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A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the
magisterium
The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chu ...
of the Church declared as binding." The ''
Catechism of the Catholic Church'' states:
Dogma can also pertain to the collective body of the church's dogmatic teachings and doctrine. The faithful are required to accept with the divine and Catholic faith everything the church presents either as solemn decision or as general teaching. Yet not all teachings are dogma. The faithful are only required to accept those teachings as dogma if the church clearly and specifically identifies them as infallible dogmas. Few theological truths have been promulgated as dogmas. A tenet of the faith is that the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
contains many sacred truths, which the faithful recognize and agree with, but which the church has not defined as dogma. Most church teachings are not dogma.
Cardinal Avery Dulles
Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, a ...
pointed out that in the 800 pages of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
documents, there is not one new statement for which
infallibility
Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...
is claimed.
Elements: Scripture and tradition
The concept of dogma has two elements: 1) the
deposit of faith
The deposit of faith ( or ''fidei depositum'') is the body of revealed truth in the scriptures and sacred tradition proposed by the Roman Catholic Church for the belief of the faithful. The phrase has a similar use in the US Episcopal Church.
Ca ...
, otherwise known as
public revelation or the word of God, which is
divine revelation
In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Background
Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
as contained in
sacred scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...
(the written word) and
sacred tradition
Sacred tradition is a theological term used in Christian theology. According to the theology of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian churches, sacred tradition is the foundation of the doctrinal and spiritual authority o ...
(the evolving understanding of that teaching), and 2) a proposition of the Catholic Church, which not only announces the dogma but also declares it binding for the faith. This may occur through an ''ex cathedra'' decision by a
Pope
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 ...
, or by a definitive statement made by an
Ecumenical Council
An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote ar ...
. Truths formally and explicitly revealed by God are dogmas in the strict sense when they are proposed or defined by the church, such as the articles of the
Nicene Creed which are drawn from the early church councils.
Catholicism holds that the understanding of scripture continues to deepen and mature over time through the action of the
Holy Spirit in the history of the church and in the understanding of that faith by Christians, all the while staying identical in essence and substance.
"Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence."
Dogma as divine and Catholic faith
A dogma implies a twofold relation: to divine revelation and to the authoritative teaching of the Catholic Church.
[Coghlan, Daniel. "Dogma." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 11 July 2019 At the turn of the 20th century, a group of theologians called
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
s stated that dogmas did not come from God but are historical manifestations at a given time. In the encyclical ''
Pascendi dominici gregis'',
Pope Pius X condemned this teaching as
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
in 1907. The Catholic position is that the content of a dogma has a divine origin. It is considered to be an expression of an objective truth that does not change. The truth of God, revealed by God, does not change, as God himself does not change; "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away".
However, truths of the faith have been declared dogmatically throughout the ages. The instance of a Pope doing this outside an Ecumenical Council is rare, though there were two instances in recent times: the
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
of Mary in 1854 and the
Assumption of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows:
We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...
into heaven in 1950. Both
Pope Pius IX and
Pope Pius XII consulted the bishops worldwide before proclaiming
these dogmas. A movement to declare a fifth
Marian
Marian may refer to:
People
* Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia
* Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name
* Marian (surname), a list of people so named
Places
* Marian, Iran (disambiguation)
* Marian, Queenslan ...
dogma for "
Mediatrix
Mediatrix is a title given to Mary, mother of Jesus in Christianity. It refers to the intercessory role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvific redemption by her son Jesus Christ and that he bestows graces through her. Mediatrix i ...
" and "
Co-Redemptrix Co-Redemptrix (also spelled Coredemptrix; Co-Redemptress is an equivalent term) is a title used by some Catholics for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and refers to Mary's role in the redemption of all peoples.
According to those who use the term, ''Co-R ...
" was underway in the 1990s, but had been opposed by the bishops at
Vatican II
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
and has faced strong opposition since.
Early uses of the term
The term ''Dogma Catholicum'' was first used by
Vincent of Lérins
Vincent of Lérins ( la, Vincentius; died ) was a Gallic monk and author of early Christian writings. One example was the ''Commonitorium'', c.434, which offers guidance in the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Suspected of semipelagianism, ...
