FEBRUARY 2006 - ISSUE 6 - ISSN 1448 - 6326

	Dan Cohn-Sherbok & Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok   AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY   London: Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd, 2004 - Rrp: $47.95, 181 pages.   Reviewed by Glenn Morrison

The encyclopedia was first published in 1991 and has been reprinted again.  This serves to emphasise its success in contributing to the understanding and friendship between Jews and Christians. The purpose is to inform Jews and Christians about one another’s philosophical and theological ideas, traditions, history, beliefs, symbols and practices.  The authors have carefully brought out similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity. 

Every entry usually first brings out the Jewish view and then proceeds to a Christian perspective.  There is a sense that the many of the important influences of each tradition are introduced.  For instance, in the entry on the Holy Spirit, we discover the Jewish understanding through biblical, Talmudic, Midrashic and 12th century (Moses Maimonides) references, whilst in respect to Christianity, we find references from the New Testament, the Church Fathers, Councils, disputes as well as from Trinitarian theology.  Nearly every entry makes use of the wide variety of resources from Christianity and Judaism.

The encyclopedia, however, cannot avoid certain generalisations of Christians and Jews.  For example, in the entry on Jesus, the authors write, “Although Christians ‘prove’ Jesus’ Messiahship by reference to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish rejection of Christian doctrine is also based on biblical texts”.  Certainly, the Hebrew Scriptures have been used and no doubt today are used by many as an ontological ‘proof’ for evidence of Jesus’ Messiahship.  But, in view of Jewish-Christian dialogue and modern biblical scholarship, such a statement could have been avoided or perhaps qualified. For Christians, I would argue that Jesus’ messiahship begins with the New Testament, faith and living out the paschal mystery in one’s life.

Overall, every entry is like a piece of a puzzle that produces a picture of Judaism and Christianity and their relation to one another.  But the encylopedia itself does not produce the whole picture and it is acknowledged that every entry can hopefully inspire further reading and reflection.  The encyclopedia is also useful for students of Scripture and theology as well as those involved in the study of comparative religion; it helps to teach us of the wisdom, goodness and heritage of both Judaism and Christianity.  For example, the entry on Suffering, we find for both Jews and Christians, that evil is understood as an absence of the good.  The encyclopedia engages in difficult philosophical and theological areas in a careful, structured way, often bringing out historical trends and changes in thought.  For anyone interested in developing their knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, the small encyclopedia is a helpful guide and starting point.

Dr. Glenn Morrison is a Lecturer in Theology and Undergraduate Coordinator in the School of Philosophy and Theology, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Western Australia.

Email: gmorrison@nd.edu.au

M.R. MacGinley A LAMP LIT: HISTORY OF THE POOR CLARES WAVERLEY AUSTRALIA 1883-2004 Sydney: St Paul’s Publications, 2005; 217 + viii pages ISBN: 1 921032 00 6 (case bound); 1 921032 11 1 (ppb) Reviewed by John Luttrell fms

The Poor Clare Sisters of Waverley ( Australia ) have produced this history of their 121 years in Australia on the occasion of the 750^th anniversary of the canonisation of their founder, Clare. As main author they commissioned Rosa MacGinley pbvm, an outside observer with an extensive background in the historiography of Australian religious congregations, best exemplified in A Dynamic of Hope (2002).

The community came to Waverley from Ireland in 1883 at the invitation of the Franciscans Friars, who had care of Waverley parish and who were seeking religious sisters to take charge of schools in the parish. This was a new monastic foundation independent of the Poor Clare congregations in Ireland and under the authority of the Archbishop of Sydney.

A concern to portray communal identity (‘the family face’ as the Foreword puts it) motivates the early narrative, which begins with Francis and Clare in Assisi, the founding of the Poor Clares, the spread and development of the order in following centuries and its various foundations in Ireland. From two of these foundations, Newry and Keady, the original six volunteers came to Waverley.

Rosa MacGinley then has seven chapters tracing the community story from 1883 to 1974. Each chapter covers topics such as leadership changes, recruitment and deaths, and the various ministries (in particular the schools at Waverley, Richmond, Riverstone and Bundoora).

