In the History of the Church, How Many Infallible Definitions Are There?

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FredericoBasque

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I’m a catechumen going through RCIA, and it was recently mentioned by one of the class assistants that there are only a small number of infallibly defined doctrines, in the neighborhood of 20 if I remember correctly.

Does anyone on here know where I might learn just how many infallible definitions of doctrine there are, and what they are?

Thanks!

-Frederico
 
Google infallible doctrines…there are only 7 including the Immaculate Conception & Assumption.
 
I think that you will find that the Church has never infallibly numbered the infallible doctrines. The term “infallible” only became a big issue at the First Vatican Council.
 
I don’t think there’s any definitive list confirmed by the Vatican, but many commentators refer to the list produced in 1985 by the theologian Dr Klaus Schatz SJ:

1.Tome to Flavian, Pope Leo I, 449, on the two natures in Christ, received by the Council of Chalcedon
2.Letter of Pope Agatho, 680, on the two wills of Christ, received by the Third Council of Constantinople
3.Benedictus Deus, Pope Benedict XII, 1336, on the beatific vision of the just after death rather than only just prior to final judgment;
4.Cum occasione, Pope Innocent X, 1653, condemning five propositions of Jansen as heretical
5.Auctorem fidei, Pope Pius VI, 1794, condemning seven Jansenist propositions of the Synod of Pistoia as heretical
6.Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX, 1854, defining the Immaculate Conception
7.Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII, 1950, defining the Assumption of Mary.

I don’t think there’s been any such statement since 1985 to add to that list
 
Have to say, I’m surprised there are only 7.

People that look askance at Catholicism usually tie in with claims that we elevate the Pope to a God-like perfection, as if everything he says is literally Gospel truth.

But seeing that there have been only 7 determinations, and the first five seem to be settling esoteric theological debates, it looks like we consider the doctrine of infallibility quite reasonably.
 
The Divine Praises (which are quite beautiful IMHO) express in prayer some the Infallible Doctrines:

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.

Catholicism isn’t merely believed it is practiced. One of the ways we practice our faith is by our prayer–for what we pray is what we believe. 🙂
 
truetofaith said:
I don’t think there’s any definitive list confirmed by the Vatican, but many commentators refer to the list produced in 1985 by the theologian Dr Klaus Schatz SJ:

1.Tome to Flavian, Pope Leo I, 449, on the two natures in Christ, received by the Council of Chalcedon
2.Letter of Pope Agatho, 680, on the two wills of Christ, received by the Third Council of Constantinople
3.Benedictus Deus, Pope Benedict XII, 1336, on the beatific vision of the just after death rather than only just prior to final judgment;
4.Cum occasione, Pope Innocent X, 1653, condemning five propositions of Jansen as heretical
5.Auctorem fidei, Pope Pius VI, 1794, condemning seven Jansenist propositions of the Synod of Pistoia as heretical
6.Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX, 1854, defining the Immaculate Conception
7.Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII, 1950, defining the Assumption of Mary.

I don’t think there’s been any such statement since 1985 to add to that list
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What about papal infallibility, defined July 1870 during Vatican I?
 
Far more than seven. There are hundreds. It is a common misconception that the only infallible teachings are solemn definitions made by the Pope (ex cathedra), when in reality the Church teaches infallibly in other ways too. (Klaus’s list of seven above concerns only ex cathedra definitions, and it is a very conservative estimate at that.)

According to Vatican II (LG 25), the Church also teaches infallibly through her bishops agreeing together, not only in ecumenical councils, but also in day-to-day teaching. Note that not everything in Councils or day-to-day teaching is infallible, but only statements indicating an intention to define formal teaching. This is determined by the language used. To take one example, “If anyone says ____, let him be anathema” (see the canons of the Council of Trent, for example).

In addition to infallible teachings there are also those to which we are bound to give religious submission, even though we do not give the assent of faith (see CIC, Can. 752).

The most comprehensive list I know of, that lists infallible and binding teachings (among other things) is Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Numerous websites have collected some of these teachings, such as the “Work of God” link above (which unfortunately does not indicate the level of teaching for each statement).

A conservative estimate of dogmas numbers around 255, and I have seen lists that number over 300. This list (via F. John Loughnan) includes the level of teaching for each statement, but you have to know the Latin abbreviations. “De fide” for example means “of the faith.” That’s the highest level. For more, see Fr. John Trigilio’s discussion of infallibility.
 
The only infallible dogma proclaimed since the 1st Vatican Council, when the popes were declared to be infallible, was the Assumption.
 
There are FAR more than 7 infallible doctrines! The OP asked for a list of all defined infallible doctrines…not just those rare cases where papal infallibility was invoked. As Vatican I clarified, in certain rare cases the pope can invoke the Church’s infallibility, but ordinarily it is exercised by the entire college of bishops, with the Pope, in council. Dozens of dogmas have been infallibly promulgated by councils including the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the canon of scripture, etc etc etc. If councils weren’t already recognized as being infallible, why would Vatican I’s definition of papal infallibility carry any weight?

In addition, the ordinary magisterium is infallible: the consistent teaching of the bishops and popes down through the centuries even if not yet defined as a dogma. Take for example the ordination of women. When asked whether Pope St John Paul II had invoked infallibility in addressing the question, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith answered that he had not but that the doctrine was indeed infallible by virtue of the Ordinary magisterium.
 
The thing about Catholic doctrine and dogma is that they aren’t isolated from one another or unrelated to each other. Each flows naturally in and out of the others and are woven together like a tapestry not laid out like a set of rules and regs. It’s all of a piece, and each piece is necessary to the whole. The Church doesn’t tack on teachings whenever she gets an itch–they’re all Christ’s teachings as given to us by the Apostles and their successors. Trying to separate them is just about impossible, still people will try, which is why we have varying lists.
 
There’s been a lot. At the First Vatican Council, some bishops wanted to define some sort of procedure or form the Pope would have to follow for his judgment to be considered infallible. The relator for the Deputatio de Fide (the bishop responsible for giving official explanations of concilliar texts to the Council) responded that this could not be done because various procedures were used for the great many instances of papal infallibility in the past:
Bishop Gasser:
But, most eminent and reverend fathers, this proposal simply cannot be accepted because we are not dealing with something new here. Already thousands and thousands of dogmatic judgments have gone forth from the Apostolic See; where is the law which prescribed the form to be observed in such judgments?
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Granted, he is probably speaking hyperbolically, but in any event it is obvious he had more than one or two in mind. Throughout history Popes have often intervened to provide definitive judgments in the areas of faith and morals, sometimes definitively condemning long lists of propositions (e.g. Coelestis Pastor of Bl. Innocent XI, Ex Omnibus Afflictionibus of St. Pius V, Unigenitus of Clement VI, Auctorem Fidei of Pius VI, etc., etc.; each condemned proposition is probably considered an individual judgment by Gasser above accounting for the high number he gives) and sometimes definitively asserting a truth (e.g. like those definitions in Benedictus Deus of Benedict XII, Unam Sanctam of Boniface VIII, the dogmatic letter of St. Agatho, the Tome of St. Leo, etc.).

So why is there no list?

Books and copies of papal decrees may be lost and destroyed, etc., etc. We rely on the ordinary and universal Magisterium ordinarily–the constant teaching of the true faith by Popes and bishops in their words, letters, catechisms; the belief and handing on of the faith by the faithful in all times and places; in the Church’s worship and traditions, etc. Our faith is not just a list of papal and concilliar definitions–the Pope’s or a Council’s ability to define the faith is called an “extraordinary” exercise of the Magisterium for this reason. When the clarity of a truth is cast into doubt (not in the sense that people know what the Church teaches but don’t believe it, but rather in the sense that what the Church actually teaches becomes uncertain) and the ordinary means fail to bring this clarity and unity of faith, it is the duty of the Pope to definitively settle the matter and call all to the unity and clarity of faith, so these truths once again can be handed on by the ordinary means throughout the world for ever and ever. It falls ultimately to one man in order to remove the case of schism–if it fell to many, they could be divided against themselves and it would be impossible to settle which side was on the side of truth unless you knew the truth ahead of time (but the reason appeal is made to a definitive judgment is because the truth is not settled ahead of time).

