A Defense of St. Robert Bellarmine's Definition of Sacrifice

St. Robert Bellarmine's defense of the sacrificial nature of the Mass was influential for centuries. Several con-temporary theologians, however, have accused Bellarmine of making a "massive methodological mistake" in deriving his defi-nition of sacrifice from an examination of "the religious cultures of the world." Some also allege that his definition was a theo-logical novelty. This article argues that Bellarmine's methodol-ogy made a positive contribution to the theology of the sacrifice of the Mass. It will also refute the argument that he derived his definition of sacrifice by considering "the religious cultures of the world." Moreover, the article will argue that his definition was not a theological novelty.