Vatican Council II: The Conciliar & Post-Conciliar Documents

by Second Vatican Council

Book Overview

This study edition of Irish Dominican Austin Flannery's (+2008) earlier translation contains all sixteen documents of the Second Vatican Council, plus the forty-nine later documents from popes and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0918344158
• ISBN13: 9780918344151
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Pauline Books & Media
• Length: 1036 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Contents great. Book production bad.

Finally, after all these years to sit down and read the texts directly. What a beautiful experience, spiritual, prayerful, powerful. Unfortunately, the book itself is poorly produced. Enormous amounts of thick cheap newsprint paper. An awkward book size. Print unnecessarily large. To this reader, it looks and feels cheap, which considering the beautiful, important content, I found that disrespectful, from a religious publishing house, Costello and Dominican Publications (yes, the Order of Preachers, the "Dominicans"). And how about a mass market paperback edition?

What Does the Church Teach?

So you want to know what the Church teaches? Then this is the book for you! It explains the teaching of the Second Vatican Council held by the Catholic Church. It is a book for life really. A book to have for studying your faith - whether you are 15 or 80+. So buy one a keep it beside your Holy Bible, and Catholic Catechism. It is so deep. We are talking about Theology of 2000+ years - the experience and living Tradition of the Church. Though you may have to read a paragraph more than once due to its richness and depth, you will find many a pearl inside. Take for example the saying, "Man is the only creature on earth that was created for His own sake" The role of the clergy and laity is explained succintly. If you want to understand what Vatican II was about this is for you. If you are serious about your Catholic Faith this is a must buy! It has definitely helped me in my faith. You will discover what the Holy Spirit said to the Church in Vatican II.

Provides a General Explanation and Apologetic for Vatican II

Any student of modern Catholicism should have this book. What Vatican II did in its influence of present day Catholic perspectives and outlook is well-known. What is often forgotten is the documents outlining the future understanding of what the Roman Catholic Church is. Catholics high school level and up should be introduced to this, particular those students concerned with understanding the official apologetic on tough issues. Protestants of all denominations will see how their own history has been intertwined with Roman Catholicism, and, from this volume, appreciate the similarities and differences. In fact, I bought my copy in a conservative Protestant bookstore, as the nearby Catholic store only sold gift books. In this first volume, "The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents," you'll quickly see is not a teaching book like the new Catechism is intended. Instead, it is a collection of key papers, decrees and statements explaining Rome's view on issues as varied as the * liturgy * worship music * requirements to receive communion * ecumenism * bishops * training of priests * nonChristian religions and the Catholic Church's relationship to them * defining and explaining divine revelation * lay people * religious liberty * missionaries In many ways, this is far more substantive than the Catechism, in that it provides a more thorough Scriptural base in its reasoning. It is more of an anthology of legal decrees, and yet it accessible. It isn't in legalese, but it may refer to Articles and other documents unknown to some readers. The introduction realizes the reader may not be a Vatican scholar, and a quick, but useful overview of biblical and extrabiblical abbreviations. Each section thereafter has an introduction to provide context behind the need for developing the given decree. The appendix is strong, and will lead serious researchers to the precise document in question. The book appears to be set in a 10 pt. Times, with just a quarter to half inch margin, and the volume itself is delivered with an awkward dimension. The book is thicker than it should be, and the solution would've been bigger pages, and thus, a thinner book instead of the current 1062 pages. There is a study edition which is said to accommodate these concerns. I fully recommend "Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Vatican Collection, Volume 1)." It is just part of the beginning to understand the vastness of modern Catholic theology, but it is a highly readable book, and is officially recognized by Rome for its reliability. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

What the Church teaches since Vatican II.

From some of the comments I have heard people make about what the Church teaches since Vatican II, I think quite a few people should get these documents and read them. From what I have heard, this is a good translation. Read it and see what the Church really teaches.

Vatican Council II by Flannery - THE TRUTH ABOUT VATICAN II

I told my spritual advisor that I felt uncomfortable with Second Vatican Council changes. He advised that I get and read the actual documents. The version he recommended was only 800 pages long. Thank God it was not available. Instead I got both 'Volume 1-Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents' and 'Volume 2-More Post Conciliar Documents' of Flannery's 'Vatican Council II' set. They opened my eyes to the Council. I loved and appreciated the changes made. And the documents are very, very easy to read and understand.I bought my friend a set as a gift. He thanks me to this day. Every Catholic (and priest) should have these books on there shelves next to their Bible and New Catechism and read them as a regular daily regimen. Reading these books cleared up many of the misrepresentations slipped in by those wanting change the church on their own. I had felt alienated. But these documents are what was really passed by the Council. What the Vatican Council really decreed. They should be labeled 'The Truth About Vatican Council II'. Thank you Fr. Austin Flannery!!