Christian Cyclopedia

(fides velata; fides in mysterio; fides in universali). Term for belief of that which is bound up with or implied by that which is explicitly known. Used variously in classic RC theol.: OT saints believed many things implicitly that we in the NT believe explicitly. Doctrines of the ch. are to be believed implicitly, though they may not be explicitly known. All the faithful of the RC Ch. believe the whole content of revelation; some believe it explicitly, others implicitly. Proclamation of dogma does not add to the content of revelation (believed implicitly by the ch.), but deepens knowledge of its truth, thus making possible explicit faith. RCs, together with other Christians, hold that something must be believed explicitly in any act of faith; e.g., in the OT, faith in an explicit promise led to implicit faith in Christ's redemption; explicit faith in the teaching function of the ch. leads to implicit faith in all its dogmas. See also Fides explicita.