Scripture, Magisterium and Tradition

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2012-2013

Contents
1. Maximizing and minimizing .....................................................................3 2. Biblical inspiration. ....................................................................................7 3. Tradition, tradition, and traditions ..........................................................9 4. Tradition and Revelation/Scripture ......................................................11 5. Prospective and retrospective understanding of tradition..............13 6. Doctrinal development. ........................................................................14 7. Magisterium and (DV 10).......................................................................16 8. Controversy surrounding Kngs...........................................................18 9. Infallibility ..................................................................................................21 10. Papal infallibility ....................................................................................22 11. Infallibility of ecumenical council and infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium .........................................................................23 12. Explain the gradations of doctrine ....................................................25 13. Distinguish between sensus fidei (sense of faith) and sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful)....................................................................27 14. Contemporary issues ...........................................................................30

Scripture

1. A) Explain the maximizing and minimizing directions in the conception of biblical formulation. Give two examples of each. B) What, in your assessment, are conditions and requirements for any credible theory of biblical inspiration today?
Maximizing approach the starting point of maximizing approach is to affirm the divine origin of Scripture, namely, the inspiration is to mean the direct divine involvement or influence on Scripture. But it neglects the human writers as free and conscious agents responding to their time and place. Thus, the literal meaning or the authorial intention and historically conditioned elements in Scripture cannot be explained. Examples: Hypnotic Theory: the biblical writers fall in a trance and were possessed by God, losing ordinary consciousness and letting his personality be taken over by the divine power, write down what God communicates. (Philo of Alexandria 50 AD, Athenagoras, Origen) - Critique: But in Scripture we find different styles, tones, and genres indicating they were composed by different authors. Furthermore, we find different biblical writers (e.g. Luke) who did investigations and researches, and then organize and systemize their thoughts before putting down writing. - Weaknesses: (1) loss of literal meaning of the author, in other words, there is no such authorial intention would exist for us to appeal. (2) loss of historical context, for the writing

A)

of Scripture would not be historically conditioned if the author had no consciousness. Condescension: from John Chrysostom (347-407), God comes down to our level that we may learn the gentle kindness of God, which words cannot express, and how far He has gone in adapting His language with thoughtful concern for our weak human nature. analogous to incarnation of the Word of God. Instrumental Causality: from Aquinas, the divine author is the principal efficient cause, the human author the instrumental cause. An instrumental cause is one that truly acts, and with a power properly its own, yet only does so when moved or used by another, the principal efficient cause. Verbal Dictation: product of 16th 17th C. God communicates the words of Scripture to the human author supernaturally while the human author is also consciously receptive to what God is doing. Minimizing approach the rise of the social sciences applied to biblical studies discovered a lot of new data, such as different sources, tones, genres in the Bible that cannot be explained by maximizing approach. Therefore it is necessary that the human writers must remain free and conscious responding to his environment in writing down the saving massage that in a way conforms to Gods will. So the starting point of minimizing approach is the free and conscious human agent, but the question of how is the word of human at the same time the word of God becomes problematic. Examples: Subsequent approbation: by Sixtus of Siena (1520-69) and revived in the 19th C. It holds that a book is written in a purely

human manner, but later is elevated, through reception into the canon, through the judgment of the church that the book is inspired, thus is Gods word. As if the church confers inspiration which is against the fact that the divine involvement in the whole process of writing and selecting. Theory of negative assistance: originated at Louvain under the influence of the Jesuit theology of grace but which in the 19 th was associated with Johann Jahn (1750-1861), God leaves the biblical writers alone unless he sees that they are about to commit some egregious error, in which case he intervenes negatively so as to prevent them. Holding such position is to say that the Holy Spirit is sometimes on and sometimes off which is obviously not the case. The Holy Spirit must involve in the entire process. Franzelins theory of idea inspiration: inspiration is purely formal, it has no material content in terms of actual language in the way that the verbal dictation theory alleged. Weakness: meaning is inseparable from language/words. Hard to say how a meaning could be communicated independently of language. Levesques theory of directionalism: inspiration is an impulse to communicate ones material in a certain way and direction. Weakness: the author will also need illumination of the mind, he/she is unable to write simply based on the impulse. Lagranges theory of illuminationism: inspiration is simply an illumination of the mind enabling him/her to judge the natural materials in a way that confirms to Gods will. Akin to Aquinas

