MAGISTERIUM

Magisterium is a "teaching authority, especially

of the Roman Catholic Church". The word is
derived from Latin magisterium, which
originally meant the office of a president, chief,
director, superintendent, etc. (in particular,
though rarely, the office of tutor or instructor of
youth, tutorship, guardianship) or teaching,
instruction, advice.
In the Roman Catholic Church the word
"Magisterium" refers to the teaching authority of
the church. This authority is understood to be
embodied in the episcopacy, which is the
aggregation of the current bishops of the church,
led by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), who has
authority over the bishops, individually and as a
body, as well as over each and every Catholic
directly. According to Catholic doctrine, the
Magisterium is able to teach or interpret the
truths of the Faith, and it does so either noninfallibly or infallibly (see chart below).
"The task of interpreting the Word of God
authentically has been entrusted solely to the
Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope
and to the bishops in communion with him."
Extraordinary (or Solemn) Magisterium
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ,
"the Word made Flesh" (Gospel of John 1:14), is
the source of divine revelation. The Catholic
Church bases all of its infallible teachings on
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The
Sacred Magisterium consists of only all the
infallible teachings of the Church. "Wherefore,
by divine and Catholic faith all those things are
to be believed which are contained in the word
of God as found in Scripture and tradition, and
which are proposed by the Church as matters to
be believed as divinely revealed, whether by her
solemn judgment or in her ordinary and
universal Magisterium." (First Vatican Council,
Dei Filius 8.) However, the criteria for the
infallibility of these two functions of the sacred
magisterium are different. The sacred
magisterium consists of both the infallible
teachings of the Pope, the ecumenical councils,
and the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium.
(Despite its name, the "Ordinary and Universal
Magisterium" is still part of the Sacred
Magisterium.)

The Second Vatican Council states, "For this

reason Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it
through his whole work of making Himself
present and manifesting Himself: through His
words and deeds, His signs and wonders, but
especially through His death and glorious
resurrection from the dead and final sending of
the Spirit of truth." (Dei Verbum, 4). The
content of Christ's divine revelation, as faithfully
passed on by the Apostles, is called the Deposit
of Faith, and consists of both Sacred Scripture
and Sacred Tradition (as John 21:25 states,
"Jesus did many other things as well. If every
one of them were written down, I suppose that
even the whole world would not have room for
the books that would be written.").
The teachings of the Pope are believed by
Catholics to be infallible when he is speaking ex
cathedra.
The infallible teachings of the ecumenical
councils consist of the solemn dogmatic,
theological, or moral definitions, as contained in
declarations,
decrees,
doctrines,
and
condemnations (traditionally expressed in
conciliar canons and decrees) of councils
consisting of the Pope and the Bishops from all
over the Church.
A teaching of ordinary and universal
magisterium is a teaching of which all Bishops
of the Church (including the Pope) universally
agree on, and is also considered infallible.
Ordinary Magisterium
The ordinary magisterium includes noninfallible papal teachings, the teachings of
individual bishops and groups of local bishops,
and even conciliar teachings which are not
ratified by a solemn definition, even if these
teachings take place within the context of an
ecumenical council. (Catholic theologians and
ecclesiastics generally agree that some council
made no such solemn judgments.)
The teachings of the ordinary magisterium are
non-infallible. Such teachings are generally
correct, as they are based on infallible Sacred
Tradition, infallible Sacred Scripture, and the
infallible teachings of the Sacred Magisterium.
But some errors can be found within the
ordinary teachings of the magisterium, and
therefore, such teachings are reformable and
revocable.

