Many of the decrees and resolutions of the Roman Congregations have been published in various collections. Some of the collections are sanctioned by papal authority, the Congregations have vouched for the genuineness of others, while some have received no official recognition. Through the official bulletin of the Holy See, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the important acts are published bi-monthly. Catholic periodicals in various countries also publish them with more or less completeness: e.g., The American Ecclesiastical Review; The Homiletic and Pastoral Review; The Irish Eeclesiastical Record.

These are largely legislative enactments, the former found in papal Constitutions, Apostolic letters, Apostolic epistles, and Motu Proprios; the latter in the decrees proper of the respective Congregations. The word decree is also used by the Church today in a non-legislative sense. Hence the Code on the one hand speaks of the decrees of general councils, of national and provincial councils, and even diocesan synods; on the other hand, of judicial and non-judicial decrees. Judicial decrees are all the rulings of an ecclesiastical court not comprised in incidental and final decisions. Non-judicial decrees vary from the regulations made in an episcopal visitation to the formal acts removing or transferring a pastor for the greater good of souls. The Roman Congregations, too, issue non-legislative decrees. For instance, the preliminary determinations in a process of canonization are made through decrees by the Congregations of Rites, the pope ratifying; so also are books condemned oy the Holy Office. But the Congregations now refrain from using the term decree when answering a query and designate the responses given either all dubia or declarationes.

Decrees issued by rulers, written commands having the effect of law, and the metaphor of God as King of the world provide the imagery behind the Bible's references to God's "decrees." Terms translated "decree" in Hebrew and/or Aramaic include dat ^[1] (a loanword from Persian) used in Daniel, Ezra, and Esther for decrees of God and human (especially Persian) monarchs, taam ^[2] for the orders of high officials including kings, hoq/huqqaa ^[3] used especially of God's laws, esar ^[4] (lit. "something binding"), and gezeraa ^[5] ("something decided"); and in Greek dogma ^[6] ("a ^[7] decree, decision"). The idea of "decree" may be present even where a specific technical term for "decree" does not occur. God and Human Decrees . Even in decrees by human monarchs God shows his own decrees or purposes to be sovereign. In Exodus 7-14 God shows his decrees to be sovereign over Pharaoh's by "hardening" Pharaoh's heart. This "hardening" involves the creation of an irrational mind-set. Despite the miraculous plagues, Pharaoh refuses to do the reasonable thing (decreeing Israel's release from bondage), thereby bringing further disaster on himself and his land. In the early stages of the story Pharaoh appears to be a free agent, hardening his own heart (Exodus 8:15 ), but as the story develops God is increasingly portrayed as the direct cause of Pharaoh's stupidity. Pharaoh is ultimately reduced to a mere puppet of Yahweh (Exodus 14:4,8 ). The decrees of Cyrus (Ezra 5:13-15 ; 6:3-5 ; 1:2-4 ) to allow the Jews to return from Babylonian exile and rebuild Jerusalem was prophesied beforehand (Isaiah 44:26-45:4,13 ) and providentially prompted by God, who "stirred up" Cyrus's spirit to issue it (2 Chronicles 36:22 ; Ezra 1:1 ). Nonetheless, Ezra-Nehemiah sees a cooperation of heaven and earth in which human initiative (via Zerubbabel, Joshua, Ezra, and Nehemiah) and divine control are both prominent. Hence, the rebuilding of Jerusalem is said to be both "by the command of God" and "by the decrees" of several Persian monarchs (Ezra 7:13 ). God delivers Daniel and his friends from various human decrees—one by Nebuchadnezzar to kill the sages of Babylon (Daniel 2:13 ), another to cremate anyone not worshiping the image of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:10-11 ), a third "immutable" decree to cast to lions anyone praying to a god or person besides Darius the Mede (Daniel 6:7-9 ). Providence reverses Ahasuerus/Xerxes' decree to exterminate the Jews (Esther 3:7-15 ) so that the enemies of the Jews are destroyed by royal decree instead (Esther 8:8-9:16 ). The decree of Caesar Augustus for a census (Luke 2:1 ) is providentially used to ensure the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 ; cf. Matthew 2:4-6 ). God's Decrees and the Law . The terms hoq/huqqaa [ Isaiah 10:1 "Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees" ). Use of hoq/huqqaa [ Deuteronomy 4:1,5-6,8 ). Colossians 2:14 (cf. Ephesians 2:15 ) states that Christ by the cross canceled the certificate of debt consisting of "decrees" (NASB; Gk. dogmata ^[6]) against us. Evidently this is in reference to God's laws that we have violated and which, apart from the cross, condemn us. Prophetic Decrees . Predictive prophecies resemble decrees by God determining the course of history: "The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed (lit. " written" )" in the prophets ( Luke 22:22 ; cf. Matthew 26:53-54,56 ). God decrees Ahab's doom (1 Kings 22:23 ) and destruction on Israel (Isaiah 10:23 ); "Seventy sevens'" (often understood as "weeks of years") have been decreed for the history of Daniel's people (Daniel 9:24 ). The scroll sealed with seven seals in Revelation 5:1 perhaps represents a divine decree determining the destiny of the world. Sometimes predictive "decrees" can be abrogated, repentance averting punishment and disobedience annulling blessing (Jeremiah 18:7-10 ; Jonah 3:10 ). Hence, despite the "decree" of the destruction, Zephaniah can call the people to seek God "before the decree takes effect Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger" (2:1-3 NASB). Political and Cosmic Order . Poetic texts describe God's decrees as having established political and cosmic order. Psalm 2 , an enthronement psalm, states that it was by the Lord's decree (hoq ^[2] with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, " may well allude to the "decree" of Psalm 2:7 . The psalmist describes God's gift of the land as a decree (Psalm 105:10 ). Job felt his suffering was by divine decree (Job 23:14 ). Lamentations 3:37 states that all things, good or bad, have been decreed by God. God gave a lasting decree that fixed heavenly bodies in their places ( Psalm 148:3-6 ). God's Decrees and Election . Calvin understood God's choosing us in Christ before creation and predestinating us to adoption "in accord with his pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:3-5 ) as an immutable, divine decree. Church Decrees . Paul and Timothy disseminated the Jerusalem church's decrees (the decision of Acts 15 ), presumably providentially guided, concerning relations between Jewish and Gentile Christians (Acts 16:4 ). Paul in his epistles never utilized this decree of Acts 15 as church "law, " however, even where he could have. Ultimately in the postapostolic church this term for decree ( dogma ^[6]) comes to refer to authoritative teachings of church councils. Joel M. Sprinkle See also Command, Commandment ; Law ; Predestination ; Requirement Bibliography . M. Black, Romans ; J. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion ; D. J. Clines, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther ; H. H. Esser, NIDNTT, 1:330-31; D. M. Gunn, Art and Meaning: Rhetoric in Biblical Literature, pp. 72-96; H. Ringgren, TDOT, 5:141-42; G. Schrenk, TDNT, 1:619.

