overthrown throughout the Roman Empire, and the Christian Religion was permanently established.
36. [1]The Catholic Church had now to gain victories of another kind — namely, over her internal enemies, the heretics. Several heretical and schismatical doctrines had already been broached at different times and in different places; they had, however, soon disappeared. But now, by God's permission, some new heretics arose, and gained many followers by cunning and fraud. They impudently left the Church, and formed separate and vast communions or sects, which were mostly named after their founders; as the Arians, Nestorians, Eutychians. Pelagians, etc. These heretics often succeeded in gaining the favor of princes and emperors, under whose protection they most cruelly oppressed and persecuted the faithful. In the same way as the Apostles had formerly assembled in order to settle, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and under the presidency of St. Peter, such differences as had arisen in matters of religion (Acts XV.), so now also their successors, the bishops of the Catholic Church, assembled under the presidency of the Pope, or of his legates, consulted about the heretical: doctrines, and then condemned them. Such an assembly of bishops is called a General Council; and the decisions of such a council in matters of faith, when confirmed by the Pope, are infallible, because they proceed from the
- ↑ Were the contests of the Church now at an end? Who were her new enemies? Had there not been heresies before? And what was the difference between them and these new ones? Whence did the sects take their names? How did they behave towards the faithful? How did the Church oppose these heresies? What is the name of a general assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church? When and why are the decisions of a General Council infallible? When was the Council of Nice held? How many, and what, bishops were assembled there? What sentence did they pass? What error did Arius maintain? What became of these sectarians after their condemnation? How did it fare with all subsequent heresies? And what became of the Catholic Church?
