History of Theology: The Patristic Period.

A generation ago a group of theologians from the Roman universities and the regional seminaries of Italy met to discuss urgent tasks facing theology in the post-Vatican II period. There was consensus that a history of theology was badly needed. That effort, which was designed to be one of collaboration, has now come to fruition. The intention of this collective effort was to focus on the conditions, incentives, and agents of theological work in terms of the places where theology was done and the results achieved. More positively, the authors set out a long series of questions that were to be kept in mind as they proceeded. Those questions ranged from methodological ones to issues of the relationship of theology to liturgy, philosophy, church teachings, and the culture of the day, as well as questions about the relationship of theology to spirituality. Eventually, this will be a four-volume work.

Ably turned into English by veteran translator Matthew J. O'Connell, this is not a handbook for beginners. The writers presume a certain level of theological and historical knowledge (even though they do provide a handy chronological table to help situate the flow of their story), a mastery of some technical vocabulary, and at least a nodding acquaintance with the dramatis personae. They also expect the reader to be familiar with the standard surveys of patristics.

The volume traces the development from the apostolic fathers down to the sixth century when the great councils had finished the basic work of the church on issues of Trinitarian and Christological definition. A fundamental motif emphasizes the role of scriptural interpretation, since "the most famous theologians of the patristic age were also exceptional interpreters of the sacred Scriptures, beginning with Irenaeus and Justin, and especially with Origen." Indeed, I would say that one of the most conspicuous merits of this volume is its attention to the history and development of scriptural exegesis.

This history is divided into three parts: (1) a consideration of theology in the first three centuries; (2) theology in the imperial church, which is to say from roughly A.D. 300 to 450; and (3) later patristic theology. There are also discrete chapters as well as subchapters which attend to special issues, methodologies, and the slow evolution of technical vocabulary.

In this brief review it is impossible even to outline the chapters of this rich volume, so one example must suffice. In part 2, Basil Studer discusses the Bible in the church while treating in six subchapters the following topics: the authority of the Bible; the meaning of sacred Scripture; the faith professed in the baptismal liturgy; the doctrinal role of early synods; the evolution of the notion of "Fathers of the Church"; the beginnings of the doctrinal authority of the Roman See. Under those headings, in turn, further topics are discussed, such as the development of the canon of Scripture, the evolution of creeds, which books had pride of place in theology, the authority of councils, and so on.

Needless to say, this organizational pattern brings with it difficulties. There is some repetition and some tangled pages when dealing with controversies (especially those which developed after Chalcedon). More frustrating to me was the publisher's decision (always a bad one in scholarly works, in my estimation) to use endnotes rather than footnotes. The running heads of the endnotes do not always agree with the running heads of the text. I did appreciate the fact that at the end of long sections there were some summary conclusions that tied together the main threads.

The rather high cost of this volume will keep it out of the hands of most students and not a few teachers, but it certainly deserves a place in libraries. Perhaps a softcover volume will be available in the future.

There is an extraordinary amount of interesting information and many fine pages on the development of theology in this history. I shall place it next to such standards as Pelikan, Kelly, Quasten, et al., on my library shelf. The volume reflects immense learning (as one would expect from authors like Studer and the Origen expert, Henri Crouzel) and even though the bibliographies are heavy on Italian authors and somewhat slight on Anglo-American ones, the translator does indicate English translations when available. The index, alas, is inexcusably limited to a thin assemblage of "topics." Future volumes should have separate indices for authors and subjects.

Dupuis is eminently qualified to write this book. A Belgian Jesuit, he taught in India from 1948 until he joined the theological faculty of Gregorian University in Rome in 1984. This comprehensive volume represents the capstone to the author's numerous studies on the relationship of Christianity to non-Christian religions. Dupuis writes as a theologian (part of the burden of this work is to show what the term comparative theologian might mean) and not as a historian of religions. In that sense, he claims the right to "interpret data in the perspective of a personal commitment to a religious faith and claims the right to pronounce, within that perspective, value judgments."

