Outline:
1. The Canons of the Council of Trent.
2. The Roman Catholic Understanding of the Term “Anathema.”
A. Excursus: The Historical Understanding of the Term “Anathema.”
B. Excursus: A Practical Example of the Roman Catholic Understanding of the Term “Anathema.”
3. The Official Roman Catholic Understanding of “Dogma.”
The Council of Trent:
Canon I.—If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that he is only therein as in a sign, or in figure, or virtue: let him be anathema.
Canon II.—If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the blood—the species only of the bread and wine remaining—which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation: let him be anathema.
Canon III.—If any one denieth, that, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole Christ is contained under each species, and under every part of each species, when separated: let him be anathema.
Canon IV.—If any one saith, that, after the consecration is completed, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are not in the admirable sacrament of the Eucharist, but [are there] only during the use, whilst it is being taken, and not either before or after; and that, in the hosts, or consecrated particles, which are reserved or which remain after communion, the true body of the Lord remaineth not: let him be anathema.
…Canon VIII.—If any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eaten spiritually only, and not also sacramentally and really: let him be anathema.
…Canon XI.—If any one saith, that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist: let him be anathema. And for fear lest so great a sacrament may be received unworthily, and so unto death and condemnation, this holy Synod ordains and declares, that sacramental confession, when a confessor may be had, is of necessity to be made beforehand, by those whose conscience is burthened with mortal sin, how contrite even soever they may think themselves. But if any one shall presume to teach, preach, or obstinately to assert, or even in public disputation to defend the contrary, he shall be thereupon excommunicated.
(Canones et Decreta Dogmatica Concilii Tridentini, Thirteenth Session, held October 11, 1551, Canons 1-4, 8, 11; In: Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1878], Roman Creeds, pp. 136-137, 138, 138-139.) See also: ccel.org.
2. The Roman Catholic Understanding of the Term “Anathema.” Return to Outline.
The Catholic Encyclopedia:
“To understand the word anathema”, says Vigouroux, “we should first go back to the real meaning of herem of which it is the equivalent. Herem comes from the word haram, to cut off, to separate, to curse, and indicates that which is cursed and condemned to be cut off or exterminated, whether a person or a thing, and in consequence, that which man is forbidden to make use of.” …In the New Testament anathema no longer entails death, but the loss of goods or exclusion from the society of the faithful. …But he who is separated from God is united to the devil, which explains why St. Paul, instead of anathematizing, sometimes delivers a person over to Satan (I Tim., i, 20; I Cor., v, 5). …Anathema remains a major excommunication which is to be promulgated with great solemnity. …In passing this sentence, the pontiff is vested in amice, stole, and a violet cope, wearing his mitre, and assisted by twelve priests clad in their surplices and holding lighted candles. He takes his seat in front of the altar or in some other suitable place, and pronounces the formula of anathema which ends with these words: “Wherefore in the name of God the All-powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of the Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, in virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth, we deprive N— himself and all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, we separate him from the society of all Christians, we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth, we declare him excommunicated and anathematized and we judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobate, so long as he will not burst the fetters of the demon, do penance and satisfy the Church; we deliver him to Satan to mortify his body, that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment.”
(Joseph N. Gignac, S.T.D., J.C.D., “Anathema;” In: The Catholic Encyclopedia: Special Edition: Volume I, eds. Charles G. Herbermann, et al., [New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc., 1913], pp. 455-456. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907, Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur, John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.) See also: newadvent.org.
A Catholic Dictionary:
Anathema. A thing devoted or given over to evil, so that “anathema sit” means, “let him be accursed.” St. Paul at the end of 1 Corinthians pronounces this anathema on all who do not love our blessed Saviour. The Church has used the phrase “anathema sit” from the earliest times with reference to those whom she excludes from her communion either because of moral offences or because they persist in heresy. Thus one of the earliest councils—that of Elvira, held in 306—decrees in its fifty-second canon that those who placed libellous writings in the church should be anathematised; and the First General Council anathematised those who held the Arian heresy. General councils since then have usually given solemnity to their decrees on articles of faith by appending an Anathema.
Neither St. Paul nor the Church of God ever wished a soul to be damned. In pronouncing anathema against wilful heretics, the Church does but declare that they are excluded from her communion, and that they must, if they continue obstinate, perish eternally.
(William E. Addis, Thomas Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, [New York: The Catholic Publication Society Co., 1884], “Anathema,” p. 24. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Eduardus S. Keogh, Cong. Orat., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Henricus Eduardus, Card. Aechiep. Westmonast. Die 18 Dec., 1888. Imprimatur: John Card. McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, Feb 14. 1884. Cf. Shea John Gilmary, ed., The Catholic Educator: A Library of Catholic Devotion and Instruction, [New York: John Duffy, 1902], “Anathema,” p. 29.)
