Are there still people who believe that the Roman Catholic Church existed before 325 A.D.?

Question

Try to use some facts.

Can pro and anti Catholics alike honestly acknowledge that the term 'catholic' was indeed used prior to 325 A.D.? The key is that it was used not as a noun, but an adjective. Just like many other adjectives used at the time: brothers, believers, christians, chruch of God, Church of Christ. It became a Proper Noun in 325 A.D.. It was capitalized and now refers specifically to the churches that united under Constantine's control.

Do the Catholic writers and readers acknowledge that at this time there were many churches that did not join the Catholics?

Answer 1

Now they even think they were the original Jews! Which is called replacement theology and Jews do not appreciate. The Peter is pope thing is silliness. Read the 2 books of Peter,carefully,it goes against much of their teaching! I read 1st Peter 7 times when the last pope was dying and this hit me: This is an anti catholic document. I promise I had not mentioned this and my daughter called me,said she had read Peter and said...this goes against their teachings..I said I know. I am serious.

Answer 2

+ Catholic +

The Church has referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 AD, when the term appears in the Letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans:

"Wherever the bishop appear, there let the multitude be; even as wherever Christ Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church."

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-hoole.html

All of this was long before the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed from 325 A.D. which states, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church."

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07644a.htm

+ Roman +

The term "Roman" Catholic is rather recent.

The new Anglican Church in England started using the term “Roman” in the 1500s as one of many ways of demeaning and demonizing Catholics.

Catholics accepted this late coming adjective without too much protest. Today “Catholic” and “Roman Catholic” are interchangeable terms. Both terms are even used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

To add a little more confusion, some apply the term “Roman Catholic Church” only to the Latin Rite Catholic Church, excluding the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches that are in full communion with the Pope, and are part of the same Church, under the Pope.

The term “Roman” neither increases nor decreases the faith, hope and love of the Catholic Church.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13121a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 3

Yes! St. Peter's See is in Rome, and all faithful Catholics are in communion with the See of Peter to this day. If you read even St. Ignatius of Antioch - you'll see him describing the structure of the Church that we still have today:

"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." (see source below - Chapter 8).

That's 200+ years prior to 325ad. You asked for facts, you got'em! Of course I will likely get some "thumbs down" from those who are anti-Catholic - but I have answered your question quite succinctly and accurately. Some people have a hard time realizing or accepting the Truth.

Answer 4

Why don't you try to use some facts.

Jesus founded only one church, the church that was known (in writing) as Catholic, since 107 AD.

The term "Roman" was later added to the name Catholic as a perjorative, by the protestant reformers, and now the reformers are stuck with it.

I hope you like it.

The history of the modern world IS the history of the Catholic Church ... the one church that Jesus personally founded, authorized, empowered, and guaranteed ... the Church that literally saved the world for Christ ... and the Church that will continue to do so, until the end of time.

These facts are clear.

The Catholic Church, which belongs only to God, but who's earthly leader is the Pope, remains, while the Temple, the Roman empire, and all the other people, places, and things of old, have long since been destroyed, or have simply crumbled, due to decay.

The Bible is clear about what the church is, too:

1Ti 3:14 These things I write to thee, hoping that I shall come to thee shortly.
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Even protestant revisionism can't successfully rewrite that history.

Get real. Quit kidding yourself. You've been deceived.

Answer 5

Pastor Billy says: there is too much evidence to not believe and accept the Roman Catholic Church together with the Eastern Orthodox as the first Christians before 325ad.

Fact: all bibles before the 16th century are Catholic, if you examine the Dead Sea Scrolls you'll find the Jews and early Christians using and copying books like 1& 2 Macabees and Wisdow found in.............Catholic and Orthodox bibles but not in modern Protestant bibles.

Fact as you read the writing of the disciples of the disciples such as St. Justin Martyr, bishop of Ignatius of Antioch, bishop Polycarp, bishop Clement1 and bishop Ireaneus all writing in the first and second centuries you'll discover the following

1. Christian worship was the Catholic Mass
2. the Christians proclaimed first in Antioch also are taught the Christian Church is Catholic not Baptist, non-denonminational, Lutheran or Evangelical.
3. that to be born again is our Christian baptism not the sinners prayer or believers baptism or intellectual consent alone.
4 that oral tradition is a valid portion of God's revelation as when Polycarp was taught at the feet of St. John
5. that elders do exist in the form of the Catholic bishops and those they annoint into the ministerial priest. Their succession can be traced vaildly back before 325ad.

6. authority of the papacy in the first century with the writing of 1Clement from Rome instructing the church in Corinith as to what is proper Christian unity and doctrinal practice all happening when John the beloved apostle is still alive and closer in communication being in Asia minor.

7. and on and on and on


Asker the title Roman Catholic didn't exist for the One Catholic Christian Church prior to the Protestant reformation (as it was Protestants of that age who coined it) the reality of Roman Catholicism today as the fulfillment of first Christianity just cannot be denied as there is just too much evidence to suggest otherwise. There structure of the Church is similar, the sacred documents and scriptures are similar, the celebration of Christian worship is the similar, the creeds are similar.
It is a difficult process for a Protestant believer to remove their glasses on history but it is definitely a requirement to do so if you wish to stop the church hopping and finally discover the fullness of Christian faith many of you have been searching for. I'll continue to pray you do with the hope you'll finally reject the revisionism of many sects recently formed within the last 100 -150 years.

Read the book by Baptist convert Steve Ray, crossing the Tiber
or Fundamentalist and Catholicism by Karl Keating

or Born Fundamentalist born again Catholic by David Currie

Edit: ATTENTION CHRISTIANS read realchurchhistory's other questions like this one http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArGWzQYXvJPv2m4YwaHRBKP44gt.?qid=20070404112242AAZq5Zy

we are dealing with someone who is neither real church or real history orientated.

Answer 6

It's a fact that some people do believe that.
It's a fact that I'm not one of them.
If someone wants to believe this, i don't have a problem with it.
It's a fact that I don't believe that the catholic church even existed before 1325, let alone 325.

I don't trust the bc/ad chronology.
I don't trust the "history" reports about the catholic or protestant churches, and i'm suspicious of any one claiming to know the whole truth about antiquity.

I'm skeptical of any one claiming to know what any one believed 2,000 years ago.
It is a fact that i don't believe paper lasts 2000 years.

Answer 7

It became the Roman Catholic Church when it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. It had the same exact ideas before that, though. It didn't settle completely in Rome until Constinitine, though.

Answer 8

locate the writings of the early church fathers,the majority predate the council of trent

this site has some of the writings
www.scripturecatholic.com you can look around i'm sure you'll find more if you are genuinely interested,it also covers the papacy and other questions you may want answered. try impartial sources aswell and also some catholic ones before you make your claims that are not justified but simply misconceptions and propaganda. this is another good sight
www.catholiceducation.org i ahve included some sources,the writings of the early church fathers are facts you can look into for yourself,despite you have not used any facts for your claim.

Answer 9

Yes. It is obvious from reading the early Church Fathers.

Answer 10

Rather than go into a long dissertation about the catholic belief I'll just say that there are allot of catholics who are going to have a rude awakening when they stand before the lord on judgment day including this mortal man they refer to as the pope ,,,,

The catholic religion is more brain washing than it is anything else ,,,,