Roman Catholic definitions
Jesus is a name.
Christ is an English translation of a Greek translation of a Jewish term.
Messiah translated into Greek was Khristos. Khristos translated into English is Christ.
Messiah in Hebrew means anointed. It comes from an era where kings and rulers in certain cultures were anointed with oils during rituals recognizing their ascent to power. The book of Exodus describes making anointing oil to consecrate priests in chapter 30. In singular form, the Messiah refers to a specific holy leader, but usage of the term and implications vary.
Jesus Christ means Jesus the Anointed. It helps isolate reference to that specific individual apart from the many other men named Jesus. Indeed, referring to him as Jesus Christ does not necessitate traditional Christian definitions as other faiths can refer to him in that manner without conforming to Christianity; the Koran does this and reveres Isa al-Masih as a prophet in a different sense than Christians revere Jesus Christ.
Catholic is a variation of the Greek term katholikos, which means universal. One of core components of the birth of the religion was the opening to Gentiles from all corners of the globe and missionaries advanced the faith to include all peoples without regard to borders or cultures. The Nicene Creed developed in 325 and routinely recited throughout the planet today cites one holy catholic and apostolic church. That usage refers back to Christian origins, of one faith for all, yet schisms and sects each apply the meaning differently.
The Catholic Church is a term that arose early in Christianity. It predates schisms that divided the modern branches of Christianity, so accordingly various sects can lay claim to the term.
Pope is a version of the term Papa, meaning father. It arose early in the Christian church and over time came to be used as a title for the top bishop of the faith.
The Roman Catholic Church respects the Bishop of Rome as its Pope. Today that is Pope Benedict XVI who resides in the Vatican.
Mons Vaticanus translated from Latin to English is Vatican Hill. It was an area outside of ancient Rome with a cemetary. Many believe this was where St. Peter was buried, many also believe St. Peter was the first leader of the Christians - effectively the inspiration for the role of the Pope.
St. Peter's Basilica is the Roman Catholic Church built on top of what was considered the grave for St. Peter. It was originally built in the 4th century and a new version replaced the demolished older version in construction begun in the 16th century.
Vatican City is the area immediately surrounding and including St. Peter's Basilica, surrounded on all sides and enclosed by Rome. In 1929 Italy agreed to cede the territory away and it became its own city-state. Vatican City is the smallest recognized nation and sits in at the United Nations. Vatican City is ruled by the Roman Catholic Church and its head of state is the Roman Catholic Pope. Technically this makes it an absolute monarchy, though the papal role is elected by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Holy See is the term the Roman Catholic Church uses for its membership. See derives from the Latin word sedes which means seat and refers to the role of the Bishop of Rome as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church; those that respect that seat are members of the Holy See. It crosses borders to include all the members of all the churches in the Roman Catholic Church, preceding and exceeding the boundaries of Vatican City.
Christ is an English translation of a Greek translation of a Jewish term.
Messiah translated into Greek was Khristos. Khristos translated into English is Christ.
Messiah in Hebrew means anointed. It comes from an era where kings and rulers in certain cultures were anointed with oils during rituals recognizing their ascent to power. The book of Exodus describes making anointing oil to consecrate priests in chapter 30. In singular form, the Messiah refers to a specific holy leader, but usage of the term and implications vary.
Jesus Christ means Jesus the Anointed. It helps isolate reference to that specific individual apart from the many other men named Jesus. Indeed, referring to him as Jesus Christ does not necessitate traditional Christian definitions as other faiths can refer to him in that manner without conforming to Christianity; the Koran does this and reveres Isa al-Masih as a prophet in a different sense than Christians revere Jesus Christ.
Catholic is a variation of the Greek term katholikos, which means universal. One of core components of the birth of the religion was the opening to Gentiles from all corners of the globe and missionaries advanced the faith to include all peoples without regard to borders or cultures. The Nicene Creed developed in 325 and routinely recited throughout the planet today cites one holy catholic and apostolic church. That usage refers back to Christian origins, of one faith for all, yet schisms and sects each apply the meaning differently.
The Catholic Church is a term that arose early in Christianity. It predates schisms that divided the modern branches of Christianity, so accordingly various sects can lay claim to the term.
Pope is a version of the term Papa, meaning father. It arose early in the Christian church and over time came to be used as a title for the top bishop of the faith.
The Roman Catholic Church respects the Bishop of Rome as its Pope. Today that is Pope Benedict XVI who resides in the Vatican.
Mons Vaticanus translated from Latin to English is Vatican Hill. It was an area outside of ancient Rome with a cemetary. Many believe this was where St. Peter was buried, many also believe St. Peter was the first leader of the Christians - effectively the inspiration for the role of the Pope.
St. Peter's Basilica is the Roman Catholic Church built on top of what was considered the grave for St. Peter. It was originally built in the 4th century and a new version replaced the demolished older version in construction begun in the 16th century.
Vatican City is the area immediately surrounding and including St. Peter's Basilica, surrounded on all sides and enclosed by Rome. In 1929 Italy agreed to cede the territory away and it became its own city-state. Vatican City is the smallest recognized nation and sits in at the United Nations. Vatican City is ruled by the Roman Catholic Church and its head of state is the Roman Catholic Pope. Technically this makes it an absolute monarchy, though the papal role is elected by the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Holy See is the term the Roman Catholic Church uses for its membership. See derives from the Latin word sedes which means seat and refers to the role of the Bishop of Rome as the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church; those that respect that seat are members of the Holy See. It crosses borders to include all the members of all the churches in the Roman Catholic Church, preceding and exceeding the boundaries of Vatican City.
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1 Comments:
Did I tell you we went to Europe for our honeymoon last summer? Your post made me think about the Popener. We picked up a Ratzinger Popener this last trip (We also got to go inside the Vatican--no hail). It has one of those funky optical plastic insets that shows a different picture depending on which angle you view it from...
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