In Response To Growing Number Of Fistfights, London Mayor Bans Hands

"One From the Vault" Dept.
(Revisiting An Old False Dichotomy)

[Prefatory Disclaimer: The material below was first published over fifteen years ago in a third revision to a longer piece I wrote a few years previously. As I have again seen the false dichotomy presented as of late, it seems appropriate to revisit the material below excerpted from its original source and tweak it a bit to be republished independently on this humble website as a Vault Flashback{1} at the present time. -SM]

The "Dogmatic/Pastoral" Artificial Dichotomy:

There is some truth to the assertion that the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council was "predominantly pastoral in character" but the dichotomy made between "dogmatic" and "pastoral" - as if something "pastoral" is automatically not "dogmatic" in any sense whatsoever -  is frankly a facile one. It has no support whatsoever from the Magisterium of the Church and therefore it should not be handled with the kind of smug certainty that many so-called 'traditionalists' like to utilize it. At the very least, it seems to this writer that "pastoral" and "dogmatic" as concepts should not be interpreted in a vacuum. Instead, the meaning of the expressions should be sought in light of the way pastoral theology and dogmatic theology respectively are viewed. The following quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia article Pastoral Theology defines this concept as it applies to theology in general:

Pastoral theology is a branch of practical theology; it is essentially a practical science. All branches of theology, whether theoretical or practical, purpose in one way or another to make priests "the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God" (I Cor., iv, 1). Pastoral theology presupposes other various branches; accepts the apologetic, dogmatic, exegetic, moral, juridical, ascetical, liturgical, and other conclusions reached by the ecclesiastical student, and scientifically applies these various conclusions to the priestly ministry. [1]

Before delving into all that pastoral theology entails, a look at how it differs from dogmatic and other fields of theology would be in order as well:

Dogmatic theology establishes the Church as the depository of revealed truth and systematizes the deposit of faith which Christ entrusted to His Church to hand down to all generations; pastoral theology teaches the priest his part in this work of Catholic and Christian tradition of revealed truth. Moral theology explains the laws of God and of the Church, the means of grace and hindrances thereto; pastoral theology teaches the practical bearing of these laws, means, and hindrances upon the daily life of the priest, alone and in touch with his people. Canon law collects, correlates, and co-ordinates the laws of the Church; pastoral theology applies those laws to the care of souls. In brief, pastoral theology begins, where the other theological sciences leave off; takes the results of them all and makes these results effective for the salvation of souls through the ministry of the priesthood established by Christ. [2]

In "presuppos[ing] the fields of apologetic, dogmatic, moral, juridical, and other fields of study in its applications to the care of souls", pastoral theology would not be divorced from the other sciences. (Indeed to some extent it would rely on them.) Hence one could accurately say that pastoral theology is indirectly concerned with dogmatic theology as well as moral theology and juridical theology (canon law). Transposing these distinctions onto the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council by corollary extension, it could be logically asserted that a Council that was "predominantly pastoral in character" would nonetheless have an indirect foundation in dogmatics; consequently a "pastoral council" would be "indirectly dogmatic" and presupposing the foundation of dogmatic theology in its pronouncements. (Which by asserting that the Council unlike previous Councils was not "directly dogmatic" is precisely what Pope Paul noted in several general audience speeches in the final thirteen years of his reign.)

By contrast, most of the earlier ecumenical councils were "predominantly dogmatic" but that did not detract from the fact that most of them also issued canons of disciplinary import as well. The distinction would be that most of the earlier councils were called to resolve a doctrinal crisis and disciplinary issues were an addendum issue if they were treated on at all. (Councils such as Constantinople II and III did not treat on disciplinary matters at all whereas by contrast of the five Lateran councils only the fourth was not predominantly concerned with matters of discipline.)

