Apostolicity Then and Now: An Ecumenical Church in a Postmodern World

263 Pages·2016·7.6 MB·English

by  John Burkhard

Apostolicity Then and Now
An Ecumenical Church in a Postmodern 1iUJrld
John]. Burkhard, O.F.M. Cony.
A Michael Glazier.! Book
LITURGICAL PRESS
Collegeville, Minnesota
www.litpress.org
A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press.
Cover design by David Manahan, O.S.B. Illustration provided by PHOTODISC:
World Religions.
Scriptures selections are taken from the New American Bible Copyright © 1991,
1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 3211 Fourth Street, NE,
Washington, DC 2U017-1194 and are used by license of copyright owner. All rights
reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form or
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© 2004 by the Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burkhard,John]., 1940-
Apostolicity then and now : an ecumenical church in a postmodern world I
John]. Burkhard.
p. cm.
"A Michael Glazier book."
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8146-5121-6 (pbk : alk. paper)
1. Church-Apostolicity. I. Title.
BV601.2.B872004
262'.72--dc22
2004007564
I dedicate this book in gratitude to my former professors,
and to my students, all of whom have helped me grow as a teacher,
scholar, and theologian.
Contents
Foreword ix
Patrick Granfield, O.S.B.
Preface xiii
Chapter One: Who Were the Aposdes? 1
The Twelve 2
Symbols and Symbolic Activity 6
Pauline and Lukan Understandings of the Apostle 10
The Wider Spectrum of Meanings of the Term "Apostle" 14
Conclusions 19
Chapter Two: Why the Early Churches Understood Themselves
as Apostolic 23
What Is Apostolicity? 24
Apostolicity of Origin 26
Apostolicity of Doctrine 29
Apostolicity of Life 31
Apostolic Succession 35
Conclusions 39
Chapter Three: Apostolicity in History 43
The Epistle ift he Romans to the Corinthians (1 Clement) 43
Irenaeus of Lyons 49
Tertullian of Carthage 57
The Collection Known as the "Traditio Apostolica" 61
Vita Apostolica et Evangelica in the Middle Ages 64
Chapter Four: Apostolicity and the Theologians 71
Yves Congar, O.P. 71
Hans Kung 74
v
vi APOSTOLICITY THEN AND NOW
Theologians of the Reform 78
Wolfhart Pannenberg 81
Miroslav Volf 84
John D. Zizioulas 89
Chapter Five: Apostolicity and the Classical and Modem
Worldviews 95
Worldviews, Paradigms, and Models 95
The Premodern Worldview 101
Cultural Assumptions 103
Theological Criteria 106
Scripture and Exegesis 108
A Case Study: Joaquin Salaverri s.] 111
J
The Modern Worldview 113
Cultural Assumptions 114
Theological Criteria 117
Scripture and Exegesis 120
A Case Study: Karl Rahnf:0 S.] 122
Conclusion 125
Chapter Six: Apostolicity in a Postmodem World 127
An Attempt to Delineate Postmodernism 127
Five Postmodern Characteristics 130
Rf(jeclion ifa Dualistic Vzew ift he UfJrld 130
Rf(jeclion ifFounclationalism 131
RfJ'ection if "Totalization" and the Role ifM etanarratives 133
Threat ifA nti-Human Nihilism 135
Return ift he "Other" and Relationality 139
History 145
Historicity and Human Freedom 148
Pluralism 150
Apostolicity in a Postmodern Perspective 159
Chapter Seven: Apostolicity in Ecumenical Dialogue 165
The Roman Catholic-Anglican Dialogue 165
"The Final Report" 167
"Church as Communion:: 1/U
"The Gjft ifA uthority" 174
CONTENTS vu
The Roman Catholic-Lutheran Dialogue 177
"The Gospel and the Church" 179
"The Ministry in the Church" 180
"FaC£ng Unity" 182
"Church and Justification" 183
BEM of Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches 187
British and Irish Anglican Churches and Nordic
and Baltic Lutheran Churches 193
The Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue 196
Chapter Eight: Apostolicity in an Ecumenical Church 201
Apostolic Succession in Lutheranism 201
Episkope and Episcopacy 211
Meaning of the Term "Validity" 218
The Question of the Recognition of Ministry 223
Apostolic Ministry and the Church as Fundamental Sacrament 237
Apostolic Succession in Postconciliar Roman Catholicism 246
Again, Postmodernism 249

