The Faith Once for All Delivered: Doctrinal Authority in Catholic Theology

by Kevin L. Flannery, Raymond Leo Burke, C.C. Pecknold

In the third verse of his eponymous New Testament epistle, Jude exhorts his readers "to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered," a charge that continues to resound to the present day. This collection of essays responds to the apostle's call by providing both a diagnosis of the ills of modern progressivist Catholic doctrinal and moral theology and a prescription for the safeguarding of orthodoxy via a rightly understood return to the traditional sources of theology. The essays in the first part of this collection seek to answer the question, "What went wrong with Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council?" Following a brief account of the movement in modern theology from its philosophical basis in Kant and Hegel to the nouvelle théologie and later progressivist theologies of the twentieth century, the writings of Karl Rahner, Walter Kasper, and Bernhard Häring are treated as representative of principal problematic trends, and the concept of heresy is surveyed as it has been understood in the past and as it operates in the Church today. The essays in the second part indicate the way forward for Catholic doctrinal and moral theology, examining and distinguishing the orthodox use of the fontes theologiae of magisterial teachings, the deposit of faith in its development, the "sense of the faithful" ( sensus fidelium ), Sacred Scripture, and Church councils and synods. In its twofold attentiveness to contemporary errors in Catholic theology and to tradition-based correctives, The Faith Once for All Delivered offers an urgent and compelling summons to the sacred mission of defending doctrinal and moral orthodoxy.

344 pages, Hardcover

Published March 9, 2023

Reviews

[Rory Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed scholarly overview of some central topics of dogmatic theology.

The first half of the book sets the theological scene for modern theology by analysing some of the background trends and influences. It contains (long) essays on the theology of Karl Rahner, Walter Kasper and Bernard Haring, as well as a more general essay on the concept of heresy.

The essays on the individual theologians were (very) detailed. They presented enough information for readers to get a real feel for the theologising of the figures they focused on. However, the amount of detail presented raised another question. While those three theologians are influential, there are other figures like Von Balthasar who are also influential in modern theology. Would it have been more useful in setting a context, to cover a wider range of theologians, in somewhat less detail for each figure?

The essays in the second part of the book focused more on specific issues in contemporary theology. Chapter 10 on Apostolicity was particularly well presented. It makes a point rarely noted, that modern (Catholic) theologians often seem to be theologising in a context which largely ignores the teaching of Vatican II, that the gospels present a true and sincere impression of Jesus.

Chapters 7 and 8 explored ideas surrounding the development of doctrine. It was a good decision to focus two essays on that issue, as it has increasingly become a background issue in almost every area of theology where there are ideas or themes which raise questions of continuity with previous theologising.

One of the questions which arises in the development of doctrine is a question of how to translate the Latin phrase which insists on ‘sameness’ of doctrine. It insists that modern expressions should be the same as ancient ones in ‘eodem sensu, eademque sententia.’ But what does that Latin actually mean?

That Latin phrase is translated in both chapters 7 and 8, albeit differently. In chapter 7 it appears as ‘same sense… same judgement’ but in chapter 8 it appeared as ‘same sense same purpose.’ Are those translations equivalent? Does ‘judgement’ mean ‘purpose?’

Using the word ‘purpose’ probably arises because that is how it appears in 1 Corinthians 1.10 of the New American translation of the bible (which is the ultimate origin of the Latin phrase). But is ‘purpose’ really the most accurate translation of ‘sententia,’ especially as it was used in scholastic Latin (rather than as it was used in the Koine Greek of the New Testament)?

These considerations raise a very real question of translation and meaning, which is sadly not explored in the essays. But if we are not sufficiently clear what exactly it means for a doctrine to be stated with the same ‘…sensu… (and) sententia’ then how can we even begin to ask questions about whether there is a development within the ‘sameness’ of the expression of a doctrine?

Overall this is a well-written and well-presented set of essays. It is clearly intended for an academic or ‘professional’ theology audience, and the essays will undoubtedly be enjoyed most by those who already have a background interest and expertise in theology.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of essays explores the various strands of relativism and even nominalism which have seeped into Catholic thought in the last century. The primary target of criticism is nouvelle theologie and those ideologies associated with it. Hegel is a prominent influence upon many of the major thinkers behind this movement.

The importance of this shouldn't be underestimated. After all, Hegel's theory of truth is entirely at odds with any version of Christianity the apostles would have recognised (in fact, Hegel may have even taken this as a point in his favour!) To grasp his historicising understanding of truth as a process rather than a correspondence between mind and reality is to understand why any theology based upon a genuinely Hegelian epistemology can't go anywhere but wrong. For reference, refer to the German Catholic Church.

I found the discussions of Rahner, Hegel, and Kasper the most stimulating. There are a few areas where I'm not sure I entirely agree with their critiques (in just a few areas the arguments lack force and nuance), but overall it was an excellent book and absolutely worth the investment.