This latter story is fairly familiar amongst religious congregations in Australia , but threaded through it is a concern about identity and canonical status. Clare’s sisters had early been recognised as an Order of enclosed nuns (moniales) who made solemn vows. But in Ireland and now in Australia they had undertaken an active apostolate and so had to forgo full enclosure (even travelling to their schools). Were they still nuns of the Second Order of Francis? When Colettine Franciscan Sisters formed a neighbouring enclosed foundation in 1951, people were asking ‘Who are the real Poor Clares?’ This issue surfaces often, especially in Chapter 9 (aptly entitled ‘Mainly Juridical’). MacGinley recounts much research into the question in the 1950s, leading to the Sisters’ petitioning Rome in 1962 for Second Order status. They received no answer for four years and were then counselled to look instead to federation with a Poor Clare congregation in Ireland . This they achieved in 1974.

At this point MacGinley ends her account and one is left feeling sorry for a small community with a contemplative tradition accepting an invitation to an active apostolate and then spending 100 years uncertain of their official status.

The final chapter dealing with the years 1974-2004 is said by MacGinley to have been added by the Poor Clare Sisters, ‘bringing the historical account up to date’. The issue of canonical status is not explicitly addressed and we assume that Rome did not agree to the request to return to solemn vows. The anonymous author(s) maintain continuity by covering similar issues to those of the earlier chapters. Important constitutional developments include the decision to federate with the Irish Poor Clares – a decision leading the Sydney Sisters to wider contacts and travel. Interesting to this reader was the greater emphasis given to exploring the charism and spirit of the Poor Clares, resulting in moves to a more eremitical, contemplative way of life reminiscent of that of Clare (as described in MacGinley’s ‘Beginnings’ chapter).

The story of this small Sydney community has generally been overshadowed by the accounts of the many larger religious communities which spread across Australia after 1880. Yet its smallness has advantages. For the Poor Clares and their friends and pupils it is a detailed record of their life and mission in Australia , with some attention to every Sister and even to most aspirants. For the historian, Rosa MacGinley and her co-authors have provided a significant case study of a venerable European order struggling to adapt to an active mission and to the demands of a ‘ New World’ society over 120 years. The book has many fine illustrations and a comprehensive index.

John Luttrell fms teaches Church History at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and at the Broken Bay Institute.

Email: jluttrel@tpg.com.au

	ABE W. ATA   CATHOLIC / NON-CATHOLIC MARRIAGES IN AUSTRALIA   David Lovell Publishing, Melbourne, 2005   Reviewed by Kate Engebretson

Dr Abe Ata has recently published his research on Christian-Muslim intermarriage, and it is followed by this new research on marriage between Catholics and Christians of other denominations. Dr Ata interviewed one hundred Victorians who are in Catholic/other-Christian marriages. Dr Ata's overall finding is that such marriages suffer far less from cultural and religious exclusiveness than do marriages between people of different religions, and he notes that the ever-increasing acceptance of such marriages, even within the Christian churches, is another sign among many, of the Australian tolerance for different expressions of faith.

Nevertheless, Dr Ata has been able to indicate some categories within which challenges arise. Dealing with conflicts over within which denomination children will be raised was a key issue, especially when there was a strong expectation from one or both denominations that the children would be raised within that denomination. Indeed the pervasiveness of the church and the level of its expectations on the individual within the marriage is shown to be a key factor that causes stress.

There are many positive factors too; some of these being the increase in understanding of and appreciation for the denomination of the other, and the potential for children to grow up in a religious atmosphere relatively free of the domination of one church. Other findings relate to gender roles, the potential for growth in understanding and/or conflict in the extended families of the marriage partner, and the potential for key rituals to be celebrated within both churches.

This book introduces in-depth material on a topic about which we have heard little, that is, the challenges and rewards of marriages between a Catholic and a Christian of another denomination where both have a commitment to their own church. It will be of interest to sociologists who study patterns of religious adherence and inter-marriage, and of course to those couples who are within such marriages. The picture portrayed in Dr Ata's study is one of hope.

