Archived from the original on
2009-10-31.
32. ^ Arias of Study: Western Art, Department of
Art History, University of Wisconsin, retrieved
May 17, 2007 [9]
33. ^ a b c CHRISTIANITY IN HISTORY,
Dictionary of the History of Ideas, University of
Virginia Library [10] Archived 2006-09-09 at
the Wayback Machine
34. ^ The Byzantine Empire , byzantinos.com
35. ^ BYZANTINE ICONOCLASM AND POLITICAL
EARTHQUAKE OF ARAB CONQUESTS – AN
EMOTIONAL ‘GUST’ , This Century's Review,
retrieved May 24, 2007 [11]
36. ^ The History of the Copts , California
Academy of Sciences "Archived copy" .
Archived from the original on 2007-10-13.
Retrieved 2007-10-28., retrieved May 24, 2007
37. ^ History of the Maronite Patriarchate , Opus
Libani, retrieved May 24, 2007 "Archived
copy" . Archived from the original on
2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
38. ^ Autocephalous Russian Church
39. ^ Aristeides Papadakis, John Meyendorff ,
The Christian East and the Rise of the Papacy:
The Church 1071-1453 A.D. , St. Vladimir's
Seminary Press, August 1994,
ISBN 0-88141-057-8 , ISBN 978-0-88141-057-0
40. ^ Christianity and world religions,
Encyclopædia Britannica
41. ^ South America:Religion , Encyclopædia
Britannica
42. ^ Major Religions of the World Ranked by
Number of Adherents , Adherents.com [12]
43. ^ Lumen gentium Archived September 6,
2014, at the Wayback Machine, 8
44. ^ In The Catholicity of the Church , p. 132,
Avery Dulles noted that this document avoided
explicitly calling the Church the "Roman" Catholic
Church, replacing this term with the equivalent
"which is governed by the successor of Peter
and by the Bishops in communion with him" and
giving in a footnote a reference to two earlier
documents in which the word "Roman" is used
explicitly.
45. ^ Catholic Book of Prayers, Pg. 236, Large-
Print Edition; Nihil Obstat and Impramatur. 2005
copyright. Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New
Jersey.
46. ^ Responses to Some Questions Regarding
Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church
Archived August 13, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine
47. ^ See Augsburg Confession, Article 7, Of the
Church
48. ^ a b c Frey, H. (1918). Is One Church as
Good as Another? . 37 . The Lutheran Witness.
pp. 82–83.
49. ^ a b c Ludwig, Alan (12 September 2016).
"Luther's Catholic Reformation". The Lutheran
Witness. "When the Lutherans presented the
Augsburg Confession before Emperor Charles V
in 1530, they carefully showed that each article
of faith and practice was true first of all to Holy
Scripture, and then also to the teaching of the
church fathers and the councils and even the
canon law of the Church of Rome. They boldly
claim, “This is about the Sum of our Doctrine, in
which, as can be seen, there is nothing that
varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church
Catholic, or from the Church of Rome as known
from its writers” (AC XXI Conclusion 1). The
underlying thesis of the Augsburg Confession is
that the faith as confessed by Luther and his
followers is nothing new, but the true catholic
faith, and that their churches represent the true
catholic or universal church. In fact, it is actually
the Church of Rome that has departed from the
ancient faith and practice of the catholic church
(see AC XXIII 13, XXVIII 72 and other places)."
Missing or empty |url= (help ); |access-date=
requires |url= (help )
50. ^ Anglican and Episcopal History . Historical
Society of the Episcopal Church. 2003. p. 15.
"Others had made similar observations, Patrick
McGrath commenting that the Church of England
was not a middle way between Roman Catholic
and Protestant, but "between different forms of
Protestantism," and William Monter describing
the Church of England as "a unique style of
Protestantism, a via media between the
Reformed and Lutheran traditions." MacCulloch
has described Cranmer as seeking a middle way
between Zurich and Wittenberg but elsewhere
remarks that the Church of England was "nearer
Zurich and Geneva than Wittenberg."
51. ^ McKim, Donald K. (1 January 2001). The
Westminster Handbook to Reformed Theology .
Westminster John Knox Press. p. 34.
ISBN 9780664224301 .
52. ^ Adhinarta, Yuzo (14 June 2012). The
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the Major Reformed
Confessions and Catechisms of the Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Centuries . Langham Monographs.
p. 83. ISBN 9781907713286 .
