The Catholic Canon of Creeds
The canon (from the Greek
The canon did not magically appear at the dawn of Christianity, handed down to the Church to be accepted and practiced without question. The Church had to develop the canon for itself. In fact, it has taken the Church just about 2,000 years to study and interpret the Word of Christ as it has been recorded in the Scriptures and to build up the canon through deep religious and philosophical inquiry, debate, and even controversy. Throughout its struggles to understand, the Church has been infused by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and piloted by the pope.
It's important to understand that the changes in canon law do not constitute any rejection of previously held beliefs. Although canon law has endured debate and subsequent shifts in emphasis to better explain the Lord's Word, the Church teaches that these changes occur because of the vitality and organic nature of the faith.
It took many centuries for the system of the canon law to be developed and organized in a harmonious way. The Church recognizes three eras of development: the ancient law, the law of the Middle Ages, and the modern law.
The era of ancient law lasted from the dawn of Christianity to the twelfth century, ending with Johannes Gratian's publication of the
Decretum. The era of the law of the Middle Ages lasted until the Council of Trent (1545–1563).
The era of modern law began with the Council of Trent, lasting until now.
Gratian is considered the founder of the “science” of canon law in the Church. Gratian was a monk and a scholar who was born in Tuscany in the twelfth century; by the time he had undertaken the project of compiling the Church canon law, he was teaching at a convent in Bologna.
In his exhaustive canonical work, known as the
The Council of Trent, which convened to tackle the controversies of its era — namely the Reformation — established new laws and principles where confusion had reigned. Rulings passed and recorded by the Council included the following:
Catholic faith is based on scripture and
also on tradition (this ruling affirmed the Catholic belief in Divine Tradition).The importance of
both good works and faith in the struggle for salvation.The actual presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Council of Trent also standardized the prayers and rituals of the Mass, which would remain the same until Vatican II, which convened in the 1960s.
In 1917, Pope Benedict XV issued his comprehensive Code of Canon Law. This was regarded as the canonical authority in the Catholic Church until 1983, when Pope John Paul II issued a new Code of Canon Law, the one Catholics are ruled by today.
Many changes in the Catholic canon took place through the work of a specially convened council, like the Nicaean Council or the Council of Trent. However, the pope also has the power and the authority to issue pontifical laws through apostolic letters (also known as papal bulls). Finally, laws may be passed on a local level, through local ecclesiastical councils, as long as the decisions are made in conformity with Church law.
