Theological notes

Last updated April 09, 2024

The theological notes designate a classification of certainty of beliefs in Catholic theology.^[1]

Authority of the notes

"[T]he supreme organs for [theological] notes and censures (and exclusively so for infallible matters) are the Pope and the Ecumenical Councils. Limited competences attaches to the Roman Congregations, Provincial Synods (episcopal conferences) and the individual bishops and major superiors of religious orders. The whole people of God is charged with the safeguarding of the true faith. Theologians have a special responsibility and thus are especially qualified to give theological notes [and censures] [...] though their authority is not one of jurisdiction. Their notes [and censures] have the weight of 'professional' opinions and have often influenced the magisterium".^[4]

Various classifications

Ludwig Ott

Immediately revealed truths

Catholic theologian Ludwig Ott considers that immediately revealed truths hold the "highest degree of certainty". "The belief due to them is based on the authority of God Revealing (fides divina), and if the Church, through its teaching, vouches for the fact that a truth is contained in Revelation, one's certainty is then also based on the authority of the Infallible Teaching Authority of the Church (fides catholica). If Truths are defined by a solemn judgment of faith (definition) of the Pope or of a General Council, they are 'de fide definita'".^[5]

Catholic truths

Catholic truths refers to Catholic beliefs which are church teachings, definitively decided on by the Magisterium, but not (yet) as being divine revelations properly speaking. Ludwig Ott calls the beliefs of this level Catholic truths, and states states that beliefs of this level "are as infallibly certain as dogmas proper".^[5]

Catholic truths are "doctrines and truths defined by the Church not as immediately revealed but as intrinsically connected with the truths of Revelation so that their denial would undermine the revealed truths [...]. These are proposed for belief in virtue of the infallibility of the Church in teaching doctrines of faith or morals (fides ecclesiastica)". They are called "Catholic Truths (veritates catholicae) or Ecclesiastical Teachings (doctrinae ecclesiasticae) to distinguish them from the Divine Truths or Divine Doctrines of Revelation (veritates vel doctrinae divinae)". Ott continues:^[6]

To these Catholic truths belong:
1. Theological Conclusions (conclusiones theologicae) properly so-called. By these are understood religious truths, which are derived from two premisses, of which one is an immediately revealed truth, and the other a truth of natural reason. Since one premiss is a truth of Revelation, theological conclusions are spoken of as being mediately or virtually (virtualiter) revealed. If however both premisses are immediately revealed truths, then the conclusion also must be regarded as being immediately revealed and as the object of Immediate Divine Faith (Fides Immediate Divina).
2. Dogmatic Facts (facta dogmatica). By these are understood historical facts, which are not revealed, but which are intrinsically connected with revealed truth, for example, the legality of a Pope or of a General Council, or the fact of the Roman episcopate of St. Peter. The fact that a defined text does or does not agree with the doctrine of the Catholic Faith is also, in a narrower sense, a 'dogmatic fact.' In deciding the meaning of a text the Church does not pronounce judgment on the subjective intention of the author, but on the objective sense of the text (D 1350; sensum quem verba prae se ferunt).
3. Truths of Reason, which have not been revealed, but which are intrinsically associated with a revealed truth, e.g., those philosophic truths which are presuppositions of the acts of Faith (knowledge of the supersensual, possibility of proofs of God, the spirituality of the soul, the freedom of will), or philosophic concepts, in terms of which dogma is promulgated (person, substance, transubstantiation, etc.). The Church has the right and the duty, for the protection of the heritage of Faith, of proscribing philosophic teachings which directly or indirectly endanger dogma. The [First] Vatican Council declares: Ius etiam et offidum divinitus habet falsi nominis scientiam proscribendi ["{the Church} derives from God the right and the duty of proscribing false science" – Dei Filius ] (D 1798).

