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On the Dogmas of Faith

What is a Dogma of Faith?

A dogma in the Catholic sense is a truth revealed by God and, as such, proposed by the Church for belief. The proposal of a dogma for belief can take place either through a solemn definition of the Church or through its ordinary, everyday teaching.

Dogmas - Objective Truth

What dogmas express is an objective truth. Dogmas are not symbols of some undefined religious feelings, nor metaphors about God. Nor are they guidelines for virtuous conduct in life, but rather truths expressing an objective reality in God, though they do not exhaust everything that is in God.

Immutability of Dogmas

After the death of the Apostles, there have been and will be no further new, public revelations. Those truths that the Catholic Church transmits as revealed cannot undergo any essential change in content or meaning. By excluding heretics from its community, the Church testifies that it believes in the immutability of dogmas. The Church considers all definitions from past times to be inviolable and allows no one to change anything in them under pain of anathema (exclusion from the Church).

Faith - Acceptance of Dogmas

Dogmas are therefore immutable because they are an infallible transmission of the truth revealed by God. Faith, on the other hand, is the acceptance of all truths revealed by God. Therefore, all dogmas must be accepted with absolute certainty as truth, that is, they must be professed with theological faith (a divine virtue).

Heresy - Lack of Faith

Denying dogmas proposed by the Church for belief is called heresy. Since accepting all dogmas is the essence of faith, the conscious denial of dogmas is a sign of lack of faith, for one who denies God even in a single thing cannot have faith. Formal heresy is also a self-exclusion from the Church, which is why dogmas are so often defined in the form of the formula "let him be anathema."

Examples of Dogmas

From what has been said above, it follows that every article from the confessions of faith approved by the Church is a dogma. For the symbols of faith are the fundamental way in which the Church expresses the truths of faith that must be believed. Dogmas of faith also include all solemn papal definitions—so-called ex cathedra, such as the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary proclaimed by Pope Pius IX. Dogmas also include conciliar definitions of truths of faith, including so-called anathemas, that is, assertions given in a negative way—through the condemnation of the opposing heresy. An example of such a dogma is the sacrificial character of the Holy Mass defined at the Council of Trent. Furthermore, all truths that are not solemnly defined but are constantly transmitted for belief through the ordinary, universal teaching are also dogmas. An example of such a truth is the assertion that Mary was established by Christ as the Mother of all people.

Literature: 1. Fr. M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics 2. I. Solano SJ, J.A. de Aldama SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa

#dogma

Natural Traces (Clues) of the Holy Trinity in the Created World.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery of faith, and thus reason is unable to prove the existence of the Trinity in a natural way, without Divine Revelation. One can only prove the existence of God and some of His attributes. However, there are certain clues in creation that can direct the mind toward the Trinity, and after Revelation, serve as confirmation that just as God left an image of His rationality and freedom in man and the angels, so too did He leave in creation a certain image of His trinity.

The matter of the trace of the Trinity is explained by the Common Doctor. Saint Thomas states that rational creatures represent an image of the Trinity by their nature. He recalls that the origins of the Divine Persons are based in acts of reason and will: the Son is begotten of the Father as an act of reason (knowledge), and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son as an act of will (love). Thus, spiritual creatures, which possess reason and will, represent their Creator—the Holy Trinity—in an imagelike manner.

Moreover, some trace of the Trinity is also found in all other creatures, though it is less perfect, which is why we do not call this clue an image of the Trinity, but merely a trace. This trace consists in the fact that every creature is some independent substance possessing a form that defines its species (forms its concept), and can always be related to something else.

By virtue of being an independent substance, a creature represents a cause or principle—in this way it shows forth the person of the Father (Principium).

By virtue of having a form, it represents the concept (word) of the creator—in this way it shows forth the person of the Son (Word).

By virtue of being related to something else, it represents love, since a relation to something is always the effect of some act of will, and the highest act of will is love—in this way it shows forth the person of the Holy Spirit (Love).

Source: St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Volume I, Question 45, Article 7

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It can essentially be regarded as a continuation of Arian thought with regard to the person of the Holy Spirit, which is why the followers of Macedonianism were also called pneumatomachi (spirit-fighters). Macedonians, based on their erroneous doctrine, taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, but a creature. As a spiritual creature, He would be similar to angels but far more perfect than they. Thus, He possessed authority over them and had a leading role in God's mission. His special mission was to begin after Christ's Ascension. The doctrine of Macedonianism was first condemned at the Synod of Alexandria (362), presided over by St. Athanasius, then by Pope Damasus, and finally at the First Council of Constantinople (381).

Bibliography: 1. M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics 2. L. Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma

Heresies Opposed to Doctrine of the Holy Trinity

The Mystery of the Holy Trinity surpasses human reason, meaning that its full and perfect understanding is impossible in this world. We must therefore rely on imperfect analogies, which exposes the Trinitarian dogma to numerous distortions. Despite the difficulties, however, we are able to express a proper, albeit limited, understanding of the Trinitarian dogma.

