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Essential Catholicism
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1985
11 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Bokenkotter
6 books5 followersThomas Bokenkotter is the author of the bestselling A Concise History of the Catholic Church. With a doctorate in history (Louvain University) he teaches at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He is also the pastor of Assumption Church there and is active in the social ministry, running a soup kitchen that he founded twenty years ago and a transitional living facility for homeless women and children.
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April 4, 2015
Deft summation written just after the Second Vatican Council. Author moves effortlessly across several thousand years, assimilating scripture, history, patristic writings, decretals, theological writings, and the work of sociologists and whatnot. It’s impressive, at least to this infidel reader.
Opening sections burden the text with navel-gazing items such as “do we need religion?” and suchlike, which includes a somewhat reckless survey of the opinions from Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, and so on. Text is honest in its presentation of controverted issues, such as in the historicity vel non of scriptural ‘facts.’
Am liking the basic principles of gospel reading: propositions can be considered trustworthy as to Christ if they are marked by theological disharmony, dissimilarity, multiple attestation, grave offense to the establishment, and coherence (46). The assumption, of course, is that we need to brush the text with these kinds of tools because the gospels are filled with untrustworthy mythologies.
After laying down the Christological dogma now current post Second Vatican Council, text goes methodically through central church institutions (Pope, Saints, Maryology, &c.) and then through the liturgy (lotsa time on the sacraments—very interesting, as these have a distinct history). All of this is damned interesting—how could it not be, with several thousand years of debate on each question, beginning with the patristic writings and running through the present?
Last sections concern the proper post-Vatican II position on certain moral questions (sex, war, poverty, &c.). Not so strong here, though these items were also things in motion at the time (abortion debate--gah). Not sure where we’re at now on anything, as we’ve gone through several big hats since then.
Definitely not a substitute for reading, yaknow, the complete Ante-Nicene Fathers (which have English editions in the public domain now for free on the internets). Useful for atheist losers (i.e., me) who want a cursory review of Roman doctrine.
Opening sections burden the text with navel-gazing items such as “do we need religion?” and suchlike, which includes a somewhat reckless survey of the opinions from Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, and so on. Text is honest in its presentation of controverted issues, such as in the historicity vel non of scriptural ‘facts.’
Am liking the basic principles of gospel reading: propositions can be considered trustworthy as to Christ if they are marked by theological disharmony, dissimilarity, multiple attestation, grave offense to the establishment, and coherence (46). The assumption, of course, is that we need to brush the text with these kinds of tools because the gospels are filled with untrustworthy mythologies.
After laying down the Christological dogma now current post Second Vatican Council, text goes methodically through central church institutions (Pope, Saints, Maryology, &c.) and then through the liturgy (lotsa time on the sacraments—very interesting, as these have a distinct history). All of this is damned interesting—how could it not be, with several thousand years of debate on each question, beginning with the patristic writings and running through the present?
Last sections concern the proper post-Vatican II position on certain moral questions (sex, war, poverty, &c.). Not so strong here, though these items were also things in motion at the time (abortion debate--gah). Not sure where we’re at now on anything, as we’ve gone through several big hats since then.
Definitely not a substitute for reading, yaknow, the complete Ante-Nicene Fathers (which have English editions in the public domain now for free on the internets). Useful for atheist losers (i.e., me) who want a cursory review of Roman doctrine.
Displaying 1 of 1 review