Kath Engebretson is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, School of Religious Education at St. Patrick's Campus, Australian Catholic University.
Email: k.engebretson@patrick.acu.edu.au

	Ed Block Jr.   GLORY, GRACE, AND CULTURE: The Work of Hans Urs von Balthasar   New York: Paulist Press, 2005. Pp. ix + 225. Price: US$24.95   Reviewed by Anthony J. Kelly CSsR

This work, a collection of nine essays of mainly North American authors on aspects of von Balthar’s work, had its origins in semester-long colloquium at Marquette University .  It is designed to be an advanced primer for the study of von Balthasar’s achievement, and is a worthy successor the studies such as those of D. Schindler and L. Oakes: after all, the theologian here considered has was regarded by eminent authorities as one of the most cultured men in Europe, and one of the most significant theological figures of the 20^th century. 

The essays gathered here cover a wide field, well worthy of the breadth of erudition their subject embodied.  There are helpful general considerations which try to capture the overall significance of vB (Block and Schindler).  Questions of interpretation follow, dealing with the trinitarian and sacramental “hermeneutics” embedded in vB’s approach (very profoundly, P. Casarella), and the overwhelming kind of objectivity that guides his work (C. Potworowski).  As would be expected, some studies are devoted to the dramatic (D. Yeago and E. Block) and aesthetic (A. Nichols, the single English contributor) dimensions of the theology concerned.  Two incisive essays look beyond explicitly theological concerns only to see them enlarged by vB’s contribution: V. Nemoianu’s treatment of humanistic traditions and E. Oakes study of vB’ s critique of historical-critical methods. 

As the essays progress, basic themes keep reoccurring, namely the self-giving beauty of divine love, and the dramatic intersubjective constitution of human existence.  Surprisingly, there is little explicit treatment of vB’s eschatology and ecclesiology.  But, given the extent of such a vast corpus, some aspects, even important, ones cannot receive the attention they deserve.  Whatever the case, whether theologians consider it too grandly operatic or are overwhelmed by the exhibition of erudition, the voice of this undeniably great Swiss theologian, though stilled in 1988, still strongly resonates in current theology, be it modern or postmodern, to make it more vividly theological in content and style. 

In competently recalling a good number of Balthasarian perspectives in an impressively broad historical and cultural context, the book, with its instructive bibliography and indexes, achieves its purpose.  It will be a useful guide to teacher and student alike, while inviting the general reader to delve further into an amazing body of work totally intent on serving the “glory of the Lord”, the title of his major work. 

Anthony J. Kelly is a Redemptorist priest and former Chair of Theology at Australian Catholic University. Tony currently resides at the Brisbane Campus of ACU where he is Deputy Editor of The Australian Ejournal of Theology and a member of ACU’s Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology.

Email: a.kelly@mcauley.acu.edu.au

 

 

	Terry A. Veling   PRACTICAL THEOLOGY: “On Earth as It Is in Heaven”    Maryknoll NY: Orbis Books, 2005   Reviewed by Gerard Hall SM

Terry Veling’s Practical Theology: On Earth as It Is in Heaven has a distinctive voice that interweaves personal narrative, scholarly comment, theological reflection and spiritual insight with the voices of saints, mystics, prophets, philosophers, poets, artists and songwriters both ancient and modern. The book aims to avoid complex, academic language and “to move instead within the realm of symbol and metaphor” as it explores “the conversation between heaven and earth” which is the author’s poetic description of practical theology.

This is not so much a book “about” practical theology as it is an attempt to bring theology down to earth, to interpret the world in light of the Gospel and to open our senses to hear the Word of God anew in our own time. It is an exercise “in” practical theology or, as the author likes to say, a way of “practising theology”.  Learning from the richness of the European hermeneutical tradition, notably the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer, Veling shows that the theological task of interpretation and the Christian task of working for God’s kingdom are intimately linked. In this sense, all theology is practical if it is theology at all.

Anyone searching the book to find a simple method for doing practical theology is apt to be disappointed. We soon learn that practical theology is a craft more than a method: it requires a deep attentiveness, a divine concern, a willingness to ask uncomfortable questions, a commitment to stand in practical solidarity with the poor and downtrodden of the earth, and the courage, faith and hope of those inspired by the Gospel call to transcendence.

