Great Church

Etymology
. In sense of “orthodox Christian church”, cf. (2nd century) describing mainstream Christian believers, quoted in, , 5.59: “Σαφῶς γε τῶν ἀπὸ μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας τοῦτο ὁμολογούντων ” (“Certainly, the members of the Great Church agree ”).

Proper noun

 * 1)  The orthodox Christian church of antiquity, after 380  the established church of the Roman Empire, especially as distinct from smaller Christian movements or heresies.
 * 2)  Hagia Sophia before the fall of the Byzantine Empire or one of the churches that previously occupied its site, the Great Church of Constantinople.
 * 3)  The.
 * 1)  Hagia Sophia before the fall of the Byzantine Empire or one of the churches that previously occupied its site, the Great Church of Constantinople.
 * 2)  The.
 * 1)  The.
 * 1)  The.
 * 1)  The.
 * 1)  The.

Usage notes
Historians of Christianity seeking to take a neutral or critical position towards claims of orthodoxy may avoid the term “Great Church” or qualify it with quotation marks.