concept of prophecy which lies in the interpretation of visions through the light of grace according to the will of God. B) What, in your assessment, are conditions and requirements for any credible theory of biblical inspiration today? Explain how both the divine and human subjects remain active agents in the process of writing Scriptures. Conditions and requirements One has to take account of one and the same time both fully divine and fully human. While we hold that divine inspiration must mean divine influence on the minds and wills of biblical writers, we must also accept the fact that biblical writers remained people of their own time and place. Both are active regents Just like coming to faith, God does not normally modify our minds and wills, bringing them to faith, without the cooperation of other creatures in this process. Therefore, the author responds in a normal authorial way to this human environment, but God so acts on the mind and will that the authors response to his and her environment is the saving message that God wants to communicate.

2.Explain how the advances in historical and form criticism have led to a rejection of biblical inspiration or, as Rahner exemplified, a re-interpretation of biblical inspiration.
As social sciences emerged, historical-biblical criticism was largely applied, such as textual criticism, source criticism, literary criticism, redaction criticism, which have discovered that many biblical books have more than one author and were composed through a long process (oral transmission, written stages, final redaction), in other words, there were many sources, traditions, communities, individuals involved in the writing of biblical books. The emerging new data, which are not completely in accord with the old understanding of biblical inspiration, requires us to revise our understanding of biblical inspiration. How? Three common reactions: 1. Reject the notion of biblical inspiration since it is disapproved by the new scientific data. 2. Hold to the old understanding of biblical inspiration and deny new data. 3. Incorporate new data and reformulate old understanding . That is to say that God is present to everyone and in every process in different way, all these who were involved to produce the final biblical books were inspired in different manners and different degrees. Understanding of inspiration shifts from individual charism to communal charism.

Rahner exemplifies a re-interpretation of biblical inspiration Rahner affirms: Inspiration requires no more than that God, willing the production of a certain book, influence the human writer in such wise as efficaciously to ensure that a. the human writer will actually form a concrete conception of what he is to write b. will effectively decide to write down what he has so conceived c. will actually execute this decision. This is all that is required for the divine authorship, regardless of how we suppose that God concretely carries out this divine pre-definition. Rahners three steps thesis to affirm the inspiration of the Bible: 1. God wills and creates the Church through a formal predefinition that is within the salvation history without suppressing human freedom and is eschatological in character. This claim is grounded on the two fundamental principles of Gods design of incarnation and Gods will for human salvation. 2. The Apostolic Church as the starting point of the Church has the irreplaceable functions that contains the purity and clear expression of its essence, and is normative for the succeeding generations. 3. Such clear expression is the Bible which is the very constitutive element of the Apostolic Church, because it is the self-understanding and self-constitution of the Church. Therefore, since God wills the Church and God creates the Apostolic Church in a qualitatively unique manner, God wills her constitutive elements one of which is the Bible.

Tradition

3.Distinguish among: Tradition (capital T), tradition (small t), and traditions (small t, plural form). Explain Congars distinction between Tradition in the broad sense and in the strict sense. How does Blondels concept of tacit knowledge contribute to our understanding of Tradition?
Tradition (capital T) The whole Christian way of life and living witness of the Church. Just like a particular culture is a way of life to a particular person, so is Tradition the entirety of Christian life, which neither can be reduced to a particular human way, nor exhausted. It refers to the whole economy (plan) of salvation which begins with God and is actualized by God for human beings. So it involves both divine and human dimensions. tradition (small t) refers to communication or transmission of the entirety of Tradition, thus, an activity. traditions (small t, plural form) are the expressions and manifestations under different historical forms of the one truth and the one reality which is Christ. All of these that we transmit: Creed: intellectual assents, such as the Bible, dogmas, encyclicals, catecheses, pastoral letters, etc. Cult: worship, prayer, devotions Code: practices, behaviors, ethics, moralities, customs, etc. Tradition in the broad sense refers to the entire process by which God transmits his economy of salvation in and through Jesus Christ, which the Church embodies and transmits to the succeeding generations. It involves both divine and human dimensions started with God and revealed to the Church in and through Jesus Christ, it includes the entirety of the economy of

