When was the term Pope first used?

[JeanneH]

Hi,
I was searching the web to try to find when the term Pope was first used and found something very interesting, to me at least.
The article was entitled Constantine the first pope. Needless to say I scanned the article and found that it was written by an anti-catholic(I think)(have to watch these articles). Being raised a Catholic I know that this is false.
My question is a) Do you know when the trem Pope was first used?
b) Have you ever come across someone calling Constantine the first pope and where would such an idea come from and what would be the basis for it?
Thanks Jeanne
PS I know that we had a Pope Constantine in the 700’s

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear JH,

According to the original Catholic Encyclopedia on line, the title “pope” has enjoyed continued use in the East to signify priests. In the West, it seems to have designated only bishops. In the fourth century it came to be restricted to the Roman Pontiff. For more, see:

Pope
Scroll to the end of the article for the part on the title of “pope”.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.