All magisterial teaching is derived from Sacred

Tradition and Sacred Scripture (i.e., the Bible).
The belief that God reveals his teachings to
humanity via infallible Sacred Tradition and
Sacred Scripture is one basis for infallibility;
another basis is that the Holy Spirit guides the
Magisterium. Catholics are obliged to believe all
that is taught infallibly by the Magisterium with
the assent of faith (fides divina), i.e. with the
fullness of their faith. Catholics are, in general,
also obliged to believe the non-infallible
teachings of the Magisterium, but with a
different type or degree of assent, called
religious assent (obsequium religiosum).
When the bishops teach on matters of faith and
morals in their capacity as bishops, they speak
in the name of Christ and the faithful are to
accept their teaching and adhere to it with a
religious assent (obsequium religiosum) of soul.
This religious submission of will and mind must
be shown in a special way to the authentic
teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff, even
when he is not speaking ex cathedra. That is, it
must be shown in such a way that his supreme
teaching authority is acknowledged with
reverence, the judgments made by him are
sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest
mind and will. (From Lumen Gentium, section
25)
The Levels of the Magisterium
Historical Development of the Magisterium
While the Magisterium of the Catholic Church is
well-defined today, it has not always been so
clear
a
doctrine.
Until
the
formal
pronouncements in the 19th century, the subject
of teaching authority in the Church was a matter
of disagreement and confusion, and indeed, the
concept of papal infallibility still remains
controversial in some Catholic circles.
The Early Church
Bishops as Authority
The most basic foundation of the Magisterium,
the apostolic succession of bishops and their
authority as protectors of the faith, was one of
the few points that was rarely debated by the
Church Fathers. The doctrine was developed by
Ignatius of Antioch (and others) in the face of
Gnosticism, expounded by others such as
Irenaeus, Tertullian, Ambrose, and Augustine,

and by the end of the end of the second century

AD was universally accepted by the bishops.
Some of the first problems began to arise,
however, with the increasing worldliness of the
clergy. Criticism arose against the bishops, and
an attempt was made to have all bishops drawn
from the ranks of monastic communities, whose
men were seen as the holiest possible leaders.
However, there had also developed in the
Church a Roman sense of government, which
insisted upon order at any cost, and this led to
the phenomenon of the imperial bishops, men
who had to be obeyed by virtue of their position,
regardless of their personal holiness, and the
distinction between man and office.
However, this understanding was not universally
accepted. One of the most famous critics of the
episcopal corruption was the influential
theologian Origen. Throughout his life, many of
Origens writings were considered to be
questionably orthodox, and he seemed to
espouse the idea of a teaching authority based on
theological expertise rather than, or at least
along with, apostolic succession.
Regional Authority
While the authority of bishops was rarely
questioned, the question of authority among the
bishops stirred intense debate. From the
beginning of the Church, certain regional
bishoprics were prominent: Rome, Alexandria,
Antioch, and later Constantinople. Rome
claimed prominence in the first three centuries,
which was generally accepted, but the Bishop of
Rome had no practical power to impose his will,
which led most to recognize first the authority of
their bishop and local councils. In addition,
debates arose concerning the role of Rome; it
was normally conceded that it was the center of
unity, but whether this came with the ability to
settle disputes about doctrine was much less
certain.
Gradually, Rome began to claim more power for
itself, intensifying the debates of authority. Pope
Damasus I (366-384) was the first pope to
justify his authority based on the text of
Matthew 16:17-19, and Pope Leo I (440-461)
decreed during the Council of Chalcedon (451)
that the pope was the successor to Peter and
Christs gift of authority to Peter was thus
applicable for eternity in the person of the pope.

This naturally intensified the East-West split,

which would not be fully recognized until the
Middle Ages.
The authority of Rome was also questioned by
the African church during the early years of
Christianity, coming to a head in the Apiarius
Affair early in the fifth century, which ended
with the African bishops declaring that anyone
who appealed a ruling to Rome would be
excommunicated.
The
African
bishops
recognized the Bishop of Rome with respect and
were willing to submit in certain instances as a
gesture of unity, but nonetheless considered
them an autonomous ruling body.

world, headed on earth by the pope, has

authority over the temporal world, and that all
must submit themselves to the authority of the
pope to be saved.
In the medieval period, statements of this papal
power were common in the works of theologians
as well. In the late Middle Ages, Domingo
Baez attributed to the Pope the definitive
power to declare the truths of the faith," and
Thomas Cardinal Cajetan, in keeping with the
distinction made by St. Thomas Aquinas, drew a
line between personal faith manifested in
theologians and the authoritative faith presented
as a matter of judgment by the pope.

Other Early Disagreements

Another early disagreement in the Church
surrounding the issue of authority manifested
itself in Montanism, which began as a
movement promoting the charism of prophecy.
Montanism claimed, among other things, that
prophecies like those found in the Old
Testament were continuing in the Church, and
that new prophecies had the same authority as
apostolic teaching. The Church, however, ruled
that these new prophecies were false and not
authoritative, and condemned Montanism as a
heresy.