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salvation and excludes nothing, the Church as both passive (conserve and preserve) and active (interpret) agent of the transmission and communication of Gods revelation through various forms such as sacraments, institutions, ministries, customs, liturgies, etc. Tradition in the strict sense signifies transmission by some means other than writing. Tradition as a graphos (unwritten), it was the oral tradition before the Scripture was written, but it does not simply refer to oral tradition that was subsequently written. Even in the transmission of the written Scripture there is more that is communicated, such as ethos, attitudes, spirit of Christianity, a way of being and relating, etc In conclusion, tradition in the strict sense is the salvific Christian way of life which is communicated outside of writing through witness and way of life. There are two types knowledge, explicit knowledge and tacit (implicit) knowledge. Explicit knowledge refers to the conceptual knowledge which is articulated using language, symbols, or concepts. Tacit knowledge, however, refers to personal real immediate experience which is a kind of knowing even before articulating through concepts. Applying such distinction to Scripture and Tradition, that is to say, the articulated written knowledgeScripture and doctrines in Christianity is only a part of the entire tacit knowledgeTradition as immediate living experience of Gods whole economy of salvation. Even though the Church tries constantly and progressively to understand and to explicate the deposit of faith lived implicitly to something known explicitly in the form of writings, there will be always surplus that can never be exhausted through writing.

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4.Explain the relationship between the following:

Tradition and Revelation: Revelation is that God chose to manifest and communicate both himself and the eternal decrees of his will concerning the salvation of mankind (DV 6) Tradition and Faith: Faith is a free personal adherence of the whole person to God and his revelation, an ecclesial act inspired by the Holy Spirit and necessary for salvation. (DV 5) Tradition and Scriptures: Though distinct, they make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church (DV 10) Tradition and Revelation In terms of content: Revelation of Godself and his eternal will concerning the salvation of mankind became definite in and through incarnation of the Word, Christs events, which Tradition embodies in and through a human process. On-going Tradition: what is perfected in the course of history is not revelation itself, but the understanding we have of it. The Magisterium protects the word of God against deviation, subtle innovation and heresy. Dogmatic development does not add to new truths to our deposit of revelation, but explicates what is implicit, expresses formulations of faith in a more precise and clearer manner. In terms of transmission: The deposit of revelation is transmitted through Scripture and Tradition (one source but two channels). The apostles: they transmitted both the gospel itself and the spiritual wealth they have received (charisms, sacraments, etc.). Their testimony goes beyond oral preaching, also includes the whole domain of cult/sacrament and moral conduct in fact, they transmitted the entirety of the deposit of revelation.

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The role of the Church is to both faithfully hand on everything they have received from the apostles preserve (passive) bearer of Tradition and authoritatively interpret (active) Tradition. Tradition and Faith God is the object of faith. Faith is a personal encounter with and commitment to Godinvolving the entire person (vs. Vat. I faith as intellectual assent). Therefore, it is both understanding (content) and personal witnessing (living out). Faith makes sense only in the context of Tradition both in terms of content and transmission. Looking at its source, Tradition embodies divine revelation; but from the perspective of human dimension, Tradition includes everything that contributes to holiness of life and the increase of faith. Tradition perpetuates not only the faith of the Church, but also her life. (Latourelle) Large part of transmission of Tradition is through living out the faith. Tradition and Scriptures Scriptures and Tradition are closely related because: a)Both spring from the same stream of living waterGods revelation b)Each expresses the same unique mystery c) Both cooperate toward one and the same goalhuman salvation. Each of them is equally of the word of God. Thus the certainty the Church has concerning everything God has revealed does not derive from Scripture alone. Scripture and Tradition complete one another in the sense that they shed light on each other. The objective content of Tradition surpasses that of Scripture. It is through Tradition that Scripture is more fully understood, and is constantly actual and actualized.

