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The Thomistic Response to the Nouvelle Théologie: Concerning the Truth of Dogma and the Nature of Theology
The Thomistic Response to the Nouvelle Th�ologie: Concerning the Truth of Dogma and the Nature of Theology retrieves the most important and largely forgotten exchanges in the mid-20th-century debate surrounding ressourcement thinkers. It makes available new translations of works by the leading Thomists in the exchange: Dominican Fathers Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Michel Labourdette, Marie-Joseph Nicolas, and Raymond Bruckberger. In addition to a lengthy historical and theological introduction, the volume contains sixteen articles, thirteen of which have never appeared in English. All the major critical responses of the Dominican Thomists to the nouvelle th�ologie are here presented chronologically according to the primary debates carried on, respectively, in the journals Revue Thomiste and Angelicum. A lengthy introduction describes the unfolding of the entire debate, article by article, and explains and references the ressourcement interventions.
Unfortunately, the history of this important debate is largely surrounded by polemics, half-truths, caricatures, and journalistic soundbites. In the articles gathered in this volume, along with the accompanying introduction, the Toulouse and Roman Dominicans speak in their own voice. The central theses that define the two sides of the debate are sympathetically set forth. However, the texts gathered here show the immense lengths to which the Thomists went to initiate an authentic and fraternal theological dialogue with the nouveaux th�ologiens. Frs. Labourdette and Nicolas repeatedly argued for the importance of ressourcement work: they applauded its historical efforts, and they were generally sympathetic and complementary (although always pointed and persistent in gently expressing their concerns). Even Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange--whose infamous intervention is remembered as being a theological "atomic bomb"--is revealed as being no more guilty of escalation than the Dominicans' interlocutors in their own responses to him and Fr. Labourdette.
This volume will greatly aid in the task of theological and historical reconstruction and will, undoubtedly, assist in a certain rapprochement between the two sides, as the essential texts, concerns, and theological arguments are made available in their entirety to professional and lay Anglophone readers.
Unfortunately, the history of this important debate is largely surrounded by polemics, half-truths, caricatures, and journalistic soundbites. In the articles gathered in this volume, along with the accompanying introduction, the Toulouse and Roman Dominicans speak in their own voice. The central theses that define the two sides of the debate are sympathetically set forth. However, the texts gathered here show the immense lengths to which the Thomists went to initiate an authentic and fraternal theological dialogue with the nouveaux th�ologiens. Frs. Labourdette and Nicolas repeatedly argued for the importance of ressourcement work: they applauded its historical efforts, and they were generally sympathetic and complementary (although always pointed and persistent in gently expressing their concerns). Even Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange--whose infamous intervention is remembered as being a theological "atomic bomb"--is revealed as being no more guilty of escalation than the Dominicans' interlocutors in their own responses to him and Fr. Labourdette.
This volume will greatly aid in the task of theological and historical reconstruction and will, undoubtedly, assist in a certain rapprochement between the two sides, as the essential texts, concerns, and theological arguments are made available in their entirety to professional and lay Anglophone readers.
- GenresTheologyPhilosophy
406 pages, Paperback
Published April 7, 2023
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August 4, 2024
In the years following the Second Vatican Council (1965) it was generally understood that the 'nouvelle theologie' had been suppressed before the Council, but that Vatican II had rehabilitated it and enabled it to flourish after the council.
That story is not wrong, but it can also end up becoming a little misleading when history is effectively written by the ‘winners’ and when the opposite side of the discussion is buried in journals in academic libraries, which are not always very accessible.
What this set of essays does is it provides the ‘opposite side’ of the discussion. It provides the essays written by the Dominicans in France and in Rome which opposed the Nouvelle Theologie agenda.
What emerges from the essays is a surprising degree of irenicism. A point made well in the very long and informative introduction is that if either side was hot headed then the case can be made that it was the proponents of the Nouvelle Theologie, and in particular Henri de Lubac (p.47), who initially stirred matters unhelpfully and made it difficult for the two sides to reach any kind of accommodation.
By the time that Garrigou Lagrange wrote his classic essay ‘where is the nouvelle theologie going’ (Chapter 10 in this book) the time for reproachment had passed and his accusation that nouvelle theologie was heading towards the heresy of Modernism effectively made it inevitable that Nouvelle theologie would end up being disciplined and suppressed to some extent.
Reading this set of essays illustrates what the Nouvelle Theologie was worried about. The very first essay in the book, ‘Faith Seeking Understanding’ by Michel-Marie Labourdette, is a very long and technical explanation of what theology is, from the perspective of Thomist philosophy. Readers unfamiliar with its underlying scholasticism will find it a difficult read. And that was precisely the point that the Nouvelle Theologie was making, that traditional theology was in danger of requiring a double conversion, which consisted of firstly converting to Aristotle in order to be able to convert to the Christianity which was expressed via the medium of scholasticism.
However, the later essays in the book, especially those by Garrigou Lagrange illustrate some well argued risks and dangers which the Nouvelle Theologie was not always aware of. In their rush to re-express theology the proponents of the nouvelle theologie were in danger of turning a clear and settled set of conclusions into a theological free for all which risked loosing the baby with the bathwater.
Collecting these essays together and publishing them in this well presented volume provides an important set of source documents to anyone interested in the debates about the nouvelle theologie and the theological situation on the eve of Vatican II.
That story is not wrong, but it can also end up becoming a little misleading when history is effectively written by the ‘winners’ and when the opposite side of the discussion is buried in journals in academic libraries, which are not always very accessible.
What this set of essays does is it provides the ‘opposite side’ of the discussion. It provides the essays written by the Dominicans in France and in Rome which opposed the Nouvelle Theologie agenda.
What emerges from the essays is a surprising degree of irenicism. A point made well in the very long and informative introduction is that if either side was hot headed then the case can be made that it was the proponents of the Nouvelle Theologie, and in particular Henri de Lubac (p.47), who initially stirred matters unhelpfully and made it difficult for the two sides to reach any kind of accommodation.
By the time that Garrigou Lagrange wrote his classic essay ‘where is the nouvelle theologie going’ (Chapter 10 in this book) the time for reproachment had passed and his accusation that nouvelle theologie was heading towards the heresy of Modernism effectively made it inevitable that Nouvelle theologie would end up being disciplined and suppressed to some extent.
Reading this set of essays illustrates what the Nouvelle Theologie was worried about. The very first essay in the book, ‘Faith Seeking Understanding’ by Michel-Marie Labourdette, is a very long and technical explanation of what theology is, from the perspective of Thomist philosophy. Readers unfamiliar with its underlying scholasticism will find it a difficult read. And that was precisely the point that the Nouvelle Theologie was making, that traditional theology was in danger of requiring a double conversion, which consisted of firstly converting to Aristotle in order to be able to convert to the Christianity which was expressed via the medium of scholasticism.
However, the later essays in the book, especially those by Garrigou Lagrange illustrate some well argued risks and dangers which the Nouvelle Theologie was not always aware of. In their rush to re-express theology the proponents of the nouvelle theologie were in danger of turning a clear and settled set of conclusions into a theological free for all which risked loosing the baby with the bathwater.
Collecting these essays together and publishing them in this well presented volume provides an important set of source documents to anyone interested in the debates about the nouvelle theologie and the theological situation on the eve of Vatican II.
Displaying 1 of 1 review