Hodge doesn’t misrepresent the Catholic position at all. From the CCC you quoted, Paragraph 1:
He does misrepresent the Catholic position by not giving the full definition that Catholic teaching gives to the word “Church”.
Eg. Church is the Mystical Body of Christ; Church is the People of God;…
Hodge seems to know nothing about those aspects of the Catholic definition
I knew when I posted the CCC link how that first paragraph read; that is why I said “all” the paragraphs should be read. The concept of the Mystical Body of Christ (and all other “The Church is” parts) has to be understood and incorporated into any Catholic definition of “Church”. A few examples:
771 … a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men."
The Church is at the same time:
- a "society structured with hierarchical organs and** the mystical body of Christ**;
- the visible society and the spiritual community;
- the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches."
These dimensions together constitute “one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element”:
779 The Church is both
visible and spiritual, a hierarchical society
and the Mystical Body of Christ. She is one, yet formed of two components, human and divine. That is her mystery, which only faith can accept.
791 … Finally, the unity of the Mystical Body triumphs over all human divisions: "For **as many of you as were baptized into Christ **have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
798 The Holy Spirit … by
Baptism, through which he forms Christ’s Body
804
One enters into the People of God by faith and Baptism
But the OP wanted sources for a research paper. That part of Systematic Theology sets out the Protestant definition of the Church. That’s why I posted it.
It was interesting to read what a Protestant scholar thinks Catholic teaching is.
And I agree it is a good source of the Protestant theology and meaning of “Church”.
I don’t see how or why you would make the assumption I’m ignorant of the CCC, or how it could be relevant to the OP.
This thread is not about me.
I apologize if you took my post as an insult; I certainly didn’t mean it that way. My assumption was that you accepted not only Hodge’s explanation of the Protestant position, but also accepted his explanation of Catholic teaching on “Church” as accurate, Thus I thought you might be interested to read the Catholic explanation and note the differences - how it is far more comprehensive than what he presents. I was not aware you were already familiar with that whole section of the CCC. Sorry.