Dupuis does not mean to describe his task in any imperial fashion. On the contrary, his way of doing theology is irenic and genuinely alert to others. Part 1 looks at the way Christianity has approached other religions. Dupuis writes unflinchingly of the harshly restrictive attitude of the church about the salvation of non-Christians - anyone who thinks that the magisterium never changes its mind ought to read Dupuis's pages on the evolution of the dictum "extra ecclesiam nulla salus." He reminds us how Vatican II and subsequent statements from the magisterium have altered our understanding of this doctrine. His discussion of the debate on the eve of Vatican II - whether arguing for a "fulfillment" theory (religions finding their finality in Christ) or focusing on the mystery of Christ (most famously, Rahner's "anonymous Christian") - is very helpful. Lingering influences of these discussions are detected in some of the recent utterances from Rome.

Part 2 provides a magisterial survey of those theologians who have been at the heart of the discussion of the unique claims of Christianity. Dupuis summarizes fairly and offers a critique of all the usual suspects: John Hick, Paul Knitter, Gavin D'Costa, et al. Dupuis himself stands squarely in the middle of these debates. He refuses to align himself with those who would relativize the claims of the gospel or those who would make triumphalistic claims. His own approach is to insist on the role of the Holy Spirit. As he exhaustively documents, the magisterial documents of the church acknowledge that the Holy Spirit operates both in the lives of people who are not Christian and in other religious traditions. In this endeavor he argues for a Trinitarian Christology that pushes to the not-yet-arrived "reign of God." In fact, Dupuis uses the neologism of "regnocentric" to get beyond both ecclesiocentric and Christocentric categories that attempt to correlate Christian claims with those of the other religions. He sees this approach very much in line with Pope John Paul II's efforts at the Day of Universal Prayer in Assisi and in Redemptoris missio, where the pope explicitly affirms that every attempt at working for "gospel values" is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is from that orientation that Dupuis argues, finally, that there is no inherent contradiction between authentic interreligious dialogue and proclamation of the Gospel. That conclusion, of course, is most important for grasping the significance of missionary work.

These brief remarks do not do justice to the usefulness of this book. It should become a standard study on this most pressing question in theology. This work is further enhanced by a very thorough bibliography, and an index of scriptural sources with a separate name index. Dupuis provides a brilliant tour de horizon as well as some original theological thinking. His topic will only be more pressing as the new millennium approaches.

Congar's massive three-volume study of the Holy Spirit, composed in part as a response to the rise of the charismatic movement in the Roman Catholic church after the Second Vatican Council, was first published in French in 1979-1980; an English translation appeared in 1983. Crossroad/Herder has now republished all three volumes in one, at a very modest price, as part of its series Milestones in Catholic Theology. The Milestones series is to be applauded for bringing some excellent works back into print. My late-lamented colleague, Catherine LaCugna, wrote an introduction for its reissuing of Karl Rahner's The Trinity (a work thoroughly discussed by Congar in his book); and I have just received a copy of Karl Adam's classic The Spirit of Catholicism with a valuable introductory historical essay by another colleague, Robert A. Krieg, C.S.C.

The reprinting of Congar's work is especially timely. John Paul has asked that 1998 be a year in which special focus is made on the Holy Spirit as part of the preparations for the great year of Jubilee as we enter the new millennium. I cannot think of a finer way to prepare for this year of reflection and prayer than by a close consideration of Congar's work. It is a comprehensive study of Catholic teaching on the Holy Spirit as well as a serious dialogue with the Christian East, whose pneumatology is so central to their vision of the Christian life. Congar's first volume surveys the witness of the Scriptures and the Christian tradition about the Holy Spirit. Volume 2 examines the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. The final book discusses the developments of this theological tradition in both West and East, and makes some serious ecumenical suggestions in an effort to heal misunderstandings between the two sister churches.

