The word doctrine comes from the Latin 'DOCTRINA'. [Ca. encyclopedia, V.4,] It means teaching or instruction and is closely associated with the word 'catechesis' and 'kerygma'. It is used both in the active sense of the imparting of knowledge and in the passive sense of what is taught.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was a teacher,and His teaching was what He had received from the Father [Jn 3.13; 5.17; 8.25-27]. This teaching had continuity whit that of Moses and the Prophets, but it completed and added to it. Our Lord taught with power and authority [Mt 7.29], and man's enternal 'salvation' depended on the way thos teaching was accepted [Lk 9.26]. After Christ's Resurrection and Ascension the 'Apostles' saw their task as that of handing on faithfully what they had received from Christ [Rom 16.17;Gla 1.8; Eph 4.14; Ti 1.9]. The word doctrine was used not only of their teaching [1 Tm. 4.6,16] but of the content of their preaching [Acts 2.42]. It was the good news, the Gospel, and from it stemmed the new way of life of the Christian.
Dogmatic theology & symbolic formation
Theology - a science about God or knowledge about God or wisdom about God.
Dogmatic - a precise expression of the orthodox faith. It's a study which is occupied with a systematic and scientific expression of the Church dogma (teaching).
Orthodox - an adjective which explains the precise truth.
Symbolic theology- phrase added to dogmatic theology for the purpose of comparison.
The object of Dogmatic and Symbolic theology
A definition of dogma includes these characteristic notes.
We confirm that dogma is a truth revealed to men by God. This quality of Christian dogma is different from pagan teachings.
Dogma is revealed truth, formulated preached and imposed by Church.
Orthodox dogmatic theology treats dogma and moral teaching/ Character separately.
Dogma does not satisfy an empty curiosity but it is a given.
Dogma aims at salvation.
The 1st characteristic note of the dogma is to be a truth revealed, to be a truth mere expressed in the true sources of Christian revelation. This revealed character of the dogma has accumulated superlative multiples name; such as the dogma of Jesus Christ mentioned in Eph. II: 15 and Col II: 14; the dogma of divinity, the Christian dogma, the dogma of our lord, the evangelist dogma and the apostolic dogma.
Dogma is a truth formulated defended and imposed by the Church. This is a specific note of the dogma conception. Nobody has the right to form a dogma except the Church.
Dogma is a theological truth. in order to distinguish the dogmatic teaching and the moral, and the canons etc, it has to be revealed by God.
The dogma is a truth unchangeable once given forever. A dogma, once formulated by the ecumenical synod, cannot be changed neither cannot be adopted secular medium.
The dogma is a truth that leads to salvation; dogmas are not given for the satisfaction of human curiosity. Dogmas is given for certain scopes; that is, for the salvation of human being for salvation is impossible without faith. Dogma is the object of this faith.
