encyclical
Sign in to saveAn encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from the Latin , a Latinization of Greek (), meaning "circular", "in a circle", or "all-round", also part of the origin of the word encyclopedia).
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Catholic usage
- Papal use
- Anglican usage
- Eastern Orthodox usage
- Important Eastern Orthodox encyclicals
- See also
- References
- Sources
- External links
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from the Latin , a Latinization of Greek (), meaning "circular", "in a circle", or "all-round", also part of the origin of the word encyclopedia).
The term is now primarily associated with papal encyclicals from the Catholic Church for letters outlining the church's perspective on a topic, but is also used among Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox Church.