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5. Explain Thiels distinction between a prospective and retrospective understanding of tradition. Apply the retrospective model to the definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Prospective approach Tradition is completed in the past which is authoritative for the future. It develops in time through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in a linear progression. This framework looks to the future from the vantage point of the past and the Holy Spirit is the subject of looking forward, who assures the continuity of tradition. Thiels Critique: On one hand, methodologically we cannot take on Gods vantage point of view; we can only view history from our present perspective. On the other, historically this approach is irreconcilable with the historical data which are often not in a linear fashion, but full of brokenness, non-linear progresses, and gaps, such as Marys Immaculate Conception. Retrospective approach As a matter of fact, we can only view history from our present vantage point within our context in time and space. Thus, the continuity in which tradition is established can be offered only retrospectively from a present stand point. The Example of Marys Immaculate Conception - The dogma was defined by Pius IX in 1854, which is the articulation of a long-held Catholic belief. Historically, this belief did not begin to gather strength in the Church until the 14th century and the belief was beyond intellectual conception prior to 5th century when Augustine developed the doctrine of original sin. - Retrospective approach allows us to start understanding the dogma from our present stand point, and then look back to the historical developments of this belief in the Church

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collecting and gathering all data to create a whole that points to the explicit articulation of the dogma. - By doing so, retrospective approach helps us to see the strengths derived from and connections with the Apostolic Tradition. For example, the Immaculate Conception of Mary can be traced back to the sinlessness of Jesus and the dignity of Mary as Mother of God. Thus, the Catholic Church is able to claim that the dogma is rooted in the Apostolic deposit of faith. 6. Discuss doctrinal development. How can the truths of

our Christian Faith be both perennial for all time yet changing? Illustrate by citing 3 examples discussed by Noonan.
Development-in-Continuity affirms the truth of tradition as a growth that occurs in a consistent way throughout an ecclesial time and space, a growth that preserves traditions truth as it develops it. - Examples: most traditions can be understood in this sense, such as Eucharist and other sacraments, speaking Jesus as Christ the King (past), as Good Shepherd (nowadays) Dramatic Development judges a particular belief, doctrine, or practice is developing in such a way that will be lost in some later moment in the life of the Church. Three criteria evaluating a doctrine that is undergoing a dramatic development: - Sesus fidei: Magisterial teaching that has not been received in belief and practice by a wide segment of the faithful. - Magisterium presents its teaching through theological argument. - Theologians offer criticism of the current teaching.

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Examples: - in the past: usury, slavery, religious liberty, true church, etc. - at present: 1. Humanae Vitae a. Reception: a large percentage of Catholics do not accept the encyclicals proscription of artificial, preventive means of regulating births. b. Magisterial theological arguments: - Major premise: all lives should be open, and faithful in action, to Gods will. - Minor premise 1: that Gods will is inscribed in the natural law that sexual union in marriage lies in its fecundity. - Minor premise 2: inseparable connection between its unitive and procreative significance. c. Theologians criticism: on physicalism, its inscription of the divine will upon every conjugal act as though providence works exclusively in the teleology of biological structures. 2. Inter Insigniores a. Reception: increasing acceptability of the ordination of women among the faithful. b. Magisterial theological arguments: - Major premise: the bishop or the priest in exercise of his ministry represents Christ, who acts through him ( in persona Christi). - Minor premise: the incarnation of the Word took place according to the male sex. - Theologians criticism: on the maleness of incarnation, If maleness is constitutive for the incarnation and redemption, female humanity is not assumed and therefore not saved.