Readers who know Congar's work will recognize his total mastery of both the fundamental sources of theology and his broad grasp of the pertinent scholarship. As preparation for some tasks given me in this year of the Holy Spirit, I have been going over this entire work. It is like receiving a theological education again. What most impresses me is the spirit that Congar (named a cardinal shortly before his death) brings to his theological work. Congar realizes the enormity of the task he has set himself. Before plunging into Augustine's subtle and prolix treatise, De Trinitate, he writes: "I have been only able to carry out this work in an environment of prayer and the celebration of the mysteries of faith - in other words, in a theological and doxological climate, and in the communion of saints." Obviously, a good deal of published research has appeared since Congar wrote these volumes. Still, they stand up well.

Crossroad/Herder is to be congratulated on the series. This particular volume of the late Dominican scholar is especially welcome both for its intrinsic merit and as a tribute to one of the greatest theologians of our century. One can only hope that more Congar will be forthcoming in reprint; perhaps his classic Tradition and Traditions?

Thomas Finn's survey concerns how people in antiquity "turned" to a religion or religious practice and how that conversion was ritualized. He begins with an analysis of how Jews and early Christians in pagan antiquity understood the term "conversion" and its cognates. He goes on to study the relevant sources and describe the conversion processes in Greco-Roman paganism and in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. His final chapters are devoted to the development of ideas about conversion and the ritual process of conversion in Christianity from its New Testament origins down to the elaborate initiation ceremonies of the fourth century. Drawing on theoretical models from both the history of religion and sociology, Finn attempts some general definitions of conversion, and reflects on that phenomenon both as a personal quest for meaning and a social phenomenon.

Although this work draws upon a good deal of technical research (some supplied by the author himself in scholarly outlets) this book is clearly written and accessible to a nonscholarly audience. With the recent development of RCIA programs in most parishes, it would make a fine study text for those who work in that ministry. Finn has interwoven liturgical history with theology so seamlessly that it also could serve as a textbook for courses in continuing education or college-level theology.

Readers of this column know I have a weakness for serious anthologies of prayers. Theology stated in an affective and doxological fashion has a great attraction for me, and I am happy to call attention to this collection, which was published just a few years ago in Great Britain and is now available to an American readership.

Every anthologist must decide on the rubric under which a collection is to be organized. This work opts for the "occasional" approach. Divided under twenty-six categories with well over a thousand prayers, Batchelor uses headings like forgiveness, home and family, children's prayers, grace before meals, journeys, illness, needs, etc. A range of prayers from classical sources as well as brief contemporary prayers is offered. These prayers also range from the stately and the liturgical to the whimsical. A nice feature of this collection is that interspersed in the text are simple sentences for meditation, repetition, or reflection. Such short phrases, as Saint Augustine says in his famous letter to Proba, are like "flaming javelins, sent to God."

This collection stands in the tradition of the Harper anthology of prayers, the Oxford University anthology edited by George Appleton, and Tony Castle's collection published a little over a decade ago. However, when Batchelor's work is compared to those collections one can note a few minor deficiencies. Although the large-size layout and printing are very handsomely done, I think they are a mistake. One suspects that the larger format will relegate it too easily to the bookshelf or coffee table. Second, the notes on the contributors seem rather hastily researched, resulting in some awkward formulations. John of the Cross, for instance, is identified as founding the "Barefoot Orders." Likewise, Tony Castle did not compose the common blessing for meals ("Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts...") but merely collected this old Catholic prayer for his own anthology.

I note these quibbles only because this volume does not meet the standard of the other collections I regularly consult. However, let me hasten to add that the author does give us a nice index of authors and also indices of all the prayers taken from the Old and New Testament. Since the intention is to focus the prayer collections on the exigencies of both personal and social life, ministers, teachers, and others will be pleased to see that Batchelor has provided prayers for job loss, pets, miscarriages, new homes, hospice visits, and so on. I would not judge this collection to be the anthology, but it certainly is a welcome addition to the growing literature on prayer.

Lawrence S. Cunningham teaches theology at the University of Notre Dame.