[B-Greek] KAQOLIKOS = "complete" (versus "universal")?

Elizabeth Kline kline-dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Nov 29 12:34:25 EST 2005


On Nov 29, 2005, at 6:12 AM, Eric Weiss wrote:

> I have read that "catholic" can mean both "universal"/"general" and  
> KATA + hOLOS or
>   hOLIKOS = "according to the whole" = "complete." I.e., when  
> Ignatius and later the
>   Nicene Creed used the term "catholic church," they could have  
> been referring to it
>   being the completeness/fullness of the Gospel/Christ, and not  
> necessarily meaning
>   that it was geographically everywhere.
>
>   Ignatius wrote: "Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be  
> there; just as
>   wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church" (Letter  
> to the Smyrnaeans, and
>   the first use of the term, apparently). To me, the meaning "whole/ 
> complete," as
>   opposed to "geographically everywhere," seems more fitting in  
> this instance, but I do
>   not recall finding much support in LSJ or BDAG for it meaning  
> "whole/complete."
>   Perhaps KAQOLOS (i.e., KATA + hOLOS, but this is a non-existent  
> word) might
>   mean "complete," but it doesn't seem to be a definition for  
> KAQOLIKOS. Any
>   thoughts?

Note how KAQOLIKOS is used in some early evidence from the Apostolic  
Fathers prior to the time when it became a technical term (see note  
109 on page 191 in Lightfoot, Harmer and Holmes). The adjective  
KAQOLIKOS is used following adverbs of place hOPOU and EKEI.  It is  
also nested in adverbial expressions of place  KATA PANTA TOPON THS  
hAGIAS KAI KAQOLIKHS EKKLHSIAS PAROIKIAIS. It is also combined with  
OIKOUMENHN in the expression THS KATA THN OIKOUMENHN KAQOLIKHS [75]  
EKKLHSIAS.

The following is  from Lightfoot, Harmer and Holmes.
Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations
Edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes
Copyright ©1992, 1999 by Michael W. Holmes
Baker


SMYR. 8:2 hOPOU AN FANHi hO EPISKOPOS, EKEI TO PLHQOS ESTW, hWSPER  
hOPOU AN Hi CRISTOS IHSOUS, [171] EKEI hH KAQOLIKH EKKLHSIA.

Smyr. 8:2 ὅπου ἂν φανῇ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος,  
ἐκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος ἔστω, ὥσπερ ὅπου  
ἂν ᾖ Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, [171] ἐκεῖ ἡ  
καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία.

Smyr. 8:2 Wherever the bishop appears, there let the congregation be;  
just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic[109] church.

MPOLY. 1:0 π hH EKKLHSIA TOU QEOU hH PAROIKOUSA SMURNAN THi EKKLHSIAi  
TOU QEOU THi PAROIKOUSHi EN FILOMHLIWi KAI PASAIS TAIS KATA PANTA  
TOPON THS hAGIAS KAI KAQOLIKHS EKKLHSIAS PAROIKIAIS: ELEOS KAI EIRHNH  
KAI AGAPH [1] QEOU PATROS KAI TOU [2] KURIOU hHMWN IHSOU CRISTOU  
PLHQUNQEIH.

MPoly. 1:0 ¶ Ἡ ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ  
παροικοῦσα Σμύρναν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ  
τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ παροικούσῃ ἐν  
Φιλομηλίῳ καὶ πάσαις ταῖς κατὰ  
πάντα τόπον τῆς ἁγίας καὶ  
καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας παροικίαις·  
ἔλεος καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ ἀγάπη [1] θεοῦ  
πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ [2] κυρίου ἡμῶν  
Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πληθυνθείη.

MPoly. 1:0 ¶ The church of God which sojourns at Smyrna to the church  
of God which sojourns in Philomelium and to all the communities of  
the holy and catholic Church sojourning in every place: may mercy,  
peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be  
multiplied.

MPOLY. 8:1 π EPEI DE POTE KATEPAUSEN THN PROSEUCHN, MNHMONEUSAS  
hAPANTWN KAI TWN [23] PWPOTE SUMBEBLHKOTWN AUTWi, MIKRWN TE KAI  
MEGALWN, ENDOXWN TE KAI ADOXWN, KAI PASHS THS KATA THN OIKOUMENHN  
KAQOLIKHS EKKLHSIAS, THS hWRAS ELQOUSHS TOU EXIENAI, ONWi KAQISANTES  
AUTON HGAGON EIS THN POLIN, ONTOS SABBATOU MEGALOU.

MPoly. 8:1 ¶ Ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε κατέπαυσεν τὴν  
προσευχήν, μνημονεύσας ἁπάντων καὶ  
τῶν [23] πώποτε συμβεβληκότων αὐτῷ,  
μικρῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων, ἐνδόξων τε  
καὶ ἀδόξων, καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν  
οἰκουμένην καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας,  
τῆς ὥρας ἐλθούσης τοῦ ἐξιέναι,  
ὄνῳ καθίσαντες αὐτὸν ἤγαγον εἰς  
τὴν πόλιν, ὄντος σαββάτου μεγάλου.

MPoly. 8:1 ¶ Now when at last he finished his prayer, after  
remembering everyone who had ever come into contact with him, both  
small and great, known and unknown, and all the universal Church  
throughout the world, it was time to depart, and so they seated him  
on a donkey and brought him into the city on the day of a great  
Sabbath.[14]

MPOLY. 19:2 DIA THS hUPOMONHS KATAGWNISAMENOS TON ADIKON ARCONTA KAI  
hOUTWS TON THS AFQARSIAS STEFANON APOLABWN: SUN TOIS APOSTOLOIS KAI  
PASIN DIKAIOIS AGALLIWMENOS DOXAZEI TON QEON KAI PATERA DOXAZEI [72]  
KAI EULOGEI TON [73] KURION hHMWN [74] IHSOUN CRISTON, TON SWTHRA TWN  
YUCWN hHMWN KAI KUBERNHTHN TWN SWMATWN hHMWN KAI POIMENA THS KATA THN  
OIKOUMENHN KAQOLIKHS [75] EKKLHSIAS.

MPoly. 19:2 διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς  
καταγωνισάμενος τὸν ἄδικον ἄρχοντα  
καὶ οὕτως τὸν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας  
στέφανον ἀπολαβῶν· σὺν τοῖς  
ἀποστόλοις καὶ πᾶσιν δικαίοις  
ἀγαλλιώμενος δοξάζει τὸν θεὸν καὶ  
πατέρα δοξάζει [72] καὶ εὐλογεῖ τὸν  
[73] κύριον ἡμῶν [74] Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,  
τὸν σωτῆρα τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καὶ  
κυβερνήτην τῶν σωμάτων ἡμῶν καὶ  
ποιμένα τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην  
καθολικῆς [75] ἐκκλησίας.

MPoly. 19:2 By his endurance he defeated the unrighteous magistrate  
and so received the crown of immortality; now he rejoices with the  
apostles and all the righteous, and glorifies the almighty God and  
Father, and blesses our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls  
and Helmsman of our bodies and Shepherd of the catholic church  
throughout the world.





Elizabeth Kline







More information about the B-Greek mailing list