"Latins"

[drewmeister2]

Why is the term "Latins" often used? I don't understand why they aren't called Roman Catholics (as is their official name). Thanks .

[Priest Siluan]

Why is the term "Latins" often used? I don't understand why they aren't called Roman Catholics (as is their official name). Thanks .

Maybe because the authentic Romans are the Orthodox, that is to say the Byzantine ones who are the authentic receivers of the Romanity.

[drewmeister2]

Why is the term "Latins" often used? I don't understand why they aren't called Roman Catholics (as is their official name). Thanks .

Maybe because the authentic Romans are the Orthodox, that is to say the Byzantine ones who are the authentic receivers of the Romanity.

But I thought Orthodox were Eastern? Rome is a Western city. Sorry, I don't mean to argue, but I'm a bit confused.

[spiridon]

And I thought the "Latin" was actually the part before the schism, for many things in the Latin are closer to the Greek,aramaic,and slovanic than american and other languages, and some of our pre-schism latin saints, are refered to as Latin Saints....

[Kollyvas]

Christ is in our midst!

It's ok. "Greece" and "Greeks" were words the Christian Hellenes never used in reference to themselves, for they were synonymous with the older pagan civilization. When the Holy Emperor Constantine moved the Capitol to Constantinople it was called "New Rome." The court was a continuation of the Roman court and it was even possible to see SPQR on early Byzantine documents. According to sources already by the time of Caesar, Greek was the most common language of the Empire, even the most predominant in Rome, so it wasn't a matter of linguistics. This was a result of the absorption of the older Alexandrian Empire. Roman government and culture were moved to Constantinople, and to a lesser degree, the successor states of Constantinople, viz. the Slavic countries, Romania, Georgia, etc. Indeed, the appointment of early popes carried an imperial blessing. Whereas, the term Catholic is best understood in the Vincentian, viz. quod ubi...,it means untainted ORTHODOX Faith held by the Church since before Pentecost until pur day shared with the Church Triumphant in heaven. Now since the beginning of the 9TH century Rome and the West has been under captivity and under a different theological emphasis. The Franks gained control and Roman rule essentially halted and morphed into something different. They placed an emphasis on rationalism and doctrinal development and allowed themselves to revise Orthodox doctrine by papal decree. They became neither Roman nor Catholic, terms the Byzantines used even after the turkish conquest, but simply "latins," latin because that was the language they used in their heretical darkness and territorial usurpation of the Roman patrimony. And "latins" they remained in the language of the Fathers to describe the monstrosity they came to call theology.
In The LOVE Of Christ,
R M Malleev-Pokrovsky

[drewmeister2]

Thanks! That makes sense.

[ioannis]

It's ok. "Greece" and "Greeks" were words the Christian Hellenes never used in reference to themselves, for they were synonymous with the older pagan civilization.

Actually, the term "Greek" is still only used by non-Greeks. During the Roman period, "Greeks" called themselves "Romans", and to call yourself a "Hellene" was to imply that you were a pagan. They always called themselves Romans all the way up to the fall of the Roman Empire in 1453. Of course Westerners are all trained to think the Roman empire fell with the city of Rome.

This is why the Turks and all the Arabs throughout the middle east refer to the Patriarchates as "Rum" Orthodox - "Roman Orthodox".

Also, despite what people have been trained to believe in the West, the Roman Empire was founded by Hellenes. Latin speaking Greeks were among the founding city-states of the Roman empire, but Greek was still the common tongue of the Empire. When the Romans conquered Hellas, they were not so much as conquering it as liberating it from another Greek Empire - the Macendonian Empire. It is no accident that all of the Roman "gods" correspond exactly to those known in Hellas. It is also no accident that all of mid to southern "Italy" is predominantly flowing with Greek blood to this day. I will boldly state that most of the mediterranean blood in Italy is Greek, just like Australian blood is English.

The point here is that the "Latins" that ended up being called "Latins" were not "Roman" at all, but Franko-germanic invaders. It is interesting to note that the first truly heretic pope was a Frank, and not a Greek.