Vatican I and Vatican II represent two of the three ecumenical councils in modern times, yet relatively few studies have sought to understand their relation to one another. In fact, the councils are often positioned as mutually exclusive so that one must choose either Vatican I's or Vatican II's presentations of church and ecclesial authority. Failing to understand the relationship between these councils inhibits the church's self-understanding and risks misinterpreting key aspects of its own tradition; further, it limits the church's ability to teach effectively on topics of concern to modern women and men, such as authority, freedom, and ecclesiology. Vatican I and Vatican II: Councils in the Living Tradition uses the questions of what, why, and how the councils taught to frame and demonstrate significant points of continuity, complementarity, and difference between them. It argues that only by seeing both Vatican I and Vatican II as communicating vital dimensions of the Christian faith can the church's living tradition be fully appreciated and speak meaningfully to modern Christian women and men.?

This project offers an original contribution to the interpretation of the documents of the Second Vatican Council that constitute the most authoritative doctrinal teaching within the Catholic Church. The chapters in this volume, published during the 60th anniversary of the Council (2022-2025), discuss three types of stumbling blocks: ‘Stumbling Blocks for Ecumenism’, ‘Stumbling Blocks for Interfaith Dialogue,’ and ‘Stumbling Blocks for Church-world Relations’. Eight specialists of ecclesiology, comparative theology, intercultural theology, and theological ethics have each written chapters on a selected line of Vatican II that constitutes a ‘stumbling block’ or ‘hard saying’ for believers and theologians today. The views expressed in these chapters have been discussed in three response essays. The stumbling blocks have been selected from Lumen Gentium, Unitatis Redintegratio, Nostra Aetate, and Gaudium et Spes. The selected lines discuss the difficulties the Catholic Church has with atheism and with the Eucharist as celebrated by Protestant ministers; how appreciation of other churches and religions goes hand in hand with defending the need of mission; and why the Council assigns different roles to priests and laity, making a distinction between the holiness of the Church and the sinfulness of its believers.

The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II is a rich source of information and reflections on many aspects of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), one of the most significant religious events of the twentieth century. The chapters introduce readers to the historical context and outstanding features of the conciliar event, and its principal teachings on Scripture and Tradition, the church, liturgy, religious liberty, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, church-world relations, and mission. Consideration is given to some neglected aspects of the council, including: the forgotten papal speeches that lay out its fundamental orientation and ought to guide its interpretation; the presence and contributions of women; and the non-reception of the council among Catholic traditionalists. Ecumenical scholars reflect on the significance of Vatican II for the life of other Christian churches and the search for Christian unity; others examine Catholic dialogue with other religious traditions. Surveying the diverse receptions of the council in the perspective of a world church, chapters focusing on Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Oceania, and Europe reflect on the interpretation and influence of the council and its teaching on the life of the church in diverse cultural contexts. This Handbook will serve as a valuable guide to one of the most important events and bodies of Catholic teaching since the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, to the interpretation of the council's teaching, and to its continuing role in guiding the life of the church in the twenty-first century. .

With the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the Roman Catholic Church for the first time took a positive stance on modernity. Its impact on the thought, worship, and actions of Catholics worldwide was enormous. Benefiting from a half century of insights gained since Vatican II ended, this volume focuses squarely on the ongoing aftermath and reinterpretation of the Council in the twenty-first century. In five penetrating essays, contributors examine crucial issues at the heart of Catholic life and identity, primarily but not exclusively within North American contexts. On a broader level, the volume as a whole illuminates the effects of the radical changes made at Vatican II on the lived religion of everyday Catholics. As framed by volume editors Lucas Van Rompay, Sam Miglarese, and David Morgan, the book's long view of the church's gradual and often contentious transition into contemporary times profiles a church and laity who seem committed to many mutual values but feel that implementation of the changes agreed to in principle at the Council is far from accomplished. The election in 2013 of the charismatic Pope Francis has added yet another dimension to the search for the meaning of Vatican II. The contributors are Catherine E. Clifford, Hillary Kaell, Leo D. Lefebure, Jill Peterfeso, and Leslie Woodcock Tentler.

