ROMANTICISM201with other styles of Christianity (such as
Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy),
it also has distinctive features, many of
which pertain to the relationship between
material and spiritual things—or more
precisely, between created and divine
realities. Thus, in Roman Catholicism, the
will of the human being must cooperate
with divine grace in salvation, rather than
simply being acted upon. Furthermore,
grace is primarily bestowed not directly
upon the human soul, but rather is
mediated through the material means of
the sacraments; similarly, grace is found
directly incorporated into exemplary
Christians (saints) whose examples and
even bodies (relics) are venerated after
death. Moreover, the Christian Church
per se exists not as a disembodied or
abstract entity, but as found embodied in
the RCC, where the bishops and the
pope are heirs of the teaching of Christ
(taking up the role of the apostles) and
mediators of the sacramental grace (since
they, assisted by the priests, celebrate
the Eucharist). This relation of created
and divine things is often justified by
reference to the union of the divine and
human in the incarnation, and it is taken
to imply a positive view of God’s presence
in the material world. All of these factors
foster among Roman Catholics a sense
of reliance upon the RCC and upon
Christian tradition that is not often found
in Protestantism.
Furthermore, Roman Catholicism as
a style of Christianity is tied to history
of the RCC, which (though present
throughout the world) has developed pri-
marily in Western Europe. Many of the
differences between the RCC and Eastern
Orthodoxy can be attributed to this his-
tory. Thus, Latin rather than Greek has
traditionally been associated with Roman
Catholicism (though the RCC claims both
heritages), Italian politics and art have
shaped the papacy, and the circumstances
of Western social history have influenced
the structures, values, and expectations
of the RCC. For example, the long reli-
ance upon monasteries for priestly and
Episcopal training may have contributed
to the RCC’s insistence upon priestly celi-
bacy, and the isolation of the papacy from
the other four prominent archbishops of
ancient Christianity (all in the Eastern
Mediterranean) may have advanced the
papacy’s singular authority in the RCC.
The doctrines of Roman Catholicism
are elaborated primarily on the basis of
two outstanding Latin theologians and
saints: Augustine, a fourth / fifth-century
North African bishop, and Thomas of
Aquinas, a thirteenth-century Italian friar.
However, neither theologian is followed
completely, and many others have a sig-
nificant voice. An extensive presentation
of the teachings of the RCC can be found
in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.ROMANTICISM. The term generally
denotes the period from 1760 to 1848.
This was an age in which science was
transforming the understanding of real-
ity, and political revolution in the British