Dogmatic Teachings
Main article: Roman Catholic dogmaMarian Roman Catholic dogmas present infallible Church teachings about Mary and her relation to Jesus Christ, and reflect the role of Mary in the economy of salvation.
De Fide Definita or De Fide Credenda doctrines have the highest degree of dogmatic certainty. These doctrines come in several forms, namely teachings which have been specifically defined as revealed by an extraordinary definition by a Pope or Ecumenical council, or those teachings infallibly taught to be revealed by the ordinary universal Magisterium. As in the case of the Immaculate Conception or the Assumption, these doctrines were held by the Church prior to the date of official definition, but open for discussion. The date of definition must be accepted by all faithful members of the Catholic Church as contained specifically in the Deposit of Faith and owed supernatural faith in itself (de fide credenda).
There are four Marian dogmas among a large number of other teachings about the Virgin Mary:
| Name | First Magisterial Definition | Dogma content |
|---|---|---|
| Perpetual virginity | Baptismal symbols since 3rd century | 'Perpetual virginity of Mary', means that Mary was a virgin before, during and after giving birth |
| Mother of God | Council of Ephesus (431) | Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh. |
| Immaculate Conception | Pope Pius IX (1854) | Mary, at her conception, was preserved immaculate from Original Sin |
| Assumption into heaven | Pope Pius XII (1950) | Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory |
Although there are only four Marian dogmas, popular support for a "fifth Marian dogma" which establishes Mary as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix appeared in the 20th century both from lay groups and the clergy. According to L'Osservatore Romano, in 1996 the Holy See formed a commission to seek the opinion of scholars regarding the possibility and the opportuneness of establishing a fifth Marian dogma on Mary as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate. A lay movement called Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici is promoting the doctrine of Mary as Mediatrix and provides petitions that can be signed by Roman Catholics at large and sent to the Pope in support of a formal dogmatic definition.
Read more about this topic: RC Mariology
Famous quotes containing the words dogmatic and/or teachings:
“Agnosticism is a perfectly respectable and tenable philosophical position; it is not dogmatic and makes no pronouncements about the ultimate truths of the universe. It remains open to evidence and persuasion; lacking faith, it nevertheless does not deride faith. Atheism, on the other hand, is as unyielding and dogmatic about religious belief as true believers are about heathens. It tries to use reason to demolish a structure that is not built upon reason.”
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–1986)
“We denote this primary wisdom as Intuition, whilst all later teachings are tuitions.”
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