Where did the terms Catholic, Protestant, and Christian originate from?

Question

I now what they are in terms of them being denominations of Christianity and the term Christian means a follower of Christ but I'm just wondering where did they originate from?

Answer 1

Catholic comes from a Greek word that means "universal". It's what the Christian Church in Rome called itself. The Greek Orthodox Church, which broke away from Rome, also calls itself "Catholic". Protestant was a term used originally to describe Lutherans, who broke away from the Catholic Church over a number of issues. Protestant now is commonly used to refer to any non-Catholic Christian, although most fundamentalist and evangelical Christians reject the term.

Christian comes from Christ, a Greek word that means "anointed". It corresponds with the Hebrew word "messiah" which also means the name.

Interestingly, the 2nd century bishop of Antioch, Theophilus, who in this writings appears not to have known a historical Jesus, claims that Christians are called "Christians" because they are "anointed with the oil of God."

Answer 2

Originally "Western Christianity" i.e. minus the Orthodox was just the Catholic Church.

Protestants split from the Catholics in the 16th century from reformists like Luther, who perceived the Catholics to be too ritualistic / works-based. They see the Catholics to be the fallen church, claiming that only Protestants truly follow Christ. As a Protestant christian, I think that's largely true doctrine wise (genuine followers of Christ not works-based salvation) though open to the possibility that a minority of Catholics are actually christian.

Answer 3

Not all of those churches would identify as Protestant. The word is most accurately applied to those churches that take their origin from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century: the Lutherans, Calvinists, Presbyterians, United Reform, Baptist, etc. Additionally it would probably be accurate to call Wesleyans and Methodists "Protestant," as they originated from the Protestant wing of the Church of England. It would not be accurate, in my view, to apply the word "Protestant" to Pentecostals, most Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventists, or the LDS. These churches do not really have their origins in the Protestant Reformation (with the possible and partial exception of Anglicans).

Answer 4

other friends seem to have answered already slandering each other's preferences "cults"

"Christian" was first dubbed in Antioch for Christ followers. Before this, the disciples were known as followers of the "Way"

Catholic= "universal" church meant for everyone in church. Ideal and I wish all Christians still got along

Protestant= protesters against Roman Catholic and such things as works for salvation and buying a way out of purgatory

Answer 5

Catholic comes from the Latin and Greek for catolica which means universal
Christian comes from the Greek Christos and a Greek noun ending meaning follower of Christ
Protestant German protestari German princes who protested at the time of Reformation

Answer 6

I don't know about Catholic. Protestant comes from the word "protest". That means, protesting against the unbiblical doctrine of the Catholic church. Christian was merely a name for those who followed after Christ.

Answer 7

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.

The term catholic was first used by Ignatius of Antioch, who was a young man during the time of the apostles and was the second bishop of Antioch following Peter, who went on to become bishop of Rome. Ignatius was immersed in the living traditions of the local church in Antioch, where the believers in Christ were first called Christians (cf. Acts 11:26). He was taught and ordained directly by the apostles. From the apostles Ignatius learned what the Church was—how it was to function, grow, and be governed.

he wrote, "You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 8).

Answer 8

"Christian" is a name that outsiders used to refer to the followers of Jesus. They were called "Christians" because they were saying that Jesus was the Christ--i.e. the long awaited eschatological king of Israel.

"Catholic" means "universal." It used to be a name to refer to all followers of Christ everywhere--i.e. his whole church. Now it refers to the Roman Catholic organization and its members.

"Protestant" refers to those who sought to reform the Catholic church, but who ended up leaving it or being excommunicated. They were called "protestants" becuase they protested against some of the Roman Catholic teachings and practices.

Answer 9

I don't know about Catholic, but Protestant comes from the fact that they were protesting the Catholic Church, which they felt to be corrupt, by breaking away from it; therefore, they were "protest"ants.

Christian does indeed come from "Christ."

Answer 10

The catholic cult took the name "catholic" to mean "universal", which is appropriate since their cult has murdered people around the world.

Protestants took that name to protest against the false gospel and false practices of the catholic cult.