Catholicity

Catholicity - this is not merely a sonorous word, but a theological concept of the
loftiest significance. It is, of course, used in the Nicene Creed as one of the non-biblical terms
to define the Church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. What does the original Greek word
mean of itself? he main root of this word, !"#$, means, according to %ampe &G. W. '.
%ampe, ( )atristic Greek %e*icon, Clarendon )ress, +*ford, ,-./0, 1whole, entire,
complete.1 he prefi* 234 has as one of its three meanings the intensification of the word to
which it is 5oined. hus, in sum, the meaning is that of an unlimited fullness, all-
inclusi6eness, a 1pleroma.1 1Catholicity1 e*presses what the 7criptures state of the Church,
that in her there is neither Greek nor 8ew, nor circumcision, nor un-drcumcision, nor
9arbarian, 7cythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all &Col. :;,,0. (nd again, the <ather...
ga6e 'im to be the head o6er all things to the Church, Which is 'is body, the fullness of 'im
that filleth all in all &=ph. ,;>>-:0. (nd again, hat at the name of 8esus, e6ery knee should
bow, of things in the hea6ens, things in earth, and things under the earth &)hil. >;,?0.
Catholicity refers to the fact that the Church is not limited to space, by earthly boundaries,
nor is it limited in time, that is, by the passing of generations into the life beyond the gra6e. In
its catholic fullness, in its catholicity, the Church embraces both the Church of the called and
the Church of the chosen, the Church on earth and the Church in 'ea6en. 7uch is the
+rthodo* understanding of the essence and elements of the Church in its perfect form, as our
+rthodo* ser6ices make especially clear.
( problem has arisen in some @ussian theological circles due to the misinterpretation
of the @ussian word for catholicity, sobornost. his word, whose ad5ecti6al form has been
used in the 7la6onic translation of the 7ymbol of the <aith for a thousand years, is related to
the 7la6onic word for a council, sobor. In its present form as a noun, sobornost is indebted to
the @ussian 7la6ophiles, who employed it to define the uniAuely lofty connotations of the
7la6onic sobornuyu as used in the ninth article of the Creed; 1I belie6e in +ne, 'oly,
Catholic, and (postolic Church.1 1I will not presume to say,1 writes the @ussian +rthodo*
thinker and de6oted son of the Church, (. 7. Bhomiako6, 1whether this profound realiCation
of the essence of the Church &to translate the word DCatholicD with the word D7obornayaD0 was
taken by the first teachers of the 7la6s from the 6ery sources of truth in the schools of the
=ast or whether it was yet a more lofty inspiration granted by 'im Who alone is ruth and
%ife, but I boldly affirm that this one word contains in itself a complete confession of the
faith1 &(. 7. Bhomiako6, heological Works, p. :,:0. +ne must bear in mind that in Greek
there is no philological or linguistic connection between the concepts 1catholic1 and
1council1 &ecumenical0. ( council of the Church is called in Greek EF4#G#$, and an
ecumenical council, #H2#IJK4H2L EF4#G#$. In the secular usage, the dictionary meaning of
EF4#G#$ is 1a gathering, meeting, congress.1
Concerning the @ussian and 7la6onic word sobor, one can readily see its relationship
to the concept of catholicity in its usage as a term for a large church or cathedral. ( sobor is a
church with two or three altars, which thus more fully e*presses the union with the hea6enly
church, whose lofty iconostasis portrays the choirs of the saints, where the daily ser6ices are
constantly being celebrated in memory and glorification of the hea6enly Church, and where
the 6essel of Grace and the bond with the hierarchy of hea6en and earth, the bishop, ser6es
and has his seat.
What is the Catholicity of the Church on Earth and How Is It Expressed?
Catholicity is the unceasing prayerful communion with the celestial Church. he
radiant bonds of prayer go in all directions; we on earth pray for one anotherM we ask the
saints to pray for usM the saints, we belie6e, hear us and lift our prayers unto GodM we pray for
our reposed fathers and brothers in ChristM we ask the saints to assist us also in these appeals
to the %ord.
Catholicity is e*pressed in the fact that the ancient <athers and eachers of the
Church continue to be as rele6ant in our times, and are 5ust as instructi6e, memorable and
6aluable as they were in their own time. he Church is nurtured by +ne 7pirit, and therefore
temporal di6isions between generations of Christians are irrele6ant. he Christian who
studies the (postolic 7criptures, the writings of the 'oly <athers and (scetics, or the te*ts of
the di6ine ser6ices, we belie6e, enters into a spiritual communion outside of time, with the
6ery authors of these writings, fulfilling the behest of the holy (postle 8ohn the heologian;
hat which we ha6e seen and heard declare we unto you you, that ye also may ha6e
fellowship &communion0 with usM and truly our fellowship &communion0 is with the <ather,
and with 'is 7on 8esus Christ &I 8ohn ,;:0.
Catholicity is e*pressed in the fact that members of the +rthodo* Church li6ing at
6arious ends of the earth ha6e one common faith. his is why in the ancient Church the faith
itself was called the 1catholic faith1 and 1catholic truth.1 (ll ha6e one and the same
NysteriesM all commune of the one 9ody of Christ in the Nystery of the =ucharist, no matter
where or when they li6eM all ha6e one priesthood, which takes its one succession from the
(postlesM all Church life is built on the common foundation of the canons of the Church.
Catholicity, finally, is e*pressed in the fact that all true members of the Church
treasure her. We grie6e for the Church in her times of difficulty. <or the members of the
small community of a parish, she is 5ust as close whether in part or as a whole. 1<or the
welfare of the holy churches of God and the union of all,1 we pray at e6ery liturgy. (
Christian who makes the sal6ation of his soul the goal of his personal life in the Church
demonstrates concern for the peace and welfare of his own local church, working towards
this according to the measure of his own capabilities and strength. +f course, such an
ecclesiastical cooperati6eness is also an e*pression, although more remote, of the concept of
the catholicity of the Church.
Student: Baciu Lauren iu Georgian
Anul III Pastoral; Grupa I