Телеграм канал «Ecce Verbum»

Anscombe, Human Dignity "What people are for is, we believe, like guided missiles, to home in on God, God who is the one truth it is infinitely worth knowing, the possession of which you could never get tired of, like the water which if you have you can never thirst again, because your vital thirst is slaked forever and always. It’s this potentiality; this incredible potentiality, of the knowledge of God of such a kind as even to be sharing in his nature, which Christianity holds out to people; and because of this potentiality every life, right up to the last, must be treated as precious. Its potentialities in all the things the world cares about may be slight; but there is always the possibility of what it’s for. We can’t ever know that the time of possibility of gaining eternal life is over, however old, wretched, ‘useless’ someone has become." Elizabeth Anscombe, "Contraception and Chastity" #ethics #salvation

Una Caro: the sexual act and openness to life Paragraph 145 of the note "Una caro" states that "sexual union, as a way of expressing marital love, must naturally remain open to the transmission of life, even if this does not mean that it must be the explicit purpose of each sexual act." This means that every sexual act must be open to life—but not every sexual act must be consciously intended as leading to the conception of a child. The Dicastery in subparagraphs a), b), and c) of point 145 clearly lists 3 and only 3 situations to which this applies: a) the first is the situation in which a couple, through no fault of their own, cannot have children. If every sexual act had to be consciously intended to generate offspring, such a couple could not engage in intercourse. Meanwhile, according to Church teaching, such a couple may engage in intercourse, even when they know they are infertile. In their case, the marital act is open to life—though there is no conscious intention that it will lead to the conception of life, because it is known in advance that due to infertility this is excluded. Nevertheless, the act itself remains open to life in its structure—infertility does not result from any fault of the spouses. b) the second is the situation in which a couple engages in intercourse not in order to have children, but in order to have intercourse—without reflecting on it. In this way, "Una caro" rejects theological interpretations according to which the marital act, to be morally permissible, must be undertaken for the sake of procreating children. According to "Una caro," the marital act must be open to procreating children, but it may be undertaken for another reason—for example, in the heat of passion, emotions, etc. In other words: spouses do not have to plan to conceive a child when they engage in intercourse. They may not think about it. However, they must perform the act in such a way as to preserve its structural openness to conceiving a child. c) the third is the situation when spouses engage in intercourse during infertile periods. This actually follows from point b). Spouses assume that no child will result from such an act—but they may engage in intercourse if they preserve the act's structural openness to conception. This is what St. Paul VI pointed to in Humanae vitae, which is cited here—and specifically its point 11, emphasizing that every marital act must be open to conception of a child in its structure. Therefore, if you hear liberals saying that the Apostolic See has opened any loophole for contraception or other forms of rendering marital acts infertile—this is untrue. These are someone's hopes, expectations, dreams—but it is not the truth. The truth is as follows: "Una caro" in point 145 clearly states that every marital act must be open to life in its structure, meaning that it must not be deliberately rendered infertile in any way. Quod erat demonstrandum. In summary, no changes are made. The objections raised were answered, the teaching reinstated. #family

Article Why John Calvin did not recognise between mortal and venial sin From Introduction: Catholics and Protestants agree on many points regarding sin, but the Catholic Church makes a distinction generally not found in Protestant theologies: the distinction between mortal and venial sin. John Calvin rejected the distinction between mortal and venial sin, and Protestantism has largely followed Calvin on this point. Calvin rejected it because he did not see it clearly laid out in Scripture, and also because he viewed sin primarily in legal terms. For Calvin, all sin is a rebellion against God’s law, and therefore deserving of eternal punishment. Therefore for Calvin all sin committed by those who have come to faith in Christ is mortal sin in what it deserves, but is venial in the sense that it is covered by the merits of Christ, so that those who have come to faith never lose their justification. https://www.calledtocommunion.com/2011/11/why-john-calvin-did-not-recognize-the-distinction-between-mortal-and-venial-sin/ #sin