The rich heritage of the Hebrew tradition is evident throughout the book whether in its constant and often enlightening interpretation of the Scriptures or in its extensive conversations with multiple Jewish voices. In particular, the voice of Emmanuel Levinas and his insistence that we look upon the face of the Other as the ethical, spiritual and practical question of human life holds a deep resonance within this book. In fact, the chapter in which Veling outlines Levinas’ life and thought makes a significant contribution to the articulation of this most important (and often difficult) religious thinker of the twentieth century.

Another illuminating chapter is a theological reflection on “dwelling poetically in the world”. Here, as in many places throughout the book, the author demonstrates the necessity of overcoming simplistic and dualistic thinking: to be truly mystical or poetic is not to escape the world, but to engage with the world in a more profound manner. He uses this insight to explore the necessity of developing both an analogical and a dialectical sensibility in the tradition of the best theology.

These insights are further explored in the chapter dealing with prayer and study. Moreover, none of these is an individual pursuit: we belong in the world, if at all, as part of interpretative communities and living traditions. While we are “thrown” into this world, we are also responsible for the manner in which we respond to its challenges. Chapters dealing with the call to justice, mercy and hospitality in a world often hostile to the biblical perspective invite a rethinking and reawakening of personal and communal attitudes and behaviours as well as geo-political structures.

This is a book for theologians and other thinkers who believe the Gospel is a catalyst for personal, social and political transformation. It also has much to offer the emerging discipline of practical theology: it is a reminder that the scientific approach to the study of theology needs to be rooted in the praxis of an ethical Gospel spirituality. Australian readers may also raise a smile to see the creative use of a Micahel Leunig cartoon on the front cover. This is often a book with little surprises.

Gerard Hall sm, School of Theology, ACU McAuley Campus Brisbane. Editor, Australian Ejournal of Theology.

Email: g.hall@mcauley.acu.edu.au

 

 

	Geraldine Doogue and Peter Kirkwood   TOMORROW'S ISLAM: Uniting Age-Old Beliefs and a Modern World   Sydney: ABC Books, 2005   Reviewed by Gerard Hall SM

Tomorrow’s Islam is a timely book. It tackles the question of Australian attitudes (and prejudices) regarding Islam front-on. While not purporting to be a “scholarly work by experts”, the book tells the stories and records the words of contemporary Muslim scholars and leaders from around the world. Its focus is to engage ‘progressive’ or ‘moderate’ Muslim thinkers who straddle Islamic religion and Western culture. One particular chapter is devoted to the expression of Australian Muslim voices; another describes the practice of Islam in the world’s most populous Muslim nation—and Australia’s northern neighbour—Indonesia.

Chapters deal in turn with controversial issues on people’s minds. Is Islam a religion of violent jihad or peace? Is current turmoil in the Muslim world a permanent or temporary Islamic phenomenon? Is Islam compatible with pluralism and democracy? Are Muslims in the West capable of moving beyond ghettos to active participation in wider society? To what extent are women oppressed and/or autonomous in Islamic cultures? In what ways, if at all, is Islam capable of reform? Evidently, Tomorrow’s Islam does not shy away from responding to these demanding questions of our time.

This is a book with multiple voices including Christian scholars involved in interfaith dialogue including Australian Jesuit Dan Madigan and British Jesuit Michael Barnes. Nonetheless, Geraldine Doogue and Peter Kirkwood, being skilled interviewers and communicators, leave most of the book’s space to recording, summarizing and describing the opinions of the Islamic contributors. The result is that ordinary prejudices are challenged, fears allayed, hopes kindled. We learn, for example, that Imam Feisel Abdul Ranf understands he has much more in common with Jewish and Christian clergy than with Islamic fundamentalists.

Most readers will be challenged to rethink their stereotypes of Islam. They will learn there is a wealth of scholarship, intellectual sophistication, cultural adaptation, moral rectitude, spiritual enlightenment and commitment to a world of interfaith and intercultural engagement among a growing number of Muslims. Nor is this confined to Muslims in the West, but is also found in notable ways in such “Muslim countries” as Indonesia and Turkey.

