olic Church" appears first in
Ignatius (ad Smyrn. VIII. 2): [Greek: hopou an phanei ho episkopos, ekei
to plethos esto; hosper hopou an e Christos Iesous, ekei he katholike
ekklesia]. But in this passage these words do not yet express a new
conception of the Church, which represents her as an empirical
commonwealth. Only the individual earthly communities exist empirically,
and the universal, i.e., the whole Church, occupies the same position
towards these as the bishops of the individual communities do towards
the Lord. The epithet "[Greek: katholikos]" does not of itself imply any
secularisation of the idea of the Church.]

[Footnote 144: The expression "invisible Church" is liable to be
misunderstood here, because it is apt to impress us as a mere idea,
which is certainly not the meaning attached to it in the earliest
period.]

[Footnote 145: It was thus regarded by Hegesippus in whom the expression
"[Greek: he henosis tes ekklesias]" is first found. In his view the
[Greek: ekklesia] is founded on the [Greek: orthos logos] transmitted by
the Apostles. The innovation does not consist in the emphasis laid upon
faith, for the unity of faith was always supposed to be guaranteed by
the possession of the one Spirit and the same hope, but in the setting
up of a formulated creed, which resulted in a loosening of the
connection between faith and conduct. The transition to the new
conception of the Church was therefore a gradual one. The way is very
plainly prepared for it in 1 Tim. III. 15: [Greek: oikos theou ekklesia,
stulos kai hedraioma tes aletheias].]

[Footnote 146: The oldest predicate which was given to the Church and
which was always associated with it, was that of _holiness_. See the New
Testament; Barn. XIV. 6; Hermas, Vis. I. 3, 4; I. 6; the Roman symbol;
Dial. 119; Ignat. ad Trail, inscr.; Theophil. ad Autol., II. 14 (here we
have even the plural, "holy churches"); Apollon. in Euseb, H. E. V. 18.
5; Tertull., adv. Marc. IV. 13; V. 4; de pudicit. 1; Mart. Polyc inscr.;
Alexander Hieros. in Euseb., H. E. VI. 11. 5; Clemens Alex.; Cornelius
in Euseb., VI. 43. 6; Cyprian. But the holiness (purity) of the Church
was already referred by Hegesippus (Euseb., H. E. IV. 22. 4) to its pure
doctrine: [Greek: ekaloun ten ekklesian parthenon; oupo gar ephtharto
akoais mataiais]. The unity of the Church according to Hegesippus is
specially emphasised in the Muratorian Fragment (line 55): see also
Hermas; Justin; Irenaeus; T