Illogical statement = "A manifest heretic may or may not be a heretic."
No, that's not illogical, Pax. It may appear to be illogical to someone who is not aware of the fact that terminology rarely is perfect or exact. If you haven't had good teachers, you can learn that by attentively examining the use of terminology.
St. Thomas Aquinas (II-II:11:1) defines heresy: "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas".
So, following Thomas, heresy is a
species of infidelity.
Now, a
public or a
manifest heretic may be, what van Noort* and Salaverri* call a
material heretic or what they call a
formal heretic. A material heretic ignorantly and innocently utters heresy. Such a person can't be said to be infidel. Consequently, the material heretic is not a heretic.
Let me repeat that:
A material heretic is not a heretic.
As illogical as this may sound to the naive reader, it isn't. What may seem illogical, simply is an artifact of the use of a terminology which is less than perfect.
Conclusion:- A material heretic is not a heretic.
- A manifest heretic may or may not be a heretic.
- If you're not aware of the side effects of terminology, you can't understand theology or whatever area of expertise
*) see quotes above kindly posted by DecemRationis, thank you, Decem
Topic: Incredible Statement from Archbishop Vigano (Read 26174 times)