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Magisterium

7. the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God. whether in its virtue form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it (DV 10)

A. Qualification of authentic magisterium - authentic is mistranslation from Latin word authenticum and authentice which does not refer to authentic as oppose to fake but actually to mean authoritative - The word authoritatively means specially with authority to speak in the name of Jesus Christ, in virtue of Episcopal consecration and succession from the apostles in their mandate to teach. B. The Source of the authority - The ultimate authority is God the Revealer, and the absolute truth of his Word. - The authority is authority of Christ himself, so they can bind you to assent. - The authority of the magisterium is not primarily from human expertise but rather from the gift of the Holy Spirit given in the sacrament ordination. C.Fundamental task of the Magisterium - The task of giving authoritative interpretation of the Word of God has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church

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alone. So the fundamental task of the Magisterium is to give an authoritative interpretation of the Word of God. - The teaching of the apostles was normative for the faith of the Christian community, thus the faith of the Church inherited from the Apostolic Church is normative for the faith of the individual who wishes to belong to it. D. Teaching authority as service - The Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God but is its servant. The authority of magisterium is not above the Word of God but over human interpretations of it within the community of faith. - The Magisterium cannot preach a new Gospel, it cannot teach a new revelation. - It is limited to what has been handed on. What has been handed on includes everything which contributes to the holiness of life and the increase in faith of the people of God, namely, the whole sacred deposit of the Word of God. it is to the Church (and not just to the magisterium) that the whole deposit of the Word of God has been entrusted. - In order to fulfill this fundamental task of giving an authoritative interpretation of the Word of God, the Magisterium must do three-fold activities: 1. Listen devotedly to the Word of God through prayer, study, theology, Scripture and to the people of God. An important part of listening is to consult theologians, and the faithful. 2. Guards with dedicationconservative function (passive)to make sure that the Word of God is not diluted and corrupted. The primary function of magisterium is to safeguard and defend the purity and treasure of the Word of God. 3. Expounds it faithfullyexplanatory function (active), particularly within the context and challenges of the local church, its fidelity to the original deposit of faith.

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8. Explain the controversy surrounding Kngs claim that the office of bishops is not divinely decreed and that the bishops are solely pastoral leaders and not teachers. Cite evidence from Scriptures and early Church history to support or counter his claims.
A. Two objections of Hans Kng 1. Bishops are not successors of the apostles by divine institution. - Kng is not denying that the bishops are shepherds of the Church. This is a legitimate development but this is purely a human development. - Historically it is impossible to defend the view that Jesus Christ himself instituted our present offices of pastoral leadership. 2. Bishops as successors of the apostles as pastors do not have a distinct teaching authority. - The proof text used is 1 Cor 12:28, the text notes a different between apostle and teachers. - Other people succeed to the office of teachers, primarily the theologians. B. Response to objections of Hans Kng 1. Are the bishops successors of the apostles by divine institution? - To avoid two extremes concerning this question: o blueprint: all structures within the Church came directly from Jesus that Jesus founded the Church and gave explicit instructions how the Church should be structured. In such an ecclesiology, everything is divinely planned and you cannot change anything. o erector set: Jesus did not really care, that nothing is by divine institution. Jesus preached the kingdom, lived, taught, died, and rose again and after his resurrection, the disciples but the pieces together and built everything

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themselves. Here, as a human project, anything can change, everything is up for grabs. - But to take a third position: o Divine institution means the Spirit-guided development of foundations laid by Jesus. Then the bishops are successors of the apostles in pastoral leadership and in teaching by divine institution. - Evidences: o Jesus planted the seed by choosing 12 to be leaders and teachers in his community. (Lk 6:12-16; Cor 15:3-7) o Peter as the head of community (Mt 16:18-19; Acts 2:14) o Instruction for continuing mission (Mt 28: 18-20; Mark 16:1620) o The 12 are foundational for the Church (Rev 21:14) - The constitution of the Church, the building-up of the Church, is a divine project in and through human process where Jesus laid down the foundations, the Spirit guides the creativity and decisions of human beings in the formation of this Church. 2. Does the office of pastoral leadership include teaching authority? - Kngs position: bishops can be said to be successors to the apostles in pastoral rule, but not in teaching which is the role of theologians. - Sallivans counter-arguments: o Teaching cannot be restricted only as scholarly teaching in university, what about catechists, teachers of Christian doctrine, parents etc. o The bishops in Vatican II produced documents as role of teaching. o There can be at least two distinct charisms of teaching in the Church: scholarly teaching in university and pastoral teaching as bishops do.

