Skip to main content icon/video/no-internet
icon backReturn to Entries

Roman Catholics

Roman Catholicism is a foundational structure of Christianity with its beliefs, scripture, and hierarchy forming the bedrock of a significant form of the Christian religion. The term itself dates from the time of the Reformation, when it began to be used to differentiate the religious structure of the Catholic Church from emerging Protestant groups, but the cultural significance of Rome has been an integral feature of this group almost from the moment of its inception. The head of the Roman Catholic Church is the pope, and the politically autonomous papal seat, called the Vatican, has long been set in Rome. The origins of the papacy go back to the earliest Christians, and Roman Catholicism's unique institutional structure has enabled it to survive more than 2 millennia and to function as a stable social base for many ethnic groups across the world. Many immigrants to North America, particularly the Irish, depended on the constancy of Roman Catholic structure and meaning for their survival in the new land. This entry discusses the historical context, politics, and institutional structure of Roman Catholicism and the roles these play with Roman Catholics immigrating.

Consecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral (1910). St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest Gothic-style Catholic cathedral in the United States and has been recognized throughout its history as a preeminent center of Catholic life in the country. Immigrating ethnic groups of Catholics depended on, and still depend on, the structures of the Roman Church for stability and survival. The hierarchical structure of Roman Catholicism often made the transition from one place to another a matter of much less severe social dislocation than it otherwise might be.

None
Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-08497.

Early Structure and Politics

Jesus, who was both a religious and a historical figure, died around 30 CE. From that time until the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish Temple, by the Romans (70 CE), the fledgling Christian movement lacked an institutional structure. Evidence indicates that Christians worshipped in the Temple with their Jewish brethren until its destruction.

After that time, both Jews and Christians were dispersed across and beyond the extensive lands of the Near East. The creation of these conditions of diaspora drove further political and social divisions between Christians and others (particularly Jews and the Roman imperial authorities), yet contributed mightily to the formation of the Church structure. A Christian and Jewish diaspora set social patterns in motion that have been particularly useful to successive generations of exiled and dispersed ethnic groups.

The apex of the hieratic structure of the early Christian community was concentrated in the role of bishop. The long struggle of the Roman Catholic Church and its leadership with the Roman Empire ended in the 4th century CE, under the emperor Constantine, when Christianity was recognized as the empire's official religion, with the bishop of Rome at its head.

This legitimation of what were, in essence, scattered bands of Jewish heretics galvanized the forces of institutional creation. Before long, the Church structure that still exists (albeit with some adjustments) was nominally in place. That form, and its startling longevity, owes quite a bit (historians still debate how much exactly) to the new Church's amalgamation of its Judaic base of covenantal law with the authoritarian precepts of Roman law. The enormous geographical boundaries of Alexander's conquest coupled with the vastness of imperial Roman holdings provided optimal conditions for the spread of the Christian gospel message after 70 CE. The destruction of Jerusalem removed the physical and symbolic center of Judaism and incipient Christianity, opening the way for its eventual replacement by Rome.

...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles

Read next

More like this

Sage Recommends

We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.

close

Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches

close
close
close Signed In to profile You are signed in as:
close
Logged in Institution Institution