The Spirit of Catholicism

by Vivian Boland OP

Overview

There is so much debate about the Catholic Church today. How can an institution rocked by scandal survive? The answer is its spirit.

In 1924, Karl Adam's classic work The Spirit of Catholicism caught the zeitgeist and was an international bestseller. The need for a similar book for our times is very urgent and here it is. As now, the privatization and spiritualization of religion was a major issue. Boland stresses however the social, embodied character of Catholicism, a fact he regards as crucial for the social and political situation in which we find ourselves today. We are not just witness to the presence of Christ's body under the form of bread but also to Christ's body as the community of those who have come to believe in Christ. This is the "earthen vessel" in which a treasure is carried and Catholicism acknowledges and celebrates this embodiment. This is the spirit of Catholicism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441178022
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/25/2022
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.35(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.09(d)

About the Author

Vivian Boland OP is professor aggregatus in the Faculty of Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome. He taught at St Mary's University, Twickenham, and at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford and is author and editor of several books, including St Thomas Aquinas in the Bloomsbury Library of Educational Thought (2014).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One

1 A People of God?

Part Two

2 Christ, Image and Sacrament of God

3 The Church, Sacrament of Christ

4 Embodiment Means Life and Structure

5 Forms of Corruption in this Body

Part Three

6 Christ's Threefold Mission and the Church's Threefold Nature

7 Authority, Service and Leadership

8 Take All Thought Captive

9 The Life of a Community

Part Four

With the Son: Christ, the Head of Humanity

11 In the Spirit: The Love of Christ Urges Us On

12 To the Father: From Glory to Glory

Notes

Index

Editorial Reviews

Overall, this book is a delight. A joy to read. Erudite and accessible...succinct yet lucid. It will be a pleasurable and informative read for all.” —The Tablet

“Dominican Father Vivian Boland…brings the expertise of a deft and thorough theologian to the topic. His is a dense volume with helpful insights.” —The Central Minnesota Catholic

“This book would be at the top of a recommended reading list such is its scholarship... This book embodies the scriptural, sacramental and spiritual energy for both participation and mission.” —The Furrow

“A most remarkably rich progression of theological thinking, subject after subject dealt with in depth and precision.” —Liam Walsh OP, Vice-rector emeritus, University of Fribourg

“Boland's Spirit of Catholicism is to be highly recommended without hesitation or reservation.” —Doctrine & Life

From the Publisher