(450), referring to "what all, everywhere and always believed".
[Beinert 89] In the year 565,
Emperor Justinian
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...
declared the decisions of the first ecumenical councils as law "because they are true dogmata" of God
In the Middle Ages, the term ''doctrina Catholica'' (Catholic doctrine) was used for the Catholic faith. Individual beliefs were labeled as ''articulus fidei'' (part of the faith).
Ecumenical Council
An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote ar ...
s issue dogmas. Many dogmas – especially from the early Church (Ephesus, Chalcedon) to the
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...
– were formulated against specific heresies. Later dogmas (
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
and
Assumption of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows:
We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...
) express the greatness of God in binding language. At the specific request of
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
, the Second Vatican Council did not proclaim any dogmas. Instead it presented the basic elements of the Catholic faith in a more understandable, pastoral language.
[Beinert 90] The last two dogmas were pronounced by Popes,
Pope Pius IX in 1854 and
Pope Pius XII in 1950 on the Immaculate Conception and the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary respectively. They are cornerstones of
mariology
Mariology is the theological study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mariology seeks to relate doctrine or dogma about Mary to other doctrines of the faith, such as those concerning Jesus and notions about redemption, intercession and grace. Chri ...
.
It is Catholic teaching that, with Christ and the Apostles, revelation was complete. Dogmas issued after the death of his apostles are not new, but explications of existing faith. Implicit truths are specified as explicit, as was done in the teachings on the
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
by the ecumenical councils.
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of ...
tries to explain this with the allegorical sentence of a husband to his wife, "I love you"; this surely implies, I am faithful to you.
In the 5th century
Vincent of Lérins
Vincent of Lérins ( la, Vincentius; died ) was a Gallic monk and author of early Christian writings. One example was the ''Commonitorium'', c.434, which offers guidance in the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Suspected of semipelagianism, ...
wrote, in ''
Commonitory'', that there should be progress within the church,
on condition that it be real progress, not alteration of the faith. For progress requires that the subject be enlarged in itself, alteration, that it be transformed into something else. The intelligence, then, the knowledge, the wisdom, ... of individuals ... as well of ... the whole Church, ought, in the course of ages and centuries, to increase and make much and vigorous progress; but yet only in its own kind; that is to say, in the same doctrine, in the same sense, and in the same meaning.
Vincent commented on the
First Epistle to Timothy
The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in the New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the pastoral epistles, along with Second Timothy and Titus. The letter, traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, consists ma ...
() that Timothy, for Vincent, represented "either generally the Universal Church, or in particular, the whole body of The Prelacy", whose obligation is "to possess or to communicate to others a complete knowledge of religion" called the deposit of faith. According to Vincent, the deposit of faith was entrusted and not "devised: a matter not of wit, but of learning; not of private adoption, but of public tradition." Vincent expounded that you "received gold, give gold in turn," and not a substitute or a counterfeit. Vincent explained that those who are qualified by a "divine gift" should "by wit, by skill, by learning" expound and clarify "that which formerly was believed, though imperfectly apprehended" – to understand "what antiquity venerated without understanding" and teach "the same truths" in a new way. The church uses this text in its interpretation of dogmatic development. In 1870, the
First Vatican Council quoted from ''Commonitory'' and stated, in the dogmatic constitution ''
Dei Filius
''Dei Filius'' is the incipit of the dogmatic constitution of the First Vatican Council on the Catholic faith, which was adopted unanimously, and issued by Pope Pius IX on 24 April 1870.
The constitution set forth the teaching of "the holy Catho ...
'', that "meaning of the sacred dogmas is perpetually to be retained" once they have been declared by the Catholic Church and "there must never be a deviation from that meaning on the specious ground and title of a more profound understanding." In 1964, the Second Vatican Council further developed this in ''Lumen Gentium''.
Theological certainty
The magisterium of the church is directed to guard, preserve and teach divine truths which God has revealed with
infallibility
Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...
