Well first, that little remark I made was not a major part of the discussion. Second, I picked that up a long time ago from reading an historical account of the times. If you want verification, do your own homework. Thirdly, it wasn't the Catholic church. That apostate organisation didn't exist yet, like I've been trying to tell you. It was the Christian church... The early church that was faithful to Christ and had no connections to the empirical powert except from the end of a spear or arrow. Like I said, Antichrist didn't arise until after 476sd.
But you haven't got a single name of a martyr who was killed by the pagan Romans after the Bible was enscripturated. All you have is false history, much to the embarrassment to your own scholars. My evidence has been previously posted.
Yes, it was the "Christian Church", and the appellation "Catholic" Church originated in scripture and took form in 106 A.D. less than 10 years after John wrote Revelation.
CATHOLIC: Where did the word originate? It comes from the Greek word Katholikos, which was later Latinized into Catholicus.
It means '
Universal', which in itself means, 'of or relating to, or affecting the entire world and
ALL peoples therein'. It means,
ALL encompassing, comprehensibly broad, general, and containing
ALL that is necessary. In summation, it means
ALL people in
ALL places, having
ALL that is necessary, and for
ALL time.
It is totally biblical. It is in
Matthew 28:19-20, "Go, therefore and make disciples of
ALL nations...teaching them to observe
ALL that I have commanded you; And behold, I am with you
ALL days, even unto the consummation of the world." That is a statement of Universality, Katholicos, Catholicus, Catholic.
Rom. 1:8….and you belong to that Church whose faith St. Paul describes as being "proclaimed (KATAnggeletai) in the whole universe (en HOLO to kosmo)”
Acts 9:31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
church throughout (Greek) = Kataholos.
Thus the word
KATAHOLOS or Catholic in English originated from Scriptures -
Romans 1:8, Acts 9:31
The first known recorded use of the word after all the Bible was enscripturated is in St. Ignatius of Antioch's letter to the Smyrneans, paragraph 8, of
106 A.D.:
"Where the Bishop appears, there let the people be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."
Undoubtedly the word was in use before the time of this writing.
Written records of the term "CATHOLIC"
describing a character of the Christian Church:
Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrneans 106AD;
Martyrdom of St. Polycarp 155AD;
Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 202AD;
Cyprian, Unity of the Catholic Church 251AD;
Cyprian, Letter to Florentius, 254AD
"Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname. The one designates me, while the other makes me specific. Thus am I attested and set apart... When we are called Catholics it is by this appellation that our people are kept apart from any heretical name."
Saint Pacian of Barcelona, Letter to Sympronian, 375 A.D.
That apostate organisation didn't exist yet, like I've been trying to tell you.
Your SDA demands that you deny the obvious. When did this "apostasy" occur? Why did it take 16 centuries for anyone to notice such an alleged
monumentous event? You won't find a recent Protestant historian that agrees with you.
It's easy to prove sabbatarians existed in the 1st century, but IMPOSSIBLE to prove they existed in the 2nd.
So who didn't exist?