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Theology as an Ecclesial Discipline
Ressourcement and Dialogue
Series: Thomistic Ressourcement Series
Edited by James Le Grys
Imprint: Catholic University of America Press
The practice of theology depends in part on asking the right questions. Not any sorts of questions, not idle questions, nor questions framed entirely by our own experience or the great issues of our times, but good theological questions focus the mind of the inquirer on the endlessly intelligible self-revelation of God to which the Sacred Scripture bears witness. Our own questions and the great questions of our times have a place, as long as they are purged of the ideological outlooks that can suppress or obscure the questions that the sacra pagina itself presses upon us.
Among the essays gathered in Theology as an Ecclesial Discipline, the first set directs the reader’s attention precisely to questions that trace the distinctive features of the nature of theology itself. What are the principles and scope of the field of theology as practiced by believers in an ecclesial context? Are historical-critical methods of exegesis compatible with a properly theological interpretation of the Scriptures? How can theology have a place in the academy as an intellectual discipline if the Magisterium seems to limit the scope of its inquiries? The second part considers a range of questions that preoccupy contemporary Protestant and Catholic theologians. Can the names Father, Son and Holy Spirit be replaced by more inclusive titles in doctrine and liturgy? By placing humanity at the center of theological investigation, is Christian humanism distinct from secular humanism? How can we be guilty of a sin committed by our first ancestors? Can the Christian vision of procreative human sexuality survive the cultural onslaught of the sexual revolution? The questions in the third part of this book arise from Catholic dialogue with non-Christian religions, or with other Christian communities, or with conceptions of a cosmos in ecological crisis. Is there a future for Catholic theology of religions? How can people who do not believe in Christ be saved? Is the cosmos a safe environment for human beings, or, alternatively, how can the cosmos be protected from human depredation? Can the concept of "church" stretch far enough to encompass Christian communities that see themselves as strictly local and independent bodies?
J. Augustine Di Noia was for many years Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. James Le Grys is a Theological Advisor, Secretariat for Doctrine and Canonical Affairs, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Di Noia’s contribution is multilayered and significant. This is one of those very rare collections of essays that is much more than a ‘collection.’ DiNoia is in touch with a full range of theological scholarship. But he also has a striking ability to move between the sources of the Catholic faith and the concerns of both theologians and more ordinary folk interested in what theologians are up to."
~James J. Buckley, Loyola University Maryland
"Few persons have been more intimately involved over the past half century in the development of Catholic theology than Archbishop Di Noia. Theology as an Ecclesial Discipline, carefully edited by James Le Grys, contains a representative selection of Di Noia’s public theological work. It provides a snapshot of sound Catholic theology as it unfolded after the Second Vatican Council until the present, and further illustrates a way of engaging—what Di Noia calls dialogue—different viewpoints, some of which stand at variance with the Deposit of Faith. I can’t think of anyone who will not profit from reading this volume, if only for the exquisite prose."
~Romanus Cessario, OP, author of The Godly Image: Christian Satisfaction in Aquinas
"In this magnificent collection of essays, Archbishop Di Noia shows us how to do theology in medio Ecclesiae. He was hugely influential on a generation of students at the Dominican House of Studies during a time he also edited The Thomist and worked for the USCCB. Afterwards, Saint John Paul II brought him to the Roman curia to begin a long service to the universal Church. This volume exemplifies theology as an ecclesial discipline from one of the most faith-filled, distinguished, and kind Thomistic theologians of the past fifty years."
~Andrew Hofer, OP, author of T he Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh
"Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia has been a standard-bearer of faithful, rigorous Catholic theology for more than a generation. These essays offer Catholic theologians and serious Christian scholars a fruitful harvest of Di Noia’s remarkable gifts, his life of dedicated study, and unwavering love for the Church. In these pages, readers will find a tour de force of Catholic theology and, more importantly, a sure guide for the unchartered waters of the future."
~Roger Nutt, author of General Principles of Sacramental Theology
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