A Latin phrase used to refer to a swift,

conclusive victory. The phrase is

popularly attributed to Julius Caesar.
A Biblical Definition of Virtue
According
to the NT,
virtues
are fruits
of the
Spirit.
"But the fruit of the spirit is
love, joy peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control....those who
belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires...if we
live by the spirit, let us also
walk by the spirit
(Gal 5/22-25).
CCC 1832
The fruits of the Spirit
are perfections that the
Holy Spirit forms in us as
the first fruits of eternal
glory.
The tradition of the
Church lists twelve of
them: "charity, joy,
peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,
generosity, gentleness,
faithfulness, modesty,
self-control, chastity."
The farewell
discourses of Jesus
and the letter to the
Galatians give a
compelling
presentation of
Christian life in this
vision of “bearing
fruit”.
Theme of bearing fruit runs
through John Jn 15/1-17)
.
Jesus describes the pattern
of his self-giving love:
"I am the Vine.....” (Jn 15:5)
Catalogue of Virtues and Vices
Apart from the consideration of Virtue and its
general characteristics, the Bible has a few
instructive lists enumerating particular virtues
and vices.
In the Old Testament we find lists of vices no less
than that of virtues:
ü Hos. 4/1-2; Source of vice is absence of
knowledge of God;
ü Jer. 7/5-11: Justice gets priority;
ü Prov. 6/12-19; Individual/personal virtues;
ü Sirach 7/1-36; Here we have a very
comprehensive list of family and social
Virtues;
ü Sir 25/1-26/4 offers us another list of family
virtues;
ü Mic. 6/8; This is a widely quoted summary of a
virtuous life. “Act justly, love tenderly and
walk humbly before your God.”
In the New Testament Jesus himself gives us some list of
virtues and vices.

Mt 5/3-11; Beatitudes stress inner dimension of virtue (Lk

6/20-31).

Mk 7/20-23 – list of vices from the heart of man

St Paul gives many lists: I Cor 5/9-11; 6/9-10; Rom.

1/29-31; II Tim. 3/1-5, I Pet 2/1, 4/3; I Th.5/14-18).
q There are two clear instances of a list of
vices being placed in direct contrast to list of
virtues.
q Gal 5: 19-21 vices; and 22-23 virtues;
q Col 3/ 5-9 vices and 12-14 virtues;
The triad of theological virtues appear in
Rom 5/1-5; I Cor 13/13.
① The list of vices exceeds that of
virtues.
② An opposition/distinction
between the virtues does not exist;
they complete one another and
show that the virtuous man is
unified within himself.
③ Especially St. Paul stresses the fact that
the real cause of vice is the refusal to
recognise the true God and the
preference for idols.
④ Vices have the effect of dividing man
and are opposed to one another.
⑤ Hierarchy of virtues is immaterial and the
inner attitude is fundamentally significant.
⑥ If there is any excellence, if there is
anything worthy of praise" they must be
cultivated. (Phil 4/8).
q Love is the greatest of all virtues.
q It is the bond of perfection, the one and only
virtue as Jesus too reiterates. (Jn 13/34, 15/13;
15/17; I Cor 12/27- 13/13; Rom. 12/9-21; This
love has its own characteristics and is modeled
on Jesus.
“Meanwhile these three remain:
faith, hope, and love; and the
greatest of these is love" (I Cor
13/13).
 AN OVERVIEW OF
CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Primitive Christianity
q Emphasis is on
personal
sanctification &
detachment from
world;
q Not on a sense of
responsibility for
better social,
economic and
political structures.
Distinction between Kerygma (I Cor
15/1-7) and Didache (Gal 5/19-25):

ü Religious themes and the ethical

principles/admonitions.
ü The kerygma remains totally
untarnished by circumstances
and cultures.
ü The didache is greatly influenced
by both Hellenism and Judaism.
q The social sensitivity of the early
Church (Act 2/43-47; 4/32-35).
ü The process of inculturation began with the
spread of Christianity;
ü church breaks out of its Jewish traditions.

q In his letter to the Ephesians Paul writes powerfully about how

Jesus Christ has broken down the wall of hostility between Jews
and Gentiles.
Good News Translation
“For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one
people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them
and kept them enemies” (Eph 2:14).
ØWriting of the Gospel was influenced by care
to avoid misunderstanding;
ØLuke avoids the word 'perfect', lest the
Hellenistic readers misinterpret. (The new
Revised English bible: “There must be no limit
to your goodness, as your heavenly father's
goodness has no bounds.")