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o The charisms of leadership and teaching can be united in the same persons, such as Paul as teacher in NT. o In the early Church, at least some of the apostles had the twofold charism and ministry of leadership and teaching. (Mt 28:18-20, teach them to observe all that I have commanded you; Acts 2:42, and they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship) o The union of pastoral and teaching ministries in the same person become commonplace in later Church development. - In conclusion, the Holy Spirit must have guided that the early church in its recognition of its bishops as the rightful and authoritative teachers whose decisions about matters of Christian doctrine would be normative for its faith. C.The teaching of Vatican II (LG 20, 22) - LG 20: by divine institution bishops have succeeded to the place of the apostles as shepherds of the Church. (The bishops have succeeded as pastoral leaders or shepherds by divine institution, by the will and plan of God.) - LG 22: The order of bishops is the successor to the college of the apostles in teaching authority (magisterium) and pastoral rule. (This succession involves a teaching authority, not just the role of pastoral leadership.)

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9. Infallibility: Explain infallibility in believing/teaching; infallibility as habitual/transitory, as absolute/conditional.

In general, infallibility means immunity from error one cannot make a mistake. Thus, the only one whos absolutely infallible is God. In the context of the magisterium, there is a participated infallibility given to the Church and in a special way given to certain teachers in the Church insofar as it is assured of abiding in the truth of the gospel. Infallibility in believing means exemption from error in ones inner convictions, even though these remain unexpressed or badly expressed, which actually is the goal or purpose of infallibility in teaching. Infallibility in teaching refers to the exemption of certain authoritative persons or organs in the Church from error in their doctrinal formulations. It is a gift that guarantees immunity from error but it does not necessarily mean the best teaching, completeness of teaching, nor comprehensiveness. It simply guarantees no mistake or no error. Habitual infallibility is a relatively permanent capacity to be able to believe or teach infallibly. Transitory infallibility is such a capacity given only on certain occasions. When the pope exercises his ex cathedra statements fulfilling certain conditions, he is said as habitual infallibility. The exercise of infallibility must meet certain conditions, thus transient. Absolute infallibility (in all aspects, without dependence on another) is proper to God. Thus the infallibility attributed to the Church derived from God is conditional according to human conditions and circumstances.

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10. Papal infallibility: Explain what it is and what it is not. What are the conditions governing its exercise?
Papal infallibility: by reason of his succession to Peter and his responsibility for the universal faith of the Church, is held to be infallible in the act of defining. What it is: it is immunity from error when the pope speaks ex cathedra (from the chair), that is: a. In fulfillment of his office as supreme pastor and teacher of all Christians b. In virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, i.e. as successor of Peter c. Determine a doctrine of faith and morals, i.e. a doctrine expressing divine revelation d. Imposing a doctrine to be held definitely by the universal Church. e. What it is not: a. It is not personal; it does not involve a habitual gift of the pope; it does not involve the miraculous transformation of his intellect such that he is in possession of this gift whenever he speaks. b. It is not absolute but limited by conditions. c. It is not separate from the infallibility of the Church. Conditions governing its exercise a. Subject who is teaching? The pope acting as supreme pastor and teacher of all Christians. b. Object what is taught? Defines doctrines of faith and morals contained in revelation (extraordinary). c. Act how is it being taught? To be held by the universal Church as binding on the entire Church. Examples: Immaculate Conception 1854, Assumption 1950

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11. Differentiate the infallibility of ecumenical council and infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium. Explain the problems and difficulties surrounding the college of bishops exercise of infallibility via ecumenical councils and the ordinary and universal magisterium.
Ecumenical council is a gathering of bishops in communion with the bishop of Rome in order to exercise supreme pastoral and teaching authority of the Church. Infallibility of ecumenical council: The supreme authority (the college of bishops including its head, the pope) is exercised in a solemn way of defining (extraordinary magisterium) doctrines of faith and morals contained in revelation in an ecumenical council. Conditions for infallibility of ecumenical council: - Subject ecumenical council - Object Defines doctrines of faith and morals contained in revelation. - Act To be held by the universal Church as binding on the entire Church. Examples: - Council of Nicaea (325): declaring Jesus as fully divine - Council of Constantinople (384): teaching the divinity of the Holy Spirit - Council of Ephesus (431): Mary as theotokos - Council of Vatican I (1871): infallibility of the pope. Difficulties: - Can all bishops be present in an ecumenical council? To what extent a council is ecumenical? - The Church rarely convene an ecumenical council.

