Bible Dictionary
DOGMA
Dogma means a decree, ordinance, or authoritative formulation of teaching. In the New Testament it refers to civil decrees, religious ordinances, and the decisions delivered by the Jerusalem council.
Biblical Usage
The New Testament uses dogma for Roman decrees, including Caesar’s decree; for Mosaic ordinances that expressed the condemning law; and for the decisions of the Jerusalem council delivered to Gentile churches. These uses concern laws and religious decisions rather than the later technical meaning of ecclesiastical theology.