"The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations, and determining their certain futurition. The several contents of this one eternal purpose are, because of the limitation of our faculties, necessarily conceived of by us in partial aspects, and in logical relations, and are therefore styled Decrees." The decree being the act of an infinite, absolute, eternal, unchangeable, and sovereign Person, comprehending a plan including all his works of all kinds, great and small, from the beginning of creation to an unending eternity; ends as well as means, causes as well as effects, conditions and instrumentalities as well as the events which depend upon them, must be incomprehensible by the finite intellect of man. The decrees are eternal (Acts 15:18 ; Ephesians 1:4 ; 2 th 2:13 ), unchangeable (Psalm 33:11 ; Isaiah 46:9 ), and comprehend all things that come to pass (Ephesians 1:11 ; Matthew 10:29,30 ; Ephesians 2:10 ; Acts 2:23 ; 4:27,28 ; Psalm 17:13,14 ). The decrees of God are (1) efficacious, as they respect those events he has determined to bring about by his own immediate agency; or (2) permissive, as they respect those events he has determined that free agents shall be permitted by him to effect. This doctrine ought to produce in our minds "humility, in view of the infinite greatness and sovereignty of God, and of the dependence of man; confidence and implicit reliance upon wisdom, rightenousness, goodness, and immutability of God's purpose."

