Chapter XXII: And their infallible judge, § 453.
CHAPTER XXII: ON THE JUDGE OF CONTROVERSIES IN THE CHURCH
§ 453. It is the unanimous and constant assertion of our churches that as Holy Scripture is the only norm for controversies of the faith, so also is it the infallible judge. In order that this may be correctly explained and understood, note that: (1) The judge of theological controversies is double. There is the absolute and principal Judge, that is, God Himself, the author of Scripture, or, what is the same, the Holy Spirit, because in external works [opera ad extra], when the Person is named, the entire Holy Trinity is understood. Then there is also the ministerial and inferior judge, that is, the Church, and in it especially the pastors and doctors of the Church whose responsibility it is to pass judgment on controversies of faith according to Scripture. [That is,] there is precisely a judging judge and a judge that must be judged, or there is a “judge to whom” and a “judge from whom,” as the lawyers say.
(2) Holy Scripture is both the voice of the principal and absolute judge as well as at the same time the only norm to which the ministerial and inferior judge should look and according to which he should judge. Consequently, some of our people call it the “directive judge” with respect to the ministerial and inferior judge, whom it directs and governs lest he wander from the path of truth as he judges. God judges primarily, preeminently, and authentically [
, et 
)”]; Scripture judges canonically [
]; the Church judges ministerially [
].
(3) For the sake of teaching, the ministerial judge could be thought of as double: public and private. The public judge is the ministerium of the Church; the private is any member of the Church, that is, a private citizen.
Now that we have said these things at the beginning, we shall have to prove three things: (1) That the principal, absolute, and authentic judge is God Himself, the author of Scripture. (2) That the ministerial and inferior judge is the Church. (3) That the voice of the principal judge and the norm of ministerial judgment is Holy Scripture alone.