ABSTRACT
Today, some Roman Catholic doctrines are well specified, while others have gone without episcopal or papal definition. There exists a certain tradition, a "hermeneutic of heresy", whereby Roman Catholics are able to discern what has been condemned in terms of theological dogma, and what has not. That tradition, often revived and cited by modern and contemporary Roman Catholic scholars, is the "Vincentian canon". Roman Catholicism has always held to some form of millenarianism, whether the kind critiqued by Moltmann, namely the "historical millenarianism" of Tyconius, or spiritualized versions such as Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter entitled Tertio Millennio Adveniente. Despite Cornelius a Lapide's critique of the millenarianism of the seventeenth century as untraditional and suspect because it makes history out of prophecy. Continuing to follow Vincent's protocol, this chapter explores the language of the creeds and the pronouncements of the major Ecumenical Councils, to determine if they support millennialism, condemn it as heretical, or remain ambiguous.
