Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As protestants, we'd sometimes say one of the ancient Creeds, including the line affirming a belief in the "one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church." This always confused me, since we weren't Catholic.
To get around this, I was frequently told that "Catholic" in the Creeds referred to "little c" catholic, a generalized reference to all, or most Christians.
But when I dug into the writings of the Church Fathers, the men who wrote and defended the Creeds, I found absolutely nothing like this "little c" idea of the "catholic church." They everywhere asserted and defended only the "Big C" Catholic Church: a single, visible society possessing a unity of faith, worship, and government.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
02:05 - "Little c" catholic in the Creeds
04:28 - "Big C" Catholic in the Church Fathers
09:12 - St. Ignatius of Antioch
12:06 - Muratorian Fragment
13:52 - Tertullian
15:31 - St. Cyprian of Carthage
18:34 - Ecumenical Council of Nicaea
24:16 - St. Cyril of Jerusalem
28:30 - Ecumenical Council of Constantinople I
29:59 - St. Augustine
38:00 - St. Vincent of Lerins
43:27 - Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon
44:58 - Conclusion
This podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
RELATED RESOURCES
#2 | The "Big C" Catholic Church in the Church Fathers: eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/number-2
Quote Archive | The Catholic Church and Faith in the Church Fathers: eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/quote-archive-the-catholic-church-and-faith-in-the-church-fathers
As protestants, we'd sometimes say one of the ancient Creeds, including the line affirming a belief in the "one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church." This always confused me, since we weren't Catholic.
To get around this, I was frequently told that "Catholic" in the Creeds referred to "little c" catholic, a generalized reference to all, or most Christians.
But when I dug into the writings of the Church Fathers, the men who wrote and defended the Creeds, I found absolutely nothing like this "little c" idea of the "catholic church." They everywhere asserted and defended only the "Big C" Catholic Church: a single, visible society possessing a unity of faith, worship, and government.
BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITION
Has our content blessed you or those you love? Then please consider becoming a monthly patron for $10/month or more.
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron
This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
➡️ eternalchristendom.com
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
X: twitter.com/JoshuaTCharles
Facebook: facebook.com/joshuatcharles
Instagram: instagram.com/joshuatcharles
DIVE DEEPER
Check out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you’ll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic:
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic
SUBSTACK
Subscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content:
➡️ eternalchristendom.substack.com
EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/bookstore
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
02:05 - "Little c" catholic in the Creeds
04:28 - "Big C" Catholic in the Church Fathers
09:12 - St. Ignatius of Antioch
12:06 - Muratorian Fragment
13:52 - Tertullian
15:31 - St. Cyprian of Carthage
18:34 - Ecumenical Council of Nicaea
24:16 - St. Cyril of Jerusalem
28:30 - Ecumenical Council of Constantinople I
29:59 - St. Augustine
38:00 - St. Vincent of Lerins
43:27 - Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon
44:58 - Conclusion
This podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
RELATED RESOURCES
#2 | The "Big C" Catholic Church in the Church Fathers: eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/number-2
Quote Archive | The Catholic Church and Faith in the Church Fathers: eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic/quote-archive-the-catholic-church-and-faith-in-the-church-fathers