This is why in his book, the Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost, Cardinal Manning enunciated this principle:
Cardinal Manning:
The enunciation of the faith by the living Church of this hour, is the maximum of evidence, both natural and supernatural, as to the fact and the contents of the original revelation.
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Ad_Orientem said:
Far more than seven. There are hundreds. It is a common misconception that the only infallible teachings are solemn definitions made by the Pope (ex cathedra), when in reality the Church teaches infallibly in other ways too. (Klaus’s list of seven above concerns only ex cathedra definitions, and it is a very conservative estimate at that.)

According to Vatican II (LG 25), the Church also teaches infallibly through her bishops agreeing together, not only in ecumenical councils, but also in day-to-day teaching. Note that not everything in Councils or day-to-day teaching is infallible, but only statements indicating an intention to define formal teaching. This is determined by the language used. To take one example, “If anyone says ____, let him be anathema” (see the canons of the Council of Trent, for example).

In addition to infallible teachings there are also those to which we are bound to give religious submission, even though we do not give the assent of faith (see CIC, Can. 752).

The most comprehensive list I know of, that lists infallible and binding teachings (among other things) is Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Numerous websites have collected some of these teachings, such as the “Work of God” link above (which unfortunately does not indicate the level of teaching for each statement).

A conservative estimate of dogmas numbers around 255, and I have seen lists that number over 300. This list (via F. John Loughnan) includes the level of teaching for each statement, but you have to know the Latin abbreviations. “De fide” for example means “of the faith.” That’s the highest level. For more, see Fr. John Trigilio’s discussion of infallibility.
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I only looked for the Pope’s ex cathedra dogmas.
 
So what about all the things Pope Francis said about gay marriage etc. Infallible or not?
 
truetofaith said:
So what about all the things Pope Francis said about gay marriage etc. Infallible or not?
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I think we’d better leave that for another thread. The OP hasn’t responded, so far, but he hasn’t asked about that and we don’t want to take the thread way off topic. 🙂
 
In terms of “Infallible Definitions”, some things are so taken for granted we don’t realize they are “defined”, or else they don’t get “defined” until some fool attacks them. For instance, here are some not-so-obvious “definitions” by the Magisterium:
  • The Hebrew scriptures are “inspired” for Christians; Catholics will refer to them as the Old Testament;
  • A “New Testament” will exist; also to be considered inspired;
  • Where they disagree, the “New Testament” supercedes the “Old Testament”
  • These 27 books are in the New Testament. These other proposed candidates, far more than 27, for the NT are excluded from the canon.
  • Besides Scripture, Sacred Tradition is also identified, and consulted.
  • Much, probably the great majority of ancient Christian tradition, for instance gnosticism, etc, are excluded from Sacred Tradition, as well as the NT canon;
  • This will be the relationship between Scripture and Sacred Tradition…
  • This is how Scripture and Sacred Tradition guide us in identifying “the Trinity”…
  • The Magisterium will be the entity that does the “defining”, after consulting scholars and the rest of the Church.
The surprising thing is how much of the Magisterium’s overall definitions is accepted by most Protestants, probably without realizing it was “defined” at all, or who “defined” it.
 
What a rich discussion! Thank you all for your answers, this is very helpful!
 
Do you just mean dogmas?

According to my theology professor, when a Pope declares someone a saint, it’s infallible.
 
lovemyjob said:
Do you just mean dogmas?

According to my theology professor, when a Pope declares someone a saint, it’s infallible.
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Yes, the general consensus is that the canonization of saints, the ratification of ecumenical councils, and papal elections are dogmatic facts. The Church can be confident that the Holy Spirit will protect her from being deceived in such matters for the good of the faithful.
 
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