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- Even in Vatican II, the infallibility of ecumenical council was not involved because it did not give new solemn definition concerning faith and morals, but largely interpretations of what the Church had already had. The infallibility of the ordinary and universal magisterium: it is ordinary because no solemn definition is involved, universal because the entire college of bishops is in agreement even though dispersed. But, although bishops, taken individually, do not enjoy the privilege of infallibility, they do, however, proclaim infallibly the doctrine of Christ on the following conditions: - Subject entire college of bishops although dispersed yet maintaining communion among themselves and the bishop of Rome. - Object in their authoritative teaching concerning matters of faith and morals contained in revelation. - Act teach actively (silence or non-protest is not enough) in agreement that a particular teaching is to be held definitively and absolutely by all. Examples: - Apostles Creed Communion of Saints, Resurrection of the body, Mary ever virgin.. - Many of our beliefs have not been defined because definition usually takes place when established belief of the Church is attacked. - Because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9) Problem and difficulties: - How does one determine agreement among all bishops who are dispersed? - As a matter of fact, one looks at things differently from another due to different perspectives and conditions of circumstances. It is very hard to get agreement in all.

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- How does one determine all the bishops who are actively teaching on the concerning matter? - E.g. Humanae Vitae (contraception) and Ordinatio Sacredatolis (ordination of wemen priest).

12. Explain the gradations of doctrine. Give examples of each

Dogma: - These teachings communicate Gods saving message as revealed to us in Scripture and Tradition (Divine Revelation), which have been definitely taught as such by the Churchs magisterium, and which calls for irrevocable response of faith and excludes the contradictory positions as heretical. - Kinds: a. Defined dogma taught by solemn definition by the pope teaching ex cathedra or ecumenical council. E.g. Immaculate Conception, Assumption, Divinity of Jesus b. Undefined involves no solemn definition but is taught to be held definitively by ordinary and universal magisterium. E.g. resurrection, redemption, ascension, etc. - Characteristics a. Irreformable irreversible in character b. It remains a human composition, a human articulations of any human statement historically and culturally conditioned, as all language is. c. There is no error but it remains subject to limitations. d. It also does not mean the teaching is complete and comprehensive.

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Definitive Doctrine - These are teachings that are not divinely revealed but are necessary for safeguarding and expounding divine revelation. They are taught as definitive with the charism of infallibility by the magisterium and, as such, are irreversible. - E.g. canon of Bible, inspiration of Scripture, canonization of saints, infallibility of ecumenical council/pope Authoritative Doctrine - These are teachings that the Magisterium propose authoritatively to guide the faith of believers, which are non-definitive (not irreversibly true). - The Churchs teaching office is not ready to commit itself irrevocably to them. Practically speaking, this means that, however remote, there is a possibility of error with respect to these teachings. - Examples: cloning, homosexuality, contraception, ordination of women, etc. - Because it is non-definitive, in principle, it can be mistaken and then there is possibility of reversibility. E.g. teaching on usury. - It calls for some level of assent. It cannot be seen only as an opinion because office holders, who by ordination, we believe, to have special assistance of the Holy Spirit, teach it. Prudential Admonitions and Church Discipline: - These include a variety of teachings that, technically, would fall short of formal, authoritative doctrine. - American bishops distinguished between binding moral principles and concrete moral applications about which Catholics could disagree in good faith. - E.g. the American bishops condemnation of first use of nuclear weapons, requirement of celibacy for diocesan priests, they are the matters of church discipline and not church doctrine.