Are his settled purposes, whereby he foreordains whatsoever comes to pass, Daniel 4:24 . Acts 15:18 . Ephesians 1:11 . This doctrine is the subject of one of the most perplexing controversies that has occurred among mankind; it is not, however, as some think, a novel doctrine. The opinion, that whatever occurs in the world at large, or in the lot of private individuals, is the result of a previous and unalterable arrangement by that Supreme Power which presides over Nature, has always been held by many of the vulgar, and has been believed by speculative men. The ancient stoics, Zeno and Chrysippus, whom the Jewish Essenes seem to have followed, asserted the existence of a Deity, that, acting wisely but necessarily, contrived the general system of the world; from which, by a series of causes, whatever is now done in it unavoidable results. Mahomet introduced into his Kiran the doctrine of absolute predestination of the course of human affairs. He represented life and death, prosperity and adversity, and every event that befalls a man in this world, as the result of a previous determination of the one God who rules over all. Augustine and the whole of the earliest reformers, but especially Calvin, favoured this doctrine. It was generally asserted, and publicly owned, in most of the confessions of faith of the reformed churches, and particularly in the church of England; and to this, we may add, that it was maintained by a great number of divines in the last two centuries. As to the nature of these decrees, it must be observed that they are not the result of deliberation, or the Almighty's debating matters within himself, reasoning in his own mind about the expediency or inexpediency of things, as creatures do; nor are they merely ideas of things future, but settled determinations founded on his sovereign will and pleasure, Isaiah 40:14 . They are to be considered as eternal: this is evident; for if God be eternal, consequently his purposes must be of equal duration with himself: to suppose otherwise, would be to suppose that there was a time when he was undetermined and mutable; whereas no new determinations or after thoughts can arise in his mind, Job 23:13 ; Job 14:1-22 : 2. They are free, without any compulsion, and not excited by any motive out of himself, Romans 9:15 . 3. They are infinitely wise, displaying his glory, and promoting the general good, Romans 11:33 . 4. They are immutable, for this is the result of his being infinitely perfect; for if there were the least change in God's understanding, it would be an instance of imperfection, Malachi 3:6 . 5. They are extensive or universal, relating to all creatures and things in heaven, earth, and hell, Ephesians 1:11 .Proverbs 16:4 . 6. They are secret, or at least cannot be known till he be pleased to discover them. It is therefore presumption for any to attempt to enter into or judge of what he has not revealed, Deuteronomy 29:29 . Nor is an unknown or supposed decree at any time to be the rule of our conduct. His revealed will alone, must be considered as the rule by which we are to judge of the event of things, as well as of our conduct at large, Romans 11:34 . 7. Lastly, they are effectual; for as he is infinitely wise to plan, so he is infinitely powerful to perform: his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure, Isaiah 46:10 . This doctrine should teach us, 1. Admiration. "He is the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is he, " Deuteronomy 32:4 . 2. Reverence. "Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain, " Jeremiah 10:7 . 3. Humility. "O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33 . 4. Submission. "For he doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" Daniel 4:35 . 5. Desire for heaven. "What I do, thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter, " John 13:7 . See NECESSITY, PREDESTINATION. Decrees of Councils are the laws made by them to regulate the doctrine and policy of the Church. Thus the acts of the Christian council at Jerusalem are called, Acts 16:4 .

The Decrees of God is His eternal purpose, according to His will, whereby He has foreordained whatever comes to pass. His Decrees do not negate the responsibility of people for their sins nor does it mean that God is responsible for sin. But, it necessarily is true that God knows all things actual as well as potential, and that that which exists, exists due to His creative effort. It also follows that God has eternally known all events that have occurred, are occurring, and will occur in this creation including the fall, redemption, glorification, etc. Yet, God is not the one responsible for the sin in the world but has decreed, by His permission, that it be allowed to exist. Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure." God's efficacious decrees are those decrees which God has purposed and determined to occur, Acts 2:23 "this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." God's permissive decrees are those decrees where He permits things to occur such as evil.

Many of the decrees and resolutions of the Roman Congregations have been published in various collections. Some of the collections are sanctioned by papal authority, the Congregations have vouched for the genuineness of others, while some have received no official recognition. Through the official bulletin of the Holy See, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the important acts are published bi-monthly. Catholic periodicals in various countries also publish them with more or less completeness: e.g., The American Ecclesiastical Review; The Homiletic and Pastoral Review; The Irish Eeclesiastical Record.