| dc.description.abstract | This paper seeks to understand just why Saint Veneration emerged within the Western Church. It
begins with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, citing sources such as the Catechism of
the Catholic Church, the writings of Robert Bellarmine, and the decrees of the Council of Trent.
From there it transitions to the early church fathers, who are cited by Catholic doctrine as proof
for the dogma. After the writings of the church fathers are considered, it is necessary to consider
the environment in which they lived to get a proper understanding of their point of view. A study
of said environment in the first few centuries is also called for in order to see how the culture and
environment influenced the rise of the Veneration of the Saints. The paper’s conclusions reiterate
the assertion that the Veneration of Saints in the Catholic Church originated from a combination
of Greek culture, persecution of the Christians, as well as the growing number of conversions of
peoples who previously worshipped the Greco-Roman Pantheon. | en_US |
