Doctrine
From BibleWiki
Doctrine, from the Latin, doctrina, means teaching or instruction; that which is taught; what is held, put forth as true, and supported by a teacher, a school, or a sect; a principle or position, or the body of principles, in any branch of knowledge; any tenet or dogma; a principle of faith. Taken in the sense of "the act of teaching" and "the knowledge imparted by teaching", this term is synonymous with “catechesis†and “catechismâ€.
In the Biblical sense, a doctine is a principle taught by the scriptures. According to 2 Tim 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.â€
Church history is replete with examples of disagreements about Biblical doctrines. For example, the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica article on Christianity discusses the doctrine of the Trinity:
- This same purpose, namely, to hold fast to the historic Jesus, triumphed in the doctrine of the Trinity; Jesus was not to be resolved into an aeon or into some mystericus tertium quid, neither God nor man, but to be recognized as very God who redeemed the soul. Through him men were to understand the Father and to understand themselves as God's children. Thus the doctrine of the Trinity satisfied at once the philosophic intelligence of scholars and the religious needs of Christians.
Similarly, the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica article on Church History explains how doctrinal differences have been handled by the church:
- As a result the ecumenical council came into existence especially for the purpose of settling disputed questions of doctrine, and giving to the collective episcopate the opportunity to express its voice in a final and official way. At the council of Nicaea, and at the ecumenical councils which followed, the idea of an infallible episcopate giving authoritative and permanent utterance to apostolic and therefore divine truth, found clear expression, and has been handed down as a part of the faith of the Catholic Church both East and West.
