Ressourcement

A historical and a theological analysis of the most important movement in twentieth-century Roman Catholic theology.

The essays in this volume explore three areas in which St. Thomas Aquinas's voice has never fallen silent: sacred doctrine, the relationship of sacraments and metaphysics, and the central role of virtue in moral theology.

Marked by growing freedom and equality, today's families are also dogged by brokenness and loss of faith. And while the theology of marriage has developed remarkably under the impetus of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, the theology of the family remains in its infancy, only beginning to meet the challenges of contemporary society. In Divine Likeness Marc Cardinal Ouellet points the way to a much-needed theology of the family grounded in the doctrine of the Trinity. Cardinal Ouellet understands family life to be a sacrament of Trinitarian communion, a crucial source for revealing and inspiring a new sense of God's presence in the faith community. This book will help theologians, pastors, and believers to develop fruitfully the legacy of Pope John Paul II, carrying forward the quest to let the Trinity and the family illuminate each other for the good of today's world.

Examines the role played by the Old Testament in the formation of early Christian thinking.

The Incarnate Lord, then, considers central themes in Christology from a metaphysical perspective. Particular attention is given to the hypostatic union, the two natures of Christ, the knowledge and obedience of Jesus, the passion and death of Christ, his descent into hell, and resurrection. A central concern of the book is to argue for the perennial importance of ontological principles of Christology inherited from patristic and scholastic authors. However, the book also seeks to advance an interpretation of Thomistic Christology in a modern context. The teaching Aquinas, then, is central to the study, but it is placed in conversation with various modern theologians, such as Karl Barth, Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Ultimately the goal of the work is to suggest how traditional Catholic theology might thrive under modern conditions, and also develop fruitfully from engaging in contemporary controversies.

Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body catecheses has garnered tremendous popularity in theological and catechetical circles. Students of the Theology of the Body have generally interpreted it as innovative not only in its presentation of the Church's teaching on marriage and sexuality, but also as radically advancing that teaching. Aquinas and the Theology of the Body offers a somewhat different interpretation. Fr. Thomas Petri argues that the philosophy and theology of Thomas Aquinas substantially contributed to John Paul's intellectual formation, which he never abandoned. A correct interpretation of the Theology of the Body requires, therefore, a thorough understanding of Thomistic anthropology and theology, which has been mostly lacking in commentaries on the pope's important contributions on the subject of marriage and sexuality.

Ressourcement Theology: A Sourcebook offers a collection of texts previously unavailable in English from leading Dominicans and Jesuits, who initiated a movement for renewal that contributed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. In the last decade, theologians have undertaken a serious reappraisal of the contribution of Ressourcement theology to 20th century theology in the Catholic tradition and beyond. This 'return to Ressourcement' has resulted in many of the principal texts being translated into English and (re-)issued, ensuring their accessibility to scholars across the globe. Despite this, many of the earliest documents relating to the history of Ressourcement theology are unavailable to most English-speaking scholars, as they are largely journal articles and book chapters published in French. Patricia Kelly has selected the most significant texts that so far have been unavailable in English, including the controversial piece by Jean-Marie LeBlond ('The Analogy of Truth') that was condemned in the 1950s by the Vatican, as well as the response to Labourdette's attack on LeBlond, penned anonymously by a group of Jesuits. All of these documents will help students and scholars to engage deeply with the history of the Ressourcement movement and its relevance for the developments of the Catholic tradition.

"While the patristic age is marked by the development of the Apostle's and the Nicene creeds, D. H. Williams contends we must not neglected the lesser known yet just as significant theological texts and expressions of worship that were seminal in shaping early Christian identity. In this sourcebook, Williams gathers key writings from the first through sixth centuries that illustrate the ways in which the church's confessions, teaching, and worship were expressed during that time. More than an anthology, this sourcebook introduces the primary sources of Christian antiquity."--BOOK JACKET.

Helps church leaders recover ancient understandings of Christian belief and practice from the early church fathers and apply them to ministry in the twenty-first century.

The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. What can we say about the divine nature, and what does it mean to say that God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, three persons who are one in being? In this book, best selling author Thomas Joseph White, OP, examines the development of early Christian reflection on the Trinity, arguing that essential contributions of Patristic theology are preserved and expanded in the thought of Thomas Aquinas. By focusing on Aquinas’ theology of the divine nature as well as his treatment of divine personhood, White explores in depth the mystery of Trinitarian monotheism. The Trinity: On the Nature and Mystery of the One God also engages with influential proposals of modern theologians on major topics such as Trinitarian creation, Incarnation and crucifixion, and presents creative engagements with these topics. Ultimately any theology of the cross is also a theology of the Trinity, and this book seeks to illustrate how the human life, death, and resurrection of Jesus reveal the inner life of God as Trinity.