ØLk chose the four as a sacred number from

Greeks (4 elements, 4 pillars to bear the earth)
- 4 beatitudes, 4 woes.
ØLater Christianity would adopt the four
cardinal virtues.
q The content of NT shows the
absolute newness of life in
Christ.
q So morality comes before
adaptation.
q As many instances make clear,
inculturation, important as it is,
may never darken the newness
of this life ( Gal 3/28; I Cor
11/1ff ;I Cor 14/34ff).
b) The first centuries:

q Political influences:
q Conflict between religious
convictions and political
authority
q it is not something new.
q Obedience to God as supreme
law (Ex 19/5; I Sam 15/19-22;
Acts 5/29; Rom 1/5; 16/26
obedience of faith).
qUnder the Roman emperor Constantine
the Great, the small community
becomes the mighty church of the
empire.
ü Prior to his conversion, the Christian
population was only around 5% of the
Empire’s total, 3 in 60 million
estimated.
ü without the patronage of Constantine,
the early church could have remained
an eastern cult of the urban poor.
qAs of 31 December 2021, the number of
Catholics was 1,375,852,000 an overall
increase of 16,240,000 Catholics over the
previous year.
qThe increase affects all continents except
Europe (-244,000).
qAs in the past it is most marked growth is in
Africa (+8,312,000) and America
(+6,629,000), followed by Asia
(+1,488,000) and Oceania (+55,000).
q The total number of bishops worldwide
decreased by 23 to 5,340. The number of
diocesan bishops (-1) and religious bishops (-22)
decreased. There are 4,155 diocesan bishops and
1,185 religious bishops.
q The number of priests reached 407,872, with
increases in Africa (+1,518), Asia (+719) and
Oceania (+11).
q Permanent deacons worldwide continue
to increase, this year by 541 to 49,176. The
increases occurred on all continents: Africa (+59),
America (+147), Asia (+58), Europe (+268) and
Oceania (+9).
q Non-priestly religious increase in Africa (+205)
and Asia (+25), but decrease in America (-311),
Europe (-599) and Oceania (-115).
"In hoc signo vinces” is a Latin phrase
conventionally translated into English as "In this sign
thou shalt conquer", often also being translated as
"By this sign, conquer".
The bishop Eusebius of Caesaria, a historian, states that
Constantine was marching with his army (Eusebius does
not specify the actual location of the event, but it is
clearly not in the camp at Rome), when he looked up to
the sun and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the
Greek words "(ἐν) τούτῳ νίκα" ("In this, conquer"), a
phrase often rendered into Latin as in hoc signo vinces
("in this sign, you will conquer").

At first, Constantine did not know the meaning of the

apparition, but on the following night, he had a dream in
which Christ explained to him that he should use the
sign of the cross against his enemies.
Constantine’s vision of the cross, by Raphael, via Vatican Museums
q Emperors, kings and princes deluged the church,
especially the bishops, with all kinds of privileges,
but also expected them to be the main pillars of
their power and the 'established order'.
q The successors of the Bishops, who in the first
centuries had filled the ranks of the martyrs,
gradually became a privileged social class, sharing
in the government of the "earthly city" and
emphasising submission and obedience, as was
expected by those who favoured them with so
many earthly and church favours.
ü The Germanic tribes, brought with them no system like
the Greeks or Chinese, but absolute allegiance to the
tribal leader.
ü Inculturation implied living obedience with Christ as the
leader.
ü This was evident in Reformation times
too, and even under Hitler, Fuhrer's
always right.
q "Der Führer hat immer Recht"
(The leader is always right)
ü Though imminent parousia recedes
to the background;
ü Involvement in the world does not
become a concern; and
ü Radical change of heart &
martyrdom are the primary values.