UNIT FOUR

The Church Is Teacher

4.1 Creeds, Laws, Dogmas, and Doctrines

Who Needs Dogma?

Dogma: Core teaching issued with the highest authority

What we believe about God influences the choices we make

Dogma forms the framework for a Christian worldview It shapes our understanding of good and bad It shapes our attitude toward suffering and setbacks in life It helps us determine what we should try to change and

what we should leave to God

Dogma

Those truths which the Church teaches have been specifically revealed by god

Acceptance of dogma is essential for complete faith and the deepest possible relationship with God

Denial of dogma is heresy

The Good News Is Rooted In The Truth Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the

truth will set you free” (John 8:32) Knowledge alone will not lead a person to the

truth and to freedom Knowledge needs to be systematized and

categorized before it can reveal the truth Types of truth include scientific and religious

Both are objective

The Good News is a Message of Truth Glad tidings to the poor Liberty to captives Recovery of sight to the blind

Two things go hand in hand with our sharing of the good news. A relationship with God An understanding of reality

We are called to share and live the good news in such a way that those who meet us are aware of God’s presence and gain a clearer understanding of the truth.

Passing On The Truth Through Scripture The Bible is normative for all of Catholic faith

and theology. Scripture is the word of God and should

guide us in all that we do. The Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the

Bible so that they wrote what God desired them to write. Scripture is true in its essence.

Scripture Must Always Be Interpreted The word of God expressed in human words

has been shaped and limited by human weaknesses and limitations.

In order for us to understand scripture fully, we must consider how it would have been understood by the people for whom it was originally written.

The Bible is the Book of the Church The Catholic faith is a faith of the living Word

of God Each generation must use the critical tools

which are available to it in order to read and interpret scripture in light of its own knowledge and experience. This should take place within the community

The Canon of Scripture

Scripture developed in response to the Church

The Church had to decide which of the many letters, gospels and instructions about Jesus and Church doctrine it would consider authoritative.

Canon

Name for those books which have been accepted by the Church as normative for faith.

Doctrine

An official teaching of the Church

Marcion threat

Middle of the 2nd century Called himself a Christian but did not

embrace the doctrines of the majority in the Church Developed own “Christian doctrine” to suit anti-

Jewish, anti-material biases Tried to purge Christianity of everything Jewish

Teachings contradicted several fundamental principles of Christianity; Labeled a heretic

The Christian Church Responds to Marcion Apostles’ Creed and the canon (official list of

Christian Scriptures) were developed

Three Main Criteria used to determine sacredness of particular book1. Apostolic Authorship

Book had to come from the apostles, either directly or through those who had known them.

2. Orthodox Content It had to portray Jesus in a way that was

compatible with the faith of the majority of Christians.

3. Catholicity It had to enjoy widespread and frequent use in

the worship and teaching of the Church.

Truth Through Tradition

Scripture is written account of God’s self-revelation to humanity.

Before the scriptures became the written word, they were the lived experience and knowledge of the apostles and other early Christians.

They continue to be interpreted and explained.

Tradition of the Church

The faith which the Church has received from Christ through the apostles and all of the ways the faith has been passed on: In creeds In doctrines Decisions of the magisterium Liturgies Patterns of prayer and service

Teachers of Doctrine In the Early Church Christian apologists worked hard to dispel the false

rumors about Christianity and to make Christianity appear both reasonable and acceptable to non-Christians.

Several apologists were particularly influential in defining and explaining the basics of Christian doctrine Irenaeus Clement of Alexandria Tertullian Origen

Apologists

“Defenders of the faith” Christians who worked hard to dispel the

false rumors about Christianity and to make Christianity appear both reasonable and acceptable to non-Christians

Irenaeus First and foremost, he was a pastor who wrote

because he wanted the people in his care to understand the basics of Christian faith. He wanted them to know that God is a loving God,

a good shepherd who desires what is best for all of creation.

He took a firm stand against all who would claim that the physical was either evil or undesirable God intended to join our physical nature with his

spiritual one

Irenaeus’ beliefs central to Catholic theology Human beings are good What we do with our bodies is significant to

our relationship with God Human progress is part of God’s plan for

creation

Clement of Alexandria

Attempted to establish connections between Christianity and Greek philosophy

He wanted to show pagans that much of Christian doctrine could be supported by Plato

The law, given to the Jews and the philosophy given to the Greeks both pointed to the same ultimate truth, now revealed in Jesus

Tertullian

Christians must reject everything that wasn’t explicitly Christian.

Prescription Against Heretics states, claimed that the Church is the rightful owner of scripture. Heretics have no right to use them or to interpret

them in a way that contradicts the Church Church’s interpretation of scripture can be traced

in a direct line back to the apostles, their interpretation is the true one

Origen

He sought to explain Christian doctrine to the pagans and to relate Christian theology to pagan philosophy.

He concerned himself with making sure that Christian doctrine was not set aside in favor of pagan philosophy.

Those things which are essential to Christianity (according to Origen) The belief that there is only one God who is

the creator and ruler of the entire universe. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and he

became fully human in his Incarnation, remaining fully divine.

The Holy Spirit shares in the glory and divinity of the Father and Son.

There will be a final judgment and a final resurrection of the body.

