{"id":7216,"date":"2025-10-13T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T08:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/?p=7216"},"modified":"2026-01-07T15:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:24:31","slug":"the-history-of-the-dogmas-of-the-catholic-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.holyart.it\/com\/religious-items\/the-history-of-the-dogmas-of-the-catholic-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of the Dogmas of the Catholic Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dogmas are absolute and essential truths to which every Christian must adhere by virtue of their faith. Here is how they have been defined over the centuries.<\/h4>\n\n

In the Catholic Christian context, a dogma is a truth revealed by God. Such truth may have been drawn from the Gospels by the Apostles<\/a><\/strong>, or recorded in Sacred Tradition, namely that body of knowledge and facts connected to faith, transmitted first orally and later in written form. The Church has embraced these truths and proposed them to the faithful. They are therefore not inventions, nor arbitrary decisions taken by members of the clergy over the long history of the Church, but truths already present in the Holy Scriptures and in the tradition handed down since the time of Jesus. It is precisely on the authority of Christ that the Church relies when it defines a dogma, proposing to the faithful that they believe without reservation or doubt in a truth which is part of divine revelation, and as such objectively true.<\/p>\n

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The Catholic Christian believer is bound to accept what is set forth by the dogma as such, acknowledging their own inability to prove its veracity, because of human limitations, and placing complete trust in their faith. This form of trusting adherence and obedience is one of the indispensable characteristics of Christianity.
\nBut when are Christian dogmas recognised as such? Over the course of the history of the Church and of humanity, it has repeatedly been necessary to solemnly reaffirm certain truths present in the Scriptures and integral to divine Revelation, sometimes to help the Church face specific historical moments, other times as support against heresies<\/strong> which, from time to time, denied the truth of certain recognised articles of faith.<\/p>\n

Dogma: the Etymology of the Word<\/h2>\n

The word dogma<\/em> <\/strong>derives from the Greek d<\/em>\u00f3<\/em>gma<\/em> or dokein<\/em>, meaning decree, doctrine, from the verb \u03b4\u03bf\u03ba\u03ad\u03c9 (dok<\/em>\u00e9\u014d<\/em>). In fact, dok\u00eain<\/em> originally meant \u201cto seem\u201d. Thus, the first Greek meaning of dogma was far from that of a universal truth: it rather indicated an opinion, a possibility,<\/strong> something which seems true to someone, but not necessarily to another. Over time, the term moved away from its original etymology, and dogma came to mean the definitive opinion<\/strong>. In particular, Catholicism adopted this term to indicate revealed truths, the indisputable principles at the foundation of the faith and of the life of the believing community.<\/strong> Dogma as a truth that cannot be questioned, beginning with the articles of faith:<\/strong> the Immaculate<\/strong> <\/a>Conception of Mary<\/a>, the Holy Trinity<\/a><\/strong>,<\/a> the primacy of Christ as head of the Church. All the dogmas of the Catholic Church are gathered in the Catechism, and the Magisterium of the Church<\/strong> is the Guardian of dogma and of its interpretation.<\/p>\n

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The Dogmas of the Catholic Church in History<\/h2>\n

Dogmas have not always existed, in the sense that they were recognised and proclaimed over the course of the history of the Church and of humanity, and often modified according to historical needs.<\/p>\n

The stage for the definition of religious dogmas has been, over time, the great ecumenical<\/strong> councils<\/strong>: solemn gatherings during which all Christian bishops<\/strong><\/a> were called to debate various religious issues and resolve matters of faith. In the beginning, within the Roman Empire, the councils were convened by the first Christian emperors to define and plan religious unification.<\/p>\n

As time went on, and with the deepening of divisions between the different branches of the Christian Church<\/strong>,<\/a> some councils were recognised by different professions of faith, others not. In particular, the Catholic Church recognises 21, many more than the Orthodox, Anglican, or Lutheran Churches. Among the ecumenical councils recognised by almost all churches are the early councils, such as the First Council of Nicaea<\/strong> (AD 325), the First Council of Constantinople<\/strong> (AD 381), the Council of Ephesus<\/strong> (AD 431), and the Council of Chalcedon<\/strong> (AD 451).<\/p>\n

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In general, the ecumenical councils have had the task of defining orthodoxy<\/strong> and the main lines of the various confessions of faith. Furthermore, unlike the others, the Catholic Church also recognises as dogmas certain definitions expressed by Popes with an ex cathedra<\/em><\/strong> pronouncement, that is, when the Pope speaks as universal doctor or shepherd of the Church<\/strong>,<\/a> and not debated in any council, in the name of the principle of papal infallibility<\/strong>, which other confessions do not recognise. Let us think, for example, of the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary body and soul into heaven, proclaimed on 1 November 1950 by Pope Pius XII with the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What Are the Principal Catholic Dogmas?<\/h2>\n

So, what are the dogmas of the Catholic Church?
\nThe Catholic Church recognises 21 principal dogmas<\/strong> which the believer is obliged to accept. They are condensed in the Apostles\u2019 Creed, or Apostolic<\/strong> Symbol,<\/strong> that is, the \u201csummary\u201d of the apostles\u2019 faith.<\/strong> The Symbol is the foundation of the Catholic Christian profession of faith. It underwent significant changes at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople<\/strong>, when it was revised to counter the threat of heresies<\/strong> that questioned the dogmas. It acknowledges dogmas as fundamental truths of the faith<\/strong>, and part of the so-called \u201cdeposit of faith\u201d, the core of principles and affirmations of faith which have always been the foundation of the apostolic Church, based on Holy Scriptures and Tradition. To the 21 dogmas of the Creed others have been added, as elaborations of the same, reaching a total of 44.<\/p>\n

Here are the 21 dogmas summarised in the words of the Creed:<\/p>\n