New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-24

no aDpearanCe
nack.s able and lucid work is an event OF more
than ordinary importance, for as a critic anu
exnounder OF early Church history and theology
ba has no superior The difficulty of writing
an entirely adequate history OF Christiah
aoe,oa ia enormous Its origin, growth ana eA-
mansion are largely shrouded In obscurity III
almost every age it has taken its color from ITO
nolitical social and intellectual enVirohino""
and its statements have always been ih'.
preted by the religious prepossesslons u ~
dav Under such circumstances mere chioi'
Gle OF the dogmas that have been forlhui"N
from age to age would tell us little. oi'ei,' III
deed such chronicle would fall 10 reNe"' '''
facts as they were, for the nineteen'h oeN.'
reader would unconsciously read into inc avg
mas his own conception OF Them "ho"' -
many cases. would not be the point Oh VIC" Va
those who formulated them. a true his'0is "a
dogma therefore, can only be written ny mo"
who has made a profound study OF the age IN
which the various dogmas gre" iii'o Sp'
and who also can disregard in explaining tnem
the religious atmosphere OF his own age rio
fessor Harnack has proved himself to be such
n man. and. as a result. he has given 10 the
world a history Of Christian dogma that Will
taLe us Mace a. a standard classic Of Christian
literature.
In one sense dogma rests on faith; that ID 10
say every dogma must have grown out Oh
some theological tenet that came TO be generahy
believed in the Church. But IN another SENSE
faith rests on dogma; for the sole and only oo-
ject OF formulating dogma Is to buttress tho
faith of those who acknowledge their allegiance
10 the Church. Or looking at the matter IN an
other way we may regard dogma as at once
the flower of theology and its seed, destined IN
time through the law of development, to ger
+hnr
often said that the Roman Church is. par ex-
cellence the Church Of dogma But Professor
Harnack holds that to-day dogma is much more
powerful In the Protestant churches. In the
Roman Church dogma has become judicial
regulation demanding submission only. In
stead Of dogma In fact, its members are con-
fronted with a multitude OF half dogmas, pious
opinions doctrinal directions and probable
theological conclusions. Since the Couacil OF
Trent the great dogmatic conflicts In the Ro-
man Church have been settled by Papal declara-
TONS the object Of which is not to explain or
define a doctrine. but TO suppress any discus
sion Of the doctrinal questions involved In the
controversy The Protestant churches, on the
other hand. attempt to define theology in their
dogmas. But the drawback to this method OF
procedure is that in course Of time the re-
Ngous consciousness Of the denomination re-
the dogma, and then there is no infalliole
Pope at hand to give final decision of the
matter.
Although theology and dogma are so closely
related they are often in opposition Though
all theologians do not recognize the fast, the
oogy is growth, while In the nature OF the
case a dogma, when once formulated, remains
always the same, except that different and often
diverse interpretations may be put upon It.
Theology and dogma ARE condemned TO per-
petual uncertainty TO what they owe each
other. and what they have to fear from each
other. The theological fathers Of dogma have
almost without exception failed to escape being
condemned by dogma, either because 1t went be-
yond them Jagged behind their theology.
The Apologists. Origen and Augustine. may be
cited in support Of this; and even In Protestant
ism. mutatis mutandis the thing has been
repeated, as is proved by the fate Of Melanc-
thon and Schleermacher On the other hand,
there have been few theologians who have not
shaken some article Of the traditional dogma
Dogma has been 30 modified and used to the best
advantage by Augustine and Luther; Its Chris
tiau character has IN many respects gained.
though IN other respects It has become further
and further alienated from that character. In
proportion as the traditional system Of dogmas
lost its stringcncy 1t became richer. In proper
lion as IL was stripped py augustine anu Lutner
OF It's apologize phosophic tendency 1t was
more and more filed with Biblical ideas, though
on the other hand II became more full Of contra
dictions and less impressive"
The most diverse factors have entered into
the shaping of dogma The salvation Of human
beings IL, OF course, the great object in the for
mutation Of dogmas. 1t is assumed that saliva
ton depends on the acceptance as true Of certain
theological tenets, and in order that they may
be more easily grasped by average people they
are reduced to concise definition. But other
factors enter into the question. Dogmas grow
out Of the sayings of Scripture. old doctrinal
traditions. the needs Of worship and organiza-
tion the effort to adjust some religious doctrine
to the prevailing doctrinal opinions, political and
social conditions. the changing moral ideals Of
life the tendency to harmonize apparently con-
Trajectory dogmas and tendencies the rise of
heresies and the force Of blind custom With
such complex origin 1t is not easy to give a
comprehensive definition If dogma But We will
approximate to It II we say that dogma
whole is Christianity trying to define itself in
the light Of divine revelation and guided by the
prevailing beliefs Of the Church.
In the last analysis the entire body Of Chris
tian dogma rests on the message OF the Gospel
but in particular Instances the relation Of dogma
to the teaching Of the Gospels is not immediate
but mediate. Greek thought was largely re-
sponsible for this development Of dogma away
from the simooities of the Gospel teaching and
therefore DR.. Harnack has defined dogma in its
completion and development as "a work Of the
Greek spirit on the soil Of the Gospel" After
Christian doctrines thus became Hellsniyed they
came under the influence OF Roman thought and
Roman ideals, which shaped the content Of
Christian belief for Western Christendom, and
gave its present impulse to the Civilization Of
the Western world. In the mean while Greek
theology remains stationary under the shadow
Of Its old. wonderfully wrought dogmas. which.
in spite Of their intellectual and verbal nicely.