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Principles of Catholic Theology, Book 1
On the Nature of Theology
Thomistic Ressourcement Series
Imprint: Catholic University of America Press
Catholic theology has to face a certain number of fundamental questions: what is the nature and content of Christian revelation, what are the sources of revelation, how are the mysteries of the faith to be understood in relation of one to another, and how do the truths of the Catholic faith relate to the acquisitions of natural reason. In the contemporary context, Catholic theology is marked by a diversity of approaches, many of which are seemingly incompatible or estranged from one another. How might we think about the unity of Catholic theology over and above the diversity of forms? What role, if any, can Aquinas play as a common doctor in facilitating exchanges between theological traditions in the Church?
Principles of Catholic Theology seeks to address directly the nature of Catholic theology and the challenge of its contemporary articulation with an eye towards its articulation in its Thomistic key. This book is also the first of a series of collections of essays by Thomas Joseph White, OP, extending over a range of fundamental topics in Catholic dogmatic theology.
Thomas Joseph White, OP, is Rector, Pontifical University of St. Thomas, Angelicum, and the author of The Trinity: On the Nature and Mystery of the One God; The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism and The Incarnate Lord: A Thomistic Study of Christology (all CUA Press).
"A major contribution to theological writings in the Thomist tradition for the world today. White's writing style is extraordinarily hospitable, readable not only by theologians but by educated Christians of all sorts, from undergraduate majors through graduate students. This combination of scholarship and readability is remarkable."
~James J. Buckley, Loyola University Maryland
"Thomas Aquinas, in his extraordinary performance of intelligentia fidei, presents a way of thinking about reality in light of Jesus Christ and therefore in the light of God the Trinity. Thus, the ascendant aspirations of the metaphysical knowledge of God and reality can find its full maturity and joy in free response to the gratuitous initiative of God’s revelation as the grace of Christ stimulates, purifies and fulfills the initiatives of fraternity and care of the common home of humanity. Thomas Joseph White's work, with rigorous inspiration, gives evidence of the strategic contribution that the lesson of the Angelic Doctor offers to the mission of the Church today and to the promotion of an integral humanism."
~Piero Coda, author of From the Trinity: The Coming of God in Revelation and Theology
"In this very readable introduction to his planned multi-volume exposition of the core themes in Christian doctrine, Fr. Thomas Joseph White frames the project by surveying the recent history of Catholic theology, engaging with the influential Protestant theologian Karl Barth as well as with celebrated Catholic theologians such as Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar, doing so very critically of course but non-polemically and even quite affectionately, clearing the way to develop a fresh account that takes its inspiration from the classical work of St Thomas Aquinas. The conversational style of the writing makes the book accessible to beginners in the field, while the background reading documented in the footnotes should intrigue veterans, thus providing a very hospitable preface to the wide range of readers for the promised Principles of Catholic Theology."
~Fergus Kerr, OP, Blackfriars, Edinburgh, Scotland