then why doesn’t the Acts of the Apostles alude to the church in those times as the Catholic church? Pretty fair question.
The bible that we have in our possession wasn’t codified until the 4th century (however all of it probably existed by the end of the 1st century, along with many heretical/gnostic/apocryphal writings stemming from heretical communities which foisted erroneous doctrine upon the people as if it was an authentic Christian teaching, and it was only codified out of
necessity, due to these spurious Christian heretical communities claiming to be the true Christian Apostolic Church through the centuries, leading up to the 4th century, hence the need for the word Katolikos/Catholic to make the distinction between the true Catholic Apostolic Church and the heretical pseudo-Christian churches. The C.C. thus became the benchmark by which all churches would be measured.
The bible was never meant to supplant the church. That would be cutting off their nose to spite their face. It was meant to be used as a tool for teaching. When school administrations select certain books for their curriculum they employ teachers to teach and edify, they don’t hand out these books and say—LEARN!
Here are a few examples of the word catholic being
use:
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2, AD 107.
Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist, which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains *. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.
St. Polycarp, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 8:1, & 16:2, AD 156.
When at last he had finished his prayer, in which he remembered all who had met with him ant any time, both small and great, both those with and those without renown, and the whole Catholic Church throughout the world. . .
And certainly the most admirable Polycarp was one of these [elect], in whose times among us he showed himself an apostolic and prophetic teacher and bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna.
Tertullian, Demurrer Against the Heretics, 20, AD 200.
Where was [the heretic] Marcian, that shipmaster of Pontus, the zealous student of Stoicism? Where was Valentinus, the disciple of Platonism? For it is evident that those men lived not so long ago – in the reign of Antoninus [AD 138-161] for the most part – and that they at first were believers in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, in the church of Rome under the episcopate of the blessed Eleutherus [AD 175-189], until on account of their ever restless curiosity, with which they even infected the brethren, they were more than once expelled. . . . Afterward . . . Marcian professed repentance and agreed to the conditions granted to him – that he should receive reconciliation if he restored to the Church all the others whom he had been training for perdition; he was prevented, however, by death.
Clement of Alexandria, Stromaties 7:17:107:3, aft. AD 202.
From what has been said, then, it seems clear to me that the true Church, that which is really ancient, is one; and in it are enrolled those who, in accord with a design, are just. . . . We say, therefore, that in substance, in concept, in origin and in eminence, the ancient and Catholic Church is alone, gathering as it does into the unity of the one faith which results from the familiar covenants, - or rather, from the one covenant in different times, by the will of the one God and through the one Lord, - those already chosen, those predestined by God who knew before the foundation of the world that they would be just.
St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letter of Cyprian to All His People 43 (40), 5, AD 251.
They who have not peace themselves now offer peace to others. They who have withdrawn from the Church promise to lead back and to recall the lapsed to the Church. There is one God and one Christ, and one Church, and one Chair founded on Peter by the word of the Lord. It is not possible to set up another altar or for there to be another priesthood besides that one altar and that one priesthood. Whoever has gathered elsewhere is scattering.*
