Vatican Council I – Constitution on the Son of God (1870): Dogmatic definition on the creation of angels (Mansi, vols. 49-53).

## Vatican I (1869-1870) – Confirmation of Angelology

The First Ecumenical Council of Vatican (presided over by Pope Pius IX) in its Dogmatic Constitution *Dei Filius* (April 24, 1870) solemnly confirmed the doctrine of angelic creation against modernist errors. The text echoes and reaffirms the teachings of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215).

**Key Details:**

* **Council:** Vatican I (20th Ecumenical Council)
* **Convocator:** Blessed Pius IX
* **Dates:** December 8, 1869 – July 18, 1870 (suspended due to the Risorgimento)
* **Document:** *Constitutio Dogmatica Dei Filius*, April 24, 1870
* **Sources:** Mansi *Sacrorum Conciliorum* vols. 50-52 (Conc. Vat. I, Pars 2); Denzinger-Schoenmetzer 3000-3045

## Errors Combated

Vatican I addressed the errors of the 19th century:

* **Materialism:** Denies the existence of spirits (angels).
* **Pantheism:** Identifies God with nature, denying a distinct creature from the Creator.
* **Naturalism:** Denies the supernatural, including the action of angels.
* **Rationalism:** Reduces faith to natural reason, rejecting the invisible.
* **Modernism:** Still developing at the time; condemned by Pius X in 1907.

## Latin Text from *Dei Filius*, Chapter 1 (On God as Creator of All Things)

> **”Sancta catholica apostolica Romana Ecclesia credit et confitetur, unum esse Deum verum et vivum, Creatorem ac Dominum caeli et terrae, omnipotentem, aeternum, immensum, incomprehensibilem, intellectu ac voluntate omnique perfectione infinitum… hic solus verus Deus bonitate sua et omnipotenti virtute non ad augendam suam beatitudinem, nec ad acquirendam, sed ad manifestandam perfectionem suam per bona, quae creaturis impertitur, liberrimo consilio simul ab initio temporis utramque de nihilo condidit creaturam, spiritualem et corporalem, angelicam videlicet et mundanam: ac deinde humanam, quasi communem ex spiritu et corpore constitutam.”**

## Portuguese Translation from *Dei Filius*, Chapter 1

> **”A Santa Igreja Católica Apostólica Romana crê e confessa que há um só Deus verdadeiro e vivo, Criador e Senhor do céu e da terra, omnipotente, eterno, imenso, incompreensível, infinito em intelecto, vontade e em toda perfeição… Este único verdadeiro Deus, pela sua bondade e poder omnipotente , não para aumentar a sua felicidade nem para adquiri-la, mas para manifestar a sua perfeição por meio dos bens que comunica às criaturas , com livre conselho criou simultaneamente do nada, no princípio do tempo, ambas as criaturas, a espiritual e a corporal , ou seja, a angélica e a mundana , e depois a humana, como criatura comum constituída de espírito e corpo.”**

## The Four Anathemas from Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of *Dei Filius* is followed by five anathemas (dogmatic canons). Those relevant to angelology:

**Canon 1 – Against Atheism**

> **Latin:** **”Si quis unum verum Deum, visibilium et invisibilium creatorem et Dominum negaverit: anathema sit.”**

> **Portuguese:** **”Se alguém negar o único Deus verdadeiro, Criador das coisas visíveis e invisíveis, seja anátema.”**

## Canon 2, Against Materialism

**Latin:** “Si quis praeter materiam nihil esse affirmare non erubuerit: anathema sit.”

**English:** “If anyone does not blush at affirming that nothing exists beyond matter, let him be anathema.”

This canon implies the existence of angels as immaterial spiritual beings.

## Canon 5, Against Pantheism

**Latin:** “Si quis non confiteatur, mundum resque omnes, quae in eo continentur, et spirituales et materiales, secundum totam suam substantiam a Deo ex nihilo esse productas…: anathema sit.”

**English:** “If anyone does not confess that the world and all things contained therein, both spiritual and material, were produced by God from nothing according to their whole substance… be anathema.”

## The Three Dogmatic Affirmations About Angels

Vatican I reaffirms and solemnly confirms:

* **Angels exist as spiritual creatures** (against materialism)
* **Angels were created by God out of nothing** (against pantheism and emanationism)
* **Angels were created at the beginning of time** (cf. Fourth Lateran Council, Simul ab initio temporis)

## Continuity with the Fourth Lateran Council (1215)

The text of Dei Filius chapter 1 is almost identical to Firmiter credimus from the Fourth Lateran Council (1215). This deliberate repetition is significant:

| Lateran IV (DS 800) | Vatican I (DS 3002) |
|—|—|
| “Unum universorum principium: creator omnium visibilium et invisibilium” | “Unum esse Deum verum… Creatorem ac Dominum caeli et terrae” |
| “simul ab initio temporis utramque de nihilo condidit creaturam” | “liberrimo consilio simul ab initio temporis utramque de nihilo condidit creaturam” |
| “spiritualem et corporalem, angelicam videlicet et mundanam” | “spiritualem et corporalem, angelicam videlicet et mundanam” |

Vatican I reiterates almost verbatim the language of Lateran IV, adding only “liberrimo consilio” (with liberal counsel) to emphasize the absolute freedom of creation against any determinism or Neo-Platonic emanationism.

## What Was Missing from Vatican I?

Vatican I was interrupted by the occupation of Rome by the Italian Risorgimento (September 20, 1870). It approved:

* **Constitutio Dei Filius** (on Catholic faith)
* **Constitutio Pastor Aeternus** (on the Primacy and papal infallibility)

But it prepared but did not vote on:

* **Schema on the Church (Ecclesia)**
* **A more detailed Schema on Angels and Demons**
* **A Schema on Final Causes**

Vatican II (1962-1965) picked up some of this material, particularly in Lumen Gentium, but systematic angeology/demonology was not again treated in a universal council after Lateran IV.

## Doctrinal Legacy

Dei Filius chapter 1 remains the most recent dogmatic definition on the creation of angels. It is cited literally:

**Catholic Theological Resources on Angels and Demons:**

– *Codex Iuris Canonici 1917 & 1983*: Regarding the profession of faith of clerics.
– *Lumen Gentium* 49-50: See post on angels and the pilgrim Church on high.
– *Catechism of the Catholic Church* (1992) n. 327: “The angels are spiritual beings, not corporeal.”
– *Paul VI*, *Credo of the People of God* (1968): See post on angels and demons in Paul VI’s Credo.

**Additional Reading:**

– *Fourth Lateran Council (1215)* | *Denzinger – Systematic Index of Definitions and Dogmas* | *CCC – Angels and Demons* (328-336, 391-395) | *Paul VI Credo* (1968).

**Explore our comprehensive guide to *Angelology* in the Catholic Church.**