The History of the Roman Catholicism
Catholicism is the Christian faith among the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church under the Pope. The approximated number of Roman Catholics is 1.1 billion, which exceeds any other religious traditions. Catholicism faith is more than that of the Hindus, Buddhists, other Christians, and even that of the Shi’i and Sunni Islam. Considering the magnitude of institutional structure, the history, practices, and beliefs of the Catholic faith, it forms a critical component of cultural literacy. Understanding the concept of Roman Catholicism reveals the events of the “Middle-Ages such as the works of the St. Thomas Aquinas, the artists of the Gothic cathedrals, and the literary works of the Divine Comedy of Dante.” The existing interpretations of the Roman Catholicism relate to the origin of Christianity as it forms part of the branches of the Christendom. Some of the questions that define the source of the Roman Catholicism include its connection with the Eastern Orthodoxy, how the Church of England broke from Catholicism.
The History of the Roman Catholicism
The emergence of the Catholic faith is evidenced by the Acts of the Apostles that shows the demoralization of the disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem. After Christ, the Christian community differed in terms of the authenticity of their teachings and behavior. Therefore, different doctrines of the Christian faith were preached not only within the borders of Judaism but also in other geographical areas, including Rome. Some scholars believed that the principles of the early Church was much pluralistic that allowed for the establishment of different beliefs and practices among Christian Communities. In 130AC, St. Irenaeus defines the pillars of the Catholic faith, the New Testament, the episcopal centers that define the works of the Apostles and the apostolic tradition that conforms to the standards of the Christian conduct. Later, there rose a conflict of interest among the Christian faithful, “that of worship and pastoral, doctrine and jurisdiction and social and the political strategy.” Failure to resolves these conflicts imposed a severe instability among the apostolic bishops whereby at times, it led to the convocation of the apostolic council. Therefore, the fluctuations within the establishments of the apostolic councils in resolving political and social matters led to the transformation of Catholicism into Roman Catholicism. The primary factors that contributed to the formation of the Roman Catholicism include the championship for the supremacy of Rome and the establishment of St. Peter Church in Rome. However, little is evidenced by the presence of Peter in Rome to guide the Christian Community. Besides the association of St. Peter with Rome, “the city also become powerful as the capital of the Roman Empire and believers argued that it was to be prime to other churches.” Since Christians believed that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome, their burial site became a great pilgrimage. The formation of the Roman Catholic drew many pilgrims and tourists around the world to witness the mother city of the church. The transfer of the Roman capital from Rome to Constantinople strengthened the Roman Catholic authority by leaving more power to the “supreme priest”. The rise of the Islam faith in the 7th century also contributed to the stability of the Roman Catholicism. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632, “the Islam faithful captured three centers of Christendom, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch. However, Rome and Constantinople were free from interference by Islam. Catholicism later migrated to Western European countries such as Germany, where it manifested among the ruling elites. Because of the association with Peter and Paul, the “supreme priest” of the Catholic Church in Rome became the most prominent leader in the Western Christian Society. Following the legalization of the Church in the fight against heresies, the Pope continued to dominate religious activities in various councils. Such prominence led to meticulous record for the Roman Church.
The Great Schism of 1054
The Great Schism of the 1054 marked the division of the Church among the Latin-speaking that defined the Roman Catholic Church situated in Rome, the Western Christians, and the Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Church. These divisions resulted from the leadership disputes within the church, where some believers denounced the supremacy of the Pope. On the other hand, others also argued based on the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed. There was a misunderstanding on the interpretation of the Bible where Western Catholics argued that the Holy Spirit descends from both the Father and the Son while those from the Eastern Orthodox claimed that the Holy Spirit could only descend from the Father.
Another wave of divisions rose five hundred years later, where the Protestant reformers such as the Anglican, the Lutherans, and the radical reformers known as the Anabaptists rebelled against the Pope and his allies. The Protestant reformers believed that the Pope ignored the doctrine of salvation and sacramental theology, but focused on authority. Besides, the Radical Reformers believed that the Bible was to be translated into local languages to help people understand its dictates. However, the Pope and the entire Roman Catholic fraternity thought the Bible was to remain in Latin to prevent misinterpretation. The Catholicism Bible contains all the books found in the Protestant editions. However, their bible version has extra collection of books known as the Apocrypha as part of the canon of the Holy Scripture.
Catholic Believes
The Catholic Church, the Protestants, and the Eastern Orthodox Church have core values and beliefs, including the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The following are some of the distinctive beliefs that define Catholicism. First, they believe that Roman Catholic is the only true church that defines Christian faith. Catholics believe that the Pope is the representative of Jesus on earth and a sole vicar. Such a view influences the relationship of the Catholic Church with other Christendom in terms of pastoral authority, sacramental ministries such as baptism, the Scripture, and politics. Second, the theologians of the Roman Catholic Church defends the universality of the church doctrines. They believe in the coexistence of both the written and the oral traditions when interpreting the Scripture. Besides, they also believe that Bible is not a sufficient guide for the restoration of an individual’s salvation. Third, the Roman Catholics also believe in the purgatory where the sinners are cleansed after death and their sufferings purged away. According to Catholicism, a sinner must stay in the purgatory until his or her sins are cleansed before reaching heaven. Forth, the Roman Catholics also believe in the “treasure of merit.” It implies that the followers of Christ have unlimited access to His “bank of grace” that they can pray for while on earth. Such a treasure of merit allows the Catholics to pray to the saints whom they honor but only recognize God as worthy of worship. Pope also argues that an individual can limit their temporal punishment by obtaining the indulgence from the Church by self-love or love for others. In most cases, such luxuries are commercialized, whereby the faithful can purchase them to help the church raise funds for various projects. Lastly, Catholicism also believe in the power of transubstantiation of the Holy Communion where a priest can transform the wine and bread into blood and body of Christ by speaking the words of institution.
Summary
In a nutshell, Catholicism refers to the Christendom that beliefs in the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Following the death of Christ, many apostles rose to preach the gospel alongside the twelve disciples. The spread of Christianity reached the Roman Empire, where the first Church was built in Rome. Christians believed that Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome, and therefore the establishment of St. Peter Church was a great significance to the Catholicism. Five hundred years later, the Orthodox Church, among other radical reformers, rebelled against the Pope based on the power structure and his interpretation of the Scriptures. The rise of Islam in 632 following the death of the Prophet Muhammad strengthened the Catholic faith following their conquest on Alexzander, Jerusalem, and Antioch. These rebels led to the formation of the Protestants church that has spread in Europe, America, Asia, and other parts of Africa.
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