CATHOLIC THEOLOGY IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Catalog description

The point of departure for the seminar’s work is the controversy over la nouvelle théologie , with the exchange of views between J. Daniélou and H. de Lubac, on the one hand, and M. Labourdette and J.-H. Nicolas, on the other, and the issues surfaced thereby: Catholic theology’s reception of historical critical method; its reception of contempora ry philosophical thought and cultural movements; ressourcement (biblical, patristic, liturgical); the place of Thomas Aquinas in Catholic theology; the natu re of the ology as a “science.” The semi nar then turns to four figures. First, R. Garrigou -Lagrange will illustrate the Thomist, “scientific” way of theology at which most theologians of the first half of the century aimed, with selections from Sens commun, De eucharistia, and his Mariology. Second, H. de Lubac will give us theology after the pattern of M. Blondel, which is theology as the reception in history of that revelation for which we have a natural desire (Catholicism, “The Mystery of the Supernatural,” The S plendour of the Church ). Third, with K. Rahner we will see the progressive transcendentalization of theology historicization of dogma from Hearer of the Word to “Yesterday’s History of Dogma and Theology for Tomorrow,” stopping along this trajectory at: Foundations (Christology), “The Unity of the Love of God and Love of Neighbor,” “Anonymous Christians,” “The Experience of God Today,” and “The One Christ and t he Universality of Salvation.” Last, H. Urs von Balthasar will give us quite a different reception of German philosophy into Catholic theology, and quite contrary to Rahner’s ( Cordula, “Human Religion and the Religion of Christ”) in such things as The Glory of the Lord, Vol. 1: Seeing the Form, and Mysterium Paschale. People like Aidan Nichols, Fergus Kerr, T. J. White, M. Levering, and others will help us keep track of things.