The ''Enchiridion'' (full title: ''Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum'') is a
compendium of all the basic texts on
Catholic dogma and
morality since the
Apostolic Age. It has been in use since 1854, and has been regularly updated since. It is sometimes referred to as Denzinger, after its first editor,
Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger.
Name
The name ''Enchiridion'' (from Greek ''cheir,'' "hand") means "handbook." Originally published as "Enchiridion Symbolorum et Definitionum", it is today published as "Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum" (meaning “Handbook of creeds, definitions, and declarations on matters of faith and morals.”)
The Enchiridion is sometimes referred to as Denzinger, after its first editor,
Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger. It is commonly abbreviated 'D' or 'Dz' in early editions and 'DS'
in editions edited by Adolf Schönmetzer due to a revision in numbering. 'DS' sometimes continues to be used as a general reference to even later editions. See notes in "Most Recent Edition" below.
Description
By including all basic texts of Catholic teachings, the Enchiridion serves as a compendium of faith through the centuries. It is also a research instrument for theologians, historians, and individuals with an interest in the study of Christianity. The latest updates extend to the teachings of
Pope John Paul II; it can thus be used for research on contemporary issues, such as the social teachings of the Church,
subsidiarity
Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsidi ...
,
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
,
social justice,
death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
,
birth control
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
or the
ordination of women
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
.
Most Recent Edition
Denzinger, Heinrich
riginal author revised, enlarged, and, in collaboration with Helmut Hoping, edited by Peter Hünermann from the original bilingual edition; and edited by Robert Fastiggi and Anne Englund Nash for the English edition. ''Compendium of Creeds, Definitions, and Declarations on Matters of Faith and Morals''. 43rd ed. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2012.
arginal numbers correspond to ''The Catechism of the Catholic Church'' and all post 1963 editions. See the concordance on p. 1389 for corresponding numbers for reference to pre 1963 editions.
Structure
The Enchiridion is chronologically ordered, starting with the ''
Symbolum Apostolicum''. It includes the teachings of
popes
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and
ecumenical councils since. It does not repeat all the full texts, but only those central parts which are relevant to dogmatic or moral theology. All texts in Denzinger-Schönmetzer are listed in Latin.
Since the 37th edition of Denzinger-Hünermann (1991), the original language (mostly Latin) is put in the left-hand column with a corresponding vernacular translation in the right-hand column. In addition to the 2012 English edition of Denzinger-Hünermann, there are also editions in French, Italian, Spanish, and other languages (as well as the original German).
In addition to the texts, the Enchiridion supplies certain indices:
* ''Index scripturisticus'', on the uses of scripture in various dogmas
* ''Index systematicus'' of dogmatic and moral Church teachings
* ''Index alphabeticus'' of names and subjects
Editions
*
*
*
*
*
Sources
* Denzinger, Heinrich, and Peter Hünermann. Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum. Freiburg, Basel, Rome & Vienna: Herder, 2009.
* Denzinger, Heinrich, and Peter Hünermann. Compendium of Creeds, Definitions, and Declarations on Matters of Faith and Morals 43rd ed. San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2012.
Heinrich Denzinger, ''The Sources of Catholic Dogma''The following CD-Rom includes all documents up to 1950.
* ''Welcome to the Catholic Church''. Gervais: Harmony Media, n.d. (''Welcome'' reproduces this print version: Denzinger, Henry. ''The Sources of Catholic Dogma''. Trans. Roy J. Deferrari. St. Louis and London: Herder, 1957. This in turn is translated from: Denzinger, Heinrich, ed. ''Enchiridion Symbolorum et Definitionum''. Rev. Karl Rahner. 30th ed. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1954.)
The following CD-Rom includes all documents up to 1995.
* ''CD-Rom for Windows and Macintosh in Latin, Greek and German'': Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum : Griechisch/Lateinisch - Deutsch = Kompendium der Glaubensbekenntnisse und kirchlichen Lehrentscheidungen
omputerdatei/ Heinrich Denzinger. Verb., erw., ins Deutsche übertragen und unter Mitarb. von Helmut Hoping hrsg. von
Peter Hünermann
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
. - Freiburg
.a.: Herder, 1997. - CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh—
677
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Year 677 ( DCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 677 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...
References
External links
The online sources are based on various earlier editions. The latest editions are not available online.
Latin text– documents to 1957
French translation– documents to 1959
– documents to 1957
English translation– documents to 1950 and old numbering only
{{Authority control
1854 books
1854 in Christianity
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book for ...