Teaching with Authority: A Theology of the Magisterium in the Church (Theology and Life Series)
Publisher: Michael Glazier, 1997
ISBN: 0814655297
Paperback: 312 pages
What are the implications of Vatican II for the understanding and concrete exercise of doctrinal teaching authority in the Catholic Church? This book faithfully represents the teaching of Roman Catholicism on the church’s doctrinal authority while pointing to areas where there remains a gap between an ecclesiological vision of the church informed by Vatican II and the popular understanding and concrete exercise of that authority in the life of the church today.
The retrieval of such biblical images of the church as the people of God, body of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit and the exploration of the theological concepts of mystery, communion and sacrament offer the possibility of re-formulating a theology of the magisterium which is faithful to the Roman Catholic doctrinal tradition. At the same time, if this theology is to be of value for ecumenical dialogue it must also be able to challenge contemporary ecclesiastical structures and generate new models for the concrete exercise of ecclesial authority in the church today.
Editorial Reviews
Knowledgable, and balanced, clear and expansive, this overview—reaching from Yves Congar to Paul VI and John Paul II—of authority as ministry in the Church, offers a wealth of sources, information, and insights.
—Thomas F. O’Meara, OP, University of Notre Dame
In his encyclical Ut Unum Sint Pope John Paul II called for renewed study of the nature and exercise of the Church’s magisterium as one of the necessary steps toward Christian reunion. Richard Gaillardetz’s Teaching with Authority is precisely the kind of careful, faithful and critical investigation which that papal invitation deserves. Balanced, thoroughly researched, attentive to the many complex issues involved in the topic, and clearly organized and written, this excellent book deserves to be widely read and used in academic classes and parish study groups.
—Michael J. Himes, Boston College
With this volume Gaillardetz places himself among the ranking theologians of the teaching authority of the Church. . . . Well informed, lucidly written, and wisely balanced, this book could not have been written at a more opportune time. It is a reliable ‘guide for the perplexed.’. . .
—Peter C. Phan, Professor of Systematic Theology, The Catholic University of America
Richard R. Gaillardetz has written a helpful and important study of doctrinal teaching authority in the Roman Catholic Church.
—Charles E. Curran, National Catholic Reporter
This is a scholarly, well-written and really excellent overview of recent theological reflection on teaching authority in the Catholic Church.
—The Furrow
Anyone who wants deeper insights in the meaning of cc. 747-755 on the teaching authority of the Church would do well to read and study this book. It truly lives up to the promise of its subtitle: it is a systematic theology of the magisterium drawing on Church doctrine and the best contemporary scholarship in the theological disciplines and canon law. With a clear organization of content and an accessible style, it is suitable for a wide audience of theologians, canonists, students, and pastoral ministers.
—Studia Canonia
Richard Gaillardetz 