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<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Ecclesiastical Constitutions</title><script src="https://dtyry4ejybx0.cloudfront.net/js/cmp/cleanmediacmp.js?ver=0104" async="true"></script><script defer data-domain="newadvent.org" src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04320a.htm"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="description" content="In legal language the term constitutiones denotes only church ordinances, civil ordinances being termed leges, laws"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="http://feeds.newadvent.org/bestoftheweb?format=xml"><link rel="icon" href="../images/icon1.ico" type="image/x-icon"><link rel="shortcut icon" href="../images/icon1.ico" type="image/x-icon"><meta name="robots" content="noodp"><link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="../utility/screen6.css" media="screen"></head> <body class="cathen" id="04320a.htm">  <br/> <div id="capitalcity"><table summary="Logo" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="100%"><tr valign="bottom"><td align="left"><a href="../"><img height=36 width=153 border="0" alt="New Advent" src="../images/logo.gif"></a></td><td align="right"> <form id="searchbox_000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0" action="../utility/search.htm">  <input type="hidden" name="safe" value="active"> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0"/> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:9"/>  <label for="searchQuery" id="searchQueryLabel">Search:</label> <input id="searchQuery" name="q" type="text" size="25" aria-labelledby="searchQueryLabel"/>  <label for="submitButton" id="submitButtonLabel" class="visually-hidden">Submit Search</label> <input id="submitButton" type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" aria-labelledby="submitButtonLabel"/> </form> <table summary="Spacer" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td height="2"></td></tr></table> <table summary="Tabs" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../"> Home </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_white_on_color" href="../cathen/index.html"> Encyclopedia </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../summa/index.html"> Summa </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../fathers/index.html"> Fathers </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../bible/gen001.htm"> Bible </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../library/index.html"> Library </a></td> </tr></table> </td> </tr></table><table summary="Alphabetical index" width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td class="bar_white_on_color"> <a href="../cathen/a.htm"> A </a><a href="../cathen/b.htm"> B </a><a href="../cathen/c.htm"> C </a><a href="../cathen/d.htm"> D </a><a href="../cathen/e.htm"> E </a><a href="../cathen/f.htm"> F </a><a href="../cathen/g.htm"> G </a><a href="../cathen/h.htm"> H </a><a href="../cathen/i.htm"> I </a><a href="../cathen/j.htm"> J </a><a href="../cathen/k.htm"> K </a><a href="../cathen/l.htm"> L </a><a href="../cathen/m.htm"> M </a><a href="../cathen/n.htm"> N </a><a href="../cathen/o.htm"> O </a><a href="../cathen/p.htm"> P </a><a href="../cathen/q.htm"> Q </a><a href="../cathen/r.htm"> R </a><a href="../cathen/s.htm"> S </a><a href="../cathen/t.htm"> T </a><a href="../cathen/u.htm"> U </a><a href="../cathen/v.htm"> V </a><a href="../cathen/w.htm"> W </a><a href="../cathen/x.htm"> X </a><a href="../cathen/y.htm"> Y </a><a href="../cathen/z.htm"> Z </a> </td></tr></table></div> <div id="mobilecity" style="text-align: center; "><a href="../"><img height=24 width=102 border="0" alt="New Advent" src="../images/logo.gif"></a></div>  <div id="mi5"><span class="breadcrumbs"><a href="../">Home</a> > <a href="../cathen">Catholic Encyclopedia</a> > <a href="../cathen/c.htm">C</a> > Ecclesiastical Constitutions</span></div> <div id="springfield2"> <div class='catholicadnet-728x90' id='cathen-728x90-top' style='display: flex; height: 100px; align-items: center; justify-content: center; '></div> <h1>Ecclesiastical Constitutions</h1> <p><em><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/na2"><strong>Please help support the mission of New Advent</strong> and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99...