Moreover, there are a surprising number of Islamic women scholars who speak for a progressive and moderate Islam. Examples in this volume include Ayse Oncu who lectures in sociology at Sabanci University in Instabul and espouses a secular Islam. Better known in the West is Bagladesh-born, political activist and member of Britain’s House of Lords, Baroness Pola Undin. Their accounts are enlightening.

This is a book to challenge assumptions and expand horizons regarding the current reality and future prospects of Islam in our world and society. It is not a systematic study, but provides a rich narrative account of Islam’s emergence which can help overturn simplistic stereotypes. If understanding is a bridge towards respect and tolerance, Tomorrow’s Islam makes a valuable contribution.

Gerard Hall sm, School of Theology, ACU McAuley Campus Brisbane. Editor, Australian Ejournal of Theology.

Email: g.hall@mcauley.acu.edu.au

 

 

AUSTRALIAN TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY

In what follows, I offer a brief review of two recently appearing books on trinitarian theology written by professors at Australian Catholic University.  Anne Hunt, after a distinguished record in education, is now Rector of the Ballarat Campus of the University.  Despite her administrative responsibilities, she continues to write and lecture on matters theological.  The book reviewed is her third in the area of trinitarian theology.  Neil Ormerod occupies the designated Chair of Theology at ACU, and is the Head of what is currently known as the Sub-Faculty of Philosophy and Theology.  The book reviewed here is the most recent of his numerous books and articles.  These two books by eminent Australian theologians rank highly in the list of trinitarian writings emanating from Australian authors in recent decades –David Coffey, Gerald O’Collins, Denis Edwards, Gerard Hall and myself.  Will later history speak of an Australian “school” of trinitarian theology?  Whatever the case, it is a noteworthy fact—not least because, by honouring the Holy Trinity in this way, theology is living from its source.  And so, to the books in question:

	Anne Hunt   TRINITY Nexus of the Mysteries of Christian Faith   Marynoll, NY: Orbis, 2005 Pp. xv + 254   Reviewed by Anthony J. Kelly CSsR

This book features the manners in which all the mysteries of faith interconnect and interweave within a trinitarian space.  Appropriately, this is the first volume of a new series, Theology in Global Perspective, published by Orbis under the general editorship of Peter Phan of Georgetown University—the aim being to promote the larger Catholicity of faith within the greater catholicity of global, interfaith, ecumenical experience.

Anne Hunt has certainly done her part.  Her previous studies on the Trinity here bloom into an impressive scope and range, as indicated in the subtitle of the book.  Only a scholar of considerable maturity could draw together the all the aspects of faith and life which the theological technique of Vatican I’s nexus mysteriorum , “the interconnection of the mysteries”, (DS 3016) would demand.  And in this AH has been very successful.  The trinitarian connection is evident in the content and method of each of the eleven chapters.  The first introductory chapter neatly sets the scene, as it refers to past developments of trinitarian theology, yet with a special freshness: it includes, for example, reference to mystics such as van Ruusbroec and Julian of Norwich.  The second chapter identifies contemporary approaches to trinitarian theology, with specific reference to Rahner, Boff, Zizioulas, Lonergan, von Balthasar, Moltmann and others. Thus, the stage is set for the manifold “interconnections” that follow.

It would serve no purpose to try and summarise what is designed to be a holographic interconnection of such a sweep of topics.  It will be sufficient to indicate what is treated in the succeeding chapters, and the ecumenical range of authors referred to in each field.  For instance, in the trinitarian field of christology, the classic doctrinal position is outlined with precision, but then is confronted with contemporary questions as instanced in the work of C. Schwöbel and J. Dupuis. In the area of soteriology and the Paschal Mystery (the topic of one of AH’s previous works), S. Moore, and F. X. Durrwell are points of reference.  In bringing out the trinitarian dimensions of creation, the scholastic inheritance is brought into new life in confrontation with the work of Pannenberg and Denis Edwards.  Trinitarian ecclesiology is outlined with the help of Tillard, Volf, Boff and Zizioulas.