Including classical, modern, and postmodern approaches to theological anthropology, this volume covers the entire spectrum of thought on the doctrines of creation, the human person as imago Dei, sin, and grace. The editors have gathered an exceptionally diverse range of voices, ensuring ecumenical balance (Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox) and the inclusion of previously neglected perspectives (women, African American, Asian, Latinx, and LGBTQ). The contributors revisit authors from the “Great Tradition” (early church, medieval, and modern), and discuss them alongside critical and liberationist approaches (ranging from feminist, decolonial, and intersectional theory to critical race theory and queer performance theory). This is a much-needed overview of a rapidly evolving field.

Catholic ecclesiology stands at the threshold of a new moment in the reception of the Second Vatican Council. The election of Pope Francis- coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the council-has inspired a fresh consideration of its teaching in such diverse areas as ecumenism, inculturation, missiology, and ministry. The chapters in this volume have their origin in a special symposium honoring the ecclesiological legacy of Thomas F. O'Meara, OP. The symposium called together over forty leading North American scholars in order to discuss the future of Catholic theological reflection on the church-a conversation that offers an entry into some of the most pressing issues in ecclesiology today.

In Hermeneutics of Doctrine in a Learning Church, Gregory Ryan offers an account of the dynamic, multi-dimensional task of interpreting Christian tradition, with reference to doctrinal hermeneutics, Receptive Ecumenism, and the ‘pastorality of doctrine’ seen in Pope Francis.

The fourth edition of The Christian Theological Tradition provides students with essential theological knowledge of key persons and events of the Bible and the Christian faith, and of Christianity's multifaceted encounter with Western culture. Historically arranged, the textbook addresses major theological themes such as revelation, God, Jesus Christ, Creation, salvation, and the church. The textbook deals with the entire Christian tradition from an orientation that is both Catholic and ecumenical, with the fourth edition including expanded coverage of modern Protestant Christianity. The Christian Theological Tradition has been thoroughly revised and updated with nine new or rewritten chapters, including: A new section on the reception of the Second Vatican Council, including the pontificate of Pope Francis. A new treatment of contemporary developments in liberation and environmental theology. A new examination of the relationship between science and Christianity. An entirely rewritten treatment of Islam that focuses on the ways in which the Christian tradition has historically understood and responded to Islam. A new discussion of the "New Atheism," with theological responses to this influential movement. New textboxes on aspects of religious life, such as liturgy, prayer, art, moral teaching, and social institutions, appropriate to given chapters. With the assistance of images and maps, key words, and recommended reading, this textbook outlines the methods for Christian theology and demonstrates the relevance of the Christian theological tradition for our contemporary world. This is an ideal resource for students of theology, biblical studies, or religious studies, and anyone wanting an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the Christian theological tradition.

Almost sixty years after Vatican II, the question of its interpretation is as lively as ever. While numerous theologies of renewal are advanced, conspicuously absent is any serious erudition of the text taken by Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI as the hermeneutical key to understanding the Council’s goal and method, namely, Paul VI’s encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam. This study corrects this inattention and proposes that Pope Paul’s “logic of renewal” is so profoundly a dimension of divine revelation and of the Church’s life that it is not just one theology of renewal among many, but the theology of renewal. It is thus the key to understanding the Council’s authentic pastoral character. The “logic of renewal” sets personal, spiritual metanoia as the center path of renewal, preceded by the path of doctrinal penetration, which assures that renewal is faithful to God, and complemented by the path of reinvigorated mission, which is the fruit of conversion. As the first post-Christendom ecumenical council, Vatican II addressed the question: What does it mean to be the Church of Christ at this point in history? Its answer: Become what you are! Convert into a more perfect realization of your own mystery, vocation, and mission.