(''de fide''). A rejection of church magisterial teachings is a ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' rejection of the divine revelation. It is considered the
mortal sin
A mortal sin ( la, peccatum mortale), in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" when its quality is such that it leads t ...
of
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
if the heretical opinion is held with full knowledge of the church's opposing dogmas. The infallibility of the magisterium extends also to teachings which are deduced from such truths (''fides ecclesiastica''). These church teachings or "Catholic truths" (''veritates catholicae'') are not a part of the divine revelation, yet are intimately related to it. The rejection of these "secondary" teachings is heretical, and entails loss of full communion with the Catholic Church.
Those different degrees are also called theological notes.
There are three categories of these ''veritates catholicae'':
[
* ''Conclusiones theologicae'' (theological conclusions): religious truths deduced from the divine revelation and reason.
* ''Facta dogmatica'' ( dogmatic facts): historical facts not part of revelation, but clearly related to it.
* Truths of reason: presupposed philosophical definitions used in the definitions of dogmas.
The theological certainties of all teachings, from the divine revelation to the least certain ''veritas catholica'', are ranked as follows:]
* Dogma
** ''De fide
''De fide'' (of the faith) is a "theological note", a "theological qualification" that indicates that some religious doctrine is an essential part of Catholic faith and that denial of it is heresy. The doctrine is ''de fide divina et ecclesias ...
'' (from the faith): the highest level of dogma, it contains scripture and tradition, and is inerrant. Scripture and tradition are equal in authority as the one word of God or deposit of faith.
** '' Fides ecclesiastica'' (faith of the church): the lowest level of dogma, it includes ''ex cathedra
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...
'' teachings and teachings which obligate the consent of the whole church contained within ecumenical council
An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote ar ...
s, and is infallible
Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...
. Ex cathedra is the highest level of the magisterium, while an ecumenical council's decrees which indicate the obligation of consent of everyone within the church (under the same conditions as ''ex cathedra'' pronouncements of the Pope) is the second highest level.
* Doctrine
** '' Sententia fidei proxima'' (teaching proximate to the Faith): Church teachings that are generally accepted as divine revelation but not defined as such by the magisterium.
** '' Sententia ad fidem pertinens'', or ''sententia theologice certa'' (teaching pertinent to the faith, or theologically certain teaching): Church teachings that the magisterium clearly decided for, albeit without claiming infallibility.
** '' Sententia communis'' (common teaching): teachings which are popular but within the filtered range of theological research.
** ''Sententia probabilis
The theological notes designate a classification of certainty of Roman Catholic beliefs in Catholic theology.
While theological notes qualify positively beliefs and doctrines, said beliefs and doctrines are qualified negatively by theological cen ...
'' (probable teaching): teachings with a low degree of certainty. Those of this certainty which are considered "in agreement with the consciousness of the Faith of the Church" are called ''sententia pia'' (pious opinion).
** ''Sententia bene fundata'' (well founded teaching): teaching that is well reasoned but does not, however, rise to being called probable.
** ''Opinio tolerata
The theological notes designate a classification of certainty of Roman Catholic beliefs in Catholic theology.
While theological notes qualify positively beliefs and doctrines, said beliefs and doctrines are qualified negatively by theological cen ...
'' (tolerated opinion): opinion tolerated, but discouraged, within the church.
List of dogmatic definitions
Examples of fides ecclesiastica - the church defining a dogma of its faith - include the following.
Ecumenical councils
* Nicaea I: divine filiation
Divine filiation is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God by nature, and when Christians are redeemed by Jesus they become sons (and daughters) of God by adoption. This doctrine is held by most Christians, but th ...
* Ephesus: Mary is the Mother of God
''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations ar ...
* Chalcedon: Jesus is true man, with a human body and a human soul
* Constantinople: Jesus is true God and has a human will and a divine will
* Nicaea II: holy images may be created and are owed veneration, not adoration
* Vatican I: papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent
The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...
made a number of dogmatic definitions about the sacraments and other beliefs and practices of the church, such as the following:
* transubstantiation
Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις '' metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of ...
* purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
* seal ("secret") of the sacrament of Confession is inviolable
* polygamy
Crimes
Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...
is a sin
Ex cathedra
* Pius IX: Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
of Mary
* Pius XII: Assumption of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows:
We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...
