The theological notes designate a classification of certainty of beliefs in

Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholi ...

. While theological notes qualify positively beliefs and doctrines, said beliefs and doctrines are qualified negatively by theological censures. The theological notes' "enumeration, division and evaluation" vary between authors.

Authority of the notes

" e supreme organs for heologicalnotes and censures (and exclusively so for infallible matters) are the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and the

Ecumenical Councils An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote are ...

. Limited competences attaches to the

Roman Congregations In the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church, a congregation () was a type of department. They were second-highest-ranking departments, ranking below the two Secretariats, and above the pontifical councils, pontifical commissions, tribunals and off ...

, Provincial

Synods A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

(

episcopal conferences Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

) and the individual

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and major superiors of

religious orders A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their founders, and have a d ...

. The whole

people of God ''People of God'' () is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to the Israelites and used in Christianity to refer to Christians. In the Bible Hebrew Bible and Old Testament In the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the Israelites are referred ...

is charged with the safeguarding of the true faith.

Theologians Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

have a special responsibility and thus are especially qualified to give theological notes nd censures ..though their authority is not one of jurisdiction. Their notes nd censureshave the weight of 'professional' opinions and have often influenced the

magisterium The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition". According to the 1992 ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ...

Various classifications

Ludwig Ott

Immediately revealed truths

Catholic theologian

Ludwig Ott Ludwig Ott (24 October 1906 – 25 October 1985) was a Roman Catholic theologian and medievalist from Bavaria, Germany. Biography After training at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ott was ordained a Catholic priest The ...

considers that ''immediately revealed truths'' hold the "highest degree of certainty". "The belief due to them is based on the authority of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Revealing (fides divina), and if the Church, through its teaching, vouches for the fact that a truth is contained in Revelation, one's certainty is then also based on the authority of the Infallible Teaching Authority of the Church (fides catholica). If Truths are defined by a solemn judgment of faith (definition) of the

or of a General Council, they are 'de fide definita.

Catholic truths

Catholic truths refers to Catholic beliefs which are church teachings, definitively decided on by the

Magisterium The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition". According to the 1992 ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ...

, but not (yet) as being divine revelations properly speaking. Ludwig Ott calls the beliefs of this level ''Catholic truths'', and states that beliefs of this level "are as infallibly certain as

dogmas Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

proper." Catholic truths are "doctrines and truths defined by the Church not as immediately revealed but as intrinsically connected with the truths of

Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

so that their denial would undermine the revealed truths .. These are proposed for belief in virtue of the infallibility of the Church in teaching doctrines of faith or morals (fides ecclesiastica)." They are called "''Catholic Truths'' (veritates catholicae) or Ecclesiastical Teachings (doctrinae ecclesiasticae) to distinguish them from the ''Divine Truths'' or Divine Doctrines of Revelation (veritates vel doctrinae divinae)." Ott continues:

''Sententia fidei proxima''

A ''sententia fidei proxima'' ("teaching proximate to faith") refers to teachings, which are generally accepted as divine revelation by Catholic theologians but not defined as such by the

Teaching pertaining to the faith

A teaching pertaining to the faith (''sententia ad fidem pertinens''), or theologically certain (''theologice certa''), refers to theological conclusions; those are teachings without definitive approval by the Catholic Church, but "

hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube or pipe designed to carry fluids from one location to another, often from a faucet or hydrant. Early hoses were made of leather, although modern hoses are typically made of rubber, canvas, and helically wound w ...

truth is guaranteed by

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

intrinsic connection with the doctrine of revelation."

''Sententia communis''

A ''sententia communis'' ("common teaching") refers to beliefs which are generally accepted by theologians, but not dogmatically asserted. Examples of ''sententia communis'' beliefs which are cited by Ott include: • The

saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

can help the souls in

purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

• Dead people cannot receive

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of ...

Theological opinions of lesser grades

Ott states:

''Sommaire de théologie dogmatique''

The ''Sommaire de théologie dogmatique'' proposes the following theological notes: # Of Catholic faith (''De Fide''): when a religious truth "has been revealed by

, is contained in

Sacred Scripture The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

Tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

and has been solemnly defined as such by the

Sovereign Pontiff The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

or by an

Ecumenical Council An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote are ...

defining

EX CATHEDRA Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...

– that is with the intention of defining – assuming all the required conditions are met. — Or if a truth is presented as such by the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church. (

Vatican I The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

.)" # Of Divine faith (''De Fide divina''): when a religious truth "is for sure contained in

Holy Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and l ...

, but has not been solemnly defined by the Church. E.g.: the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The same applies to truths revealed privately by God to a person, but for that person only." # Catholic doctrine, certain (''Certum est''): "When it is a truth deduced logically from two

premises Premises are land and buildings together considered as a property. This usage arose from property owners finding the word in their title deeds, where it originally correctly meant "the aforementioned; what this document is about", from Latin '' ...

, one of which is formally revealed by God, and the other known by reason alone and not revealed elsewhere, nor contained implicitly in the revealed premise. The truth thus deduced is called THEOLOGICAL CONCLUSION. Many formally but implicitly revealed truths are considered CERTAIN until they are solemnly defined." # Common (''Sententia communis''): "It is a truth taught by almost all theologians and opposed by only a few of mediocre authority, but which is nevertheless not disavowed by the Church." # Probable, more probable (''Probabilis''): "It is a proposal supported by eminent theologians approved by the Ecclesiastical Authority — and which, at the same time, is opposed by other equally eminent theologians. The degree of probability can be based either on the number and authority of theologians who support this proposition (extrinsic probability), or on the value of the arguments provided (intrinsic probability)."

John Hardon

Catholic theologian

John Hardon John Anthony Hardon (June 18, 1914 – December 30, 2000) was an American Jesuit priest, writer, teacher and theologian. A candidate for sainthood since 2005, he is recognized by the Catholic Church as a Servant of God. Early life John Hardon ...

states:

Edward N. Peters

Edward N. Peters Edward Neal Peters (born 1957) is an American Catholic canonist and serves as a referendary of the Apostolic Signatura (an advisor/consultant to the Holy See's top tribunal). In 2023, he is professor of canon law at the Sacred Heart Major Semin ...

states that "many of the assertions hitherto listed by theologians with a surfeit of restraint as merely, say, 'sententia communis' might, upon closer investigation in light of the criteria set out in '' Ad tuendam'' and its progeny, be found to enjoy ''infallible'' certitude, after all, as either primary or, as I think the liceity of the

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

qualifies, as secondary objects of infallibility."

References

Catholic theology and doctrine Catholic terminology