</a></em></p> <p>The term <em>constitution</em> denotes, in general, the make-up of a body, either physical or moral. Used in reference to civil or religious <a href="../cathen/14074a.htm">societies</a>, the word, in the singular, signifies the fundamental law determining their governing, legislative, and executive organism; in the plural it denotes the enactments, ordinances, and <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">laws</a> issued by the supreme authority to further the object of the <a href="../cathen/14074a.htm">society</a>. In legal language the term constitutiones denotes only church ordinances, civil ordinances being termed <em>leges</em>, <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">laws</a>. The <em>constitutiones ecclesiastic</em> have in common with the <em>leges civiles</em> the binding power derived from the authority of their framers, but they differ from them as the <a href="../cathen/03744a.htm">Church</a> differs from civil <a href="../cathen/14074a.htm">society</a>, viz, in their origin, object, and Sanction. Civil <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">laws</a> are enactments of a power directly human and only Divine in its first cause; their primary object is the furtherance of temporal welfare; and their sanction, temporal penalties. Ecclesiastical constitutions, on the other hand, emanate from an authority directly of Divine institution; their ultimate object is to promote the <a href="../cathen/13407a.htm">salvation</a> of <a href="../cathen/14153a.htm">souls</a> in the <a href="../cathen/08646a.htm">Kingdom of God</a> on earth; their sanction consists in spiritual penalties.</p> <div class="CMtag_300x250" style="display: flex; height: 300px; align-items: center; justify-content: center; "></div> <p>In the total complex of <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">laws</a> bearing on matters spiritual, ecclesiastical constitutions stand midway between the Divine and the <a href="../cathen/09076a.htm">natural law</a>. The <a href="../cathen/09071a.htm">Divine law</a> is contained in the Scriptures interpreted by living, authoritative tradition, e.g. the <a href="../cathen/04153a.htm">Ten Commandments</a>, the constitutions of the <a href="../cathen/03744a.htm">Church</a>, the administration of the <a href="../cathen/13295a.htm">sacraments</a>. Natural law rests on the dictates of <a href="../cathen/09580c.htm">human</a> <a href="../cathen/12673b.htm">reason</a>, e.g. the <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">law</a> of Self-preservation, obedience to authority, Divine worship. Both the Divine and the natural <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">laws</a> are often insufficiently determined; the <a href="../cathen/03744a.htm">Church</a> expounds them and adapts them to particular times, places, and <a href="../cathen/11726a.htm">persons</a>. Chief among ecclesiastical constitutions are the ordinances emanating from <a href="../cathen/04423f.htm">general councils</a> (see <a href="../cathen/04423f.htm">GENERAL COUNCILS</a>, X, XI) and from the <a href="../cathen/01640c.htm">Apostolic See</a> (see <a href="../cathen/04321a.htm">PAPAL CONSTITUTIONS</a>); these are the <em>constitutiones ecclesiastic</em> in the strictest sense of the term. Episcopal constitutions are issued by <a href="../cathen/02581b.htm">bishops</a> either singly or assembled in <a href="../cathen/14388a.htm">synods</a>, e.g. the constitutions of the ten provincial and three plenary council of <a href="../cathen/02228a.htm">Baltimore</a>, which have adapted the ancient constitutions of the Universal Church to the peculiar national and political situation of the <a href="../cathen/15156a.htm">United States of America</a>.</p> <div class="pub"><h2>About this page</h2><p id="apa"><strong>APA citation.</strong> <span id="apaauthor">Wilhelm, J.</span> <span id="apayear">(1908).</span> <span id="apaarticle">Ecclesiastical Constitutions.</span> In <span id="apawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="apapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span> <span id="apaurl">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04320a.htm</span></p><p id="mla"><strong>MLA citation.</strong> <span id="mlaauthor">Wilhelm, Joseph.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Ecclesiastical Constitutions."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 4.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1908.</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04320a.htm>.</span></p><p id="transcription"><strong>Transcription.</strong> <span id="transcriber">This article was transcribed for New Advent by Douglas J. Potter.</span> <span id="dedication">Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.</span></p><p id="approbation"><strong>Ecclesiastical approbation.</strong> <span id="nihil"><em>Nihil Obstat.</em> Remy Lafort, Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><em>Imprimatur.</em> +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></p><p id="contactus"><strong>Contact information.</strong> The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster <em>at</em> newadvent.org. 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