Papal bulls and encyclicals
Pope Pius XII stated in ''Humani generis
''Humani generis'' is a papal encyclical that Pope Pius XII promulgated on 12 August 1950 "concerning some false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic Doctrine". Theological opinions and doctrines known as ''Nouvelle Théol ...
'' that papal encyclicals, even when they are not , can nonetheless be sufficiently authoritative to end theological debate on a particular question:
The end of the theological debate is not identical, however, with dogmatization. Throughout the history of the church, its representatives have discussed whether a given papal teaching is the final word or not.
In 1773, Lorenzo Ricci
Lorenzo Ricci, S.J. (2 August 1703
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 30 May 201824 November 1775) was an I ...
, hearing rumours that Pope Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...
might dissolve the Jesuit Order
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
, wrote "it is most incredible that the Deputy of Christ would state the opposite, what his predecessor Pope Clement XIII
Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...
stated in the papal bull , in which he defended and protected us." When, a few days later, he was asked if he would accept the papal brief reverting Clement XIII and dissolving the Jesuit Order, Ricci replied that whatever the Pope decides must be sacred to everybody.
In 1995, questions arose as to whether the apostolic letter
Ecclesiastical letters are publications or announcements of the organs of Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority, e.g. the synods, but more particularly of pope and bishops, addressed to the faithful in the form of letters.
Letters of the pop ...
, which upheld the Catholic teaching that only men may receive ordination, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
wrote, "Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of Our ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) We declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful." Dulles, in a lecture to U.S. bishops, stated that ' is infallible, not because of the apostolic letter or the clarification by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
alone but because it is based on a wide range of sources, scriptures, the constant tradition of the church, and the ordinary and universal magisterium of the church: Pope John Paul II identified a truth infallibly taught over two thousand years by the church.
Critics of ''Ordinatio Sacerdotalis'' point out, though, that it was not promulgated under the extraordinary papal magisterium as an statement, and therefore is not considered infallible
Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...
in itself.
Apparitions and revelations
Private revelations
Private revelation is, in Christian theology, a message from God which can come in a variety of types.
Roman Catholic theology
According to the ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', public revelation was complete in New Testament times, but dep ...
have taken place within the Catholic Church since the very beginning. For example, the account of Our Lady of the Pillar appearing to James the Greater
James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...
. However, apparitions are not a part of sacred tradition, since that would imply divine revelation is incomplete, which in turn would imply God can perfect himself.
The Catholic Church distinguishes between the apparitions within divine revelation – such as the risen Jesus' apparitions to the Apostles and the sign of the woman in the Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...
– and apparitions without divine revelation – such as Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, ...
and Our Lady of Fatima
Our or OUR may refer to:
* The possessive form of " we"
* Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
* Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium
* Our, Jura, a commune in France
* Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulat ...
– because the age of divine revelation was closed with the completion of the New Testament when the last of the Apostles died.
While Our Lady of the Pillar appeared during the Apostolic Age
Christianity in the 1st century covers the formative history of Christianity from the start of the ministry of Jesus (–29 AD) to the death of the last of the Twelve Apostles () and is thus also known as the Apostolic Age. Early Christianity ...
, the apparition is not a dogma since it is not part of the Catholic faith
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, in the Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
or in sacred tradition. It is a local tradition, which is distinct from sacred tradition.
Ecumenical aspects
Protestant theology since the reformation was largely negative on the term dogma. This changed in the 20th century, when Karl Barth in ' stated the need for systematic and binding articles of faith. The Creed is the most comprehensive – but not complete – summary of important Catholic dogmas. (It was originally used during baptism ceremonies). The Creed is a part of Sunday liturgy. Because many Protestant Churches have retained the older versions of the Creed, ecumenical working groups are meeting to discuss the Creed as the basis for better understandings of dogma.[Beinert 199]
See also
* Catholic dogmatic theology
* Marian Dogmas
Notes
References
*
Sources
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{{Catholicism
Catholic theology and doctrine
Catholic doctrines
Dogma