"By displaying how an imaginative human spirit can be illuminated by the manifold sense of scripture, as well as activating tradition to dissolve lingering philosophical distractions, this stunning summa for a 'postliberal Catholicism' will at once subvert any tendency among the faithful to demand a facile 'fix' as well as offer lucid direction for anyone daring to undertake a pilgrimage of understanding--in and with the Christ." --David Burrell, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame / Tantur Ecumenical Institute (Jerusalem)"Catholic theology stands at a foundational moment, and in this extended meditation on the figure of Christ Robert Barron boldly argues for a Catholicism that rethinks the ...
"By displaying how an imaginative human spirit can be illuminated by the manifold sense of scripture, as well as activating tradition to dissolve lingering philosophical distractions, this stunning summa for a 'postliberal Catholicism' will at once subvert any tendency among the faithful to demand a facile 'fix' as well as offer lucid direction for anyone daring to undertake a pilgrimage of understanding--in and with the Christ."
--David Burrell, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame / Tantur Ecumenical Institute (Jerusalem)"Catholic theology stands at a foundational moment, and in this extended meditation on the figure of Christ Robert Barron boldly argues for a Catholicism that rethinks the controversy between modern and postmodern thought through such classic theological formulations as the controversy between Aquinas and Duns Scotus on the being of God. Broad in reference and informed by the homilist's touch, The Priority of Christ will be an important contribution to a conversation the Church must have."
--Richard A. Rosengarten, University of Chicago"It is crucial for Christians to apprehend the implications of Robert Barron's trenchant thesis: 'Modernity and decadent Christianity are enemies in one sense, but in another sense, they are deeply connected to one another and mirror one another.' Moving beyond the 'decadent Christianity' that mistakenly sought its very starting points in the epistemological and metaphysical dead ends characteristic of 'modernity,' Barron expertly weaves together Thomistic and Balthasarian motifs into a robust short summa that treats Jesus Christ, God the Trinity, the created order, and Christian ethics. Readers seeking spiritual and intellectual renewal will be revitalized by this much-needed book, which overflows with love of God and his path of salvation."
--Matthew Levering, Ave Maria University"Drawing deftly on Aquinas, Newman, Lonergan, Balthasar, and many others, Barron convincingly explains what a postliberal Catholic theology might be. But the great merit of this book is that he not only talks about what theology should be, he actually does it--above all in his lucid mystagogy on a series of Gospel stories, and in striking meditations on the mind of Christ embodied in four great women saints of our time."
--Bruce Marshall, Southern Methodist University
Robert Barron (STD, Institut Catholique de Paris) is professor of systematic theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake and author of Bridging the Great Divide: Musings of a Post-Liberal, Post-Conservative, Evangelical Catholic; The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path (winner of a Catholic Press Association Book Award); and Heaven in Stone and Glass.
Table of Contents
Foreword Francis Cardinal George, OMI 7
Introduction: The Grandmother, the Misfit, and the One Who Throws Everything Off 10
Iconic Christology
Jesus as Symbol 23
The Jesus of History 35
Doctrine and Narrativity 48
The Narratives
The Gatherer 71
The Warrior 90
King 116
The Epistemic Priority of Jesus Christ
The Scriptural Warrant 133
Modern Foundationalism 136
Natural Theology 145
The Nature of the Christ-Mind 153
The Noncompetitively Transcendent and Coinherent God
Thomas and James 191
The Distinction 204
God as Giver and Lover 230
Augustine, Aquinas, and the Trinity 246
The Display of the Christian Form: Ethics by Means of the Saints
Deontologism and Proportionalism 259
The Breakthrough 274
Edith Stein: Elevated Courage 281
Therese of Lisieux: Elevated Prudence 298
Katharine Drexel: Elevated Justice 316
Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Elevated Temperance 328
Conclusion: The Moment That Gives the Meaning 341
Bibliography 343
Index 347
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Overview
"By displaying how an imaginative human spirit can be illuminated by the manifold sense of scripture, as well as activating tradition to dissolve lingering philosophical distractions, this stunning summa for a 'postliberal Catholicism' will at once subvert any tendency among the faithful to demand a facile 'fix' as well as offer lucid direction for anyone daring to undertake a pilgrimage of understanding--in and with the Christ."--David Burrell, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame / Tantur Ecumenical Institute (Jerusalem)"Catholic theology stands at a foundational moment, and in this extended meditation on the figure of Christ Robert Barron boldly argues for a Catholicism that rethinks the ...