The Road to Vatican II: Key Changes in Theology

by Maureen Sullivan

Overview

The Second Vatican Council is considered by most theologians to have been a decisive moment in the history of the Catholic Church. It produced a charter for the Church of the twentieth century and beyond and spawned thousands of books, articles, conferences, and doctoral theses over the last forty years. Part of the Council’s fascination lies in the many “stories” that surround it.

In THE ROAD TO VATICAN II, author Maureen Sullivan tells the story behind the story by revealing how the Church moved from the rigid, hierarchical model espoused by Pius IX at Vatican I (1869-70) to the collegial, “communio” model that emerged under John XXIII at Vatican II (1962-65). She recounts the events and trends leading up to the Council and demonstrates how it became possible, in the four brief sessions that took place from 1962-65, for over 2,500 bishops—who often disagreed on the most critical issues—to produce sixteen documents that touched the very essence of the Catholic faith.

THE ROAD TO VATICAN II is written—not for other theologians—but for men and women who are eager to have a more in-depth understanding of a watershed event that shaped their faith. The author focuses on the contributions of important theologians whose efforts over the years laid the groundwork for the Council and she documents their influence on many of the key documents that emerged. Sullivan argues that these theologians were indeed prophets among us, offering a renewed vision of the faith, a methodology to facilitate the theological endeavor, and a language of life rediscovered in the New Testament that could speak to contemporary men and women. These prophets often suffered because of their convictions, but Sullivan maintains that they were instruments of the Holy Spirit in our midst—and their story needed to be told.
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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809142774
Publisher:	Paulist Press
Publication date:	05/01/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Maureen Sullivan is an associate of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society and has been elected to the Fellowship of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators. She also teaches workshops, contributes to calligraphy books, and exhibits widely.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     1
Theology in Transition     11
Paradigm Shifts in Theology     11
The Task of the Theologian     16
The New Theology     17
The New Theologians     18
Conclusion     35
The Church Looks at the World     37
Leading Up to Vatican II     37
A Document for Our Time     42
Church and World: A Reconciliation     42
A Changing Theology     45
Theological Anthropology     48
Christ the Key Element in a Theological Anthropology     50
Inculturation     51
Reasons to Believe     53
A Renewed Sense of History     55
Conclusion     58
The Church Looks at the Laity     60
The Layperson in the Church before Vatican II     60
Struggling to Find a Voice     61
Return to the Sources     63
A Theology of Communion     64
The Sensus Fidelium     66
The Law of Incarnation     68
The Hour of the Laity     69
Vatican II Opens the Door     70
Lumen Gentium     71
Priesthoodof the Faithful     73
Gifted with the Same Spirit     74
Relationship between the Laity and the Hierarchy     75
Gaudium et Spes     77
A Theology of the Actual     77
Theologically Prepared for the Mission     78
Apostolicam Actuositatem     80
An Ecclesiology of the People of God     81
Preparation to Be an Apostle     81
Conclusion     82
The Church Looks at Itself     84
From Vatican I to Vatican II     84
Changing the Unchangeable     87
Lumen Gentium: A Charter for Change     89
The Church Is a Mystery     91
The Church Is a Communion     98
The Church Is a Reality in the Making     108
Conclusion     114
Epilogue     118
The "Prophets"     118
The Documents of Vatican II     119
The Holy Spirit     121
The Future     121
Notes     123
Bibliography     142
Index     157