Pope Paul VI characterized the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom -- Dignitatis Humanae -- as one of the greatest documents of Vatican II. It is also perhaps the most intensely debated document of the Council; both the drafting of the Declaration of Religious Freedom and its reception have been marked by deep disagreements about what this teaching means for the Church.In this book David Schindler and Nicholas Healy promote a deeper understanding of this important document. In addition to presenting a new translation of the approved text of the Declaration; Freedom; Truth; and Human Dignity makes available for the first time in English the five drafts of the document that were presented to the Council bishops leading up to the final version. The book also includes an original interpretive essay on Dignitatis Humanae by Schindler and an essay on the genesis and redaction history of the text by Healy.
#89674 in Books Rowan Williams 2002-01-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .95 x 6.00l; 1.13 #File Name: 0802849695392 pagesArius Heresy and Tradition
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Speaks to both scholars and laymenBy S. A. C.I came to Rowan Williams' book after first reading a novel titled Arius written by John Rather. I wanted to know more about how historians and theologians view the life of Arius and his influence on post-Nicene Christianity. Williams is certainly one of the most prominent scholars writing on the subject in recent decades.I appreciate Williams' ability to write a discourse on complex philosophical and historical issues and then summarize his principal arguments in a way that can be understood by an interested layman like me. I found it helpful to read the Conclusions to Parts I; II; and III; as well as the Conclusion to Appendix 1: Arius since 1987; first; before going back to read each part in its entirety.With my question about current perspectives on the role of Arius on post-Nicene Christianity in mind; I read the Conclusion to Appendix 1. In it Williams wrote: "[Maurice] Wiles' own demonstration that Arius' theology of the semi-divine mediator does not survive very well in a cosmology where there are fewer or no intermediate levels of life between this world and God is; in fact; a very suggestive observation. One long-term effect of the Nicene settlement was that it eventually made it impossible for orthodox Christianity to conceive God as an individual" (pp. 266-267). What Rather does in Arius; the novel; is use a fictional story to consider what the impact might be if some of the ideas Williams says were excluded following the Nicene Council--that there may be intermediate levels of life between this world and God; and that it's possible God is an individual--were to reemerge in the 21st century.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Thorough research / well writtenBy Jeffry DiamondRowan Williams gives an excellent account of one of the most significant events in the history of the Church; and the political influences that may have shaped the current divisions between the Orthodoxy (Eastern) and Roman (Western) thought.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A great read!By John CaseEven handed examination of the historic environment; the theological discussion; and the phisophical influences around the Nicene debate. A great read!!