Sententia fidei proxima

A sententia fidei proxima ("teaching proximate to faith") refers to teachings, which are generally accepted as divine revelation by Catholic theologians but not defined as such by the Magisterium.^[5]

Teaching pertaining to the faith

A teaching pertaining to the faith (sententia ad fidem pertinens), or theologically certain (theologice certa), refers to theological conclusions; those are teachings without definitive approval by the Catholic Church, but "[whose] truth is guaranteed by [their] intrinsic connection with the doctrine of revelation".^[7]

Sententia communis

A sententia communis ("common teaching") refers to beliefs which are generally accepted by theologians, but not dogmatically asserted.^[8]

Examples of sententia communis beliefs which are cited by Ludwig Ott include:

• The saints in heaven can help the souls in purgatory by intercession ^[9]

• Dead people cannot receive sacraments ^[10]

Theological opinions of lesser grades

Ott states:^[11]

Theological opinions of lesser grades of certainty are called probable, more probable, well-founded (sententia probabilis, probabilior, bene fundata). Those which are regarded as being in agreement with the consciousness of Faith of the Church are called pious opinions (sententia pia). The least degree of certainty is possessed by the tolerated opinion (opinio tolerata), which is only weakly founded, but which is tolerated by the Church.

Sommaire de théologie dogmatique

The Sommaire de théologie dogmatique proposes the following theological notes:^[12]

Of Catholic faith (De Fide): when a religious truth "has been revealed by God, is contained in Sacred Scripture or Tradition and has been solemnly defined as such by the Sovereign Pontiff or by an Ecumenical Council defining EX CATHEDRA – that is with the intention of defining – assuming all the required conditions are met. — Or if a truth is presented as such by the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church. (Vatican I.)"
Of divine faith (De Fide divina): when a religious truth "is for sure contained in Holy Scriptures, but has not been solemnly defined by the Church. E.g.: the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The same applies to truths revealed privately by God to a person, but for that person only."
Catholic doctrine, certain (Certum est): "When it is a truth deduced logically from two premises, one of which is formally revealed by God, and the other known by reason alone and not revealed elsewhere, nor contained implicitly in the revealed premise. The truth thus deduced is called THEOLOGICAL CONCLUSION. Many formally but implicitly revealed truths are considered CERTAIN until they are solemnly defined."
Common (Sententia communis): "It is a truth taught by almost all theologians and opposed by only a few of mediocre authority, but which is nevertheless not disavowed by the Church."
Probable, more probable (Probabilis): "It is a proposal supported by eminent theologians approved by the ecclesiastical Authority — and which, at the same time, is opposed by other equally eminent theologians. The degree of probability can be based either on the number and authority of theologians who support this proposition (extrinsic probability), or on the value of the arguments provided (intrinsic probability)."

John Hardon

Catholic theologian John Hardon states:^[1]

The highest degree of certitude is attached to immediately revealed truths. They are to be believed with divine faith (fides divina) and if they are also defined by the Church, then with defined divine faith (fides divina definita). If the Church defines a doctrine that is not immediately revealed, it is to be believed with ecclesiastical faith (fides ecclesiastica). A doctrine that theologians generally regard as a truth of revelation, but that has not been finally promulgated by the Church, is said to be proximate to faith (proxima fidei), and if such a truth is guaranteed as the logical conclusion from a revealed doctrine, it is called theologically certain (theologice certa). Below this level are many grades of certainty, ranging from common teaching (sententia communis), when Catholic theologians responsive to the Church's authority agree on some position, to tolerated opinions that are weakly founded but are tolerated by the Church.

Edward N. Peters

Edward N. Peters states that "many of the assertions hitherto listed by theologians with a surfeit of restraint as merely, say, 'sententia communis' might, upon closer investigation in light of the criteria set out in Ad tuendam and its progeny, be found to enjoy infallible certitude, after all, as either primary or, as I think the liceity of the capital punishment qualifies, as secondary objects of infallibility".^[13]

Related Research Articles

Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held unquestioningly and with undefended certainty. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam, as well as the positions of a philosopher or of a philosophical school, such as Stoicism.

