Doing Theology

by Jared Wicks SJ

Overview

Doing Theology shows how sound theology draws on the Christian sources of theological wisdom, beginning in attentive listening to the witness given in the canonical and inspired books of the Bible. Beginning by demonstrating how major Christian thinkers (Irenaeus, Origen, Luther, and others) pursued theological understanding, it then reviews the directions given by Vatican Council II for working out a beneficial and well-grounded Christian theology. The book offers guidelines for theological work in the Church’s tradition as manifested in creeds, the fathers, liturgy, and holy lives, and traces the emergence of the Church’s teaching office, showing its particular charism for contributing to Christian thought and life when its teachings are properly weighed and interpreted. A set of appendices exposes the reader to major texts of Vatican Council II, and shows the breadth of theological service given by the experts who contributed competently in a variety of ways to the Council.
Doing Theology will serve well in basic-level Catholic seminary and college courses in introduction to theology and theological method. Further, it will help any teacher of Catholic theology, whether in college and a secondary school, to refresh his or her hold on a sound theological method of listening to the sources and explaining the coherence of God’s saving work and word.
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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809145645
Publisher:	Paulist Press
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1

God's Revelation 2

Theology and Doctrines 4

The Structure of This Book 5

A Note on Theological Genre 5

Chapter 1 Theology in History and the Church 7

Theology and Meaning 7

1.1 Theology in Past Eras of Christianity 8

Two Early Fathers: Irenaeus and Origin 8

Theology at the Beginning of the Modern Age: Luther and Cano 12

Theology in 1870 and 1950: Vatican I and Pope Pius XII 17

1.2 Theology in the Light of the Second Vatican Council 22

Doctrine Reformulated to Benefit Human Beings (John XXIII) 22

New Light on Tradition, Scripture, and the Teaching Office (Magisterium) 24

Doctrine in History 27

The Hierarchy of Truths 29

1.3 The Two Phases of Theological Method 30

Listening and Explaining in Faith and Theology 31

1.4 The Elements of a Complete Theological Method 33

Chapter 2 Doing Theology by Listening to the Biblical Word 36

Theology and the Bible 37

2.1 The Canonical Scriptures and Theology 38

Canon and Canonicity 39

The Christian Old Testament Canon 41

The New Testament Canon 44

Canon and Church 46

2.2 The Inspired Word 47

Inspiration as a Charism of Communication 48

Inspiration and Patristic Interpretation 49

Church Affirmations of Biblical Inspiration 50

2.3 Interpreting the Bible 54

The Retrieval of Original Textual Meanings 55

Understanding the Bible's Further Meaning 59

Reading Biblical Passages in the Whole Canon 60

Reading Biblical Books in the Church 62

From Meaning to Meaning 64

Chapter 3 Doing Theology in the Stream of Catholic Tradition 67

3.1 From the Apostolic "Deposit" to Creeds and Dogma 69

The Apostolic "Deposit," 70

The Rule of Faith 71

The EarlyCreeds 72

A Dogmatic Creed: Nicea, AD 325 73

St. Thomas on "Articles of Faith" 74

3.2 Tradition in the Fathers, the Liturgy, and the Saints 76

Our "Fathers in the Faith" 76

Liturgy as a Theological Source 79

Holy Lives as a Theological Source 80

3.3 Traditions in Theology-Theology in Tradition 82

Trent's Reception of Unwritten Traditions 83

Newman on Tradition's Coherence and Fecundity 85

Vatican II on the Living Tradition 87

Theology in the Tradition 90

Chapter 4 Doing Theology in the Light of Church Teaching 92

4.1 The Teaching Office in the New Testament 93

Apostles and Elders/Bishops as Teachers 94

Paul's Mandate to the Elders of Ephesus (Acts 20) 96

The Magisterium of the Church Seen from the New Testament 97

4.2 The Teaching Office and Theology Interacting in History 98

The Patristic Episcopal Magisterium 99

The Early "Petrine" Magisterium 100

Magisterium and Theology: Modern Developments 102

With Vatican Council II, a New Relationship 105

The Magisterium and Theology Today: Related but Different 106

Two Situations and Manners of Service 107

4.3 The Theologian and Magisterial Teaching 110

Analysis of Church Teaching 111

Constructive Theological Thinking and Church Teaching 112

Chapter 5 Doing Theology amidst Life 117

5.1 Theology as Methodical Discipline and as Wisdom 118

A Methodical Discipline of Perception 118

Explanation in the Theological Disciplines 120

The Theological Areas and Basic Topics 121

Wisdom for Living 123

5.2 Theology in the Communal Life of Faith 125

Theology Enriched from the Ecclesial Community 126

Theology Contributing to the Church Community 128

5.3 Theology in the Personal Life of Faith 132

Theology Enriched by Personal Experience 133

Theology Speaks to Personal Experience 135

A Closing Word 138

Appendix 1 Pope John XXIII, Opening Address of the Second Vatican Council (October 11, 1962) 141

Appendix 2 Pope Paul VI, Opening of the Second Period of Vatican Council II (September 29, 1963) 152

Appendix 3 Pope Paul VI, Address at the Last Meeting of Vatican Council II (December 7, 1965) 163

Appendix 4 Catholic Doctrine on Revelation and Faith: The Conciliar Texts 172

Appendix 5 Jared Wicks, SJ, Theologians at Vatican Council II 187

Appendix 6 Pope Benedict XVI, Interpreting Vatican Council II (December 22, 2005) 224

Appendix 7 The Subject Areas of Catholic Theology 234

Appendix 8 The Levels of Teaching by the Catholic Magisterium 237

Notes 241

Recommended Further Reading 277

Index 281