infallibility

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Infallibility means inerrancy, flawlessness, perfection in action. In the beliefs of individual religions , denominations and ideologies , ideas of infallibility play a role.

In a more specific sense, infallibility (infallibility, Latin infallibilitas ) describes a quality that - according to Roman Catholic teaching ( 1st Vatican Council 1870) - the Roman bishop ( Pope ) has when he is in his office as "teacher of all Christians" ( = ex cathedra ) proclaims a question of faith or morals as finally decided.

Roman Catholic Church

According to Roman Catholic teaching, the Pope is Christ's representative on earth and the successor of Peter. The Pope's infallibility relates only to his definitions in questions of faith and morals. She was under Pope Pius IX. proclaimed by the First Vatican Council in 1870.

Definition:

“When the Roman Pope speaks with the highest power of teaching ( ex cathedra ), that is, when he finally decides in his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians in the highest apostolic authority that a doctrine about faith or morals is to be retained by the whole Church he, on the basis of the divine assistance promised to him in St. Peter, that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wanted his church to be endowed in making final decisions in doctrines of faith and morals. These final decisions of the Roman Pope are therefore, of their own accord and not on the basis of the consent of the Church. "

Subjects of the infallibility ("infallibility") of the church are:

  1. the totality of believers ( LG 12 );
  2. "the total episcopate, insofar as the bishops express the content of the revelation testified in the faith of the believers, or the general ecumenical council in which the bishops represent the universal Church (LG 25)";
  3. the Roman bishop (Pope) - under the above conditions and in the framework presented above.

"Church infallibility is not the monstrous claim to have an error-free access to natural and supernatural truths outside the finite, limited and always fallible conditions of human reason."

It should be noted that the so-called "church teaching office" is not limited to "infallible teaching decisions". Correspondingly, the Church's teaching authority can and has made mistakes.

Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church knows only the infallibility of the Church . This belief is that the Holy Spirit will not allow the entire Church to get lost in heresy, but will create a way to prevent it. However, no single person or institution is automatically infallible - an Ecumenical Council is considered infallible, but not every council that calls itself an Ecumenical Council therefore has to be one. A council only receives this status through subsequent reception by the church. This is not just a theoretical construct, concrete examples also exist; best known is the so-called robber synod of Ephesus in 449 , which claimed ecumenical status but was not recognized.

Old Catholic Church

The Old Catholic Church emerged from an intra-Catholic resistance movement that did not accept the dogma of the Pope's infallibility. It therefore knows no infallible authority in the Church, but is close to the above-mentioned belief of the Orthodox Church about the infallibility of the Church .

Protestant churches

The Protestant churches reject the doctrine of whatever kind of infallibility of past or present persons or office holders - apart from Jesus Christ himself. Even the reformers are not regarded as infallible, but as justified in their time to protect the gospel against a kind of danger of obscurity.

However, some evangelical churches, especially in the pietistic and evangelical tradition as well as in the Pentecostal movement , regard the Bible as infallible, although this infallibility is defined and understood differently. Some advocate the term inerrancy, others suspect a rationalistic postulate imposed on the Bible. The idea is widespread that just as Jesus Christ lived in a human body, but was nevertheless infallible ( incarnation ), the Bible is also understood as being written by weak people, but due to divine inspiration, the word of God is still considered to be absolutely trustworthy (Inverbation). This is based on the belief that Jesus Christ himself is the Word. ( Joh 1,1-5  ELB )

Islam

Among the twelve Shiites there are the " fourteen infallible ". They include the Prophet Mohammed , the twelve imams and Mohammed's daughter Fatima . The Sunnis , on the other hand, do not believe in human infallibility, even if they assume that Muhammad uttered very little wrong and, most importantly, none of it went uncorrected. The Qur'an is considered by Muslims to be the work of Allah , not Muhammad, and is therefore considered infallible by the great majority; the human understanding of the Koran, on the other hand, is considered fallible and always in need of correction.

art

Film: Dogma

The film Dogma assumes that a violation of the infallibility of God would also mean the collapse of the universe. Two angels, who were banished to earth by God, are leaked a letter in which they are shown a loophole. If they go through the portal of a certain church, all sins will be forgiven and they can go back to heaven. But since this violated God's original command, the world order is in danger.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ General Church Assembly in the Vatican, 4th Session (1870): Doctrinal Decision on the Church of Christ, Chapter 4. The infallible magisterium of the Roman Pope
  2. ^ Gerhard Ludwig Müller : Catholic dogmatics: for study and practice of theology. - 6th edition. - Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2005, ISBN 3-451-28652-1 , p. 93
  3. ^ Gerhard Ludwig Müller : Catholic dogmatics: for study and practice of theology. - 6th edition. - Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2005, ISBN 3-451-28652-1 , p. 93
  4. ^ Gerhard Ludwig Müller : Catholic dogmatics: for study and practice of theology. - 6th edition. - Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2005, ISBN 3-451-28652-1 , p. 94
  5. ↑ Cf. Gerhard Ludwig Müller : Catholic Dogmatics: for the study and practice of theology. - 6th edition. - Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2005, ISBN 3-451-28652-1 , p. 94 with additional information
  6. ^ Gerhard Maier: Biblical Hermeneutics. R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal / Zurich 1990, ISBN 3-417-29355-3 , p. 97.
  7. ↑ James I. Packer, How God Spoken In Ancient Times. Scripture inspiration and inerrancy. Liebenzeller Mission, Bad Liebenzell 1988, ISBN 3-88002-326-3 , pp. 28–31.

literature

Web links