The Sources of Catholic Dogma

excellent

Knowledge of the Catholic Dogma is essential especially for every Catholic. As a traditional Catholic, this book "The Sources of Catholic Dogma" is a great reference as one get to learn what the Catholic Church is all about before Vatican II. Also, we should make an effort to learn about them especially to become a good Catholic especially during the present era of modernism wherein sin has become a way of life and when God has been placed aside by many people in the world today due to obsession to earthly rewards rather than spiritual blessings.

Heinrich ["Henry"] Joseph Dominicus Denzinger (1819-1883) was a German priest, theologian, and professor of theology He died on 19 June 1883 at Würzburg. This book contains more than 200 documents, beginning from the Apostles' Creed, and ending with the definition of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary [a number of documents were added by other theologians/editors after Denzinger's death].The book includes Creeds, followed by documents of various Roman Pontiffs; pronouncements of Councils [e.g., Trent, Vatican I, Vatican II], etc. The "Syllabus of Errors" by Pius IX against Modernism is included, for example (pg. 435-442), as is the First Vatican Council pronouncement of Papal Infallibility (Pg. 455-457); the "Oath Against the Errors of Modernism" (Pg. 549-551), etc.This is an invaluable reference work for Catholic theology and history; the "updated" edition is exceptionally helpful, for including such a wide variety of historical documents in one convenient location.The only "regret" one might have is that Denzinger provides no "commentary" or "historical introduction" to the various documents.

First published in 1854, "The Denzinger" has undergone numerous updates, revisions, and additions, and is an indispensable resource for the Catholic. You will see citations to it in  Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma , The Catechism of the Catholic Church , and a slew of other works that reference or detail the teaching of the Catholic Church.Citations to The Denzinger from other works can be a bit tricky given the numerous editions but there are four main abbreviations used:D - Denzinger, the versions edited by Denzinger himself from 1854DB - Denzinger-Banwart, the editions updated by Clemens Banwart up to 1921DR - Denzinger-Rahner, updated by Karl Rahner up to 1954 (there is a 1957 31st edition with corrigenda)DS - Denzinger-Schonmetzer, updated by Adolph Schönmetzer up to 1965The editions from 1957 and before (D, DB, DR) use one numbering scheme for its paragraphs, while post-1957 editions use a different one. Ludwig Ott in Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma follows the first scheme, The CCC follows the second. The recently published Loreto 1954 edition has a concordance in the front that enables you to look up CCC citations in the 1954 edition. As far as I can determine, the last edition translated into English is the 1954 30th edition (updated in 1957 with corrections and released as the 31st edition); the latest revision, including the one referenced in the Catechism, is in Latin. Other recent editions are available in Spanish, French, and Italian.Speaking of the 1954 edition (the 30th), which is the one most sellers seem to be offering and the subject of this review, the name Karl Rahner may have jumped off the page as the reviser. Yes, it's *that* Karl Rahner: one of the founders of the Nouvelle Théologie and a major force in Vatican II updating a work by a pioneer of Positive Theology. The involvement of Rahner on The Denzinger seems to have raised some question about whether he (Rahner) chose to include some documents that are not wholly representative of Church Teaching. The question is somewhat plausible - specifically because one or two entries left me scratching my head, and generally because it is acknowledged that not every document ever written by a Pope or Council is considered by the Church to be de fide, "of the faith"; and, lastly, it's important that all teachings are placed in their proper context. So it's possible that someone could gather pieces and excerpts which support a particular agenda to the exclusion of others that might put the subject matter in a different light. In my humble, unlearned opinion, I don't think the criticism that there is widespread bias in Rahner's editing is valid.A couple of criticisms of The Denzinger are that the entries are not marked (as they are in Ott) as to how closely the teaching must be held; also, in a few instances, the background of the issues under examination are not as fully drawn as I would have liked. This highlights the fact that while this manual is a great resource, you should always double check entries that seem contradictory or obscure against other reliable sources to be sure of the correct interpretation. Using the Catechism, The Vulgate, Ott's work, the Denzinger, and the writings of the Early Church Father's together should clarify things nicely, keeping in mind that even greatly revered Fathers of the Church (Origen and Tertullian, for example), have sometimes fallen into error.I would estimate that about half the entries in The Denzinger are written in the negative. For example, in dealing with the Errors of Baius, the errors are stated from Baius' view, and then they are pronounced as heretical, dangerous, scandalous, etc., as appropriate. The piece that's missing is that most of the time the correct teaching is not stated anywhere in the work; usually it's an obvious error, but sometimes they can be fairly nuanced. To find out the correct teaching, you have to look that up on your own in one of the resources mentioned above. This is one reason why I think  Ludwig Ott's work  is more user-friendly, as the positive teaching is usually laid out first, then the errors addressed in-line with some explanation of why it's in error.If you have the time, you should try reading the Denzinger from cover to cover and not just have it as a once-in-a-while reference resource. Reading it through beginning to end, it gives the seeker of Catholic teaching a perspective on how the understanding of Truth was deepened in response to the numerous errors over the centuries; you would also do yourself a big favor if you read a good Church History, like Warren Carroll's  A History Of Christendom  (all 5 volumes) for a solid background of what was happening in the world and the Church that prompted clarification of Church teaching.I recommend The Denzinger for anyone that wants to know Catholic teaching more widely and more deeply. Apparently, the 1957 version of the "green" Denzinger in English has corrections (about 15 or so I'm told) that were missed in the 1954 edition. Not worth my running out and buying that version, but it may be something you look at if you're considering a purchase. Fundamentals of Catholic DogmaThe Catechism of the Catholic ChurchLudwig Ott's workA History Of Christendom

Timeless traditions of the Catholic Church explained. Non-Catholics should also get hold of this book for complete understanding of the complex theology and traditions of the Holy Mother Church.