Catholic Thought Since the Enlightenment: A Survey

232 Pages·1998·17.854 MB·English

by  Aidan Nichols

Catholic Thought since
The Enl ightenWlent
. A SURVEY '
Aioan Nichols,
OP
Ul1iversit~ of Soutb Africa, Pretoria
Gracewi119, Leomil1stel) E119{al1~
© 1998 University of South Africa
First edition, first impression
ISBN 186888029X
UK ISBN 0852444745
Published in South Africa by Published outside South Africa by
UnisaPress Gracewing
University of South Africa 2 Southern Avenue, Leominster,
PO Box 392, 0003 Pretoria Herefordshire HR6 OQF, England
Electronic origination by Iskova Image Setting, Johannesburg
Printed by Sigma Press, Koedoespoort
© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photoco
pying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
It is banal to note that the succession of figures moves successively
through the history of thought; the part of wisdom is to find a
continual conversation taking place, a conversation to which each
generation makes its contribution and from which it derives its
tradition as it evokes from the other members latent insights and
discoveries which emerge only during this continued encounter.
Chronology is appropriate in intellectual history, but it is not the
final word.
MICHAEL BUCKLEY, SJ
At the Origins ofM odern Atheism

CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
I CATHOIJC THEOWGY AND THE ENlJGHTENMENT 1
1 Intellectual antecedents 3
2 Catholics and unbelievers 6
3 Response to the philosophes 8
4 The history men 12
5 Catholic Enlightenment, Catholic identity 15
II REVOumON AND RESTORATION 21
1 The Revolutionary impact 23
2 Romantic theology 26
3 Traditionalism 31
4 Theological Counter-revolutionism 36
5 Neo-Ultramontanism 39
ill VARIETIES OF REASON 43
1 Semi-rationalism 45
2 The Catholic Tlibingen School 51
3 Newman 54
4 Rosmini 58
5 The Roman School 61
6 Pius IX and his Council 64
7 Scheeben 70
8 Leonine Neo-Thomism 72
Vll
W MODERN AND ANTI-MODERN 77
1 Blondel 79
2 Modernism 83
3 The Social Catholics 90
4 Rousselot and Mart~chal 95
5 Maritain and Gilson 99
V BACK m TIlE SOURCES 105
1 Casel and the liturgical revival 107
2 Adam and the ecclesiological revival 111
3 Lagrange and the biblical revival 115
4 Danielou and the patristic revival 120
VI mSmRY AND META-mSmRY 125
1 Christopher Dawson 127
2 The Innsbrlick School 130
3 Henri de Lubac and nouvelle theologie 134
4 Teilhard de Chardin 139
5 Karl Rahner 142
6 Incarnation or eschatology? 146
VII TIlE COUNCIL AND BEYOND 149
1 The Second Vatican Council 151
2 Catholic ecumenism 159
3 Concilium or Communio? 164
4 Liberation theology 169
5 Morals and man 173
6 Narrative theology 176
7 Bernard Lonergan and David Tracy 182
8 Balthasar 188
CONCLUSION: CATIlOIJCISM AND MODERNTIY 193
NOTES 119
BIBIJOGRAPHY 207
iii
PREFACE
Constraints oflength in this survey have obliged me to be selective. The
bibliographies offered will enable students to fill gaps - and I have
included books and articles in languages other than English for
advanced students into whose hands this book may fall. The same
need for conciseness has encouraged me to pass some swiftly enun
ciated judgements, which may assist the student to gain a handle on
the topics, whether he or she agrees eventually with my assessment or
not.
Apart from its intrinsic interest, the theological history of Catholicism in
the last two hundred years is essential reading for anyone who wishes
to gain an understanding ofthe present state ofthe Catholic Church -
most of all for anyone who would care to offer it informed counsel with
the benefit of a historical (and not merely contemporary) feeling for its
identity and thejuste milieu ofthe tendencies of its schools.
I am grateful to Professor Gerald Pillay, formerly of the University of
South Africa, for suggesting that I write this work, and to the Liturgical
Press, Collegeville, and T and T Clark, of Edinburgh, for permission to
include some short extracts from earlier material published through
their kindness.
Aidan Nichols, OP
Blackfriars
Cambridge
Memorial of our Lady of Ransom, 1996
IX

I CATHOLIC THEOLOGY
AND ENLIGHTENMENT
1