Practical Christian Sociology (1895) Wilbur Crafts #sociology

The Final Judgement (of our works) The Catholic Church does not teach “works-salvation.” Works do not save anyone. It’s a free gift of grace and mercy from God, and in this context we can speak of "sola gratia". But in the biblical catholic view, works are not separated from faith and salvation. There are at least two biblical passages that mention faith in the context of judgment (but not faith standing alone). Revelation 21:8 includes the “faithless” among those who will be damned. In context, it’s surrounded by many bad works characterizing the reprobate. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12 mentions those who have “believed” while featuring the “work of faith” and other works in the same context. Matthew 7:19, 21 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire... “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (cf. 7:22-27) Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man... will repay every man for what he has done. Matthew 25:34-36 “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” (cf. 25:31-33, 37-46) Luke 3:9 . . . every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. John 5:29 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. Romans 2:5-13 But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-11 inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power, 1 Peter 1:17... who judges each one impartially according to his deeds,... Revelation 2:23. . . I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. Revelation 20:12 . . . And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. (cf. 20:11-13) Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death. Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. 🔗p 2

Jérôme Hermès Bolsec - Vies de Jean Calvin et de Théodore de Bèze (1835), Cap. XIII [1/2] I will add this further, that a large part of the Genevans and foreigners, inhabitants of the said city, held him in greater esteem than Saint Paul; witness that, in the city of Thonon, an honorable apology was made to a devout fool of the said Calvin, who had pronounced these same words in good company: "Monsignor Calvin is more learned, and knows more of the secrets of God, than Saint Paul ever knew". But his ambition was even more openly discovered, by the congregation that he had solemnly held at the temple of Saint Peter, in Geneva, on the Friday before the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, in the year 1552: when, having been warned that the Churches of Zurich and Basel did not approve of his doctrine of predestination, before the herald arrived in Geneva, with the letters of the lords of the said Churches, he had all the ministers assembled that he could, both from the city of Geneva and from the parishes outside, and had his said doctrine approved by them, and all that he had written on the subject of the eternal predestination of the damned and the saved. Of which his doctrine he will be treated hereafter, with the grace of God. But, on the point of his ambition, I cannot. It must not let pass in silence the ruse and deception of which he used, wanting to resurrect the man of Ostun, called the Burnt, to have himself [John Calvin] esteemed a holy man and glorious prophet of God, worker of miracles. The fact was such: This man, of whom is mentioned, had come from Ostun to Geneva, for the religion, and had indigence of temporal goods, so much so that he and his wife had recommended themselves to Mr. Calvin, to be participants in the poor purse and their alms; to whom the said Calvin promised help with temporal goods and other favors, if they would serve him faithfully and secretly in what he would tell them: this they promised. And according as the said Calvin had instructed them, poor Brulé pretended to be sick, and went to bed. It was recommended to the sermons, that prayers should be prayed for him, and that he should be helped with alms: soon after, he pretended to be dead; whereof Calvin, secretly warned, and as one who was ignorant of it, went for a walk, accompanied, that is to say, according to his custom, by a large troop of his devotees and most intimate friends, without whom he hardly went out of his lodging. Hearing then the cries and lamentations which the woman made, pretending to be very desolate, he asked what it was, and entered the house, where he knelt down with his troop. And made a loud prayer, praying God to show his power and to raise this dead man, to make all his people understand his glory, and that the said Calvin was his true servant, pleasing to him, and truly of himself elected and called to the ministry of his Gospel for the reformation of his Church. Having finished his prayer, he came and took the said poor man by the hand, commanding him on behalf of God, and of his Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, that he should rise up, and that he should make manifest the grace of God: but, for some repetition and loud cry of these said words by Calvin, the dead man neither spoke nor moved; for, by the just judgment of God, who neither will nor can approve of lies, the said pretending to be dead, died for real; neither did he move nor answer for any push that his wife made him; but was quite cold and stiff: of which, being certain, his said wife began to bray and howl with good reason, shouting against Calvin, and calling him a fraud and murderer of her husband; declaring, in a loud voice, the fact as it had happened. 🔗[2/2]

