Tag Archives: council of trent
Team 3, Question 2
Despite Luther and other reformer’s appeals for a universal council, during the early years of the 16th century the popes opposed the notion for fear of the reemergence of the conciliarist movement in the Roman Catholic Church. Finally, it was Pope Paul III who convoked an assembly, though it was not a universal council, ultimately only including Roman Catholic prelates. Once gathered, its end was “the uprooting of heresy, the restoring of peace and unity, and the reformation of ecclesiastical discipline and morals”, and so began the Counter Reformation.
The Roman Catholic doctrine of justification was not defined until after the beginning of the reformation at the Counter Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church’s response to Protestantism was three-pronged and included the Spanish Inquisition, the founding of the Jesuit Order, and the Council of Trent. It is interesting to note the proclamations of the Council of Trent were reaffirmed in toto in the Roman Catholic catechism in the 1990’s, so the Roman Catholic Church officially still affirms the canons of Trent.
The council, in Canons on the Sacraments in General, asserts the assembly is “lawfully assembled in the 
Holy Spirit”, and is “adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the unanimous teaching of other councils and of the Fathers”. Being in unity with the Holy Spirit and adhering to the teaching of Scripture, apostolic traditions, past councils, and the teachings of early church Fathers are all cited as justification for the authority of the Council of Trent.
Ultimate importance is given to what is dubbed the “most holy sacraments of the church”. If anyone changes the quantity or quality of the seven sacraments (Canon 1), says they are not necessary for salvation (Canon 4), says they are merely outward signs of grace conferred and do not in themselves confer grace (Canon 6 & 7), or says all Christians have the power to administer them (Canon 10), then those people are to be anathema (accursed).
With regard to origin, the sacraments were all instituted by Jesus Christ himself (Canon 1). They are significant because they are necessary for salvation (Canon 4) and directly contain the grace which they also outwardly signify (Canon 6 & 7). Many of the canons are in direct contrast with Protestant reforms, including the canons decreeing there are seven specific sacraments instead of two sacraments (Canon 1), justification is not obtained by grace through faith alone (contrasting sola fide, sola gratia) but requires the administration of the sacraments (Canon 4), the sacraments literally contain the grace they signify to confer (Canon 6 & 7), grace is not conferred by faith alone (contrasting sola fide, sola gratia) in the divine promise but ex opere operato (the sacraments derive their power from Christ’s work and are independent of the recipient’s faith) (Canon 8), and (Sacerdotalism instead of Universal Priesthood) not all Christians can administer the Word and sacraments (Canon 10).
In the Index of Prohibited Books, any books written by or New Testaments translated by Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Balthasar Friedberg, Schwenkfeld, and others like them were condemned as heretical and forbidden. Books are condemned either by the Pontiff or by ecumenical councils, and inspections can be done by bishops, inquisitors, and Roman Catholic theologians. Different translations of the Old Testament may be read by pious men only, at the discretion of the local bishop. The Vulgate edition is the preferred and official version of the Roman Catholic Church. Book dealers selling or supplying Bibles written in vernacular languages will be fined and punished. Bishops, inquisitors, and theologians are the ones primarily in charge of controlling what books are available to people, and it makes sense to focus so much on books since they are storehouses of information (and increasingly widespread with the printing press).
TEAM 5, QUESTION 2 (4/14 )
The Council of Trent seems to justify its own authority by saying that it is “lawfully assembled in the Holy Spirit, the same legates of the apostolic see presiding, adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the unanimous teaching of other councils and of the Fathers” (Voorst 359). The Council of Trent adds canons on the Holy sacraments of the church in order to “destroy the errors and extirpate the heresies that in our stormy times are directed against the most holy sacraments, some of which are a revival of heresies long ago condemned by our Fathers, while other are of recent origin, all of which are exceedingly detrimental to the purity of the Catholic Church and the salvation of souls” (Voorst 358).
