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christian-ecclesiology-sacramentsfeatured in 16 works

Marks of the Church

One, holy, catholic, apostolic — the Church the Creed confesses

The Marks of the Church are the four attributes confessed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. All Christian traditions affirm these marks as belonging to the Church. What they dispute is which body fully embodies them — Catholic, Orthodox, and various others each understand the marks in relation to themselves — so the marks unite Christians in confession even as they figure in debates over the Church's identity.

How it traveled

  1. The Epistles of Cyprian.
    Carthage · 258
    explains
  2. The Church History of Eusebius
    Caesarea · 339
    explains
  3. The Life of Constantine with Orations of Constantine and Eusebius
    Caesarea · 339
    applies
  4. The Letters
    Caesarea (Cappadocia) · 379
    applies
  5. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril
    Jerusalem · 386
    explains
  6. A Commentary on the Apostles' Creed
    Aquileia · 411
    explains
  7. Letters of St. Augustin
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  8. Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  9. On Baptism, Against the Donatists
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  10. Expositions on the Book of Psalms
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  11. The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great
    Rome · 461
    explains
  12. The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great
    Rome · 604
    applies
  13. Selected Epistles of Gregory the Great
    Rome · 604
    applies
  14. Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church
    Geneva · 1564
    explains
  15. Prefatory Material
    Geneva · 1564
    applies
  16. Inquiry Concerning Qualification for Communion
    Northampton, Massachusetts · 1758
    explains

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Modern teachers who discuss this idea

Modern and living teachers whose books take up Marks of the Church. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.