A chapter dealing with the Trinity and world religions refers deftly to positions opened up by Rahner, Panikkar and Dupuis.  After this, trinitarian forms of the moral life are illustrated by various approaches represented in classic Thomism, Rahner’s theology of divine self-communication, and LaCugna’s trinitarian praxis.  This leads naturally enough to a consideration of spirituality and worship, and here the work of Downey, Lafont and others are frequently cited.  The thematic treatment is concluded with eschatology and its trinitarian ramifications, with Pannenberg as the main partner in dialogue.  A summary and conclusion helpfully follows, and a small appendix on the Filioque controversy wraps it up.

The book serves as a kind of small Summa of theological topics, and will certainly prove useful in this respect.  But the trinitarian extension and comprehension of each topic is a quite novel contribution.  Any lecturer “on the Trinity” will find this book most useful, while students will be assisted by suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.  The style of writing is clear and accessible to the general reader.  Given the many books on the Trinity appearing in recent years, this is one of the most outstanding and generally useful.

	Neil Ormerod   THE TRINITY: Retrieving the Western Tradition   Milwaukee WI: Marquette University Press, 2005. Pp.161   Reviewed by Anthony J. Kelly CSsR

Neil Ormerod, The Trinity: Retrieving the Western Tradition.  Milwaukee WI: Marquette University Press, 2005.  Pp. 161.

This timely contribution to trinitarian theology is based on a reworking of number of articles written by Neil Ormerod over the last few years, clearly indicating the author’s grasp of the classic Augustinian-Thomist tradition, and his ability to bring it into critical confrontation with urgent contemporary issues.  The author is well-known as a specialist in Lonergan studies.  His expertise in this respect serves him well in making his case for a much needed re-appreciation of the Western tradition of trinitarian theology, with its emphasis on what is commonly called “the psychological analogy”.  

Those who, for whatever reason, have tended to vilipend this classic tradition of trinitarian thinking will now have cause to feel uneasy.  The path of healthy reflection of faith on the greatest and most central of mysteries is compromised if it moves away from what has been one of its most creative and fertile ingredients.  And yet, the dismissal of that tradition which Ormerod here champions has, with few exceptions, been so widespread as to become the received wisdom, with its preference for what is supposed to be a more “Eastern” style of trinitarian theology. 

Ormerod unfolds his position in seven concise chapters.  The first chapter sets the context by sketching the essential features of the Western tradition.  These include a focus on the reality of the divine life, or “immanent Trinity”; the close relationship between Church doctrine and theological exploration; the clarification deriving from the analogy with human knowing and loving; an intellectual asceticism prepared to make precise distinctions to serve the articulation of trinitarian faith; the technique of appropriations employed to bring out the distinctive role of the divine persons; and the readiness to use philosophical categories to penetrate more deeply the scriptural data. 

The author concedes that what he is here defending is neither easily appreciated, nor always expressed in its most persuasive form; nor, for that matter, that the efforts of modern theologians to look for something more are wrong-headed.  Still, he does point out that even writers such as Rahner and LaCugna, and more extremely, Roger Haight, have been so concerned with the economy of historical revelation that the inner life of God from which it derives ceases to be of major moment.  The emphasis has been placed on a more generalized experience of God (Haight), or on the dramatic categories of imagination (von Balthasar), or the anthropology of community (Boff, d’Costa), so much so that the force of doctrinal tradition of faith itself dwindles into increasing irrelevance.

The following chapters are more precise in their scope.  The title of Chapter 2, treating Augustine’s trinitarian approach, contains a question of special pungency: “Whose Crisis?”.  Here Colin Gunton’s somewhat gross misreading of Augustine is incisively treated.  After remarking on the filioque controversy, the brief treatment of Augustine’s “phenomenology of consciousness” in chapter 10 of de Trinitate is given high marks from a Lonerganian perspective, and, no doubt to the surprise of many, from that of the Cappadocian who are supposed to differ from the greatest of the Latin Fathers.

