Ratzinger's Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI

by Tracey Rowland

Overview

A general introduction to the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, including his approach to issues in moral and political theology, ecclesiology, liturgy, interpretations of the of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and the theology of history. Tracey Rowland also addresses the question of Pope Benedict's place in the constellation of contemporary Catholic theologians. It has become a commonplace observation that Pope Benedict has been influenced by the thought of St Augustine, in contrast to many of his predecessors in the papacy who were much more strongly influenced by St Thomas Aquinas. Rowland therefore asks in what way Benedict is an Augustinian, and how this marked difference in theological perspective may play out in the coming years. Her book includes an extensive thematic bibliography, which will be valuable for students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191623394
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	08/06/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Tracey Rowland is Dean and Associate Professor of Political Philosophy and Continental Theology at the John Paul II Institute (Melbourne) and a member of the editorial board of the English language edition of the journal Communio, founded, among others, by Joseph Ratzinger and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Her first book, Culture and the Thomist Tradition: After Vatican II, was published in the Radical Orthodoxy series.

Table of Contents

Foreword: His Eminence George Cardinal Pell     x
Introduction     1
Ratzinger and Contemporary Theological Circles     17
Gaudium et spes and the Importance of Christ     30
Revelation, Scripture, and Tradition     48
Beyond Moralism: God is Love     66
The Structure of the Communion     84
Modernity and the Politics of the West     105
Liturgy since Vatican II     123
Conclusion     144
The Subiaco Address (Conclusion)     156
The Regensburg Address     166
Notes     175
Bibliography     197
Index     207

Editorial Reviews

These texts provide accessible overviews of Pope Benedict's theological foundation, a foundation that influenced his priesthood as a young cleric and continues to direct his thinking as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike many other recent popes, Benedict has been deeply influenced by the teachings and writings of St. Augustine, which have flavored his understanding of issues of morality, politics, ecclesiology, worship, and history. Here, Rowland (political philosophy & continental theology, John Paul II Inst., Melbourne, Australia) brilliantly identifies the subtle influences between Benedict and his theological peers and speculates on the direction of his pontificate. Her work is more theoretical than Thomas E. Woods Jr.'s Sacred Then and Sacred Now: The Return of the Old Latin Mass, which provides a useful handbook in understanding the reasons why Benedict restored the Missal of 1962 as well as commentaries on the liturgy's actual actions. Woods's book, with its practical focus, is better suited to lay worshipers, though it nicely complements Rowland's more academic text. Both are recommended for select theological collections.
—John-Leonard Berg

Library Journal

"The pope's deep and passionate love for the adventure of theology shines through this text, which is geared to the reasonably educated lay reader. Not only papal enthusiasts but also libraries and professional theologians will want to have this book." —Theological Studies

"I have never read an author who identifies and explains all the essential questions with such intelligence and clarity...It should be the number one choice of anyone who wants to understand more fully the contemporary predicament in which both Church and culture find themselves...It is not too much to say that if you haven't read this book-as the best way to understand the thought of Pope Benedict XVI-you are doomed to have significant gaps in your own analysis of how things are. So if you can read only one more intellectually serious book this year, read Tracey Rowland's Ratzinger's Faith." — Dr. Jeff Mirus, CatholicCulture.org

"Tracey Rowland's excellent exposition of his thought...Ratzinger's Faith is meant to be an exploration of the Pope's thinking, not a thematic biography. But Professor Rowland treats Benedict's ideas with a keen eye to his life, and she largely succeeds in giving us a well developed theology-in-history." — Jeremy Lott, Catholic World Report

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