Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus I: Demonstratio Christiana

a) Material object. According to its definition, apologetics is wholly occupied with proving that the Christian-Catholic religion was revealed by God. For Christ, while He dwelt on earth, completing and enlarging the revelation of the Old Testament, founded that religion which we ourselves call Christian. And upon returning to heaven, He established for the custody of this His religion at all times and for its administration among all men that ecclesiastical society which we call Catholic. The revelation made by Christ is accordingly the constitutive principle, the Church founded by Christ the regulative principle, of faith and theology.

Yet the fact that we rightly hold this view of the origin and office of the Christian religion and of the Catholic Church must not be presupposed, but proven, by a twofold apologetic demonstration.

The Christian demonstration argues that the religion of this name is revealed by showing that Jesus Christ, its author, is the legate and Son of God.

The Catholic demonstration proves that the Christian religion is to be found in the Catholic Church alone by showing that this Church was founded by Christ as the custodian and dispenser of revealed truth.

b) Formal object. It is evident and clear that apologetics, lest it fall into a vicious circle, does not consider its materials in the light of revelation, but investigates them by the aid of pure reason. The arguments, therefore, which it employs are drawn partly from philosophy, partly from history. It also makes use of Sacred Scripture not as an inspired book, but as a merely historical one; likewise it does not yet regard Tradition as a divine source of revelation, but as a merely human source of historical truth.

Nevertheless, step by step apologetics solves certain questions by also employing revealed truths. E.g., once it has first been proven by rational arguments that the infallibility of the Roman Pontiff is a revealed truth, we shall further use this very authority of the Roman Pontiffs to establish other revealed truths. This manner of arguing and concluding in no way contradicts the rational method. For reason itself teaches us to derive other conclusions logically from those things which have been scientifically proven.

Nor does the fact that we very often add dogmatic definitions and censures of the Church to our philosophical-historical arguments, even before the authority of the Church herself in matters of faith has been proven, stand in the way of this rational method. For such ecclesiastical definitions and censures are adduced not for the sake of proof, but for the sake of complement. And rightly so. For all, or nearly all, of the things that are scientifically treated in apologetics are also objects of faith. Therefore, lest they have to be treated twice, first apologetically and afterwards dogmatically, it will be said at once in apologetics what the Church thinks about these questions. This manner of proceeding befits us Catholic apologists especially, because we already hold the revelation by faith, which we deliberately defend against unbelievers by rational arguments.

c) Corollaries. Having weighed the material and formal object of apologetics, these corollaries are easily understood:

1°. Apologetics is distinguished from apology (apologia). Both indeed defend religion by using rational arguments. They differ, however, in material object. Apologetics systematically defends religion with respect to its total object, that is, with respect to the principles and foundations of the whole religion, vindicating its divine origin. Apology, on the other hand, defends religion with respect to certain partial objects, that is, with respect to individual dogmatic, moral, historical, etc. truths, according to that saying of St. Peter: "Always ready to give satisfaction (πρὸς ἀπολογίαν) to every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you."¹

This difference is already sufficiently suggested by the words "apology" and "apologetics": for ἀπολογία signifies defense simply, ἀπολογητική the science of defense. Apologetics, therefore, is the science of apology, just as catechetics is the science of catechesis.

2°. Apologetics also differs greatly from dogmatics (dogmatic theology). The material object of apologetics is the fact of revelation (the foundations and principles of faith and theology); the material object of dogmatics, however, is the content of revelation (the individual truths of faith and theology). Likewise, the formal object of apologetics is natural reason; the formal object of dogmatics, however, is supernatural revelation, or reason enlightened by faith. In apologetics reason precedes faith (through understanding to faith); in dogmatics faith precedes reason (through faith to understanding). Of the former it holds: "I understand that I may believe"; of the latter: "I believe that I may understand."

3°. Apologetics differs from theodicy, or natural theology. Both indeed investigate divine things by the same light of reason, but in such a way, however, that they are concerned with distinct material objects. For theodicy demonstrates natural religion, treating of the existence and nature of God and of the worship to be rendered to Him; apologetics, on the other hand, presupposing natural religion, establishes supernatural revelation. Grasping philosophy with the left hand and reaching forth theology with the right, it joins both harmoniously and organically. Nevertheless, in schools in which the serious study of philosophy does not precede apologetics, the apologists themselves are compelled to preface the demonstration of natural religion to the demonstration of the Christian revelation and of the Catholic Church.

4°. Apologetics is a science of its own kind, distinct from all disciplines, both profane and theological. For it is distinguished from philosophy and the other profane sciences by its material object; from theology, however, by its material object already and then by its formal one. Since, nevertheless, nearly all of the material objects of apologetics are, under a different respect, also materials of theology; and since the whole of theology is built upon the apologetic foundation, apologetics itself is likewise commonly numbered among the theological disciplines. This is so with about the same right by which a foundation can be called a part of a building, indeed its principal part, although otherwise it is far different from the building.