Roman Catholicism after Vatican II

by Robert A. Burns

Overview

The second Vatican Council, which concluded in December 1965, inaugurated a reformation process in the Catholic Church that continues to this day. Grounding his discussion in the documents that came out of Vatican II, Robert Burns addresses four critical questions that face the Church largely as an outcome of this first truly global Church council.

First, Burns presents an overview of the evolving Roman Catholic understanding of Jesus Christ. He follows with an analysis of authority within the Church, a matter of some contention in today's democratic societies, and a discussion of Catholicism as a global church incorporating people and practices from many cultures. Finally, Burns examines the validity of other religions in relation to the Christian claim that salvation through Jesus is unique and final.

A readable introduction for all Catholics interested in learning more about their church, the book includes features such as chapter summaries and study questions that also make it an ideal textbook for undergraduates or parish study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878408221
Publisher:	Georgetown University Press
Publication date:	03/28/2001
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.78(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert A. Burns, OP, chair of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Arizona, is author of Roman Catholicism: Yesterday and Today.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	1
Chapter 1	Jesus in Contemporary Catholic Though	5
	Jesus: The Son of God	5
	The New Testament	6
	The Life of Jesus	8
	The Resurrection	9
	Explicit Christology	11
	Implicit Christology	12
	The Early Church	12
	The Early Christian Period	13
	Christological Councils	14
	The Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)	14
	The First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.)	14
	The Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.)	15
	The Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.)	15
	The Second Council of Constantinople (553 A.D.)	16
	The Third Council of Constantinople (680-681 A.D.)	16
	Christology in the Middle Ages	17
	St. Anselm of Canterbury	17
	St. Thomas Aquinas	18
	Contemporary Catholic Christology	19
	Recent Advances	19
	Christology "From Above"; Christology "From Below"	20
	The Humanity of Jesus	20
	Other Developments in Post-Vatican II Christology	23
	Liberation Christologies	24
	Feminist Christologies	24
	Ecological Christologies	25
	The Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith	26
	The Jesus Seminar	27
	Catholicism and the Historical--Critical Method	30
	The Five Gospels of the Jesus Seminar	31
	Four Distinctive Aspects and Critiques of Each	31
	Iconoclastic Translation	31
	Color-Coding of Jesus's Sayings	31
	The Gospel of Thomas	33
	Dedication to Galileo, Thomas Jefferson, and David Strauss	34
	Specific Criteria and a Critique of Each	34
	Compartmentalizing of Evidence	37
	Historical Methodology and the Resurrection of Jesus	38
	Modern Historical Research and the Jesus of History	41
	Summary	42
	Study Questions	44
Chapter 2	Authority in the Church	45
	The Development of Papal Authority	47
	The Meaning of "Collegiality": The Role of Bishops	50
	The Selection of Bishops	54
	The Priests' Council (Senate)	55
	Pastoral Councils (Diocesan and Parish)	56
	The Priesthood	58
	Priestly Celibacy	62
	Women and the Priesthood	65
	The Permanent Diaconate	67
	Religious Orders and Congregations	70
	The Laity	71
	The Local Parish	75
	Democratization of Structures	78
	Summary	80
	Study Questions	82
Chapter 3	Catholicism as a Global Church: The Problem of Inculturation	83
	Historical Examples of Inculturation	86
	Saints Cyril and Methodius	86
	Matteo Ricci and the Chinese Rites	88
	Inculturation and Recent Church Teachings	91
	Pope Pius XII	91
	Pope John XXIII	91
	Vatican II	92
	Pope Paul VI	95
	Pope John Paul II	97
	Problems Relating to Inculturation	98
	Cultural Relativism	98
	Canon Law	100
	Liberation Theology and Inculturation	100
	Basic Christian Communities and Inculturation	104
	Basic Christian Communities	104
	Liberation Theology and Inculturation	107
	Inculturation in the United States	110
	Recent Inculturation in the United States	112
	The Question of the Other: Multiculturalism in the Local Church	117
	Hispanics in the United States	118
	Hispanic American Theology	122
	Summary	124
	Study Questions	126
Chapter 4	Catholicism and the World Religions	127
	Earlier Attitudes Toward Other Religions	127
	Sacred Scripture	127
	Tradition	129
	New Insights into Non-Christian Religions	132
	The Twentieth Century and the Early Twenty-First Century	132
	A Non-Christian Objection	133
	Salvation History	134
	The Meaning of Revelation	136
	The Traditional Understanding of Revelation	137
	The Modern View of Revelation	138
	Vatican II: The Church and the World Religions	139
	The Non-Christian Religions: Means of Salvation	142
	Karl Rahner: The "Anonymous Christian"	143
	Rahner's Theory: Objections and a Response	149
	The Church and the World Religions: The Need for Dialogue	152
	Official Catholic Teaching Concerning Dialogue with Others	153
	The Importance of Dialogue	154
	Dialogue with Judaism	157
	Dialogue with Other Christians	158
	Dialogue in a Global Society	160
	Summary	160
	Study Questions	162
	Epilogue	163
	Endnotes	165
	Further Reading	177
	Selected Bibliography	183
	Index	195

What People are Saying About This

Thomas O'Meara

Out of his extensive teaching experience, Robert Burns offers something new in books on Roman Catholicism.

Andrew M. Greeley

A clear and concise summary of the major intellectual trends that have developed in Catholicism since the Second Vatican Council....Superb and challenging.

William Cenkner

This text is written with clarity, a lack of theoretical jargon, excellent questions asked of the major issues, and good suggested readings.

From the Publisher

"A clear and concise summary of the major intellectual trends that have developed in Catholicism since the Second Vatican Council....Superb and challenging."—Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago

"This text is written with clarity, a lack of theoretical jargon, excellent questions asked of the major issues, and good suggested readings."—William Cenkner, OP, The Catholic University of America

"Out of his extensive teaching experience, Robert Burns offers something new in books on Roman Catholicism."—Thomas O'Meara, OP, University of Notre Dame

Editorial Reviews

A clear and concise summary of the major intellectual trends that have developed in Catholicism since the Second Vatican Council....Superb and challenging.

Andrew M. Greeley

Out of his extensive teaching experience, Robert Burns offers something new in books on Roman Catholicism.

Thomas O'Meara

This text is written with clarity, a lack of theoretical jargon, excellent questions asked of the major issues, and good suggested readings.

William Cenkner

Overviews the Roman Catholic understanding of Jesus Christ, then discusses the question of the exercise of authority in the Church and the desire of many Catholics for a more collegial sharing of it. Deals with Catholicism as a global church together with the problem of inculturation, and addresses the validity of other religions in relation to the Christian claim that salvation through Jesus is unique and final, looking at the meaning of salvation and the Church's present understanding of the meaning of revelation. Includes chapter summaries and discussion questions. Author information is not given. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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