Edward Schillebeeckx

This is the first full biography of one of the greatest Roman Catholic theologians of the last century. Schillebeeckx is alive and still writing important work. He is a Dutch Dominican and theological genius whose influence on the Second Vatican Council was profound. He was regarded as the theological voice of progressive Catholicism. But in 1968 the Vatican Authorities started an investigation into his orthodoxy and a great many Catholics also felt that this was an attack on them. Borgman puts Schillebeeckx in his context, creating a new perspective on his ultimate significance for the church and for the development of theology.

Written by leading experts on both the thought of Edward Schillebeeckx and modern theology, this handbook offers the first comprehensive study of the historical, philosophical, political and theological aspects of Schillebeeckx's work. As one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, he played a key role in the preparations for the theological revolution of the Second Vatican Council and the debates of the post-conciliar era. His engagement with critical theory, hermeneutics, and biblical scholarship culminated in his groundbreaking Christological trilogy, which marked Schillebeeckx as one of the most significant and innovative thinkers of his time. By building an overview of recent research into Schillebeeckx's writing, the contributors shed new light on his influence and ongoing relevance in contemporary theology. Beginning with the roots of Schillebeeckx's views on metaphysics, spirituality and faith, the essays then move to his work during and after the Second Vatican Council, and then to his engagement with new directions in philosophy and his renewal of classical topics such as creation, theological and soteriological anthropology, and eschatology. Culminating with an analysis of theology and culture, this handbook thoroughly explores the implications of Schillebeeckx's theology for a contemporary readership.

This reader shows why Edward Schillebeeckx remains one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century. Spanning more than half a century and including several texts that appear in English for the first time, it enables students to understand how Edward Schillebeeckx's thought resonates with current debates in theology, for instance on ecology and secularization. T&T Clark Reader in Edward Schillebeeckx includes selections from both pre- and post-Conciliar texts that illustrate the evolution in Schillebeeckx's thought, while also pointing towards the deep underlying continuity which comes from his essential commitment to his faith. His Christological Trilogy, which was a touchstone for doctrinal controversy and methodological progress, is represented here, as well as important works on ministry, the sacraments, hermeneutics, secularization, and the environment. These complex theological topics are broken down in every chapter with the help of explanatory notes, discussion questions and further reading suggestions. This reader is an essential resource which will enable students to contextualize and unpack the rich layers within Schillebeeckx's theology.

This book presents the main teachings of Edward Schillebeeckx, widely considered one of the most important Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century. Schillebeeckx is known for his radical departure from traditional theology, which he saw as no longer relevant to the modern world. Because today's world has been shaped by a process of secularization heavily based on reason and progress in science, technology, economics, urbanism, etc., modern people seek relevant answers to their deep existential questions that can be explained rationally. In his quest to foster relevant and meaningful answers for today's world, Schillebeeckx changed the traditional metaphysical content of Christian theology into explanations that radically reinterpret traditional Christian doctrines. Primarily, the supernatural essence of Christianity is given up as irrelevant and is replaced by a natural perspective on the world. In Schillebeeckx's thoroughly historical and truly immanent theology, God is man's terrestrial future; Christ the symbol of universal human values; and the Church is identified with the world as those communities which share these universal human values. Schillebeeckx is convinced that these explanations--emptied of metaphysical content--can help today's people understand their existence in a new, relevant, and meaningful way.

This is a unique selection of Edward Schillebeeckx' collection, translated into English here for the first time. This is a collection of essays from one of the most eminent Catholic theologians of the late 20th century. Edward Schillebeeckx Collected Works bring together the most important and influential works of the Dutch Dominican and theologian Edward Schillebeeckx (1914-2009) in a reliable edition. All translations have been carefully checked or revised, some texts are presented in English for the first time. The page numbers of earlier editions are included. Each volume carries a foreword by an internationally renowned Schillebeeckx expert. This edition makes Schillebeeckx available for a new generation of scholars and students.

This book was originally planned as the 'ecclesiological' third part of Schillebeeckx Jesus trilogy. It indeed concludes his thinking about the relevance of the living Jesus through history, but with a different approach than originally intended. By the end of the 20th century, many believers have left the unworldly 'super-naturalistic' preconciliar church behind. Those who leave the church, often leave a church that claims to be the direct mediator of God's will. However, the church is not a flawless gift from heaven. It is the vulnerable work of human beings which tries to find accurate ways to comply to the heart of the gospel message. In a time that is characterized by polarization in the church, Schillebeeckx does not forget to look at the unprecedented and authentic flourishing of the gospel. This book therefore contains the testimony of a theologian who tried, during the course of his life, to describe what God can mean for people today.

This is a new edition of the 1963 classic which gave Christological thought a new direction. As far back as his first major book Schillebeeckx propounded an anthropological approach to the sacraments. In Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God , he draws on theologically fruitful work by phenomenological anthropologists like Merleau-Ponty, Buytendijk and Binswanger. That makes Schillebeeckx's distinctive idiom and modern approach appealing even today. He rediscovers, as it were from within, the notions forged by scholastic theology, and thus restores to us a theology of the sacraments rooted in the biblical and patristic soil from which they first sprang. Schillebeeckx's speculative synthesis of this quest still has a fresh ring to it. He describes Christ as the primordial sacrament in a reflection on his public ministry, death and resurrection inspired by the universal human search for such a 'sacrament'. He concludes that the church's sacraments have to be an earthly extension of the liberation brought by Christ's story. Schillebeeckx ends by describing sacraments as grace made visible that gives crowning moments in Christian life a mystical quality. Edward Schillebeeckx Collected Works bring together the most important and influential works of the Dutch Dominican and theologian Edward Schillebeeckx (1914-2009) in a reliable edition. All translations have been carefully checked or revised, some texts are presented in English for the first time. The page numbers of earlier editions are included. Each volume carries a foreword by an internationally renowned Schillebeeckx expert. This edition makes Schillebeeckx available for a new generation of scholars and students.