Fideism is a term used to name a standpoint or an epistemological theory which maintains that faith is independent of reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths. The word fideism comes from fides, the Latin word for faith, and literally means "faith-ism". Philosophers have identified a number of different forms of fideism. Strict fideists hold that reason has no place in discovering theological truths, while moderate fideists hold that though some truth can be known by reason, faith stands above reason.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Christian theology:

The magisterium of the 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 Church, the task of interpretation is vested uniquely in the Pope and the bishops, though the concept has a complex history of development. Scripture and Tradition "make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church", and the magisterium is not independent of this, since "all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is derived from this single deposit of faith".

Catholic Mariology is Mariology in Catholic theology. According to the Immaculate Conception taught by the Catholic Church, she was conceived and born without sin, hence Mary is seen as having a singular dignity above the saints, receiving a higher level of veneration than all angelic spirits and blessed souls in heaven. Catholic Mariology thus studies not only her life but also the veneration of her in daily life, prayer, hymns, art, music, and architecture in modern and ancient Christianity throughout the ages.

In Eastern Orthodox (palamite) theology, there is a distinction between the essence (ousia) and the energies (energeia) of God. It was formulated by Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) as part of his defense of the Athonite monastic practice of Hesychasm against the charge of heresy brought by the humanist scholar and theologian Barlaam of Calabria.

In Christian theology, baptism of desire, also called baptism by desire, is a doctrine according to which a person is able to attain the grace of justification through faith, perfect contrition and the desire for baptism, without the water baptism having been received.

Ordinatio sacerdotalis is an apostolic letter issued by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994. In this document, John Paul II discussed the Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone" and wrote that "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women". While the document states that it was written so "that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance", it has been contested by some Catholics, as to both the substance and in the authoritative nature of its teaching.

Obsequium religiosum is a Latin phrase meaning religious submission, religious assent, or religious respect; it is used particularly in the theology of the Catholic Church.

Ad tuendam fidem is an apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II issued motu proprio on May 18, 1998. The apostolic letter modified the Oriental and Latin codes of canon law specifying the form of profession of faith to be made by ministers of the Church before assuming office.

In Roman Catholic theology, a theological censure is a doctrinal judgment (censure) by which the Catholic Church or Catholic theologians stigmatize(s) certain teachings or opinions as detrimental to faith or morals or both.

Sensus fidei, also called sensus fidelium is, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "the supernatural appreciation of faith on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals." Quoting the document Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council, the Catechism adds: "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority,... receives... the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. ...The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life." The foundation of this can be found in Jesus' saying in Matthew 16:18 that "the gates of Hell will not prevail against it," where "it" refers to the "Church", that is, the Lord's people that carries forward the living tradition of essential beliefs throughout history, with the Bishops overseeing that this tradition does not pursue the way of error.

Fundamental articles(articuli fundamentales fidei) was a term employed by early Protestant theologians, who wished to distinguish some essential parts of the Christian faith from non-essential doctrines. There were then a number of reasons for establishing such a distinction. Individual churches might accept or reject parts of doctrine, without forfeiting their claim to rank as parts of the universal Church. Therefore, theologians might find a dogmatic basis for union between separated churches. Also, the arguments of Catholics could be answered in a polemical way. To Protestants, the fundamental articles are those that Christians must believe to be saved.

A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church declared as binding". The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

The Church's Magisterium asserts that it exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging Catholics to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

The term dogmatic fact is employed in the teaching of the Catholic Church, to mean any fact connected with a dogma, wherein the application of the dogma is itself what constitutes, or more accurately canonizes, the fact.

Catholic dogmatic theology can be defined as "a special branch of theology, the object of which is to present a scientific and connected view of the accepted doctrines of the Christian faith."

