Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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DOCTRINAL DEMYTHOLOGY

Critical evaluation of the dogma of the Catholic Church, similar to biblical demythology of the Bible. The basic premise is that doctrinal formulations are all time-conditioned. The definitions of the Councils of Nicaea, Chalcedon, and Trent are to be re-examined on the basis of what they really mean, by sloughing off what is unhistorical because mythical from what is historical and still true. On these terms nothing that the Church has ever taught in faith or morals would ever be substantially unchangeable, or at least the faithful can never be sure what this unchangeable substance is.