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Class 32: Later 20 th C Catholic Theology and Vatican II

Class 32: Later 20 th C Catholic Theology and Vatican II. Ann T. Orlando 12 April 2006. Introduction. Currents in Modern Catholic Theology Historical Theology Process Theology Hermeneutics New Theology Transcendental Thomism Vatican II. Theological Developments in 20 th C.

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Class 32: Later 20 th C Catholic Theology and Vatican II

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  1. Class 32: Later 20th C Catholic Theology and Vatican II Ann T. Orlando 12 April 2006

  2. Introduction • Currents in Modern Catholic Theology • Historical Theology • Process Theology • Hermeneutics • New Theology • Transcendental Thomism • Vatican II

  3. Theological Developments in 20th C • It’s all about the Enlightenment • History and Hermeneutics; • Historical Critical Method • Relation between History and Religion • Process Theology • New Theology and Transcendental Thomism • Thomism that returns to critical evaluation of Thomas Aquinas and his sources, especially Augustine; • Expands Thomism, does not merely study and codify Thomas; emphasis on philosophical methods • Key figures: Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Bernard Lonergan, Edward Schillebeeckx • Liberation Theology • Driven by WWII (Moltmann, Metz) and Third World economic and social poverty (Gutierez, Boff, Sorvino) • Encourages political and social activism as part of Christian witness and Church’s mission • Opposed to natural law; rather only literal application of Gospel message

  4. Key Problems of Relation between Scientific History and Religion • What is true, unchanging essence of Christianity? How can we know that? • What is relation of Scripture to essence of Christianity? Who was Jesus Christ? • What does Christian doctrinal development mean? • But even more fundamental, what is relationship of God to His creation; does God evolve with His creation?

  5. Key Figures in History and Religion • Ernst Troeltsch: History and Religion • Raymond Brown: Historical Critical Method • Pierre de Chardin: Process Theology • Hans-Georg Gadamer: History and Hermeneutics

  6. Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923) • Attempt to determine the essence of Christianity, and how Christian dogma developed in history • Three aspects of his method • No historical event is free from historical critical analysis • There is an analogy between past and present events • Faith is correlated to the broader cultural environment in which it lives • Implications • Bible as an historical document, an artifact of Christianity • Doctrine is primarily influenced by the culture in which it is formed • Christianity one of many truths

  7. Pierre de Chardin (1881-1955) • An embrace of evolution as applied to theology • The cosmos is moving to ever more complex systems, and greater sense of consciousness • The end point is union with God, the Omega point • For some process theologians, God may be evolving with the cosmos

  8. Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) • Opposed to emphasis on authorial intent; rather define a classic as that which has endured for generations • Opposed to Enlightenment distinction between reason and authority • Expanded Heidegger’s hermeneutical circle to a fusion of horizons; past interpretations are valuable parts fo the classic • Most important ‘classic’ is the Bible • Habermas opposed to Gadamer: winners write history • Derrida opposed to Gadamer: only meaning is what reader brings to text

  9. Raymond Brown (1928-1998) • Pioneered historical critical studies in United States • Methods for determining historical material in Gospels • Multiple attestation • Coherence • Embarrassment • Discontinuity

  10. Key Problems in New Theology • What is relation of Christian faith to other religions? • What is relation between nature and grace (natural and supernatural knowledge)? • How to interpret human experience of divine?

  11. Key Figures in New Theology • Karl Rahner: How we experience • Henri de Lubac: Senses of Scripture • Yves Congar: How are we Church • Move away from Neo-Scholasticism

  12. Karl Rahner (1904-1984) • Investigates and expands Aquinas’ use of analogy in theology • Defends analogy as a valid way to know • Method of correlation • Revelation as a transcendental experience; not propositional knowledge • The more one experiences the transcendent the greater freedom one has • Supernatural existential is the source of human experience and revelation (nature and grace not separated) • Humans live in history; human experience cannot be separated from history • Transcendental experience of God by individual is objectified by religious revelation and interpretation • Anonymous Christian (anonymous Hindu)

  13. Henri de Lubac (1896-1991) • Return to the Fathers • Neo-Scholasticism separated natural from supernatural; nature and grace • Interdependence of Four senses of Scripture; Historical Critical Method does not exhaust meaning of Scripture • Tried to reintegrate nature and grace • Peritus at VII

  14. Yves Congar (1904-1994) • Application of New Theology to Ecclesiology • Integration of people and hierarchy of Church • Importance of laity in world; as missionaries to world • Church as community; communio ecclesiology

  15. Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) • Two Encyclicals • Mater et Magistra (1961) • Pacem in Terris (1963) • Convened Council Dec. 25,1961 • Emphasis on pastoral renewal, rather than dogma • Substance of deposit of faith one thing • Way it is presented and taught another • This is emphasis of Council

  16. Vatican II (1962-1965) • Both affirm ancient tradition and move Church in a new direction • Constitution on Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) • Liturgical changes; use of vernacular; • RCIA • Lumen Gentium • Renewed emphasis on importance of actions of Catholic laity in world • Church as Communio; but also Church as hierarchical • The Church of Christ subsists in the Roman Catholic Church (what does this mean??) • Dei Verbum • Gaudium et Spes: Final document of Council • Addresses how the Church should be in the World as part of ‘the whole human family’ • Part I on the dignity of man and his role in the universe • Part II on modern problems (Marriage, Culture, Economics, Arms Race, Peace) • Note: there were documents written after official close of Council that are considered VII documents: Nostra Aetate

  17. Summary of Catholicism’s Response to Enlightenment • Syllabus of Errors, 1864 • Series of anathemas of Enlightenment views • Vatican I (1866-1870) • Reaffirmed that we can have sure knowledge in faith and morals (infallibility of Pope, Thomism as official theology); Neo-Scholasticism • Reaffirmed that religion is important to society’s well being • Reaffirm the importance of natural law • Affirmed Thomism as theological method • Increased spiritual devotion: Lourdes 1858, Fatima 1917 • Rerum Novarum (1891) • Support of private property; • Support for living wage and dignity of working man and his family • Vatican II (1962-1965) • Toleration defined as toleration of religion against secular societies trying to prevent religious practice • Concern about new economic systems and materialism, whether Marxist or capitalist, that in fact undermine dignity of individual and families • Renewal of liturgical practices; often based upon early Christian practice

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