Catholic Church

The Catholic Church appears in Freud’s account of how religious traditions number the commandment to honour one’s father and mother. Its significance here is specific: it shares a numbering convention with the Lutheran Church, while the Reformed churches and the Church of England use a different order.

Numbering the Commandment

The commandment “Honour thy father and thy mother” is the fourth in the Catholic Church. Freud connects this numbering to the division established by St Augustine, which is also followed by the Lutheran Church.

Contrast with Other Churches

The Reformed churches and the Church of England count the same commandment as the fifth. Their numbering follows the sequence in Exodus 20 rather than the sequence in Deuteronomy 5. The contrast makes the commandment’s number a matter of differing traditions for dividing and ordering the biblical text, rather than a difference in the commandment itself.

Significance in Freud’s Account

The Catholic Church is mentioned as part of a compact comparison of religious numbering systems. The distinction matters to Freud’s reference to the “Fourth Commandment”: that designation is accurate within the Catholic and Lutheran convention, though not within the numbering used by the Reformed churches and the Church of England.