Systematic Theology - Sacramentology - Baptism [1/3] Systematic Theology usually organizes each doctrine into fundamental questions: what it is, where it is based, what it means, how it operates, who receives it, what its effects are, what controversies exist, what its place is in the life of the Church. Applying this to Baptism, a systematic treatment could follow this path: § 1. Doctrine of Baptism – Definition Nature: sacrament/ordinance instituted by Christ. Theological essence: visible and effective (or symbolic, according to tradition) sign of union with Christ. Distinction: it is not a mere social ceremony, but a religious act with soteriological significance. Key question: Is Baptism only a symbol or is it a means of grace? § 2. Biblical Foundation Old Testament – ​​Ritual purifications and washings (Leviticus 16; Numbers 19); Prophecies of inner purification (Ezekiel 36:25-27). New Testament – ​​Mandate of Christ (Matthew 28:19); Apostolic practice (Acts 2:38; 8:36; 22:16); Union with Christ in death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4); Baptism and new birth (John 3:5; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21). Exegetical question: “Water and Spirit” means sacramental rite or spiritual renewal. § 3. Institution and Authority Christological: Christ ordains and spiritually participates in Baptism. Trinitarian: performed “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, linking it to Trinitarian life. Ecclesiological: entrusted to the Church, not to isolated individuals. § 4. Central Theological Meanings a) Purification from sin – Forgiveness/remission (Acts 2:38). Debates: objective vs. subjective sacramental efficacy. b) Regeneration – Some traditions: Baptism produces new birth. Others: it symbolizes a regeneration already accomplished by faith. c) Ecclesial incorporation – Insertion into the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13). Community identity, not just individual. d) Union with Christ – Participation in his death and resurrection (Rom 6). e) Seal and Promise – Seal of the covenant, analogy with circumcision (Col 2:11–12). § 5. Subjects of Baptism — Who can be baptized? Infant baptism (pædobaptism) – Based on the family covenant (Gen 17; Acts 16). Understanding of a community of faith. Grace precedes human decision. Believer's baptism (credobaptism) – Requires conscious faith and repentance (Acts 2:41). Sacrament as a public profession. Systematic tension: priority of grace vs. priority of personal faith. § 6. Form and Matter Matter: real water. Form: Trinitarian invocation (Mt 28:19). Mode: immersion, infusion, sprinkling — pragmatic and theological divergences regarding symbolism. § 7. Minister of Baptism Generally: ordained minister. Historical exceptions: baptism of necessity (in case of danger of death). Ecclesiological question: Baptism is an act of the Church, not a private one. § 8. Effects of Baptism Depending on tradition: Remission of original/personal sin; Infusion of sanctifying grace; Regeneration/new birth; Gift of the Holy Spirit; Divine adoption; Insertion into the Church; Vocation to holiness. Some Reformed traditions add: Objective guarantee of the promise, applied subjectively by future faith. § 9. Necessity for Salvation Three systematic positions: 1. Absolute necessity — without Baptism there is no salvation. 2. Ordinary necessity — it is the normative path, but God can act extraordinarily. 3. Symbolic necessity — it is not a requirement for salvation, but an ordained obedience. Auxiliary categories: Baptism of desire; Baptism of blood; Spiritual baptism (Protestant interpretations) § 10. Validity and Repetition – True Baptism is unique and unrepeatable. Validity depends on: water, Trinitarian formula, and right minimum intention. Ecumenical issues: validity among denominations. § 11. Historical Controversies Donatism: does validity depend on the holiness of the minister? Reformation: efficacious sacrament vs. memorial symbol. Contemporary debates: infant baptism, rebaptism, charismatic baptism “in the Spirit”. 🔗[2/3] 🔗[3/3] #baptism