Chapter 4 The Teaching Church

The Mission of the Church Christ left the Apostles the Deposit of Faith Final Instruction: To teach the world all that he had told them The Church does this today ◦Clergy carries on this sacred mission in a special way

Revelation Revelation ◦Literally means “to draw back the veil” or uncover ◦Revelation is all that God has revealed to us about Himself and His plans for us ◦We can’t know about God except by what He makes known to us God’s truths revealed slowly over time ◦Old Testament Revelation = pre-Christian Revelation ◦New Testament Revelation = Christian Revelation  Trinity, Incarnation, Eucharist ◦Revelation ended when John the Evangelist died

Source of Revelation Word of God ◦Sacred Scripture  Written word of God  Different authors during different times, but all inspired by the Holy Spirit  Does not contain all that there is to know about the faith ◦Tradition  The teachings of the Church passed down  Includes the writings of the Apostolic Fathers  Includes things not directly found in Sacred Scripture  The Church uses Tradition to properly interpret Scripture

Creeds Tradition expressed in the Creeds Creeds: Statements of belief Creeds lay out the main beliefs of the Church Apostles’ Creed – One of the earliest Creeds Nicene Creed – Formulated at the Council of Nicea ◦Goes into more detail than the Apostles’ Creed

Councils Tradition also expressed during the councils of the Church Ecumenical Council: meeting of all the bishops with the Pope ◦The meeting is called by the Pope ◦Called to define or clarify certain beliefs

Fathers and Doctors of the Church Fathers of the Church ◦Saintly Christian writers of the early Church who provided special witness and teaching Doctors of the Church ◦Saintly theologians of any century whose writings have especially helped teach and guide the Church

Church Teachings Encyclicals ◦Letters of the Pope to the bishops and the whole Church on a certain topic Sensus Fidelium ◦Sense of the Faithful ◦The beliefs of the Church are kept free from error when all people, from the bishops to the laity believe the same thing over a long period of time

Development of Doctrine Seeds of doctrine were complete by the time of St. John’s death Seeds grew over time, however ◦Development of Doctrine Some things we kind of understood as a Church at the beginning, but understood better over time ◦Developed doctrine cannot be in contradiction to previously taught doctrine ◦i.e. Immaculate Conception  Believed by Sensus Fidelium for centuries  Not officially declared until 1854