Catholic Faith

For Catholics , a dogma is an expression of faith, proclaimed by the Church. The only bodies that can proclaim a dogma are the councils (the Pope) or the pope alone.

For Catholics, as for all Christians, the revelation is given completely and definitively in Jesus Christ. However, the role of the Church to transmit this revelation and to deepen understanding through the ages, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. That all of this transmission-deepening of the Gospel message which is the tradition , founded on the apostolic succession.

Thus, Catholics believe the dogmas as expressions of faith already implicitly included in divine revelation, and are simply explained by the Church ^{Formation of dogma}

Specific questions relating to the development of a doctrine of Christ began to arise very early ^(second century), as evidenced, for example, written apologetic of Hilary of Poitiers against the heresies .

Indeed, if the first is oral tradition, recognition of the canonicity of what will be the New Testament took some time to be fixed. These writings themselves were not written as reference books dogmatic.

Thus, as in all religions, multiple interpretations began to spread. The most common being the gnosis which the bishops of Constantinople and Antioch believed they were undermining the very foundations of Christian faith. Considering themselves custodians of the only authentic Christian message, they became active in spreading the mission and authority to clarify points where necessary.

It was during the ^fourth century begins the succession of councils developing dogma, especially Christology. Rather than finding a consensus among all the patriarchs - equal and independent at the time - and particularly those in East between which the debate is usually underpinned by questions of rule, the councils act as courts and each of them gave rise to a schism.

The signal is launched by the proliferation of debates Christological between Antioch , Alexandria and Constantinople. The assumption hermeneutics that emerges in this period was the need to define what to believe.

Upon conviction, the minority schools - Arian , Nestorian and Monophysite - will be declared heretics with the pejorative sense that persists today.

As explained Marie-Emile Boismard op, a formulation of various doctrines for the believer finds himself in the confession of faith that represent a conception of Hellenistic religion:

"Believing that dogmas were originally present is the modern mentality. We always tend to analyze the texts of New Testament in order to regain the faith of the Church today. In the Semitic world, faith is primarily the engagement of a person vis--vis God. When we pass in the Greek world, she is transformed: instead of joining a person, it becomes adherence to truth, to dogmas.

It "becomes intellectualized. For many people, Christian is one who will adhere to a creed. "

Lucien Jerphagnon draws our attention to the Arian crisis that changes everything. Previously, local councils are: what are the courts where the judge minority, such as that of Hierapolis which excluded Montan in 175. With the Arian crisis instead of being local (accompanied by local consequences) the council, by the will of the emperor, became ecumenical and the consequences extend to the whole empire. The only way for the condemned heretic then exile.

Catholic Faith

It is impossible to speak of ecumenical dogma even though the term is tempting . Some initial tenets are shared by many Christian churches. The number of councils called ecumenical varies among different churches: the Orthodox Churches have seven , the reformers fully recognize the authority of the first four councils, some churches of the East as the Armenians do not recognize the council of Chalddoine ... The Roman Catholic Church has for its part twenty-one councils .

Moreover, despite the original definition of the dogma , dogmas are no longer uniformly received the same manner as before, even within the same denomination .

Periodically, the promulgation of dogma was followed by schisms, denying the dogma of the catholic character of which in Greek means universal.

Faith of the first seven councils

1. 325 : First Council of Nicaea - Son "true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father" (Emperor Constantine ^I , Cordoba Ossius cons Eusebius and Arius ).
2. 381 : First Council of Constantinople - "Holy Spirit consubstantial with the Father" - Creed of Nicea-Constantinople (Emperor Theodosius ^I , Gregory Nazianzen cons Demophilus ).
   The findings of this council lead the division with the two councils of churches
3. 431 : Council of Ephesus - Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos) ( Cyril of Alexandria against Nestorius ).
   The findings of this council lead the division with three councils of churches

   In 449 runs the Second Council of Ephesus , a council decides that the East mononergisme. This council is recognized only by the Seven Councils of Churches

4. 451 : Council of Chalcedon - "The dual nature of Jesus" that is to say two natures in one person (Leo - Emperor Marcian cons Eutyches - Dioscorus Alexandria )
5. 553 : Second Council of Constantinople
6. 680 : Third Council of Constantinople
7. 786 : Council of Nicaea II - Legitimacy of cult icons ( Studite Theodore , Patriarch Nicephorus )

From 1054 , the break is gradually consumed between Catholic (Latin) and Orthodox (Greek), which requires two separate and parallel councils. The anathemas mutual cause the split with the churches of the seven councils (one of them being recognized by the Eastern Christianity).

Faith itself Roman

• 1 545 - one thousand five hundred and sixty-three : Council of Trent - Transubstantiation and setting of Catholic biblical canon , the theory of two sources of Revelation , including the magisterial interpretive tradition, canonization of the Vulgate.
• 1854 : Immaculate Conception of Mary, established dogma by a papal bull Ineffabilis Deus of Pius IX ). It means that Mary , mother of Jesus of Nazareth was conceived without original sin.
• 1870 : First Vatican Council - Papal Infallibility , the council was interrupted by the war of 1870.
• 1950 : Assumption of Mary, the doctrine established by the Apostolic Constitution Deus Munificentissimus of Pius XII. It means that Mary, mother of Jesus of Nazareth ascended into heaven with his body, following the apocryphal Death of Mary. One of the few dogmas which has no scriptural basis that sharing (as the Dormition) by the Orthodox churches.

References

See also

Related articles

• Theme: Christianity , Catholicism , Orthodoxy
• Specific:
  • heresy , heterodoxy , apostasy , Arianism ,
  • excommunication , anathema ,
  • dogma , list of doctrines , creeds , theological liberalism

External Links

• Dogmas are defined in the texts of the Magisterium, available in the Catholic Library Online (12000 pages). The only authentic text in Catholicism, however, is the Enchyridion quoted below, which brings together the original texts as produced by the councils. It goes without saying that the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic church only applies to Roman Catholics. Other Christian churches are exempt.

Bibliography

• H. Denzinger and A. Schnmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, and Definitionum Declarationum Rebus Fidei et Morum, Editio emendata XXXVI, Roma, 1976.
• Claude Tresmontant , Introduction to Christian Theology (1967, Paris, Seuil)
• Bernard Sesbou SJ, History of Dogma, 2000
• Marie-mile Boismard op At the dawn of Christianity. Before the birth of dogmas, Paris, Cerf, 1998.
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1998)
• The Dutch Catechism (1967 edition)
• The Catechism of progressive Mr. Columbus

• Catholicism portal

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