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 apostolic Church and handed down in Scripture and tradition". It does not mean that the pope cannot sin or otherwise err in some capacity, though he is prevented by the assistance of the Holy Spirit from issuing heretical teaching even in his non-infallible Magisterium, as a corollary of indefectibility. This doctrine, defined dogmatically at the First Vatican Council of 1869–1870 in the document Pastor aeternus, is claimed to have existed in medieval theology and to have been the majority opinion at the time of the Counter-Reformation.

Heresy is defined by the Catholic Church as "the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith". The term heresy connotes both the belief in itself, and the attitude towards said belief.

The Catholic theology of Scripture has developed much since the Second Vatican Council of Catholic Bishops. This article explains the theology of scripture that has come to dominate in the Catholic Church today. It focuses on the Church's response to various areas of study into the original meaning of texts.

A theologoumenon is a theological statement or concept that lacks absolute doctrinal authority. It is commonly defined as "a theological assertion or statement not derived from divine revelation", or "a theological statement or concept in the area of individual opinion rather than of authoritative doctrine".

References

1 2 Hardon, John A. (1980). "THEOLOGICAL NOTES.". Modern Catholic Dictionary. Internet Archive. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 537. ISBN 978-0-385-12162-0.
↑ Finisterhölzl, Johann (1975). "Theological notes". In Rahner, Karl (ed.). Encyclopedia of Theology: The Concise Sacramentum Mundi. Seabury Press. p. 1678. ISBN 978-0-86012-006-3.
↑ Finisterhölzl, Johann (1975). "Theological notes". In Rahner, Karl (ed.). Encyclopedia of Theology: The Concise Sacramentum Mundi. Seabury Press. p. 1681. ISBN 978-0-86012-006-3.
↑ Finisterhölzl, Johann (1975). "Theological notes". In Rahner, Karl (ed.). Encyclopedia of Theology: The Concise Sacramentum Mundi. Seabury Press. p. 1682. ISBN 978-0-86012-006-3.
1 2 3 Ott, Ludwig (n.d.) [195X]. "INTRODUCTION — §8. The Theological Grades of Certainty". In Bastible, James (ed.). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Translated by Lynch, Patrick. Fort Collins, Colorado: Roman Catholic Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-929291-85-4.
↑ Ott, Ludwig (n.d.) [195X]. "INTRODUCTION — §6. Catholic Truths". In Bastible, James (ed.). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Translated by Lynch, Patrick. Fort Collins, Colorado: Roman Catholic Books. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-929291-85-4.
↑ Ott, Ludwig (n.d.) [195X]. "INTRODUCTION — §8. The Theological Grades of Certainty". In Bastible, James (ed.). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Translated by Lynch, Patrick. Fort Collins, Colorado: Roman Catholic Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-929291-85-4.
↑ Ott, Ludwig (n.d.) [195X]. "INTRODUCTION — §8. The Theological Grades of Certainty". In Bastible, James (ed.). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Translated by Lynch, Patrick. Fort Collins, Colorado: Roman Catholic Books. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-929291-85-4.
↑ Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. p. 322.
↑ Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. p. 344.
↑ Ott, Ludwig (n.d.) [195X]. "INTRODUCTION — §8. The Theological Grades of Certainty". In Bastible, James (ed.). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Translated by Lynch, Patrick. Fort Collins, Colorado: Roman Catholic Books. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-929291-85-4.
↑ une Equipe de Théologiens Catholiques (1969). "Notes théologiques". In Panneton, Georges; Charlemagne, Bourgeois (eds.). Sommaire de théologie dogmatique[Summary of Dogmatic Theology] (in French). 21 July 1969 recommendation letter by Alfredo Ottaviani. Trois-Rivières: Les Éditions du Bien Public. pp. 18–19. OCLC 301544953.
↑ Peters, Edward N. (26 October 2017). "Sententia communis? Just 'sententia communis'?". Catholic World Report. Retrieved 13 June 2019.