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13. Distinguish between sensus fidei (sense of faith) and sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful). What are theological grounds for our belief in both sensus fidei and sessus fidelium? How is the sensus fidelium expressed besides a theological articulation of the faith?
Sensus fidei (sense of faith) everyone who believes in Gods revelation has this sense of faith. It is the individual or collective faith-consciousness illuminated by faith and hence by God himself to appropriate/appreciate the object of faith. sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful) means to the collective faith-consciousness, but is often used as consensus of the faithful which is the agreement that arises among believers as a result of the sense of faith with regard to particular items of faith, and it is also the form of expression such agreement takes. Theological grounds - Aquinas: the baptized, who share by grace in the divine nature, have a certain existential affinity or connaturality with the realities of faith, and are as a consequence inclined to accept doctrines that affirm these realities, while rejecting the opposed heresies. - Newman: By this sense of faith which is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the people of God, guided by the sacred magisterium and submitting to it, receives not the word of human beings but the very word of God.

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- Vat. II: The whole body of the faithful who have an anointing that comes from the holy one cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of the faith (sensus fidei) 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. - Wolfgang Beinert: The sense of faith is a free charisma attaching to all members of the Church, enabling them inwardly to appropriate the object of faith. It is by virtue of this sense of faith that the Church in its entirety which expresses itself in the consensus of faith recognizes faiths object and bears living witness to it, in constant harmony with the Churchs teaching office. As a matter of fact, the truth of revelation does not reach believers in pure divine form but is received according to the condition of the recipients. A theological articulation of the faith is the task of the experts. The ordinary Christians sense of the faith may be helpful in measuring the impact directly adjudicate the validity of the theories themselves. Generally speaking, the sense of the faithful will be most reliable in matters that are close to the experience and behavior (Christian praxis) which is nourished by a fundamental faith rather than theoretical matters of faith.

The supernatural sense of the faith does not consist solely or necessarily in the consensus of the faithful or even, for that matter, in a majority opinion (John Paul II)

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Binding judgments on doctrine and authoritative formulations of the faith are the responsibility of the pastoral office, not of theologians or of lay persons who are expected to receive the teaching of the pastors and put it into practice. In receiving, they express their own faith assisted by the Spirit of truth, and which is able to be bounced back to enrich the teaching.

The sensus fidelium is a distinct theological fond, not fully reducible to any other, such as Scripture, theology or the magisterium. On the other hand, it is not autonomous and self-sufficient. To function as it should, it depends upon pastors who authoritatively present the word of God as contained in Scripture and Tradition, and then the faithful, assisted by the Holy Spirit, can recognized the voice of the Good shepherd and distinguish it from that of the hireling or the robber.

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14. Discuss the following contemporary issues in relation to Scriptures, Tradition the Magisterium and Sensus Fidelium.
Artificial Contraception within Marriage (ACM) Ordination of Women (OFW) Celibacy as Optional for Diocesan Priests - Peter was married - Jesus not married o Bishops & priest act person a christi

- Nothing explicit - Women deacons (1 Tim 4:8) - Presence of a Apostle Junias, possibly a bishop. However, no similar use of this name for male in that time. - Jesus was male o Bishops & priest act persona christi

Scripture

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- Humane Vitae (HV) o God wills inscribed in Natural Law sexual union for procreation o Unitive & procreative o Canon Law prescribe that marriage be open to procreation - Based on Natural law (Neo-Thomist) - Pre-Vatican II ** Slippery Slope argument! weak!

- Inter Insigniores male-ness integral to incarnation - Ordinatio Sacerdotolis Church has no authority to change the teaching on the ordination of men. Early Ch: presence of women deacons Medieval Ch onwards: All men

- Canon Law - 2nd Lateran Council (1139) stopped married priesthood

Magieterium Traditions

- Until 12 Century (2nd Lateran Council (1139)) diocesan priests were married

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1. Theologians majority disagree with HV 2. Perhaps God does not will sexual act to be procreative only 3. Generally Catholic couples using artificial contraception

- USA: 63% accepts idea of women ordination - Feminist theologians Elizabeth Johnson: that maleness of Jesus is accident . - Theologians are divided on this!

Sensus Fidelium