The Profession of Faith
Section One: “I Believe” - “We Believe”
Chapter One: Man’s Capacity for God
II. Ways of Coming to Know God
III. The Knowledge of God according to the Church
IV. How Can We Speak About God?
Theodore Alois Buckley, The Catechism of the Council of Trent, 132 (London: George Routledge and Co., 1852).
In Brief
- Confessions 10.28.39 | Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers First Series, Volume I (J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841–1855))
Chapter Two: God Comes to Meet Man
Article I: The Revelation of God
I. God Reveals His “Plan of Loving Goodness”
- 1 Timothy 6:16
- Ephesians 1:4-5 | cf.
II. The Stages of Revelation
In the beginning God makes himself known
The Covenant with Noah
- Acts 17:26-27 | cf.
- Wisdom 10:5 | cf.
- Genesis 11:4-6 | cf.
- Romans 1:18-25 | cf.
God has said everything in his Word
- Hebrew 1:1-2
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 102 | Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 516 | Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 2717 | Catechism of the Catholic Church
- St. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, 2, 22, 3–5, in The Collected Works, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 179–180
- St. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, 2, 22, 3–5 | The Ascent of Mount Carmel
- Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings Advent, week 2, Monday
There will be no further Revelation
Article 2: The Transmission of Divine Revelation
I. The Apostolic Tradition
In the apostolic preaching ...
... continued in apostolic succession
II. The Relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture
... two distinct modes of transmission
Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions
The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith
The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church
The Magisterium of the Church
The supernatural sense of faith
Growth in understanding the faith
Article 3: Sacred Scripture
I. Christ – The Unique Word of Sacred Scripture
II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture
- Dei Verbum 11 | Vatican II Documents
- John 20:31 cf.
- 2 Timothy 3:16 cf.
- 2 Peter 1:19-21 cf.
- 2 Peter 3:15-16 cf.
- St. Bernard, S. missus est hom. 4, 11: PL 183, 86.
- Luke 24:45 | cf.
III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture
The sense of Scripture
- Augustine of Dacia, Rotulus pugillaris, I: ed. A. Walz: Angelicum 6 (1929) 256
IV The Canon of Scripture
The unity of the Old and New Testaments
V. Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church
In Brief
- Hugh of St. Victor, De arca Noe 2, 8: PL 176, 642
- Hugh of St. Victor, De arca Noe 2, 9: PL 176, 642–643
- Origen, Hom. in Ex. 4, 5: PG 12, 320 cf.
- Dei Verbum 21 | Vatican II Documents
- Psalm 119:105
- Isaiah 50:4 | cf.
Chapter Three: Man’s Response to God
Article 1: I Believe
I. The Obedience of Faith
Abraham – “father of all who believe”
Mary – “Blessed is she who believed”
II. “I Know Whom I Have Believed”
To believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God
To believe in the Holy Spirit
The Characteristics of Faith
Faith – the beginning of eternal life
I. “Lord, Look upon the Faith of Your Church”
II. The Language of Faith
III. Only One Faith
- Against Heresies 1.10.1–2 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I (Catholic Edition)
- - J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca (Paris, 1857–1866) 7/1, 552–553.
- Against Heresies 5.20.1 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I (Catholic Edition)
- - J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca (Paris, 1857–1866) 7/2, 1177.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 78 | Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Against Heresies 3.24.1 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I (Catholic Edition)
- - J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca (Paris, 1857–1866) 7/1, 966.
In Brief
- Solemn Profession of Faith: Credo of the People of God § 20 | Paul VI
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Comp. theol. 1, 2
The Credo
- Apostles’ Creed | Historic Creeds and Confessions: supplemental
- Nicene Creed | Historic Creeds and Confessions: supplemental
- Apostles’ Creed | The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: supplemental
- Nicene Creed | The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church: supplemental
Section Two: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The Creeds
- St. Ambrose, Explanatio symboli ad initiandos (Commentary on the Symbol) 7. | cf.
- - J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841–1855) 17, 1196
Chapter One: I Believe in God the Father
Article 1 “I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth”
I. “I Believe in One God”
“A God merciful and gracious”
III. God, “He Who Is,” Is Truth and Love
IV. The Implications of Faith in One God
In Brief