Rebuild Spirit

Denzinger part 35 Does Scripture Support What the Ancient World Practiced? Denzinger 1569–1572 defends the continued use and veneration of sacred images, condemns attempts to remove certain images from churches, rejects criticism of special devotion attached to particular images, defends the assignment of titles to images of the Virgin Mary, and upholds traditional practices associated with sacred images. These decrees reflect a long-established tradition within the Church th

Denzinger part 34 Why Does Scripture Consistently Move Toward Understanding? Denzinger 1566 addresses what it calls "The Manner of Uniting the Voice of the People with the Voice of the Church in Public Prayers." The decree condemns the proposition: "it would be against apostolic practice and the plans of God, unless easier ways were prepared for the people to unite their voice with that of the whole Church" and then declares that such a proposition, if understood as advocatin

Denzinger part 33 with a twist Fixed Numbers of Prayers Denzinger 1564 addresses a controversy that may initially appear insignificant but in reality reaches into some of the deepest questions concerning prayer, authority, devotion, and the nature of Christian spirituality. The Synod of Pistoia criticized the practice of attaching efficacy to fixed numbers of prayers and pious salutations. Pope Pius VI responded by condemning that criticism and defending the Church's authorit

Denzinger part 32 Reservation of Cases and the Question of Who May Forgive Sins Denzinger 1544–1545 contains Pope Pius VI's condemnation of propositions issued by the Synod of Pistoia concerning the reservation of certain sins or cases to higher ecclesiastical authorities. Although the language may initially appear technical and administrative, these decrees touch one of the most important questions in Christian theology: when Christ entrusted the Church with the ministry of

Denzinger part 31 Fruits Worthy of Repentance: Why Was the Demand for Visible Conversion Condemned? Among the many condemnations contained in Auctorem Fidei, few expose the tension between sacramental theology and apostolic Christianity more clearly than Denzinger 1536. At first glance the controversy appears technical and obscure. The discussion concerns attrition, contrition, charity, absolution, and the proper disposition required before a penitent may be admitted to the s

Denzinger part 30 Why Are Later Church Customs Defended More Vigorously Than the Practices of Christ and the Apostles? When Pope Pius VI condemned the Synod of Pistoia in Denzinger 1531–1533, he was not merely defending multiple altars, relics upon altars, flowers upon altars, or the complexity of the received liturgy. Beneath these specific controversies lay a far deeper question. The Pope's argument rested upon the assumption that customs which had existed for many centurie

Denzinger part 29 How One Assumption Created Centuries of Theological Problems Among the many condemnations found in Denzinger, few expose the consequences of theological speculation more clearly than the defense of the so-called Limbo of infants. At first glance, the discussion may appear to concern only the fate of children who die without baptism. In reality, however, the issue reaches much further. It touches the doctrine of original sin, the necessity of infant baptism,

Denzinger part 28 The Peace of Clement IX Among the many controversies preserved in Denzinger, few reveal the tension between authority, conscience, and truth more clearly than the dispute surrounding the so-called Peace of Clement IX. At first sight, the controversy appears to be a narrow and technical disagreement arising from the Jansenist disputes of the seventeenth century. Yet beneath the surface lies one of the most profound questions a Christian can ever face. The iss

Denzinger part 27 The Synod of Pistoia, Denzinger 1501, and the Question of “Obscured Truths” One of the most fascinating aspects of the Synod of Pistoia and its condemnation in Auctorem Fidei is that the controversy was not primarily about the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, or any of the central dogmas of Christianity. Both sides accepted those doctrines. The real dispute concerned the condition of the Church itself, the nature of authority, the meaning of refor

Denzinger Part 26 The Baptism of Jewish Children Denzinger 1480–1490 raises significant theological and biblical questions because the conclusions reached in the document depend upon a series of assumptions that are themselves highly disputed. While Benedict XIV rejects the more radical medieval proposal that Jewish children should ordinarily be baptized against the wishes of their parents, the document nevertheless permits exceptions and ultimately teaches that an illicit ba