It is very important to avoid explanations that would distort our faith. We will therefore examine the most well-known heresies in this area.

Monarchianism

Monarchianism is a collection of various doctrines based on the heretical assumption that there is only one person in God. Modalism teaches that there is only one divine person. This person is called the Father at one time, and at another may be called the Son or the Holy Spirit, with the proviso, however, that God is called the Son only from the moment of the Incarnation. Thus, according to modalists, it was God the Father who was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. He then suffered His passion for us, endured the death of the cross, and rose again on the third day. For this reason, modalists were called patripassians (patripassiani), and modalism is also referred to as patripassianism. Sabellianism is a later continuation of modalism. It accepts a certain difference between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, it does not recognize them as three different persons, but as one who has revealed Himself to humanity in three different ways. God revealing Himself as Creator is the Father, as Redeemer is the Son, and as Sanctifier is the Holy Spirit. According to Sabellianism, in these different actions, one and the same person is revealed—the God the Father. Monarchianist views were combated in the Church from the very beginning as unorthodox, and Sabellianism was condemned by Pope Callistus.

Adoptionism

An extension of Monarchianism is Adoptionism, also called dynamic Monarchianism. Adoptionists held that there is only one person in God. They differed from Monarchianists in the belief that Jesus Christ was merely a man endowed with divine power, and not the incarnate God. To fulfill His mission, He was adopted by God as the Son of God, which was to take place during His baptism in the Jordan. According to Adoptionism, the Lord Jesus was therefore not God, but as a pure creature was subject to God. The Word (Logos) that dwelt in Christ was not a divine person, but the wisdom of God—a divine attribute granted to Jesus. Adoptionism was quickly rejected by the Synod of Antioch (269) and then by Pope Victor.

Arianism

Arian doctrine caused considerable confusion in ancient Christianity. It is an error belonging to the category of Subordinationism, which differs from Monarchianist views in that it recognizes the existence of three different divine persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), but does not accept their consubstantiality, and thus teaches that there is subordination between them—subordination. According to Arians, only the Father is God in the strict sense, because only He is uncreated. According to this theory, the Son of God (Logos) does not exist eternally but was created by the Father as the highest creature, made before the creation of the world. In this way, the Son of God is a being intermediate between God and the rest of creation. The Father is the most perfect being, God in Himself, God by nature. Whereas the Word (Logos) is a created being and God by grace, subject to God the Father. Arians were divided into two branches. Eunomians (extreme Arians) held that the Son is entirely different from the person of the Father, while Semi-Arians accepted a certain similarity between the Father and the Son, with the proviso, however, that they are not consubstantial. Arianism was first condemned at the Synod of Alexandria (319) and then at the Council of Nicaea (325), where the famous Nicene Creed was proclaimed.

🔗Macedonianism

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On the Most Holy Trinity

It is a dogma of Christian faith that there is one God in three persons, that is, the Most Holy Trinity exists. The Council of Florence defines the faith in the Trinity as follows: "We firmly believe and absolutely confess that there is one true God... Father and Son and Holy Spirit, three truly persons, yet one essence, substance, or nature, entirely singular."

Three Divine Persons, and One God God is thus one in nature (divinity), but this one and singular divine nature exists in three persons. These Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, differ really from one another such that one person is not the other person. However, all persons of the Trinity share a single, numerically one nature, not each their own; hence the three Divine Persons are one God, not three gods.

Internal Relations in God

The Divine Persons do not differ from one another in terms of nature. The basis for distinguishing the Divine Persons lies solely in their mutual relations, which exist eternally in God and differ really from one another. These relations are: active generation (paternity), passive generation (filiation), active and passive spiration. Thus the Father comes from no one, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. It must be remembered that these relations exist eternally and immanently in God, as we profess in the Athanasian Creed: "And nothing in this Trinity is earlier or later, nothing greater or lesser, but the three persons are entirely coeternal and completely equal to one another."

The External Activity of God

The external activity of the three Divine Persons is always one, both in the natural order (creation, providence) and in the supernatural order (miracles, granting of graces). This means that everything God does externally is always the work of the entire Holy Trinity (all Divine Persons). Therefore, the entire Trinity is the Creator of the world (creation), the entire Trinity is our Father (providence), the entire Trinity works miracles in the world, and the entire Trinity grants us its grace. The unity of action of the three Divine Persons arises from the unity of the divine nature. For it is the nature that serves as the basis for the action of every being, and in God there is only one such nature. Perichoresis From the unity of the divine nature it further follows that the three Divine Persons mutually interpenetrate and dwell in one another, a concept termed perichoresis in theology. This notion succinctly and coherently expresses the Trinitarian dogma, namely the unity of the divine nature while preserving the distinction of persons without their confusion. This truth is expressed by the Council of Florence: "Everything in God is one where there is no opposition of relation. Because of this unity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, the Son is entirely in the Father and in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is entirely in the Father and in the Son."

