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Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II
As the church marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, too few Catholics have an adequate grasp of what the council contributed to the life of the church. The problem is understandable. The Second Vatican Council produced, by far, more document pages than any other council. Consequently, any attempt to master its core teachings can be daunting. There is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. With this in mind, Keys to the Council identifies twenty key conciliar passages, central texts that help us appreciate the Vision of the council fathers.
Each chapter places the given passage in its larger historical context, explores its fundamental meaning and significance, and finally considers its larger significance for the life of the church today. Chapters include exploration of Sacrosanctum Concilium's demand for full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy; Lumen Gentium's eucharistic ecclesiology; Gaudium et Spes's vision of marriage as an intimate partnership of life and love; Nostra Aetate's approach to non-Christian religions; and more.
Each chapter places the given passage in its larger historical context, explores its fundamental meaning and significance, and finally considers its larger significance for the life of the church today. Chapters include exploration of Sacrosanctum Concilium's demand for full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgy; Lumen Gentium's eucharistic ecclesiology; Gaudium et Spes's vision of marriage as an intimate partnership of life and love; Nostra Aetate's approach to non-Christian religions; and more.
- GenresTheology
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 23, 2021
A summary of the process and products of the Vatican II council that met from 1961 to 1965, and had profound impact on the Catholic Church. Twenty chapters, each addressing a single issue dealt with by Vatican II, it contains a lot of history, necessary background to understand the issue and why it was being addressed. It's written in readable language to the non-Catholic non-theologian, even including highlighted definitions of some of the key words that are unfamiliar to most.
I'd heard of Vatican II, and I seem to remember staunch, conservative Catholics hating its liberalizing, but it moved the Church away from some positions that looked worse every year they hung on, and toward a position of humility, engagement, and love for humanity that seem to me to aim it more toward Christlikeness.
I'd heard of Vatican II, and I seem to remember staunch, conservative Catholics hating its liberalizing, but it moved the Church away from some positions that looked worse every year they hung on, and toward a position of humility, engagement, and love for humanity that seem to me to aim it more toward Christlikeness.
March 12, 2024
As a newcomer to Catholicism at age 71, this book provided me great incite to my new life as a Catholic and the challenges and changes this beautiful religion has undergone.
May 25, 2015
Austin Flannery’s English translation of the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council run over 1,000 pages and weighs just over two pounds. I had not held a book with that many pages since my freshman in college. Fortunately, I found Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II by Richard R. Gaillardetz and Catherine Clifford to help me know where to get started.
Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz teaches Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and the director of graduate studies. Keys to the Council is the second of his book specifically on Vatican II documents. This one seems written with an introductory class in Vatican II in mind. Gaillardetz selected 20 articles from various documents that he feels provides an introduction to the whole of the Vatican II teaching. The selected documents include all four of apostolic constitutions, two of the decrees and two of the declarations.
For each article, Gaillardetz offers background information into how the particular text came to be. He then talks about the meaning of the article and how we can live it’s general meaning today.
Sometimes, university professors write in an attempt impress their colleagues but Keys to the Council is written easy to read format for non-PhDs. In true professor style, there are also sidebars explaining unfamiliar words and concepts thought the book.
If you know little to nothing about what Vatican II teaches and you are looking for something you can read without the depth of theological study, I would recommend Keys to the Council.
Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz teaches Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and the director of graduate studies. Keys to the Council is the second of his book specifically on Vatican II documents. This one seems written with an introductory class in Vatican II in mind. Gaillardetz selected 20 articles from various documents that he feels provides an introduction to the whole of the Vatican II teaching. The selected documents include all four of apostolic constitutions, two of the decrees and two of the declarations.
For each article, Gaillardetz offers background information into how the particular text came to be. He then talks about the meaning of the article and how we can live it’s general meaning today.
Sometimes, university professors write in an attempt impress their colleagues but Keys to the Council is written easy to read format for non-PhDs. In true professor style, there are also sidebars explaining unfamiliar words and concepts thought the book.
If you know little to nothing about what Vatican II teaches and you are looking for something you can read without the depth of theological study, I would recommend Keys to the Council.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews