The Making of Catholic Theology: The Modern Period (c. 1900 — 2000)

Module Description:

The purpose of this module is to survey the political, cultural and religious context in which, through a series of movements of thought, Catholic theology changed and developed profoundly in the period 1900 – 2000. The students will be introduced to the work of some representative theologians of the period. The module includes a seminar-study of the work of one such theologian. This seminar will comprise one third of the contact hours.

Among factors influencing the formation and re-formation of theology in the period are the political and social effects of the First World War, the rise of fascism and Soviet communism, the Second World War and the Cold War, the anti-modernist regime that was in the ascendant in Church circle at the beginning of the twentieth century, the rise of neo-scholasticism, movements known as ‘resourcement’ and ‘nouvelle theologie’, the gradual surmounting of neo-scholastic theology, the opening to critical and historical Catholic hermeneutics in Biblical studies, the liturgical movements’, rethinking Judaism, and the Second Vatican Council.

Among the important or representative theologians in this period, the work of Ives Congar, Karl Rahner and John Courtney Murray will be introduced.

Indicative Bibliography:

Bacik, J., Contemporary Theologians (Cork: The Mercier Press, 1989). Bulman R.F. and F.J. Parella (Ed), From Trent to Vatican II:Historical and Theological Investigations (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). Ford, D. (ed.), The Modern Theologians, 2 vols. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1989). Ivereigh, A. (ed.), Unfinished Business: The Church Forty Years after Vatican II (New York: Continuum, 2003). Kerr, F. Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians (Oxford:Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2007). Nichols, A., Catholic Thought since the Enlightenment (Leominster: Gracewing, 1998).

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Describe what is meant by a living tradition with reference to formation and re-formation of Catholic theology in this period.
• Explain the importance of the study of historical context for the study of theology.
• Identify the theological developments and movements of renewal which preceded and prepared for the work of the Second Vatican Council
• Outline key themes in the work of one influential theologian of this period.

Methods of Assessment and Student Workload

Continually assessed.