Mystery of Faith

The Holy Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, meaning it is a truth of faith that the human mind cannot discover without Revelation, and after Revelation, it cannot prove it positively or penetrate it thoroughly by knowledge. For the mystery of the Holy Trinity surpasses the human mind. However, man can exclude its internal contradiction by negative arguments, since nothing that God reveals can be contrary to reason. The same God gave us reason and revealed to us that He is a Trinity, requiring the acknowledgment of this truth. Athanasian Creed "The Catholic faith consists in this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, such the Holy Spirit..."

Literature: M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics

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Notes

Christian Apologetics – On Worldviews, Visions, and Philosophical Dialogue

§ 1. On Worldviews

  1. What is a worldview? – It is the set of fundamental assumptions by which a person interprets reality; truth; morality; human beings; society; knowledge; and the purpose of life.

  2. Every person has a worldview – Everyone has one, even if implicitly. Even those who have never studied philosophy usually have basic ideas about: good and evil; truth; freedom; the meaning of existence.

  3. Worldview is not the same as religion – Not exactly, because a religion usually contains a worldview, but there are secular, philosophical, political, and cultural worldviews.

  4. Why Apologetics needs to understand worldviews – Because religious debates often involve deeper differences than simple isolated opinions.  People may disagree about the nature of reality; the possibility of truth; the existence of God; the meaning of morality.

§ 2. On Assumptions

  5. What are assumptions? – They are fundamental ideas assumed before many lines of reasoning. Examples: trust in reason; the existence of the external world; the validity of logic; moral objectivity.

  6. Is there such a thing as completely neutral thought – Many philosophers argue that it is not entirely so. Everyone interprets facts based on language; culture; experiences; philosophical assumptions.

  7. Does recognizing assumptions destroy objectivity – Not necessarily. It only means recognizing human limitations; the need for critical reflection; the importance of intellectual honesty.

§ 3. On Christian Worldview

  8. What are the central elements of the Christian worldview – Traditionally, God as the foundation of reality; rational creation; human dignity; moral objectivity; human fall; redemption; transcendent purpose.

  9. Does Christianity see the universe as meaningless – No. The Christian tradition maintains that reality possesses intelligibility; history has purpose; human existence has meaning.

  10. Does Christianity consider truth objective – Yes. The classical tradition affirms truth exists independently of subjective preferences.

§ 4. On Materialism

  11. What characterizes a materialist worldview – The idea that only matter and physical processes fundamentally exist.

  12. Does materialism influence morality – Frequently, yes. Depending on the form adopted, it can affect the concept of person; freedom; Consciousness; Dignity; Ethics.

  13. Why does Christianity criticize materialism – Because it considers it insufficient to reduce the human being to: physicochemical processes; biology; impersonal matter.

§ 5. About Naturalism

  14. What characterizes a naturalist worldview – The idea that all reality can be explained exclusively by natural causes.

  15. Does Naturalism eliminate transcendence – Generally, yes. It tends to reject miracles; revelation; supernatural reality.

  16. Can Christianity engage in dialogue with naturalists – Yes. Many discussions involve metaphysics; epistemology; morality; philosophy of mind; origin of the universe.

§ 6. On Relativism

  17. What is relativism?

It is the position according to which truth or morality depends entirely on culture; the individual; context.

  18. Why do apologists criticize radical relativism – Because it can generate difficulties such as self-contradiction; impossibility of objective moral criticism; dissolution of universal truth.

  19. Does Christianity admit cultural diversity – Yes. But it distinguishes legitimate cultural diversity; absolute denial of objective truth.

§ 7. On Nihilism

  20. What is a nihilistic worldview – It is the view according to which there is no objective meaning; absolute values ​​do not exist; life lacks transcendent purpose.

  21. How does Christianity respond to nihilism – Affirming intelligibility of being; value of the person; reality of good; transcendent hope.

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#philosophy

Pentecost: The Birth of the Church of Christ

Traditionally, we distinguish three stages in the establishment of the Church by Christ:

1. Preparing the Church during the time of Jesus Christ's public activity on earth. The teaching of our Lord forms the deposit of faith of the Church.

2. Completing this preparation through the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross, from which all Sacraments draw their power, being the spiritual good of the Church.

3. Beginning the public activity of the Church after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, who helps them and their successors in carrying out the mission of the Church throughout the earth. The Day of Pentecost should therefore be regarded as the proper birth of the Church for the world.

"The Church, having already been conceived, was born from the side of the second Adam on the cross, and first appeared to men on the great day of Pentecost. On that day the Holy Spirit began to manifest His gifts in the mystical body of Christ." Leo XIII, Divinum Illud Munus

#holyspirit