The council understands the origins of the sacraments (the seven, baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, order and matrimony) all coming from Jesus Christ. The significance of these holy sacraments is an addition for salvation, meaning the sacraments are another part to the full aspect of salvation. So for those men who have obtained from God through faith, and faith alone, the grace of justification, they must also need the sacraments of the new law for salvation. Only those who believe the sacraments of the new law grace is conferred through Christ’s work and those who have a certain spiritual and indelible mark that cannot be repeated imprinted on the soul a character through baptism, confirmation and order. Ex opera operato is the sacraments deriving from Christ’s work and conferring power inherent in the sacrament itself while ex opera operantis is the value and role of the recipient’s or minister’s moral condition in causing or receiving sacramental grace. Not all Christians have the power to administer the Word and all the sacraments. A minister, who is in mortal sin, even if he observes all the essentials that pertain to the conferring of a sacrament, affects his sacrament. The validity of the council comes when it says that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church accustomed to be used in the administration of the sacraments may not be omitted by ministers without sin and at their pleasure. Canon 1 brings on more sacraments than the Protestant Church because it says there are seven sacraments and just seven, when the Protestant Church observes two of those seven and not all. The two that are considered sacraments in the Protestant church are communion (The Eucharist) and baptism. Canon 4 is a direct refutation of the Protestant ideals because the Protestant Church believes in salvation and justification through faith and faith alone, not with a combination of sacraments. Also, Canon 8 is a refutation of Protestant church ideals because it says that grace is achieved through works. It also says in Canon 10 and 12 (which is also a refutation of the Protestant Church) that not any Christian can administer sacraments and that priests who marry cannot confer sacraments.
So in short, the Index of Prohibited Books says that the church claims that any book that goes against or even appears to challenge the doctrines of the Catholic Church is an inauthentic book. The books are identified and classified by (local) bishops, inquisitors, and theologians who are approved by the local bishop. The church identifies books from heresiarchs such as Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, etc. and automatically forbidding them, labelling them as inauthentic. Books of other heretics, which deal with religion are also absolutely condemned and labelled inauthentic. Those books that do not deal with any religion and by bishops and inquisitors been examined by Catholic theologians and approved by them are allowed. Catholic books written by those who later fell into heresy and those who fell but returned back to the Catholic Church “may be allowed if they are approved by the theological faculty of a Catholic university or by the general inquisition” (Schroeder 365). The translations of writers are permitted if they provide nothing contrary to sound doctrine. Books such as biblical translations and manuals can be used as support material to the Vulgate as long as they are allowed by the Catholic Church. The biblical translations of the Old Testament can be allowed to learned and pious men only, provided that they are only used as elucidations for the official Bible of the Catholic Church (Vulgate). The biblical translations of the New Testament “made by authors of the first class of this list shall be permitted to no one, since great danger and little usefulness usually results to readers from their perusal” (Schroeder 365). But if with particular translations with the Vulgate edition are circulated, these may also, after the suspected passages have been taken out by the theological faculty of a Catholic university or by the general inquisition, may be permitted to those who the translation is permitted for. The Index of Prohibited Books was released at a time when the printing press was still relatively new. This meant that information could be spread much easier and faster than the time before the printing press. By having almost every book published by or at least approved (or banned) by the Catholic Church meant that there was a complete control on what would be circulated and be seen in society, specifically the Christian community. The Catholic Church would even keep regulations and restrictions on the ideas that were not directly religious in foundation. The level of details within the document showed the unsteady time the Catholic Church was in and how they went to extreme measures to keep control over the spread of ideas in Christian society.
Group 4, Question 2 (4/14 )
The Canons on the Sacraments in General discusses the importance of the 7 Catholic Sacraments in direct response to the circulating Protestant ideas about the invalidity of the sacraments. The council claims it’s authority on the matter essentially by listing all the names of the men who are supporting the document; such names including the Pope, cardinals, and several other important figures in the Catholic church at the time, and then by claiming that they have power through the Holy Spirit. The council considers the sacraments the “path of all true justice” and claims that they are essential to achieving salvation.
The council claims that all 7 Catholic Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ, and that God imparts grace through the sacraments upon any individual who takes them correctly. They also clarify that only ministers who have power imparted by God can confer sacraments, in direct conflict to the Protestant belief that one could achieve salvation solely through their own faith. Nearly all of the listed canons seem to be in almost direct conflict with the new Protestant teachings; the claim that sacraments are necessary for salvation (4), that grace is achieved through works (8), that not any Christian can administer sacraments (10), and that priests who marry cannot confer sacraments (12). These are only the more blatant refutals of Protestant ideals, but virtually every canon listed attacks and discredits Protestant ideas in some way.
In the Index of Prohibited Books the church essentially claims that any book which challenges or goes against the doctrines of the Catholic church is an inauthentic book. Books are classified by local bishops, inquisitors, and theologians approved by the local bishop. On a larger scale and in Rome books are classified by certain appointed church officials that are called out in the document. Books such as biblical translations and manuals can be used as supplemental material to the Vulgate so long as they are approved by the church. The Index of Prohibited Books was released at a time when printing presses were still relatively new and therefor knowledge could be spread much easier and faster than ever before. By having virtually every book published be either approved or banned by the church they had very tight control over what ideas could circulate in Christian society, even ideas that were not directly religious in nature. The level of detail of the document is to be expected in such an unsteady time as the church struggles to gain control over the spread of ideas in Christian society.