- Having no flaws; perfect. See synonyms at perfect.
- Incapable of sin or wrongdoing.
[Latin impeccābilis : in-, not; see in-1 + peccāre, to sin.]
impeccability im·pec'ca·bil'i·ty n.impeccably im·pec'ca·bly adv.
Dictionary:
im·pec·ca·ble (ĭm-pĕk'ə-bəl) ![]() |
| Thesaurus: impeccable |
adjective
| Antonyms: impeccable |
Definition: above suspicion; flawless
Antonyms: blemished, corrupt, defective, flawed, imperfect, suspicious, wrong
| Word Tutor: impeccable |
Art derives from the intention of the artist. But time is the only impeccable judge.
— John Rothenstein, former director, Tate Gallery, London. Time Magazine 27 January 1967.
| Wikipedia: Impeccability |
Impeccability is the absence of sin. Christianity believes this to be an attribute of God (logically God cannot sin, it would mean that he would act against his own will and nature) and therefore also an attribute of Christ.
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Early Christians questioned whether the saints in heaven could sin: Origen claimed they could. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that they can not. Although Catholics believe in the gift of free will, saints in heaven already see God face to face and can not sin, i.e. they remain in God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states (emphasis added):
Thomas Aquinas taught that souls in Purgatory cannot sin (Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part, Question 83, Article 11, Reply to Objection 3), let alone the saints in heaven. This is the teaching of the Catholic Church, although there are different opinions on the reasons for the impossibility to sin.
The Roman Catholic church teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by a special grace of God, without sin her entire life. This included the moment of her conception, so the Virgin was even preserved from original sin.
The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. Some theologians have asserted this special grace extended to impeccability [understood in this context as the inability to sin]; others argue this could not be so, as a person she would have had free will, and therefore the ability to sin, but through her cooperation avoided it.
But while the Roman Church holds up the sinlessness of Mary on the one hand, it condemned Pelagianism as a heresy at the Council of Trent, which held that a human being could (while alive) become incapable of sinning.
Impeccability is sometimes confused with infallibility, especially in discussions of papal infallibility. Impeccability is an attribute not claimed by the pope, and few would deny that there have been "bad" popes - Saint Peter himself denied Jesus three times. On the other hand, Pope Gregory VII, intellectual progenitor of the Ultramontanes and nemesis of the lay faction in the investiture controversy, voiced an assertion of Papal prerogative beyond even the strongest of modern apologists':
The pope can be judged by no one; the Roman church has never erred and never will err till the end of time; the Roman church was founded by Christ alone; the pope alone can depose and restore bishops; he alone can make new laws, set up new bishoprics and divide old ones. ... He alone can call general councils and authorize canon laws; his legates .. have precedence over all bishops. ... A duly ordained pope is undoubtedly made a saint by the merits of St. Peter.[1]
Nevertheless, in Catholic thought, the exemption of the Roman Church from error extends only to its definitive teachings on faith and morals: not its historical judgments. Similarly, papal "sainthood" does not suggest that popes are free from sin. Quite the contrary, popes frequent the sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) for the forgiveness of their sins, as all other Catholics are required to do. Pope Benedict XVI confesses his sins once a week [2]
Catechism of the Catholic Church
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| Translations: Impeccable |
Dansk (Danish)
adj. - fejlfri, syndefri, uangribelig, upåklagelig
Nederlands (Dutch)
onberispelijk, vlekkeloos
Français (French)
adj. - impeccable, irréprochable
Deutsch (German)
adj. - makellos, tadellos
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - άψογος, τέλειος, άμεμπτος
Italiano (Italian)
impeccabile, irreprensibile
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - impecável
Русский (Russian)
непогрешимый, безукоризненный
Español (Spanish)
adj. - impecable, intachable, irreprochable
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - oklanderlig, otadlig, syndfri
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
无懈可击的, 无暇疵的, 无缺点的
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 無懈可擊的, 無暇疵的, 無缺點的
한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 죄를 범하는 일이 없는, 결함이 없는
العربيه (Arabic)
(صفه) معصوم عن الخطأ
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - טהור, ללא רבב, שאינו יכול לחטוא
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