The next chapter presents are more technical reading of de Trinitate, with an eye to Lonergan’s analysis of the realms of meaning.  If a modern readers look to Augustine’s writings without realizing his implicit distinctions between common sense, theory and the interiority of consciousness, the result is a jumble of disconnected impressions, more likely to confirm one’s prejudices than throw light on the sophistication of the stages of his approach.  Augustinian scholars will find this section very useful.

Chapter 4 on the psychological analogy is the key.  It can be summed up very simply: where recent theologians have rejected this analogy based in human consciousness, they are still using it in a naïve and uncritical fashion.  The choice is either to learn from the advances of the past, and transpose them into the current social and cultural context; or to bypass them and end with a theology that cannot relate the mystery of the Trinity to the meanings and values that animate human progress.

Chapter 5 addresses the tradition question of “appropriations”.  Here, too, Ormerod finds new light in Lonergan’s “four functions of meaning”, which escape large areas of current theological thinking.  In the light of these functions or dimensions of meaning (the cognitive, constitutive, communicative and effective), the von Balthasar’s drama of the paschal mystery, Zizioulas’ communion theology, and Denis Edward’s evolutionary and ecological perspectives can be more critically assimilated.

The next chapter deals with Karl Rahner’s trinitarian theology, particularly the Grundaxiom that has been so widely influential: “the economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity, and vice versa”.  Whilst this axiom has the advantage of brevity, its extensive applications have caused problems, nowhere more so than in the writings of David Coffey on the incarnation.  The classic notions of person and nature, clarified over the five centuries of early Christian thought, become so blurred that ancient heresies such as Monophysitism can reappear, unchallenged, and in a new guise.  This is a result of the doctrinal tradition becoming separated from the appropriately critical elaboration represented in the Augustinian-Thomist theological tradition.

The book ends with a brief conclusion, looking forward to the creativity that can follow from the retrieval of the Western tradition of trinitarian theology—above all when it is critically transposed into a contemporary context in the manner which Bernard Lonergan suggests and epitomizes.

Neil Ormerod’s book is timely as a reminder of what is in danger of being lost, and most merits recovery.  The motive is not one of nostalgia, but to provide the seeds of a creativity that can always refresh itself, both from the inexhaustible mystery of God, and from the lively structure of human consciousness itself.  Trinitarian theologians neglect this book at their peril.

Anthony J. Kelly is a Redemptorist priest and former Chair of Theology at Australian Catholic University. Tony currently resides at the Brisbane Campus of ACU where he is Deputy Editor of The Australian Ejournal of Theology and a member of ACU’s Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology.

Email: a.kelly@mcauley.acu.edu.au

A selection of recent titles in THEOLOGY chosen by HUGH McGINLAY of RAINBOW BOOKS. Available from all Christian book shops or contact Hugh directly for further information hugh@rainbowbooks.com.au

 

THEODICY AND ESCHATOLOGY

Bruce Barber and David Neville(eds)

$35.00             1920691227    Hindmarsh, ATF Press, 2005

Considers two key issues for contemporary Christianity: theodicy - how we reconcile faith in a just God in the face of evil and suffering; and eschatology - the ultimate fulfilment of Jesus' saving mission.

 

 

TRUCE OF GOD

Peacemaking in troubled times

Rowan Williams

$26.95             1853116505    Norwich , Canterbury Press, 2005

New revised edition studies the causes, effects and Christian response to the violence in daily life - from popular entertainment, to street crime, to international relations - and explores the contribution that faith can make towards peacemaking in today's world.

 

 

VATICAN II

Keeping the vision alive

Denis Hurley

$29.95             1875053484    Pietermaritzburg, Cluster Books, 2005

Archbishop Denis Hurley's Second Vatican Council memoir makes the Council come alive; and his thoughts about what has happened since are timely and challenging.

 

 

THE MYSTERY OF FAITH

Reflections on the encyclical Ecclesia in Eucharistia

James McEvoy and Maurice Hogan (eds)

$39.95             1856074870    Dublin , Columba Press, 2005

Biblical, doctrinal, historical, liturgical, devotional, ecumenical, catechetical, artistic and post-modern perspectives weave a rich tapestry of Eucharistic themes.

