The Church of God in Jesus Christ: A Catholic Ecclesiology

by Roch A. Kereszty

Publisher:

Catholic University of America

, 2019

Overview

The Church of God in Jesus Christ consists of three parts: the first provides a concise historical survey of ecclesiology elucidating the most salient teachings and insights from the Old and New Testaments, the writings of the fathers, the medievals, moderns, up to the present day. It integrates a standard historical overview with a recovery of oft ignored or forgotten insights from the tradition (e.g., beginnings of the Church in prehistoric times and in Israel, Irenaeus’s Trinitarian ecclesiology and St. Bernard’s nuptial vison of the Church.

The second part is a systematic ecclesiology ordered around the four marks of the Church, then proceeding to treat the participation of all the faithful in the threefold office of Christ, the ongoing renewal and reform of the Church by the Holy Spirit working through her members, and finishing with a hitherto neglected study of the eschatological consummation of the Church in heavenly glory.

The third part consists of five essays on particular themes of special importance in ecclesiology. Of the five, most notable is the chapter on the relationship between the Church’s infallibility and Mary.

Fr. Roch Kereszty intends to integrate theological insights with nourishing the reader’s spiritual life by emphasizing the essentially Trinitarian, nuptial and Marian dimensions of the Church.

The book fills a genuine need in that it offers a rich synthesis of the ecclesiological renewal in an accessible and clear language. It will enrich not only students of theology but all those college educated adults who are interested to delve beyond the clichés of the media into the contemplation of the manifold mystery of the Church.

Key Features

• Focuse on the main aspects of the mystery of the church in order to appeal to a general college-educated audience, and in particular to students of theology
• Explores each major aspect of the mystery of the church: as the people of God, as the virginal Bride, and as Mother by the Holy Spirit of all believers and the family of God the Father
• Attempts to present the mystery of the church not in a historical vacuum, but rather as from its very beginnings God's providential offer of the church to humankind

Contents

Part 1. Historical Survey

• The Beginnings of the Church
• Church in the New Testament
• The Church in the Theology of the Fathers
• The Medieval Synthesis and Great Thinkers
• The Ecclesiology of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation
• Ecclesiology before and after Vatican I
• The Ecclesiology of Vatican II
• Ecclesiology after the Council: Crisis and Renewal

Part 2. Systematic Ecclesiology

• The Unity of the Church
• The Holiness of the Church
• The People of God Shares in the Priestly, Prophetic, and Kingly Role of Christ
• Comprehensive Notions of the Church
• Renewal and Reformation in the Church
• The Eschatological Consummation of the Church

Part 3. Particular Themes in Ecclesiology

• The Unity of the Church in the Theology of Irenaeus
• A Catholic Perspective on the Mission of Israel
• "Bride" and "Mother" in the Super Cantica of St. Bernard: An Ecclesiology for Our Time?
• A Catholic Response to W. Pannenberg, "Evangelische Uberlegungen zum Petrusdienst des Romischen Bischofs"
• The Infallibility of the Church and the Mystery of Mary

Praise for The Church of God in Jesus Christ

Thorough and precise in scholarship, sensitive to contemporary issues and accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students. A unique and valuable work.

Michael Sirilla, author of The Ideal Bishop (CUA Press)

This book is a brilliant synthesis of doctrinal handbook and creative, at times even daring, theological exploration. It plunges the reader into a deep and loving contemplation of the mystery of the church in characteristically accessible, straightforward prose. It sets an agenda for future work in ecclesiology even as it will serve as an excellent textbook in undergraduate and graduate classes for years to come.

John C. Cavadini, University of Notre Dame

Father Kereszty is a man of profound scholarly and pastoral wisdom. In this long-awaited book, he provides a primer in Ressourcement ecclesiology, rooted in Scripture, the Fathers, and the high medievals, and flowering at Vatican II. Among the few living theologians educated at the height of the Ressourcement movement, Father Kereszty's mastery of its key themes has become connatural. His communication of these insights--at a time when rationalistic currents threaten the church afresh--is a model of evangelical simplicity and clarity.

Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

Product Details

• Title: The Church of God in Jesus Christ: A Catholic Ecclesiology
• Author: Roch A. Kereszty
• Publisher: Catholic University of America
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 357
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Church › History of doctrines; Catholic Church › Doctrines
• Resource ID: LLS:CHRCHGDCCCLSLGY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:19:46Z

About Roch A. Kereszty

Roch A. Kereszty, OCist, is an adjunct professor of theology at the Graduate School of the University of Dallas and chair of the theology department, Cistercian Preparatory School. He received his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome. He is the author of several books, including God Seekers for a New Age, co-author with Dr. William Farmer of Peter and Paul in the Church of Rome, and editor of and contributor to The Eucharist in the Life of the Church. He is also novice master at the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Dallas.