53. ^ a b Gibson, James. "Wesleyan Heritage
Series: Entire Sanctification" . South Georgia
Confessing Association. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
54. ^ Newton, William F. (1863). The Magazine
of the Wesleyan Methodist Church . J. Fry &
Company. p. 673. |access-date= requires |
url= ( help )
55. ^ Bloom, Linda (20 July 2007). "Vatican
stance "nothing new" say church leader" . The
United Methodist Church. Retrieved 10 June
2018.
56. ^ William J. Abraham (25 August 2016).
"The Birth Pangs of United Methodism as a
Unique, Global, Orthodox Denomination" .
Retrieved 30 April 2017.
57. ^ Davies, Rupert E.; George, A. Raymond;
Rupp, Gordon (14 June 2017). A History of the
Methodist Church in Great Britain, Volume Three .
Wipf & Stock Publishers. p. 225.
ISBN 9781532630507 .
58. ^ "Paul, the Apostle: The body of Christ",
Encyclopædia Britannica
59. ^ Karl Adam, The Spirit of Catholicism,
Eternal Word Television Network, retrieved May
24, 2007 [13]
60. ^ " communion of saints ", Encyclopædia
Britannica.
61. ^ Guidry, Christopher R.; Crossing, Peter F.
(1 January 2001). World Christian Trends, AD 30-
AD 2200: Interpreting the Annual Christian
Megacensus . William Carey Library. p. 307.
ISBN 9780878086085 . "A number of large
episcopal churches (e.g. United Methodist
Church, USA) have maintained a succession over
200 years but are not concerned to claim that
the succession goes back in unbroken line to the
time of the first Apostles. Very many other major
episcopal churches, however-Roman Catholic,
Orthodox, Old Catholic, Anglican, Scandinavian
Lutheran-do make this claim and contend that a
bishop cannot have regular or valid orders unless
he has been consecrated in this apostolic
succession."
62. ^ a b Apostolic Succession, The Columbia
Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. [14]
63. ^ "Successors of the Apostles" . Archived
from the original on 2009-05-23. Retrieved
2009-05-30.
64. ^ Nicene Creed, The Seven Ecumenical
Councils, Christian Classics Ethereal Library
[15]
65. ^ Apostle's Creed, Christian Classics Ethereal
Library
66. ^ Kenneth D. Whitehead, Four Marks of the
Church, EWTN Global Catholic Network [16]
67. ^ Tufts University: Perseus Digital Library: A
Greek-English Lexicon
68. ^ UNESCO World Heritage: Vatican City
69. ^ Compendium of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 162
70. ^ Note that it does not say, "Only through
this Church can one obtain salvation"—it says,
" Only through this Church can one obtain the
fullness of the means of salvation ", i.e., all the
"helps" individual believers need to nurture,
protect, cultivate, and grow to fruitful maturity
the gift of salvation that has been given to them.
— see Matthew 25:13-30 , John 15:4-8 , Acts
2:42 , Romans 12:4-8 , 1 Corinthians 1:10 ,
1 Cor. 12:7 , 1 Cor. 12:20-21 , 1 Cor.
12:25-28 , 1 Cor. 14:12 , 1 Cor. 14:26-33 ,
Ephesians 2:19-22 , Revelation 21:14 ,
Ephesians 4:4-16 , Philippians 2:12-15 ,
Colossians 2:18-19 , Hebrews 6:4-12 ,
Hebrews 10:25 , Heb. 13:17 , 1 Peter
2:2-3 , 2 Peter 3:9-18 , Revelation
21:22-27 , Rev. 21:6-8 , Rev. 22:14-15 .
71. ^ What is the Orthodox Church?
Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine
72. ^ "The expression sister Churches in the
proper sense, as attested by the common
Tradition of East and West, may only be used for
those ecclesial communities that have preserved
a valid Episcopate and Eucharist" ( Note on the
expression "sister Churches") Archived April
1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
73. ^ [ Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria
and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy by Denise
Kimber Buell, 1999
74. ^ Modern culture runs risk of amnesia ,
from a speech given May 20th, 2010
75. ^ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark's
reply to the Catholic Church
76. ^ [ Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria
and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy by Denise
Kimber Buell, 1999
77. ^ Robert G. Stephanopoulos. "The Greek
(Eastern) Orthodox Church in America" .
www.goarch.org . Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
78. ^ See Augsburg Confession, Article 7, Of the
Church
79. ^ Justo L. Gonzalez (1970–1975). A History
of Christian Thought: Volume 2 (From Augustine
to the eve of the Reformation) . Abingdon Press.