Son of God

Title for Jesus that refers to his relationship with the other Persons of the Trinity

Incarnation

Becoming human Even and process in which the eternal Son of

God took on flesh and entered human history

Divine

Literally means “of God”

Fundamentals of Dogma

There are certain beliefs and principles which are central to Christian faith.

If these are altered or contradicted in any way the resulting belief system is no longer Christian.

Those beliefs which are essential to Christian faith are called dogmas. Dogmas are truths which we believe have been

specifically revealed by God.

Heresy

Literally means “choice” A conscious, deliberate, and persistent or

public denial by a member of the Church of one or more of the truths of faith (dogma).

Heretics are people who have separated themselves from the Church because they are unwilling to organize their lives in accordance with the truth which the Church teaches.

Apostles’ Creed

One of two great creeds, or statements of belief of the Church

Considered to be a summary of the apostles’ faith

Ancient baptismal symbol of the Church of Rome

Beliefs basic to Catholic faith.1. Everything that exists was created by God

and therefore serves a purpose.

2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, existed with the father from the beginning, was begotten not made, was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.

Jesus, if one person, has two natures.

Heretical Teachings on Jesus

Arianism: Jesus was created, not begotten. Docetism: Jesus was not human at all; he

only appeared human. Apollinarianism: Claimed that although Jesus

had a human body, he had no human soul. Monophysitism: Jesus had been born fully

human; However his human nature had been completely absorbed by his divine nature.

Current heretical beliefs and practices Popular society sees little worth in suffering

Call for assisted suicides and euthanasia in name of “death with dignity”

The Holy Trinity

Central mystery of the Christian faith That God is One in three persons

God does not have three different ways of interacting with people.

We do not perceive God in three different ways.

We do not believe the three persons have three distinct roles.

God’s nature is relational.

God is love. All love flows from the love which exists between the Father, Son and Spirit.

God in all three persons created the universe, redeemed humanity and sustains us.

What the Trinity is NOT

What the Trinity is

Summary of beliefs in the Trinity We are called to become one with the

persons of the Trinity who are already one among themselves.

Whatever one does, all three do. Because the Trinity is one, God was made

accessible to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ and god continues to be accessible in the Church in which the Holy Spirit lives.

Mary, the Mother of God

Foundational Church dogmas Corollary to the belief that Jesus is fully

human and fully divine Nestorius taught the heresy that God could

not be totally dependent upon a human being; thus we must say that it was only Jesus’ human self which was born of Mary, his divine self was not.

Council of Ephesus

Denounced Nestorius Jesus is one person with two natures. Everything which Jesus experienced by his

whole person. From the moment of his conception, Jesus

was both fully human and fully divine. Mary can be rightly called the Mother of God. In Mary, the divine and the human were

eternally joined.

Monotheism

Belief that there is only one God

Dogma related to Doctrine

Dogmas are truths which we believe have been specifically revealed by God.

Person’s acceptance of Church dogma is essential to a complete faith and the deepest possible relationship with God.

Dogmas are infallible and cannot be reformed. They cannot change in their essence

Dogma is limited in its expression People in different time periods have different

thought categories, conceptions and different ways of perceiving and responding to the world.

Example is the Church’s response to Galileo Proclaimed heretic for declaring that the earth

revolved around the sun Later, became clear one could accept Galileo’s

teachings without rejecting Christianity

Dogma

Each time the magisterium declares that a particular statement or concept is part of the deposit of faith, Catholics are obliged to accept their assertion as true.

Every dogmatic statement protects an essential truth which is in danger of being lost.

Doctrine

Church teachings which have not been directly revealed by God but which reflect our best understanding of that which has been revealed.

Refers to any belief or teaching which has the official approval of the magisterium

Establishes the boundaries for preaching and catechesis

Adherence to Church Teaching The pope has the authority to proclaim

something as dogma. If he proclaims with a definitive act that a

doctrine of faith or morals is to be accepted as part of God’s Revelation and thus as an infallible dogma, it is indeed an infallible dogma.

Infallibility

Spiritual attribute possessed by the Church as a whole ensuring that the Church will never cease to be the body of Christ on earth.

More commonly used to refer to the special attribute possessed by the pope and by the college of bishops in communion with the pope which ensures that when they speak on matters of faith and morals they are free of error.

Ecumenical council

Gathering of all the Catholic bishops of the world

“Ecumenical” pertains to a theological recognition of and willingness to learn from those of different faith traditions

Determine those things which all the local churches will hold in common

Role of the Magisterium

The Holy Spirit guides the Church through the Magisterium.

Preaching the gospel and applying it to the lives of Catholics is to help us to do God’s will and to bring about God’s kingdom

Jesus speaks through the magisterium offering the voice of truth. Preserves saving truth of Jesus Expounds upon it regarding contemporary issues

Ways Church functions as teacher Papal encyclicals: official letters of the pope

to the universal Church and all people of good will

Pastoral letters: written by bishops for people in their own countries

Excommunication

Most severe penalty within the Church Person who is excommunicated is separated

from the communion of other Catholics. He or she cannot receive the sacraments or

hold certain positions within the Church.

In Conclusion

Church’s task is to tell the world the truth which has been revealed in Christ.

At the heart of this truth is the fact that God is love.

Through Christ, God has made it possible for humanity to participate in that love.

The scriptures, creeds, dogmas, and doctrines of the Church all help us to understand the truth of Christ and what it means to structure our lives around that truth.