A. Excursus: The Historical Understanding of the Term “Anathema.” Return to Outline.
The Seventh Ecumenical Council (The Second Council of Nice):
Now anathema is nothing less than complete separation from God. For if any are quarrelsome and will not obediently accept what has now been decreed, they but kick against the pricks, and injure their own souls in their fighting against Christ. And in taking pleasure at the insults which are offered to the Church, they clearly shew themselves to be of those who madly make war upon piety, and are therefore to be regarded as in the same category with the heretics of old times, and their companions and brethren in ungodliness.
(The Seventh Ecumenical Council [The Second Council of Nice], “The Letter of the Synod to the Emperor and Empress;” trans. NPNF2, 14:573-574.) See also: ccel.org.
B. Excursus: A Practical Example of the Roman Catholic Understanding of the Term “Anathema.” Return to Outline.
Vatican I:
If, then, any should deny that it is by institution of Christ the Lord, or by divine right, that blessed Peter should have a perpetual line of successors in the Primacy over the universal Church, or that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy: let him be anathema. ...so that the Church of Christ may be one flock under one supreme pastor through the preservation of unity both of communion and of profession of the same faith with the Roman Pontiff. This is the teaching of Catholic truth, from which no one can deviate without loss of faith and salvation.
(The Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council Concerning the Catholic Faith and the Church of Christ, A.D. 1870., First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, Session IV, Ch. II, III; In: Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1878], pp. 261-262, 263.) See also: ccel.org.
Cf. Pope Boniface VIII:
Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins… Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
(Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam [November 18, 1302]; trans. Charles A. Coulombe, A History of the Popes, [New York: MJF Books, 2003], pp. 452, 453.) See also: papalencyclicals.net.
3. The Official Roman Catholic Understanding of “Dogma.” Return to Outline.
Vatican I:
Further, all those things are to be believed with divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the Word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church, either by a solemn judgment, or by her ordinary and universal magisterium, proposes for belief as having been divinely revealed. And since, without faith, it is impossible to please God, and to attain to the fellowship of his children, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will any one obtain eternal life unless he shall have persevered in faith unto the end.
(The Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council Concerning the Catholic Faith and the Church of Christ, A.D. 1870., Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Session III, Ch. III; In: Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1878], pp. 244-245.) See also: ccel.org.
Vatican I:
The first condition of salvation is to keep the rule of the true faith.
(The Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council Concerning the Catholic Faith and the Church of Christ, A.D. 1870., First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, Session IV, Ch. IV; In: Philip Schaff, Bibliotheca Symbolica Ecclesiæ Universalis: The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes: Volume II, [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1878], p. 266.) See also: ccel.org.
The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism:
44. What must a Catholic believe with divine faith?
A Catholic must believe with divine faith the whole of revelation, which is contained in the written word of God and in Sacred Tradition.
…45. Can a person be a Catholic if he believes most, but not all, the teachings of revelation?
A person cannot be a Catholic if he rejects even a single teaching that he knows has been revealed by God.
…46. What will happen to those who lack “the faith necessary for salvation”?
Those will not be saved who lack the necessary faith because of their own sinful neglect or conduct. As Christ declared, “He who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
47. Why is divine faith called catholic?
Divine faith is called catholic or universal because a believer must accept everything God has revealed. He may not be selective about what he chooses to believe.
(John A. Hardon, S.J., The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism, [Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1981], Questions 44-47, p. 34. Ecclesiastical approbation: Imprimi Potest: Michael J. Lavelle S.J., Provincial, Detroit Province, May 20, 1981. Nihil Obstat: William B. Smith S.T.D. Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: Joseph T. O’Keefe, Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York, July 7, 1981.)
Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma:
b) The Promulgation of the Dogma by the Teaching Authority of the Church (propositio Ecclesiae). This implies, not merely the promulgation of the Truth, but also the obligation on the part of the Faithful of believing the Truth. This promulgation by the Church may be either in an extraordinary manner through a solemn decision of faith made by the Pope or a General Council (Iudicium solemns) or through the ordinary and general teaching power of the Church (Magisterium ordinarium et universale). The latter may be found easily in the catechisms issued by the Bishops. ...As far as the content of justifying faith is concerned, the so-called fiducial faith does not suffice. What is demanded is theological or dogmatic faith (confessional faith) which consists in the firm acceptance of the Divine truths of Revelation, on the authority of God Revealing. …According to the testimony of Holy Writ, faith and indeed dogmatic faith, is the indispensable prerequisite for the achieving of eternal salvation.
(Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, ed. James Canon Bastible, trans. Patrick Lynch, [St. Louis: B. Herder Book Company, 1954], pp. 4, 251, 251. Ecclesiastical approbation: Nihil Obstat: Jeremiah J. O’Sullivan D.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Cornelius, Ep. Corgagiensis et Ap. Adm. Rossensis., 7 October, 1954.)
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν ~ Soli Deo Gloria
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