Theological Definition

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TheVatican Council (Sess. iv, cap. iv) solemnly taught thedoctrine ofpapal infallibility in the following terms:

"TheRoman Pontiff, when he speaksex cathedrâ, that is to say, when in the exercise of his office ofpastor and teacher of allChristians he, in virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, defines that adoctrine onfaith ormorals is to be held by the whole Church, by the assistance ofGod promised to him in theperson of Blessed Peter, has thatinfallibility with which it was the will ofOur Divine Redeemer that HisChurch should be furnished in defining adoctrine onfaith ormorals."

From this teaching we obtain an authoritative notion of the meaning of definition in itstheological, as distinct from itsphilosophical, or canonical, sense. It is an irrevocable decision, by which the supreme teaching authority in theChurch decides a question appertaining tofaith ormorals, and which binds the whole Church. From this explanation it will be seen that four conditions are required for atheological definition.

It must be a decision by the supreme teaching authority in the Church

There are two organs of supremedoctrinal authority, viz.: thepope, speaking in his official capacity ofpastor and teacher of allChristians, and thebishops of theCatholicChurch dispersed throughout the world or assembled in ageneral council. Thepope, assuccessor of St. Peter, has definitive authority, in the exercise of which he speaks neither as a private individual, nor as a meretheologian, nor asBishop of the Diocese ofRome, nor asMetropolitan of the Roman Province, nor asPrimate ofItaly, nor asPatriarch of theWestern Church, nor as head of any Roman Congregation, but as supremepastor of the whole Church. Thebishops of theCatholicChurch assembled with thepope in ageneral council have the samedoctrinal authority with which thepope is endowed; and so have thebishops dispersed throughout theCatholic world when, in conjunction with thepope, they teach adoctrine offaith ormorals to be irrevocably held by allChristians. These two supreme teaching authorities are the organs of activeinfallibility from which alone atheological definition can proceed.

The decision must concern a doctrine of faith or morals

Faith means the speculative doctrines of revelation;morals, the practical doctrines of revelation.Faith is what we have to believe,morals what we have to do, in order to obtain eternal life. Bothfaith andmorals are parts of the deposit which Christ left for the guidance of HisChurch; so far as theobligation of assent is concerned, there is no difference between them; the distinction is made for the sake of convenience rather than for the sake of any substantial difference between them so far as they are the objects of activeinfallibility. Doctrines offaith ormorals which are formally revealed are called the direct object ofinfallibility, while doctrines which are only virtually revealed, or are only intimately connected with revelation, such as dogmatic or moral facts, are called the indirect object ofinfallibility. TheChurch has authority to issue definitions in connexion with both the direct and the indirect objects of activeinfallibility. It is not, however,de fide that theChurch hasinfallible authority over the indirect doctrines offaith andmorals, though it cannot be denied withouttheological censure.

The decision must bind the universal Church

Decrees which bind only a part of theChurch are not definitions; but only those which command the assent of all thefaithful. It is not, however, absolutelynecessary that thedecree should be directly sent or addressed to the whole Church; it is quite sufficient if it is made clear that the supreme teaching authority means to bind the Universal Church. Thus,St. Leo addressed his famous dogmatic definition toFlavian, yet it was rightly considered as binding the Universal Church; andPope Innocent sent hisdecree to the African Church alone, yetSt. Augustine exclaimed:Causa finita est, utinam aliquando finiaturerror! (Serm. ii, de Verb. Ap., c. vii).

The decision must be irrevocable or, as it is called, definitive

Arguments contained inconciliar definitions are proposed by the supreme teaching authority in theChurch, they concernfaith andmorals, and they bind the Universal Church; yet they are not definitions, because they lack this fourth condition — they are not definitively proposed for the assent of the whole Church. Two things are implied by the statement that adecree, to be a definition, must be final and irrevocable. Thedecree must be the last word of supreme teaching authority; there must be no possibility of re-opening the question in a spirit ofdoubt; thedecree must settle the matter for ever. Thedecree must also, and in consequence of its final nature, bind the whole Church to an irrevocable internal assent. This assent is at least an assent ofecclesiasticalfaith; and in doctrines which are formally revealed it is also an assent of Divinefaith. When the definition commands an irrevocable assent of Divinefaith as well as ofecclesiasticalfaith, the defineddogma is said to bede fide in the technical sense of this phrase. It is well to note that the definitive nature of adecree does not prevent the defineddoctrine from being examined anew and defined again by thepope or ageneral council; what it excludes is a re-opening of the question in a spirit ofdoubt about thetruth of thedoctrine which has been already definitively settled.

It has been sometimes said that it is impossible toknow whether or not atheological definition has been issued; but very few words are needed to show that the assertion is without foundation. At times,doubt will remain about the definitive nature of adecree, but as a rule no possibility ofdoubt is consistent with the terminology of a definitivedecree. Thus in thedoctrinal teaching of ageneral council,anathema attached to condemnederrors is a certain sign of aninfallible definition. Words also like those in whichPius IX solemnly defined thedoctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin give irrefutableproof of the definitive nature of thedecree: "By the authority ofOur Lord Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by Our own authority, We declare, pronounce and define thedoctrine . . . to be revealed byGod and as such to be firmly and immutably held by all thefaithful." No set form of words isnecessary; any form which clearly indicates that the four requisite conditions are present suffices to show that thedecree is a definition in the strict sense. It should be noted that not everything contained in a definition isinfallibly defined. Thus, arguments from Scripture, tradition, ortheological reason, do not come under the exercise of definitive authority. Incidental statements, calledobiter dicta, are also examples of non-definitive utterances. Only thedoctrine itself, to which those arguments lead and which theseobiter dicta illustrate, is to be considered asinfallibly defined. (SeeINFALLIBILITY;THEOLOGICAL CENSURES;DOGMATIC FACTS;BEATIFICATION AND CANONIZATION;FAITH.)

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