ForeuJord
Christians have professed the apostolicity of the church-along with
its unity, holiness, and catholicity-for nearly two millennia. Despite this
long-standing affIrmation of faith, the followers of Christ still do not agree
on the exact meaning of apostolicity. It remains a church-dividing issue
with far-reaching theological and pastoral implications. This creative
study of apostolicity by John]. Burkhard is a welcome contribution to
the debate.
John]. Burkhard, a Conventual Franciscan and former President of
Saint Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary, is an associate professor of systematic
theology at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC. He is
well equipped to handle this complex question with his solid theological
training at the Canisianum in Innsbruck (S.T.L.) and the University of
Strasbourg (Dr.Sc.Rel.) and his many years of teaching. His theological
vision is strengthened by his familiarity with contemporary European
theology. Although this is his fIrst book, systematicians know his major ar
ticles on the history and theology of the sensus.fidei in Vatican II and the post
conciliar period (Louvain Studies 1992 and Heythrap Journal 1993) and the
meaning and application of subsidiarity in ecclesiology (The Jurist 1998).
The postmodern worldview provides the underpinning for Burkhard's
understanding of apostolicity. He recognizes that postmodernism is a
controversial topic with a wide variety of interpretations. Some reject it
because of its destructive relativism, excessive subjectivity, and denial of
foundational principles. Burkhard admits that these limitations exist in
some versions of postmodernism, but argues that it is also possible to
have a more positive understanding of postmodernism, one that empha
sizes historicity, relationality, personhood, and pluralism. These quali
ties, he contends, can help situate apostolicity in a framework that does
ix
x APOSTOLICITY THEN AND NOW
not compromise the uniqueness of Christianity and ensure a balanced
view of Scripture, with its historical and ecumenical dimensions.
Burkhard skillfully relates the church as sacrament and commun
ion in explaining the meaning of apostolicity. He agrees with Rahner
that the church is the fundamental sacrament (not to be confused with
Christ as the primordial sacrament). Every celebration of the seven
sacraments-symbols of human encounter with the divine-is an ecclesial
celebration. The divine gift of communion is expressed in the church as
sacrament. The church is a communion of individual believers who share
in the life of the Triune God through the sacraments and a virtuous life,
with an openness to the Spirit. Ecclesial communion is rooted in the uni
versal salvific will of God and the mystery of grace.
Apostolicity, Burkhard insists, does not refer just to ecclesiastical of
fice or apostolic succession. Rather, it is an attribute of the entire church
and includes the full life of the Christian community: its baptized mem
bers, sacred writings, and leadership structures. Likewise, the episcopate is
not simply a collection of individuals who are successors of the apostles. In
the words of St. Cyprian, "the episcopate is one and undivided" (On the
Unity ift lze Church, 4). The bishops form a communion of pastoral leaders
in apostolic ministry who serve the church. The episcopacy is essentially a
collegial body, and the church is a communion of apostolic churches.
Apostolic succession, according to Burkhard, is not to be viewed as
a linear unbroken line of individual bishops originating with the apostles.
It is more accurate and theologically rich to see succession in the context
of the apostolicity of the church. There is a succession of apostolic teach
ing, which Burkhard calls the "substance of apostolicity" or "apostolicity
of life." His reference to Yves Congar is valuable: "Attention has been
placed too exclusively on the validity of formal ordinations as such. . . .
·1 he epIscopacy as tunction is not an object that one has control of out
side the service it renders in the very bosom of the Church" (Ministeres et
communion ecclesiale [paris: Cerf, 1971J, 88).
In Apostolicity T!zen and Now we are taken on a tour d'horizon. Burkhard
examines apostolicity from several vantage points. In addition to scrip
tural and historical evidence, he also presents in some detail how con
temporary theologians treat apostolicity. Of special value is his discussion
in chapter 7 of apostolicity in contemporary ecumenical dialogue. He
tion of ministry, meaning of validity, and the distinction between church
Foreword xi
and ecclesial community. He carefully presents his views in a balanced
manner.
The book is designed for the educated reader: students, ecumenists,
pastoral ministers, and those interested in the full import of apostolicity.
A special feature of the book is the abundance of footnotes with copious
references to theological literature. The footnotes give scholars, who
wish to pursue in greater depth certain ideas, a rich source of informa
tion. It is hoped that this book on apostolicity will promote the cause of
Christian unity. May it contribute to the vision of Vatican II, which noted
that "almost everyone, though in different ways, longs that there may be
one visible Church of God. . . (Decree on Ecumenism, 1).
Patrick Granfield, O.S.B.
The Shakespeare Caldwell-Duval Professor of Theology
The School of Theology and Religious Studies
The Catholic University of America