Papal Infallibility
It is importance to note that the acceptance of
papal authority did not include an acceptance of
the doctrine of papal infallibility, a later
development. In fact, there was a certain amount
of resistance to this doctrine during the medieval
period. In the Decretum of Gratian, a 12th
century canon lawyer, the pope is attributed the
legal right to pass judgment in theological
disputes, but he was certainly not guaranteed
freedom from error. The popes role was to
establish limits within which theologians, who
were often better suited for the full expression of
truth, could work. Thus, the popes authority
was as a judge, not an infallible teacher.
Other opponents of the doctrine include Pope
John XXII (1316-1334), who rejected the
doctrine because he did not want to be bound to
the teachings of previous popes, and St. Thomas
More, who pronounced that church councils
were the only authoritative and inerrant means
of settling disputes. The doctrine began to
visibly develop during the Reformation, leading
to a formal statement of the doctrine by St.
Robert Bellarmine in the early 17th century, but
it did not come to widespread acceptance until
the 19th century and the First Vatican Council.

The Medieval Period

Perceptions of teaching authority in the Middle
Ages are hard to characterize because they were
so varied. While there arose a keener
understanding and acceptance of papal primacy
(at least in the Western Church), there was also
an increased emphasis placed on the theologian
as well as numerous dissenters from both views.
Papal Primacy and Teaching Authority
Throughout the Middle Ages, support for the
primacy of the pope (spiritually and temporally)
and his ability to speak authoritatively on
matters of doctrine grew significantly. Two
popes, Innocent III (1198-1216) and Boniface
VIII (1294-1303), were especially influential in
advancing the power of the papacy. Innocent
asserted that the popes power was a right
bestowed by God, and developed the idea of the
pope not only as a teacher and spiritual leader
but also a secular ruler. Boniface, in the papal
bull Unam Sanctam asserted that the spiritual

Theologians
Other concepts of teaching authority gained
prominence in the Middle Ages, as well,
however, including the concept of the authority
of the learned expert, an idea which began with
Origen (or even earlier) and still today has
proponents. Some allowed for the participation
of theologians in the teaching life of the church,

but still drew distinctions between the powers of

the theologian and the pope or bishop; one
example of this view is in the writing of St.
Thomas Aquinas, who spoke of the
Magisterium cathedrae pastoralis/pontificalis
(Magisterium of the pastoral or pontifical chair)
and the Magisterium cathedrae magistralis
(Magisterium of a masters chair). Others held
more extreme views, such as Godefroid of
Fontaines, who insisted that the theologian had a
right to maintain his own opinions in the face of
episcopal and even papal rulings.
Either way, the theologian began to play a more
prominent role in the teaching life of the church,
as doctors were called upon more and more to
help bishops form doctrinal opinions. Illustrating
this, at the Council of Basle in 1439, bishops
and other clergy were greatly outnumbered by
doctors of theology.
Despite this growth in influence, popes still
asserted their power to crack down on those
perceived as rogue theologians, through
councils (for example, in the cases of Peter
Abelard and Beranger) and commissions (as
with Nicolas of Autrecourt, Ockham, and
Eckhart). With the coming of the Reformation in
1517, this assertion of papal power came to its
head and the primacy and authority of the
papacy over theologians was vigorously reestablished. However, the Council of Trent reintroduced
the
collaboration
between
theologians and council Fathers, and the next
centuries leading up to the First and Second
Vatican Councils were generally accepting of a
broader role for the learned in the Church,
although the popes still kept a close eye on
theologians and intervened occasionally.
Council of Constance (1414-1418)
Another significant development in the teaching
authority of the Church occurred from 1414 to
1418 with the Council of Constance, which
effectively ran the Church during the Great
Schism, during which there were three men
claiming to be the pope. An early decree of this
council, Haec Sancta, challenged the primacy of
the pope, saying that councils represent the
church, are imbued with their power directly by
Christ, and are binding even for the pope in
matters of faith. This declaration was later
declared void by the Church because the early

