Does "Catholic" Simply Mean "According to the Whole?"

Catholics and Orthodox in Dialogue

What does the word “Catholic” mean?

"Catholic" can mean "according to the whole". For example, the small Jerusalem Church planted in AD 33 on the day of Pentecost was not "international" but the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. But this can't be where we leave it. And, unfortunately, I find some Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans, somewhat ironically in the case of the former but certainly not in the case of the latter, who try to reduce the meaning to simply "according to the whole."

You have to realize that the word catholic became prominent in light of 2 realities: biblical prophecy and the "fullness of times" theme in Jesus's teaching. In other words, it is both international and the "whole" of the divine plan. It is actually wrong to try and isolate the meaning of "catholic" to simply "according to the whole no matter what breadth". This is tempting for communities who are not world-wide since if they can reduce the meaning of “Catholic” to simply “the Fullness of Christianity no matter how small”, they can avoid losing credibility and claim they have one of the 4 essential marks: oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.

In fact, this was the claim of early schismatics, as I'll show below. I will give you some quotations from the Fathers on this: St. Cyril of Jerusalem (+386), whose feast is on March 18th in your calendar, states the definition:

"It is called Catholic then because it extends over all the world, from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to come to men's knowledge, concerning things both visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly ; and because it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gifts." (Catechetical Lecture 18.23)

This is also why he calls the 7 epistles of the New Testament (James, 1/2 Peter, 1/2/3 John, and Jude) Catholic, e.g., today they are known as the catholic epistles. St. Cyril also called the epistle written up by the Council of Jerusalem (AD 49) to the Gentiles in Antioch a "Catholic Epistle" because it was for the world.

The next Father I will quote from is St. Augustine (+354). In a letter to Vincentius (Ep. 93), Augustine mentions the schismatic group that broke away from the Donatists. This group was call the "Rogatists" who followed Bishop Rogatus, Bishop of Cartenna (Mauretania Caesariensis), who came out against his Donatist brethren in favor of extreme pacifism. Vincentius took the office of Rogatus, and hence Augustine is writing to a Rogatist. And you'll see how Augustine was familiar with people in his own day trying to pull the same trick with the word "catholic" as meaning simply "whole" rather than breadth. Here is what Augustine says:

"You think that you make a very acute remark when you affirm the name Catholic to mean universal, not in respect to the communion as embracing the whole world, but in respect to the observance of all Divine precepts and of all the sacraments, as if we (even accepting the position that the Church is called Catholic because it honestly holds the whole truth, of which fragments here and there are found in some heresies) rested upon the testimony of this word's signification, and not upon the promises of God, and so many indisputable testimonies of the truth itself, our demonstration of the existence of the Church of God in all nations. In fact, however, this is the whole which you attempt to make us believe, that the Rogatists alone remain worthy of the name Catholics, on the ground of their observing all the Divine precepts and all the sacraments; and that you are the only persons in whom the Son of man when He comes shall find faith. You must excuse me for saying we do not believe a word of this. For although, in order to make it possible for that faith to be found in you which the Lord said that He would not find on the earth, you may perhaps presume even to say that you are to be regarded as in heaven, not on earth, we at least have profited by the apostle's warning, wherein he has taught us that even an angel from heaven must be regarded as accursed if he were to preach to us any other gospel than that which we have received. But how can we be sure that we have indisputable testimony to Christ in the Divine Word, if we do not accept as indisputable the testimony of the same Word to the Church? For as, however ingenious the complex subtleties which one may contrive against the simple truth, and however great the mist of artful fallacies with which he may obscure it, any one who shall proclaim that Christ has not suffered, and has not risen from the dead on the third day, must be accursed — because we have learned in the truth of the gospel, that it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day; — on the very same grounds must that man be accursed who shall proclaim that the Church is outside of the communion which embraces all nations: for in the next words of the same passage we learn also that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem; and we are bound to hold firmly this rule, If any preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed.”

Next is St. Vincent de Lerins (+445) who made his mark in the literary tradition for defining what is "Catholic" doctrine. He writes:

"Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense Catholic, which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors." (Commonitorium 2.6)

I’d like to speak more directly to my Eastern Orthodox readers. In the Larger Catechism of Philaret of Moscow, the following is asked and answered:

270. Why is the Church called Catholic, or, which is the same thing, Universal?

Because she is not limited to any place, nor time, nor people, but contains true believers of all places, times, and peoples.

The Apostle Paul says that the Word of the Gospel is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit (Coloss. i. 5, 6), and that in the Christian Church there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Coloss. iii. 11. They which be of faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal. iii. 9.

The Larger Catechism of Philaret of Moscow is one of Russian Orthodoxy's Symbolic Books and thus carries a great deal of weight. However, to satisfy my Greek Orthodox readers, I'll quote from a highly recommended source for Greek Orthodox, Hiertheos Vlachos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos:

"When we say that the Church is catholic, we mean it in three particular respects. First, that it exists in the whole world, second, that it has all the truth about God, man and man's salvation, and third, that the life which the Church has in common for all Christians, for all its members. In the first place, it is called Catholic because it is in the whole world. There is no place in which the Orthodox Church does not exist. St. Cyril of Jerusalem gives this definition: 'It is called catholic because it is everywhere in the world from end to end of the earth.... because of the unity of the Churches spread everywhere, all of which make up one catholic whole in the bond of the Holy Spirit.' So then the presence of the Church in the whole world and its unity with the power and energy of the Holy Spirit characterize it as catholic. Then it is called catholic because it has the whole truth, as it was revealed on the day of Pentecost. Here we must point out that the scholastic theology of the West teaches that through the ages we have greater deepening in the dogmas of the faith and that they are still developing further. But this is not orthodox teaching. We believe that on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles reached deification, experienced Revelation and so reached the whole truth." (The Mind of the Orthodox Church, 58)