how did catholics get their name?

Answer 1

The Christianity is for the whole wide and therefore catholic.
Anglicans are therefore part of the catholic world wide faith.

The Church of Rome has hi-jacked the term to mean only itself.

I do not think that the Orthodox Churches are entirely in agreement either.

Answer 2

The earliest known surviving usage dates to around 107 AD:

"See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye 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." -- St. Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnæans

Answer 3

Catholic comes from the Greek katholikos, the combination of two words, kata (concerning), and holos (whole). According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the word catholic comes from a Greek word meaning "regarding the whole," or, more simply, "universal" or "general." The word church comes from the Greek ecclesia, which means "those called out," as in those summoned out of the world at large to form a distinct society. So the Catholic Church is made up of those called out and gathered into the universal society founded by Christ.

Answer 4

The early Eastern Orthodox church was the Holy and Catholic Apostolic church. Catholic means group or united group or one of many interpretations along those lines. When Bishop Thomas decided to break away from the established church in 872 he named it the Roman Catholic church since he was in Rome and was Catholic. The other church became Greek Orthodox.

Answer 5

The Church has referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 C.E. (about 10 years after the last book of the New Testament was written), when the Greek term "Katholikos" (meaning universal) 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

We do not know how long they had been using the term "Catholic" before it was included in this letter.

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

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

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

In approximately A.D. 110, Ignatius referred to the Christian Church as a whole as “catholic.” The term meant universal. It also meant orthodox, or conforming to the accepted teachings.

As the Eastern and Western Churches moved farther apart, the Eastern Church referred to itself as the “Eastern Orthodox Church.” The Western Church, since it was headquartered in Rome, began to call itself the “Roman Catholic Church.”

As time continued, the word “catholic” with a small “c,” has continued to mean “universal;” while “Catholic” with a capital “C” has come to mean the “Roman Church.”

Answer 7

The Church is catholic, meaning universal – whole and total. Because Christ is present in her, the Church has the fullness of Christ as she, the Body, remains in union with Christ, the Head. This union makes her whole and complete. The Church is universal because it embraces all the people of the world who believe – people from every land, tribe, tongue, and nation are all included in this mystical Body. Yet the Church catholic is not only confined on earth. The fullness and catholicity of the Church includes the Church in heaven – the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, the triumphant Church in heaven, the saints who have gone ahead.

Christ left the adoption of a name for His Church to those whom he commissioned to teach all nations. Christ called the spiritual society He established, "My Church" (Mt. xvi, 18), "the Church" (Mt. xviii, 17).

Answer 8

Catholic means 'Universal'. Roman Catholic because the first Catholics were Romans. So the Roman Universal Church if you like.

Answer 9

The term catholic comes from middle english catholicus (Origin 1300-1350), from greek katholikós (which means general, universal), equivalent to kathólou, universally.

Answer 10

it comes from the roman centurion who stuck christ with the spear while he was on the cross. as he was covered with blood he felt christs devine power and fell 2 his knees that was the first ROMAN catholic the word spread and therfore catholithism. mental eh? the word of god spread by the enemy sounds like a book?