Catholic Theology

faith

practice and reflection in a religion

6 formative factors - experience

to know god, look within at own experiences

6 formative factors - revelation

gods communication with humanity

6 formative factors - tradition

experience but communal - repeated

6 formative factors - reason

logical contstruction of reality

6 formative factors - scripture

scared texts

6 formative factors - culture

culture changes

inductive - deductive reasoning

inductive

• starts with patterns to form conclusions

deductive

• starts with premises and works back

five proofs for existence of god - argument from motion

everything is put in motion by something (god)

five proofs for existence of god - argument from cause

every effect has a cause - first cause is god

five proofs for existence of god - argument from contigency

there is a will not randomness - must be a necessary being that always exists - God

five proofs for existence of god - degrees of perfection

we recognize degrees of truth, goodness and beauty (transendentals)

• standard, minimum

• god is most perfect

five proofs for existence of god - argument from design

the world shows order and purpose, intelligence

God made intelligence

Inductive Reasoning

starts with patterns to form conclusions

deductive reasoning

starts with premise and works back

Fides et Ratio

• rational basis for god existence

• who god is 

Capital T Traditions

cannot be changed, set in stone in scripture etc.

• trinity

• jesus

• last supper

• born of mary

Lowercase t tradtions

can be changed, lay room

• lent

• unmarried priests

• religious habits

Council of Jerusalem

can uncircumcised men become christians?\

• Peter - we all have holiness, not required

Nicaea

questioning of nature of Jesus

Ephesus

Mary was god bearer

god was human

trent

declares certain teachings, customs…wrong

Vatican I

• papal infallibility

• purity of mary

• assumption of mary - goes to heaven

Papal infallibility

pope cannot make mistake on fate and morals 

Vatican II

• ecumenical council

• 16 documents addressing

Doctrine 

litgury

church relations with society 

Pastrol Shift

• emphasized pastrol care and laity participation

• shift to active community involvement

• less formal activities

Vatican II impacts

• more inclusive

• active participation using common language

• respect with other religions

• members to live out their faith

Lumen Gentium

church as people of god too

Gaudium et Spes

modern social issues - church solidarity with humanity

Sacrosanctum Concialium 

encourage active participation - use of local languages 

Historical Critical Method* Catholic believes in

objective criteria to the study of scripture

Fundementalism

believes everything word by word

Open historical critical method

possibility of supernatural explanation

Spiritual Inerrancy

belief biblical books teach without error

Inspiration

holy spirit inspired writers of biblical books

sola scripture 

christian belief comes from scripture alone 

revelation

god’s self communication with humans

divine revelation

communication through scripture and tradition

Hierarchy of truths

vary in connection with the foundation of the christian faith 

Oral traditions

• written expression started in oral form

big picture

israelistes wanted to know where they came from

Catholic Bible

• 72 books

• 46 OT

• 27 NT

First 5 books of bible

1. Pentateuch

2. OT structures

3. Genesis, Exodus, levites, numbers, Deuteronomy (GELND)

Pentateuch

first five books

4 sources

1. priestly

2. yahwist 

3. elohist

4. deuteronmist 

organization of OT books

1. Pentateuch

2. Historical books

3. wisdom books

4. prophetic books

NT

27 books - foundation of Christianity

all written in greek

Gospels

1. Matthew

2. Mark (1st)

3. Luke (act of apostles)

4. John

Categories of the Gospels

• focus on teaching and healing of Jesus

1. miracle stories

2. sayings and parables

3. instructions for disciples

• After death and resurrection

Jesus main message

• kingdom of god

• grounded in gentleness, humility, mercy, etc.

The Good Samaritan 

treating with mercy

mercy to eternal life 

theologic language

analogic, uses metaphors

God is

beyond gender, time and space

The divine persons

distinct but in relation 

Pachal Mystery

central to catholic faith

• suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus

• seasons, birth, death

• triduum, easter, mass

holy trinity

we are all made in gods image

not unequal

Holy Spirit

third person of trinity

grace

presence and action of God in our lives

we cooperate with grace - doing next right thing

Conversion

growing into the person we are called to be by the holy spirit 

• religious

• moral

• intellectual 

Indefectibility

belief spirit will not mislead the church 

will not let us stray from the true path

“everything happens for a reason”

no

• God gave us freedom as he has. What we choose to do with that is what causes bad things to happen or good things to happen

Holy Spirit partcipated in…

annunciation

descended upon Jesus at his baptism

guided decisions of councils

theological anthropology

studies humanity's nature in relation to God, emphasizing the unique divine-human
connection

Imago Dei

means humans reflect God's nature,
endowed with reason, freedom, and relational capacity

Original sin

the initial disobedience causing a broken relationship between humanity
and God, affecting human nature deeply

Baptism

cleanses original sin and initiates believers into a life of grace within the Church.

Grace

God's free and unmerited gift enabling
salvation and sanctification in Catholic theology

Redemption

saving work of Jesus restoring
humanity's relationship with God through death and resurrection

St. Augustine

highlighted original sin’s reality and
the essential role of grace in human nature and divine mercy

St. Thomas Aquinas

merged Aristotelian philosophy with Christian faith to understand humanity's relation to God.

Bioethics and Human Rights

Theological anthropology guides ethical
discussions on bioethics and human rights,
underscoring human dignity and moral
responsibility.

Pope Francis

emphasizes holistic human dignity grounded in relationally and conscience, as highlighted in documents like Dignitas Infinita.

natural revelation

gods communication through natural world and human conscious - observing natural world