Theology of the Sacraments

Liberal Protestantism triumphantly affirms, in the name of history, that the Catholic dogmas concerning the Sacraments are purely human doctrines, and even that these Christian rites were borrowed from Paganism. Other errors have also been put forth of late in regard to the relation of history to sacramentary theology. Called upon by his functions to submit those biased and exaggerated doctrines to a critical examination, the author has carefully studied the facts with the aid of a rigorously scientific method. The result of this impartial examination has been to show that an exclusively Christian inspiration presided over the origin of our dogmas regarding the Sacraments and over the origin of those Sacraments themselves, and that between the scriptural and patristic data in this matter and the sacramentary definitions of the Council of Trent, there exists a conformity sufficient to satisfy any reasonable mind. Very competent persons, whose authority has special weight with the writer, thought that this work which had been useful to many, might be useful to others too. For this reason is the present volume published. This study of positive sacramentary theology is based on the traditional conception of the development of dogma, that which St. Vincent of Lerins outlined in the fifth century, which Newman has set forth so powerfully in modern times, and which the Vatican Council has made its own: "Sacrorum dogmatum is sensus perpetuo est retinendus, quem semel declaravit Sancta Mater Ecclesia, nee unquam ab eo sensu, altioris intelligentice specie et nomine, recedendum. Crescat igitur et multum vehementerque proficiat, tam unius hominis, quam tot ius Ecclesice, Getatum et sceculorum gradibus, intelligentia, scientia, sapientia: sed in suo duntaxat genere, in eodenl scilicet dogmate, eodem sensu, eadelnque sententia." This doctrine of the development of dogma finds indeed in sacramentary theology a particularly striking application. For the historical development of the Catholic dogma coincides fairly well with its logical development.