Happy Sabbath. This is a deeper and longer study, so feel free to grab a cup of tea before reading. Denzinger part 25 The Limits of Ecclesiastical Authority The most striking feature of Denzinger 1452–1457 is not merely Benedict XIV's judgment concerning marriages in Belgium and Holland. The deeper issue is the source of authority by which such judgments are made. The decree assumes that the Roman Church possesses authority to determine the validity of marriages in cases wher

Denzinger Part 24 Does Christ Save Through the Holy Spirit or Through Ecclesiastical Qualification? The responses preserved in Denzinger 1349a–1349b were issued by the Holy Office under Pope Clement XI in 1703 in response to missionary questions from the Diocese of Quebec. The practical issue concerned adults who had little knowledge of Christianity, particularly those who were dying or living in remote regions where Christian instruction was limited. The Holy Office was aske

Denzinger part 23 Is the Church a Hospital for Sinners or a Reward for the Pure? (Denzinger 1306–1313) One of the most revealing disputes in this section of Denzinger concerns the purpose of the Church, the sacraments, and admission to Communion. The Jansenist propositions condemned by Alexander VIII repeatedly move in the direction of restricting access to the sacraments until a person has attained a very high degree of purification. Among the condemned statements are the cl

Before returning to Denzinger, I thought I would take a brief detour to explore a subject that has fascinated me for some time: the possible origins of the church at Rome. When most discussions focus on the Roman church, attention is usually given to apostles, bishops, and later traditions. Yet scattered throughout the New Testament are a number of intriguing clues involving Pontus, Pentecost, Aquila and Priscilla, the Jewish Diaspora, and the earliest house churches. Taken t

Denzinger part 22 Clement IX, Scripture, and the Question of Ultimate Authority Denzinger 1146 Among the many decrees preserved in Denzinger, some attract attention because of the doctrines they establish, while others deserve attention because of the questions they leave unanswered. Denzinger 1146 belongs firmly in the latter category. Issued under Pope Clement IX in 1667, the decree concerns a dispute regarding attrition, contrition, and the sacrament of penance. Although t

Denzinger part 21 Christ the Head, the Apostles the Foundation: Peter, Paul, Rome, and the Question of Apostolic Authority The decree attributed to Innocent X in 1647, received in Denzinger as 1091, is often treated as though it simply protected the honour due to Peter. In fact, its decisive claim is much stronger. It does not merely reject a clumsy formula about Peter and Paul as “one head”; it insists on “subordination and subjection of St. Paul to St. Peter in supreme powe

Denzinger part 20 Condemning Usury While Profiting From Power In Denzinger 1081–1082, the Roman Church condemns what it describes as fictitious exchanges and disguised financial arrangements. The decree declares: "First (then) we condemn all those exchanges which are called fictitious... the money is finally demanded with interest... All these things we declare to be usurious." The decree continues: "But even in the exchanges which are called real... bankers put off the presc

Denzinger part 19 The Debate Is Not About Paganism One of the most common mistakes made by critics of Denzinger 984–987 is to attack a position that the Council of Trent itself does not hold. Trent does not openly teach that saints replace Christ. It does not teach that relics possess inherent divine power. It does not teach that images are gods. In fact, the decree repeatedly denies such things. It insists that all favors come from God through Jesus Christ, "who alone is our

Welcome back to our continuing study of The Sources of Catholic Dogma (Denzinger). As Christians, we are commanded to test all things by Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and to follow the example of the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to determine whether what they were being taught was true (Acts 17:11). Our duty is ultimately to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). We have now reached page 335 of approximately 765 pages. The purpose of this project has been simp

Today I thought I would take a short break from working through Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum, the well-known collection of Catholic dogmatic definitions, creeds, conciliar decrees, and magisterial statements that traces the development of Roman Catholic doctrine from the earliest centuries through the Middle Ages and beyond. The reason for this study has always been simple. The apostles repeatedly urged believers to test teachings rather than accept them uncritically. C