Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology

by Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Book Overview

A collection of articles and talks written around a central theme the fundamental structure of Christianity: Catholicism, the inter-relationship of other forms of Christianity, the features that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898701333
• ISBN13: 9780898701333
• Release Date: April 1987
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An outline of the principles of theology and the vocation of the theologian, according to Benedict X

This collection of essays covers the formal principles of the Christian faith (its structure and content), the proper relationship between Scripture and tradition, faith and history, the Church and the churches, the Church and the world, and most fundamentally, God and the world. In so doing, Ratzinger provides a model for pursuing the theological science. Although I am not a Roman Catholic, I found his insights into the Christian faith to be profound, his questions to the Protestant tradition to be piercing, and his emphasis on truth to be refreshing. If you want to understand Ratzinger's presuppositions and way of thinking, this is the book. For Ratzinger, it is impossible to understand the Christian faith without understanding its communal context. The one who confesses Christ only does so in community--the "I" of the creeds is really the expression of the corporate nature of the Church. The Christian joins this community through baptism, the explication of which marks the highpoint of these essays. "Being baptized means entering into a communion of name with him who is the Name and thus becoming, more truly than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the attribute of God. From this perspective it is now obvious that baptism is the inception of resurrection, inclusion in the name of God and, by the same token, in the indestructible aliveness of God (31-32)." Here, as in other works, Ratzinger labors to demonstrate that God is truth and that truth is life, a life which is only available in the community of the Church and the joyful continuing conversion of penance in her. The section on Scripture and tradition is not quite as articulate as his essay in "Revelation and Tradition", but still introduces the reader to his position. His thoughts on faith and history provide a cogent attempt to hold together history and truth in a way that theology has often failed to do. The section on ecumenism succeeds particularly well in raising the question of the identity of the partners in ecumenical discussion. Whereas the Roman Catholics have official ecclesial dogmas, it is not clear whether Protestants bring church dogma or their individual theologies to the table. Ratzinger's treatments of Christian education, experience and wisdom were insightful, but not groundbreaking, as was his evaluation of Vatican II. All in all, "insightful but not groundbreaking" accurately describes the work as a whole, a statement I think Ratzinger would take as a compliment as he does not labor to discover "new" knowledge of God, but to interpret the truth for today's world: "To seek it without distraction and to dare to accept, with joyful heart and without diminution, the foolishness of truth--this, I think, is the task for today and for tomorrow: the true nucleus of the Church's service to the world, her answer to "the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time" (393, quoting the first words of "Gaudium et spes").

Learned, radically moderate orthodox theology

A fine piece of work describing the Church's efforts to create a clear line of truth between the extremes of traditionalists and reformers. There is something here to irritate any school; Ratzinger is not the firm one-sided hand he has been portrayed as in the popular press. Read it and elevate your learning and faith.