With the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, it was called not to address any one point of doctrine but instead to address the application of all Church doctrine to more effectively meet the conditions of the modern age. In the process, (i) previous dogmas of the faith would be reaffirmed, (ii) previously declared doctrines reasserted and perhaps developed a bit further, and (iii) theological controversies which touched on matters closely joined to dogma would be settled. Further still, (iv) doctrine would be developed to meet the needs of the age in certain parameters, (v) the disciplinary code would be revised, and (vi) the overarching approach in all areas would lean more to doctrinal exposition and its application then to dogmatic formulations. The tools used for this process would mirror those used in pastoral theology and include the following:

Tradition and the Holy Bible...are the first sources of pastoral theology. As evidence of Tradition the decrees of general councils are of the highest moment. Next come pontifical [documents]; decrees of Roman Congregations...the various sources of dogmatic and moral theology and of canon law, in so far as they bear directly or indirectly upon the care of souls. Decrees of various provincial councils and diocesan synods together with pastoral letters of archbishops and bishops are also among the sources whence pastoral theology draws. [3]

If one reads the index of every document from the Second Vatican Council, they will see copious references to Sacred Scripture. There are also numerous references to the documents of the General Councils. (Particularly Vatican I and Trent but there is also more than thirty references to other ecumenical councils - particularly the councils of Florence, Nicaea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, Lateran IV, Constantinople IV, and Nicaea II.) There are also numerous references to documents from the papal magisterium - particularly Pius XII, Pius XI, John XXIII, and Leo XIII - along with various other papal pronouncements. (Such as Allocutions and Radio/General Addresses.) Included in this mosaic are references to the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church among other sources. Finally, the use was also made of documents from plenary councils which had received papal approbation, decrees from the Roman Congregations, etc.

Consistent with the understanding of "pastoral" in theology, the Second Vatican Council certainly meets the criteria in its usage of sources spanning the dogmatic, moral, and other fields of study. As far as the dependence of pastoral theology on dogmatic theology, the Catholic Encyclopedia article Dogmatic Theology had this to say about the correlation:

Pastoral theology, which embraces liturgy, homiletics, and catechetics, proceeded from, and bears close relationship to, moral theology; its dependence on dogmatic theology needs, therefore, no further proof. [4]

And just as "no further proof" is needed to demonstrate the dependence of pastoral theology on dogmatic theology, there is no further proof needed to refute the facile dichotomy of "pastoral" and "dogmatic" when it comes to Vatican II when compared with most of the previous ecumenical councils. It suffices to say that most previous councils were directly dogmatic and indirectly pastoral whereas with Vatican II the converse was the case. But it does not suffice to say that the predominantly pastoral character of the Second Vatican Council precluded any active dogmatic elements at all and (as a consequence) any formal infallibility.

Notes:

[1] Catholic Encyclopedia: From the article Pastoral Theology (c. 1913)

[2] Catholic Encyclopedia: From the article Pastoral Theology (c. 1913)

[3] Catholic Encyclopedia: From the article Pastoral Theology (c. 1913)

[4] Catholic Encyclopedia: From the article Dogmatic Theology (c. 1913)


Additional Notes:

The citations from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) article Pastoral Theology were obtained at the following link: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14611a.htm

The citation from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) article Dogmatic Theology was obtained at the following link: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14580a.htm


Note:

{1} In posting this thread as I have, it necessitates creating a new primary posting tag so with this posting, consider the primary posting tag Vault Flashback to be added to this website for the current and future postings where applicable. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa October 20, 2017)]

“Local Control” Must Not Be a Weapon Against Individual Rights

Briefly...

My only criticism of the Scooter Libby pardon is timing and the sense that its being done now as a distraction from something else.

Trump To Larry Kudlow: Go Take A Look At The U.S. Maybe Rejoining TPP

President Trump called TPP a "rape of America." I guess by his lights he buys into Todd Akin's concept of "legitimate rape."

Not an apologetic for Pope Francis or Gaudete et Exsultate.

I find it amusing that the Apostle Paul and church fathers like Jerome hurled more invective than Pope Francis does but those who whine about the latter do not seem to have a problem with the former.

Is it perhaps because as much as these folks love papal condemnations of things they do not like and papal condemnations aimed at other folks, they have a problem when they are the target or something they like is on the receiving end of a chastisement?

I am reminded of what St John of the Cross said once about these sorts of spiritual gluttons:

"You will find that many of these persons are very insistent with their spiritual masters to be granted that which they desire, extracting it from them almost by force; if they be refused it they become as peevish as children and go about in great displeasure, thinking that they are not serving God when they are not allowed to do that which they would. For they go about clinging to their own will and pleasure, which they treat as though it came from God; and immediately their directors take it from them, and try to subject them to the will of God, they become peevish, faint-hearted, and fall away. These persons think that their own satisfaction and pleasure are the satisfaction and service of God."

