In this volume, The Unity of Faith: Essays for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., has compiled a theologically significant medley of essays. The title is taken from Ephesians 4:11–13 ("And his gifts were … for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…."). The "unity of faith" in this book refers both to the interrelation between the truths of the faith, whether Trinitarian, Christological, or ecclesiological, and to unity among those who hold the faith.
The first section deals with the Trinity, usually with ecumenical questions in mind, ranging from the question of the filioque to the trinitarian thought of Johnathan Edwards. The second section presents the author’s mature judgments in a topic for which Weinandy has become notable—the impassability of God and the human suffering of Christ. The third looks at other aspects of Christology with the help of patristic writers, but for sake of the contemporary theological milieu. For example, what is the relationship between the Incarnation and soteriology? What is the nature of Christ’s human consciousness and knowledge? How does Paul perceive the primacy of Christ within his Christological hymns?
The fourth section turns to the unity between faith and reason. In doing Catholic theology, how do theologians apply reason when contemplating the mysteries of faith? What is the philosophical and theological significance of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Fides et Ratio? The final section turns to the life of believers in the unity of faith, with topics such as Henri de Lubac’s contributions to ecclesiology, the sacramentality of the Catholic priesthood, the very delicate issue of the need for conversion and the Jews in relationship to the Church, and the Christian family as a domestic church, taking up the roles of priest, prophet, and king. Weinandy invariably writes in a clear and engaging manner, so much so that these essays will bring to the greater knowledge of God not only academics and students of theology, but also the educated laity.
