A MAP OF LIFE bishops. And in case of doubt as to what bishops teach, a definition by the Pope himself is sufficient to inform us of the truth. But if the body of bishops, with the Pope at their head, are the sole infallible teachers of doctrine, they are not the only people in the Church who are studying doctrine. Every Catholic does it to some extent: theologians give their lives to it. Throughout the ages there has never ceased to be a stream of solid thinking on theology. Now this thinking is the thinking of men : the result of their thinking may be the emergence of some truth not previously so clearly seen ; but likewise the result of their thinking may be error. How shall men know which it is? It is for the bishops to decide. If it is true, then they adopt it and teach it. If it is false, God does not allow them to adopt it and teach it. An erroneous view might become current, even widely current. Sooner or later the teaching authority acts and the erroneous view is declared to be erroneous. A theologian who has fallen into error may persist in his error — become a heretic* The very task of refuting him leads to a closer examination and thus to a better understanding of the doctrine at issue. But the decision of the bishops as a body — or of the Bishop of Rome as head — is final. And that, as we have seen, is watched by God : He does not allow them to teach His Church what is wrong. He does not arise frpm it. If by chance a bad man is Pope, it is just as necessary for us that he should be prevented from teaching error and just as easy for God to prevent him! 74