“Local Control” Must Not Be a Weapon Against Individual Rights

Briefly...

A tip for #AlwaysTrump folks: if the president does or says something that you whined and complained about when Mr. Obama did or said it, have the guts to condemn the same stuff now unless you want to be viewed as a unprincipled hypocrite...

Briefly...

A tip for #NeverTrump folks: if you support a position or policy but cannot give President Trump credit if he supports and/or seeks to implement the same position or policy you support, then you damage your own credibility.

Pope Francis' new Apostolic Exhortation In Gaudette ex Exultate

Briefly...

I am amused in equal measure by those from #TeamRed who insist the president is innocent and there's nothing to the special prosecutor stuff and those from #TeamBlue who think every story that comes out on that stuff means "Muller is closer to arresting Trump."

Anything to sustain the particular gimmick desired it seems!

On the One Year Anniversary of My Return to Web Publishing:

(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)

It may have seemed counter-intuitive to have returned to publishing here after this medium more or less faded from general importance with the rise of more interactive social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. But as helpful as those features can be; at the same time, a growing concern for censorship and other factors led me to consider taking this site out of mothballs and using it again. Or as I said a year ago today:

Though it has been pondered a bit in sundry times and in divers occasions to return to this site, I could not find the motivation to do so apart from one specific circumstance a few years ago.[...] However, the motivation previously lacking has been found now with my planned involvement in an extensive writing project that I may touch on a bit here and there if I feel so inclined to.

While I will mainly be publishing on a new website that I have set up for that purpose[...], it is also likely that I will resume posting here as well on subjects that will not be germane to the subjects to be written on there. However, upon resuming publication at this humble site, I will not have any set schedule for it as I did in years past where I sought to post at certain self-prescribed intervals of output.

Anyway, that is all for now until further notice. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 4, 2017)]

As for the project I have been involved in intermittently, it is one where I write pieces here and there with no set schedule. While it is in some form of existence at least, I will continue to dabble from time to time on this humble website.

Coming up in the following month are a few pieces which I finished last year and which will treat on an issue of controversy. As those who followed this website in years past know, I am no stranger to wading into controversial matters and I am sure as with some issues in the past, this one will sever more ties as some prior ones have.{1} But as with everything, if I think something has to be said, it will be said and there are unfortunately not a few folks who cannot deal with anything that disrupts their chosen narratives in various and sundry areas of study or thought. But that is neither here nor there.

In short, this website will remain in somewhat regular use more along the lines of how it has been over the past year with fewer long drawn out pieces compared to the way things were in their heyday here. Some of those longer threads from years past will be revisited either in abridged or other forms where warranted or if I feel inclined to as the lions share of what I have written on here in years past was intentionally done with both contemporary as well as more timeless threads to it.

On and before concluding the thread you are reading, it seems appropriate to remind people of what my combox thread policy is here and why I have it so this reminder thread from roughly a year ago suffices to do that. So with that reminder in conclusion, onward and upward we go here at Rerum Novarum{2} in some form or another!

Notes:

{1} To list one such prominent matter from years past:

Commemorating A Controversial Anniversary (circa August 17, 2017)

{2} I am considering the possibility of retaining a long term interest in web publishing again of perhaps changing formats and even site names. Only time will tell if those ideas come to fruition or not however. 

A Dialogue on Conservative Republican Hypocrisy:

My words will be in regular font.

Eugene Craig 

2014-2017 Black Lives Matter: Law enforcement is tainted and biased

GOP: No it's not and Blue lives matter

2018:
GOP: Release the memo. Law enforcement is tainted. Protect POTUS

BLM: Oh now that you are the victim its tainted. * inserts side-eye*

One small difference, those clamoring to release the memos aren’t calling for and perpetuating violence. Regardless of what anyone thinks about the release of the memos, any suggestion that is even remotely equal to the racist thugs of BLM is beyond disgusting! 

Wanna talk about what is truly beyond disgusting? 

Baltimore Cops Kept Toy Guns to Plant Just in Case They Shot an Unarmed Person 

[H]ow do we know that is even true? 

Practice some due diligence.

Who’s even heard of The Root? 

