ST. IRENAEUS. — “The Church’s
preaching everywhere constant and equally persevering, having its witness from
the Prophets, and the Apostles, and all the disciples... and the wonted way of
behaving in accordance with the salvation of men, which is in our faith: which
we keep as perceived by the Church, and which by God’s Spirit, like an
excellent deposit in a good vessel, ever grows young and rejuvenates the very
vessel in which it exists. (Against Heresies 3.24.1)
It is plain that, according to
St. Irenaeus, the revealed deposit possesses two characteristics. First, it
develops or rejuvenates the vessel in which it is deposited, which is the minds
of the faithful or of the whole Church: “deposit... rejuvenates the very vessel
in which it exists.” Second, it not only rejuvenates the minds of the faithful,
but the deposit itself rejuvenates itself: “deposit... ever grows young. ” The
subjective-objective character of dogmatic evolution can hardly be expressed
more plainly and more beautifully in such concise terms.
In this passage the Saint very
clearly points out at the same time the two factors that intervene in this
evolution or rejuvenation: the instrumental factor, viz. the Church, and the
principal factor, which is the action of the Holy Spirit: “by the Church ...by
God’s Spirit.” (Francisco Marín-Sola, The Homogeneous Evolution of Catholic
Dogma [trans. Antonio T. Piñon; Manila, Philippines: Santo Tomas University
Press, 1988], 640-41)