sessions of the council had not been confirmed

by a pope, but it demonstrates that there were
still conciliar currents in the church running
against the doctrine of papal primacy, likely
influenced by the corruption seen in the papacy
during this time period.
The Vatican Councils and Their Popes
Pius IX and Vatican I
The groundwork for papal primacy was laid in
the medieval period, and in the late Middle Ages,
the idea of papal infallibility was introduced, but
a definitive statement and explanation of these
doctrines did not occur until the 19th century,
with Pope Pius IX and the First Vatican Council
(1869-1870). Pius IX was the first pope to use
the term Magisterium in the sense that it is
understood today, and the concept of the
ordinary and universal Magisterium was
officially established during Vatican I. In
addition, this council defined the doctrine of
papal infallibility, the ability of the pope to
speak without error when, acting in his capacity
as pastor and teacher of all Christians, he
commits his supreme authority in the universal
Church on a question of faith or morals.
Pius XII and Paul VI
Later, Pope Pius XII took the concept of the
newly defined Magisterium even farther, stating
that the faithful must be obedient to even the
ordinary Magisterium of the Pope, and that
there can no longer be any question of free
discussion between theologians once the Pope
has spoken on a given issue. Additionally, he
proposed the understanding of the theologian as
a justifier of the Magisterium, who ought not be
concerned with the formulation of new doctrine
but with the explanation of what has been set
forth by the Church.
Pope Paul VI, who convened the Second
Vatican Council, agreed with this view, and in a
speech to the International Congress on the
Theology of Vatican II, he described the
theologian as a sort of middleman between the
Church and the faithful, entrusted with the task
of explaining to the laity why the Church
teaches what she does..
The Post conciliar Church

The debate concerning the Magisterium, papal

primacy and infallibility, and the authority to
teach in general has not lessened since the
official declaration of the doctrines. Instead, the
Church has been torn by arguments; at one end
there are those with the tendency to regard even
technically non-binding papal encyclicals as
infallible statements, and at the other are those
who refuse to accept in any sense controversial
encyclicals such as Humanae Vitae and who
consider the dogma of papal infallibility to be
itself a fallible pronouncement. The situation is
complicated by changing attitudes toward
authority in an increasingly democratic world,
the new importance placed on academic freedom,
and new means of knowledge and
communication. In addition, the authority of
theologians is being revisited, with theologians
pushing past the structures laid out for them by
Pius XII and Paul VI and regarding themselves
purely as academics, not in the service of any
institution.
Reference:

(as well as the church taught) cannot be

explored when a peculiarly abstract meaning of
magisterium stands in the way.
Reference: Fashioning a People Today: The Educational Insight of Maria
Harris, 2007 by Gabriel Moran

Infallible Interpreter
Question: Whats the use of having an infallible
Bible unless you have an infallible interpreter to
give the correct meaning?
Answer: This is yet another argument designed
to bolster the authority of Rome and to
undermine the authority of the Bible. For, as you
say, whats the use of having an infallible Bible
if we cannot understand it correctly? Hence the
need for an infallible interpreter, the Roman
magisterium, which is supposedly infallible
(cannot make a mistake) and therefore
consistently interprets Gods Word correctly.
The average Roman Catholic could blindly trust
the magisterium and keep his Bible closed on
the shelf.

- Gerard Mannion, Richard Gaillardetz, Jan Kerkhofs, Kenneth Wilson

(eds.), Readings in Church Authority - Gifts and Challenges for
Contemporary Catholicism, Ashgate Press, 2003; 572pp
- The Canonical Safeguarding of the Word of God by Jaime B. Achacoso,
J.C.D., Philippine Canonical Forum, Volume II, January-December 2000.
- Tradition and Living Magisterium Article in the 1913 Catholic
Encyclopedia
- Truth in the Magisterium - Pope John Paul II

Etymology
The word "magisterium" is derived from Latin
magister, which originally meant the office of a
president, chief, director, superintendent, etc. (in
particular, though rarely, the office of tutor or
instructor of youth, tutorship, guardianship) or
teaching, instruction, advice.
Reference: Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary (online)

Discussions of teaching in the Roman Catholic

Church are hindered by an obscurantist use of
the Latin word Magisterium. Its current usage
goes back only to 1830. Since magisterium
simply means teaching, the word was used
throughout the Latin Middle Ages. There was a
magisterium of the professors chair and a
magisterium of the pastoral chair. The current
use has the effect of trying to eliminate most
forms of teaching in the church. How every
Christian participates in the Church Teaching

Evangelicals frankly admit that they are fallible.

