when was the term catholic church first used
Catholic (term) The terms "catholic", "catholicism" and "catholicity" is closely related to the use of the term Catholic Church. The earliest evidence of the use of that term is the Letter to the Smyrnaeans that Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about 108 to Christians in Smyrna. Exhorting Christians to remain closely united with their bishop, he wrote: "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."[12][13]
History of the Catholic Church According to Catholic teaching, the history of the Catholic Church begins with Jesus Christ and His teachings (c. 4 BC â€“ c. AD 30), who lived in the Herodian Tetrarchy (later formed into the province of Judea by the Roman Empire). Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judah, about 4 BC[citation needed]. His family fled to Egypt and subsequently returned to Nazareth, Galilee, approximately a year later. Galilee and the surrounding area were conquered by the Roman Empire in 6 CE, becoming part of the province of Judea. The Catholic Church is the continuation of the early Christian community established by Jesus Christ, as the Catholic Church teaches[1] that its bishops are the successors to Jesus's apostles, and the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope, is the sole successor to Saint Peter[2] who was appointed by Jesus in the New Testament as head of the church and ministered in Rome.[3][4] By the end of the 2nd century, bishops began congregating in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues.[5] By the 3rd century, the bishop of Rome began to act as a court of appeals for problems that other bishops could not resolve.[6]