 

 

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

Jeff Astley and others (eds)

$39.95             0567082431    London , DLT, 2005

A reader featuring the work of key theorists engaged in the science and religion debate, including Ric hard Dawkins, John Habgood and Alister McGrath.

 

 

WHAT’S THE POINT OF BEING A CHRISTIAN?

Timothy Radcliffe

$37.95             0819281182    London , Continuum, 2005

Celebrated English Dominican argues for an understanding of the Christian gospel that is couched in a deep understanding of human nature and the problems and anxieties of modern women and men.

 

 

ANARCHY, CHURCH AND UTOPIA

Rowan Williams on the church

Theo Hobson

$29.95             0232525781    London , DLT, 2005

Examines the development of Williams' theology and suggests that his ecclesiology is so open, so self-critical, so idealistically Christo-centric and so post-modern that it is questionable whether the traditional institutional structures can survive it.

 

 

OPENING UP

Speaking out in the church

Peter Stanford (ed.)

$45.00             0232526249    London , DLT, 2005

A collection of essays by leading Catholic writers inspiring new ways of thinking about the future of the Church; issues include the role of women, gay relationships, contraception, poverty, HIV/AIDS, priesthood and liturgical renewal.

 

 

CARDINAL REFLECTIONS

Active participation and the liturgy

Cardinal Francis Arinze and others

$19.95             1595250131    Chicago, LTP, 2005

Forty years after the Second Vatican Council, four leading Cardinals reflect on  the concept of active participation and the liturgy; introduction by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney .

 

 

TRINITY

Nexus of the mysteries of Christian faith

Anne Hunt

$34.95             1570756295    Maryknoll, Orbis Books, 2005

A work of unsurpassed clarity that explores the interconnection of the mystery of the Trinity and other great mysteries of Christian faith, synthesising the tradition, in addition to her own research and that of other contemporary theologians.

 

 

PRACTICAL THEOLOGY

‘On earth as it is in heaven’

Terry Veling

$42.95             1570756147    Maryknoll, Orbis Books, 2005

Asserts practical theology's need to 'read the signs of the times' in the light of the gospel message and the Christian tradition, and explores some of its key elements (interpretation, context, scripture, tradition) before reflecting on the deeper role of theology in the church and society.

 

 

REINVENTING ANGLICANISM

A vision of confidence, community and engagement in Anglican Christianity

Bruce Kaye

$44.95             0859109682    Adelaide , OpenBook, 2003

Tracks the modern story of Australian Anglicanism and reconsiders key elements of the New Testament, the English Reformation and the ongoing theological tradition that relate to this story.

 

 

THE TORAH

An introduction for Christians and Jews

David Zucker

$34.95             0809143496    New York , Paulist Press, 2005

A general introduction to Torah, with sections on the Hebrew Bible as a source of inspiration; its place in the ritual and prayer life of the synagogue; the term 'Old Testament'; the divisions of the Hebrew Bible and how this compares to standard Christian editions of the Bible.

 

 

ECUMENISM AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy

$29.95             0809143380    New York , Paulist Press, 2005

First in the series ‘Rediscovering Vatican II’ considers two great documents of the Second Vatican Council and explores the consequent relationship of the Catholic Church with other Christian churches and other great religions.

 

 

A MARGINAL JEW

John P. Meier

Volume 1 – Rethinking the historical Jesus

$90.00             0385264259    New York , Doubleday, 1991

Volume 2 – Rethinking the historical Jesus – mentor, message and miracles

$90.00             0385469926    New York , Doubleday, 1994

Volume 3 – Rethinking the historical Jesus - companions and competitors

$85.00             0385469934    New York , Doubleday, 2001

An extraordinary series that views this central historical figure within the context of his own time

 

 

THE NICENE FAITH

Formation of Christian theology, Volume 2

John Behr $53.95             088141266X   Crestwood , NY , SVS Press, 2004

Two part volume – from the Orthodox tradition - provides a series of original, comprehensive, and insightful sketches of the theology of the key protagonists of the Nicean faith, presenting a powerful vision of Christian theology.