We can, and often we do, make mistakes. Our
teachers are fallible, and they too are liable to
make mistakes. Sometimes they disagree among
themselves, and there is a measure of error in the
best Christian churches. We are not dissimilar
from the early Christians in the apostolic
churches. Sometimes their leaders disagreed too
(Acts 15:39), and there was a measure of error
and false doctrines in the churches of Colosse,
Galatia and Corinth.
Yet we, like the early Christians, also uphold the
essential truth of the Gospel. To be fallible is to
be liable to error; it does not mean that one must
always be in error! We thank God that He uses
weak and fallible instruments like our teachers
and our fallible understanding to teach us His
truth. Being aware of our limitations should
make us more diligent in our study of the
Scriptures, and more humble and willing to be
corrected, thus becoming more mature in our
understanding.
Despite the claim of an infallible magisterium,
our Roman Catholic friends are not better off.
Some Catholics frankly admit that Catholic

bishops have been mistaken, and that there is a

diversity of beliefs and opinions among the
Catholic people similar to the situation in the
Evangelical camp.
Even if the magisterium was infallible (in fact, it
is not), the Catholic is still caught up in a
dilemma. If, as you argue, there is no use for an
infallible Bible if there isnt an infallible
magisterium, then there isnt much use for an
infallible magisterium either. You may not
realize this, but your belief in the infallibility of
the magisterium is itself a fallible opinion. You
may have been indoctrinated since childhood or
you may have studied the issue yourself and
came to this conclusion about the magisterium.
Whatever the case may be, it is still your fallible
decision, your fallible belief. Also, Catholic
doctrine is taught to the laity by fallible priests,
fallible teachers, and fallible catechists. Their
teaching may not accurately reflect the official
Catholic position. And finally, Catholic doctrine
is received by the individual who is also fallible
and liable to misunderstand and misinterpret the
official teaching.
Protestants have no delusions about infallibility,
and I hope that many Catholics would come to
realize this evident reality in their church too.
Reference: Dr Joe Mizzi

The Magisterium or Teaching Authority of the

Church
By the Magisterium we mean the teaching office
of the Church. It consists of the Pope and
Bishops. Christ promised to protect the teaching
of the Church: "He, who hears you, hears me; he
who rejects you rejects me, he who rejects me,
rejects Him who sent me" (Luke 10. 16). Now of
course the promise of Christ cannot fail: hence
when the Church presents some doctrine as
definitive or final, it comes under this protection,
it cannot be in error; in other words, it is
infallible. This is true even if the Church does
not use the solemn ceremony of definition. The
day to day teaching of the Church throughout
the world, when the Bishops are in union with
each other and with the Pope, and present
something as definitive, this is infallible.
(Vatican II, Lumen gentium # 25). It was
precisely by the use of that authority that

Vatican I was able to define that the Pope alone,

when speaking as such and making things
definitive, is also infallible. Of course this
infallibility covers also teaching on what
morality requires, for that is needed for salvation.
A "theologian" who would claim he needs to be
able to ignore the Magisterium in order to find
the truth is strangely perverse: the teaching of
the Magisterium is the prime, God-given means
of finding the truth. Nor could he claim
academic freedom lets him contradict the
Church. In any field of knowledge, academic
freedom belongs only to a properly qualified
professor teaching in his own field. But one is
not properly qualified if he does not use the
correct method of working in his field, e.g., a
science professor who would want to go back to
medieval methods would be laughed off campus,
not protected. Now in Catholic theology , the
correct method is to study the sources of
revelation, but then give the final word to the
Church. He who does not follow that method is
not a qualified Catholic theologian. Vatican II
taught (Dei Verbum # 10): "The task of
authoritatively interpreting the word of God,
whether written or handed on [Scripture or
Tradition], has been entrusted exclusively to the
living Magisterium of the Church, whose
authority is exercised in the name of Jesus
Christ."
Reference: The Basic Catholic Catechism, 1990
PART FIVE: The Apostles' Creed IX - XII
Ninth Article: "The Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints"