proper nounfifth declension
rēspūblica Chrīstiāna
rēspūblica Chrīstiāna f sg (genitive reīpūblicae Chrīstiānae)
Meaning
- EcclesiasticalLatinChristendom, the Christian nations as a political community.
caputque attollere inciperet profligata antea, & afflicta Respublica Christiana
and the Christian commonwealth, so abandoned and afflicted before, began to lift up its head1552, Council of Trent, Sacrosancti Concilii Tridentini decreta et canones, Sessio XVI: - EcclesiasticalLatinMedieval LatinThe Christian empire, i.e. the Byzantine Empire or the Holy Roman Empire.
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | rēspūblica Chrīstiāna | — |
| genitive | reīpūblicae Chrīstiānae | — |
| dative | reīpūblicae Chrīstiānae | — |
| accusative | rempūblicam Chrīstiānam | — |
| ablative | rēpūblicā Chrīstiānā | — |
| vocative | rēspūblica Chrīstiāna | — |
Origins
First attested in Augustine of Hippo: "Omnium enim christianorum una respublica est" ("For there is one commonwealth of all Christians"), De opere monachorum (c. 400 CE), 23.33. In early medieval usage, used chiefly to refer to the Byzantine Empire. From c. 9th century applied to the dominion of Frankish kings and emperors in the West. Generalised to refer to the community of all Christian states in the 11th century, which became the predominant meaning from the High Middle Ages on.