First Vatican Council

• First Vatican Council


  Council convened by Pope Pius IX in Vatican from December 1869- September 1870
• First Vatican Council


  • Two constitutional documents
• Positions Dei Filius was written against


  • Materialism
  • Rationalism
  • Pantheism
  • Fideism
  • Traditionalism
• There was polarisation at the time of this Vatican
• From the end of the 9th century to the 20th September 1870 the main way of governance in Italy was through Papal States
• Rome bishop was monarch of these states
• Pope had a lot of power and made laws
• There was a revolt in the 1800's to push away from the constitutional monarchy from the Pope, called the reunification of Italy
• Completion on the 20th September 1870 of the reunification which marked the loss of power of the papal state
• The church was worried to lose the faith, therefore, held the first Vatican council
• Structure of Dei Filius


  • Chapter 1: God and creation
  • Chapter 2: scripture and tradition
  • Chapter 3: faith, response to it
  • Chapter 4: faith and reason
• Dei Filius


  Trying to legitimise faith as availed way of life, and speak into the scientific mind
• The document was emphasising the capacity of humans to know God
• The first Vatican council defined revelation as the things we can know about God
• Revelation is presented as a study of God as an object
• Dei Filius ended early and was felt that the document was unfinished