Just because you have not heard of a source does not ipso facto make said source an erroneous one.

For all we know, it could be a Fake News site. 

Merely dismissing a source without reading it is as a rule{1} not a very responsible thing to do. If you check closely, among the sources cited is the Baltimore Sun:

I suppose they are Fake News too?

Also cited are the New York Daily News, the Times Union, and NBC News. More Fake News I suppose because they do not fit the squawk radio narrative on these things? 

those cops in the Freddie Gray case, who were rightly acquitted, under the bus

Yes I know, #CopsDoNoWrong as far as some conservatives are concerned. When someone dies in police custody, someone should be held responsible but police rarely are. And of course most conservatives are due to their ideological blinders unwilling or unable to admit that maybe, just maybe a movement like BLM may have within its ranks folks who have legitimate grievances. Nah, they gotta focus on the cranks and kooks and paint them as the entirety of the movement because that fits the narrative they want to believe. Strangely, I seem to recall many of the same folks who do that were livid when more liberal elements of the media did the exact same thing to the Tea Party. Oh but that's different I suppose because that was *patriots* being targeted rather than various and sundry "urban scum", right?

I have to say this anti-cop posture you have taken recently is seriously troubling.

There is nothing recent about it. I have long been ambivalent at best about law enforcement{2} with very good reasons. Beyond what I have actually seen as well as in my youth dealt with, there is also the fact that there are a LOT more dirtbags in uniform than head-in-the-sand conservative "law and order" sorts care to admit to. But when they are not on the receiving end of the corruption, conservatives do not give a shit about this stuff generally speaking. But if they are the ones in the crosshairs? Well then they squawk like stuck pigs and will not stfu about it. And truthfully, I do not have sympathy anymore for those sorts of conservatives who only make a fuss when it involves them and otherwise make excuses or shoot the messengers when it involves bad news which does not.

Not only are there more dirtbag cops than conservatives as a rule care to admit to but even cops who are not dirtbags far too often succumb to pressure not to rat out one of their brother or sister fellows in blue. As a result, things like what happened to Freddie Gray so often result in acquittals, not because the cops are innocent per se but instead because too many supposedly "good cops" refuse to cooperate or otherwise obstruct prosecution attempts of fellow officers. 

The bottom line: we need serious criminal justice, sentencing, and police reform in this country. But as long as the myth of "cops do no wrong" is perpetrated (coupled with the "well, maybe some do but its only 1% of them" nonsense), its not going to happen. But I digress.

Notes:

{1} I say “as a rule” because every rule admits of exceptions. But they are reserved for sites with a demonstrated history of frequent false news reporting. Also, something is not false simply because it does not fit a person’s particular ideological template be they right or left.

{2} “When I was younger, my first car was a 1975 Dodge Dart. Mechanically it was sound but electrically not as much. One of the problems it had was lights would go out in the running boards, license plate area, tail lights (particularly on the right side as I recall), etc far more frequently than would be the norm. And I lived in near a small town where the cops basically funded the town with tickets -I think you may see where this is going. In that area and a number of other places, I was pulled over at times so frequently that even many years later and to this very day, I am at times highly uncomfortable when I see a police car behind me or alongside me in traffic.[...] I have to constantly fight the temptation to change lanes, pull into a parking lot of a place I am not going to, etc and let the cop car pass before I get back on the road. And while I do not do the latter nearly as often as I used to, I still from time to time out of long ingrained habit do it. While not the only personal experiences I have had with law enforcement officials, I posit the above to point out a psychological phenomenon that is hardly unique to myself. And I am as white as white can be!” [Excerpt from the Jaded Politics Article On Anthems, Protests, Free Speech, Hard Truths, Etc. (published December 3, 2017)]

Prayer For Good Friday:

Trans-Siberian Railway Nicholas II's Key Success

With this link, I am inaugurating a new subthread for this site titled "History" for links or material that has a historical connotation to it.

All things to the contrary notwithstanding.

Spanish court remands Catalan presidential candidate in custody

Michael Bennett Taken into Custody on Assault Charge, Expected to Post Bond

Rising Homelessness Among Working Californians

This is a problem in more places than just California and has been a problem for many years now.

Seahawks sign ex-Vikings DT Shamar Stephen

Seahawks sign Tom Johnson