Thomas, in the strict sense, are they who of their own will and intention separate themselves from the unity of the Church. The apostate a fide abandons wholly the faith of Christ either by embracing Judaism, Islamism, Paganism, or simply by falling into naturalism and complete neglect of religion the heretic always retains faith in Christ. It is not for man, but for Him who searcheth the reins and heart, to sit in judgment on the guilt which attaches to an heretical conscience. On the other hand a born Catholic may allow himself to drift into whirls of anti- Catholic thought from which no doctrinal authority can rescue him, and where his mind becomes incrusted with convictions, or considerations sufficiently powerful to overlay his Catholic conscience. ![]() A man born and nurtured in heretical surroundings may live and die without ever having a doubt as to the truth of his creed. Such firm convictions result either from circumstances over which the heretic has no control or from intellectual delinquencies in themselves more or less voluntary and imputable. Considering that the human intellect can assent only to truth, real or apparent, studied pertinacity, as distinct from wanton opposition, supposes a firm subjective conviction which may be sufficient to inform the conscience and create “good faith”. For as long as one remains willing to submit to the Church‘s decision he remains a Catholic Christian at heart and his wrong beliefs are only transient errors and fleeting opinions. Pertinacity, that is, obstinate adhesion to a particular tenet is required to make heresy formal. Heresy thus willed is imputable to the subject and carries with it a varying degree of guilt it is called formal, because to the material error it adds the informative element of “freely willed”. The impelling motives are many: intellectual pride or exaggerated reliance on one’s own insight the illusions of religious zeal the allurements of political or ecclesiastical power the ties of material interests and personal status and perhaps others more dishonorable. On the other hand the will may freely incline the intellect to adhere to tenets declared false by the Divine teaching authority of the Church. The heretical tenets may be adhered to from involuntary causes: inculpable ignorance of the true creed, erroneous judgment, imperfect apprehension and comprehension of dogmas: in none of these does the will play an appreciable part, wherefore one of the necessary conditions of sinfulness-free choice-is wanting and such heresy is merely objective, or material. The believer accepts the whole deposit as proposed by the Church the heretic accepts only such parts of it as commend themselves to his own approval. The subject-matter of both faith and heresy is, therefore, the deposit of the faith, that is, the sum total of truths revealed in Scripture and Tradition as proposed to our belief by the Church. There are, therefore, two ways of deviating from Christianity: the one by refusing to believe in Christ Himself, which is the way of infidelity common to Pagans and Jews the other by restricting belief to certain points of Christ’s doctrine selected and fashioned at pleasure, which is the way of heretics. “The right Christian faith consists in giving one’s voluntary assent to Christ in all that truly belongs to His teaching. 1) defines heresy: “a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas”. In later Greek, philosophers’ schools, as well as religious sects, are “heresies”. ![]() Peter (II, ii, 1) applies the term to Christian sects: “There shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in sects of perdition ”. Justin (Dial., xviii, 108) uses airesis in the same sense. ![]() Paul is described to the Roman governor Felix as the leader of the heresy ( aireseos) of the Nazarenes (Acts, xxiv, 5) the Jews in Rome say to the same Apostle: “Concerning this sect, we know that it is everywhere contradicted” (Acts, xxviii, 22). Josephus applies the name ( airesis) to the three religious sects prevalent in Judea since the Machabean period: the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Essenes (Bel. The term heresy connotes, etymologically, both a choice and the thing chosen, the meaning being, however, narrowed to the selection of religious or political doctrines, adhesion to parties in Church or State. Ecclesiastical jurisdiction over heretics XI. Church legislation on heresy: ancient, medieval, present-day legislation IX. Christ, the Apostles, and the Fathers on heresy VII. Origin, spread, and persistence of heresy VI.
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