80. ^ Patrick Barnes, The Non-Orthodox: The
Orthodox Teaching on Christians Outside of the
Church
81. ^ Vladimir Lossky, The mystical theology of
the Eastern Church (St Vladimir's Seminary
Press, 1976 ISBN 0-913836-31-1 ) p. 186
82. ^ Mystici corporis Christi Archived
March 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
83. ^ John Hardon, Definition of the Catholic
Church
84. ^ Heribert Mühlen, Una Mystica Persona ,
München, 1967, p. 51
85. ^ Pius XII, Mystici corporis Christi , 63
86. ^ S Tromp, Caput influit sensum et motum,
Gregorianum, 1958, pp. 353-366
87. ^ 1689 London Baptist Confession
88. ^ Savoy Declaration
89. ^ A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position
of the Missouri Synod
90. ^ Andrew F. Walls (1996). Missionary
Movement in Christian History: Studies in the
Transmission of Faith . Orbis Books.
ISBN 978-1-60833-106-2 .
91. ^ Robert, Dana L. (April 2000). "Shifting
Southward: Global Christianity Since
1945" (PDF). International Bulletin of
Missionary Research . 24 (2): 50–58.
92. ^ Jenkins, Philip (2011). The Next
Christendom: The Coming of Global
Christianity . New York: Oxford University
Press. ISBN 9780199767465 .
93. ^ Kim, Sebastian; Kim, Kirsteen (2008).
Christianity as a World Religion. London:
Continuum. p. 2.
94. ^ Jehu Hanciles (2008). Beyond
Christendom: Globalization, African Migration, and
the Transformation of the West . Orbis Books.
ISBN 978-1-60833-103-1 .
Bibliography
University of Virginia: Dictionary of the History
of Ideas: Christianity in History , retrieved May
10, 2007 [17]
University of Virginia: Dictionary of the History
of Ideas: Church as an Institution , retrieved
May 10, 2007 [18]
Christianity and the Roman Empire , Ancient
History Romans, BBC Home, retrieved May
10, 2007 [19]
Orthodox Church , MSN Encarta, retrieved May
10, 2007 Orthodox Church - MSN Encarta .
Archived from the original on 2009-10-31.
Catechism of the Catholic Church [20]
Mark Gstohl, Theological Perspectives of the
Reformation, The Magisterial Reformation ,
retrieved May 10, 2007 [21]
J. Faber, The Catholicity of the Belgic
Confession , Spindle Works, The Canadian
Reformed Magazine 18 (Sept. 20-27, Oct.
4-11, 18, Nov. 1, 8, 1969)- [22]
Boise State University: History of the
Crusades: The Fourth Crusade [23]
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
ARTICLE 9 "I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY
CATHOLIC CHURCH": 830-831 [24] :
Provides Catholic interpretations of the term
catholic
Kenneth D. Whitehead, Four Marks of the
Church , EWTN Global Catholic Network
[25]
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Unity
(as a Mark of the Church)" . Catholic
Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton
Company.
Apostolic Succession , The Columbia
Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05. [26]
Gerd Ludemann, Heretics: The Other Side of
Early Christianity, Westminster John Knox
Press, 1st American ed edition (August 1996),
ISBN 0-664-22085-1 ,
ISBN 978-0-664-22085-3
From Jesus to Christ: Maps, Archaeology, and
Sources: Chronology , PBS, retrieved May 19,
2007 [27]
Bannerman, James, The Church of Christ: A
treatise on the nature, powers, ordinances,
discipline and government of the Christian
Church', Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton,
Reprint Edition May 1991, First Edition 1869.
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An
Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Inter-Varsity
Press, Leicester, England, 1994.
Kuiper, R.B., The Glorious Body of Christ , The
Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, 1967
Mannion, Gerard and Mudge, Lewis (eds.),
The Routledge Companion to the Christian
Church , 2007
External links
Look up Churchianity in Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Church
Look up church in Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.
Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church Lumen gentium
Christianity vs. Churchianity
The Church. A Protestant Definition
Church Structure: New Testament Churches
vs. Today's Institutional Churches
Ecclesia at the Christian Iconography web
site
Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0
unless otherwise noted.
Terms of Use • Privacy • Desktop
Christian Church