Ecumenical Dialogue Research Articles

Conciliarity in World Council of Churches Texts. Intersections, Interactions, Specific Emphases

The Synod of Bishops on Synodality has placed the church as a synodal community at the core of Catholic theological reflection. The conciliar or synodal nature of the church is also a topic of ecumenical dialogue. This essay surveys the theme of conciliarity in some WCC texts over the past 50 years, arguing that discussions of conciliarity reflect the interrelation between contemporary ecclesial events and theological developments. This diachronic analysis also indicates that while for two decades conciliarity has been regarded as a hopeful model for achieving communion and collaboration between the churches, the concept has gradually lost its appeal. The twin concept of synodality emerged in the latest ecclesiological convergence texts with a different focus. The study reveals the shift from an understanding of conciliarity centred on the people of God and baptism to one increasingly focusing on ordained ministry. At the same time, the topic of synodality, which remerged recently in Catholic theology, indicates the reception of some ideas developed in ecumenical dialogue.

The interaction of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky with other religions as a prerequisite for a good interfaith dialogue

The article analyzes the interaction of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi with other religions as a prerequisite for good interfaith dialogue. Metropolitan Sheptytskyi's attitude towards other religions, representatives of other Christian communities and political figures is revealed. The main principles of the ecumenical dialogue of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi in the search for unity, mutual understanding and personal respect for each person are highlighted.

Ecumenical Formation in Theological Education: A Precondition for Ecumenical Encounter and a Tool for Ecumenical Reception

For many decades, Christian churches have engaged in ecumenical dialogues addressing church-dividing issues and trying to overcome them. Many valuable texts have emerged from these dialogues, but they are hardly known in the churches. One reason for this is that “ecumenism” is rarely a topic in theological education. The article asks why this is so and argues for including ecumenical formation in theological studies. It highlights various initiatives that have pursued this goal and provides examples of cross-denominational theological education. Cultivating awareness and sensitivity among the younger generation of theologians towards ecumenical concerns is a precondition for promoting ecumenical encounter and applying the results of ecumenical dialogues to the life and the teaching of the churches.

THEOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF THE ECUMENICAL PARADIGM AND THE VALUE SPECTRUM OF INTERFAITH SOCIAL PRACTICES

Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The theological intentions and practical initiatives of ecumenism of the Orthodox Church are the focus of Yu. Korniychuk's research attention [17, 18]. R. Protsyuk [19] analyzes the role of the social teaching of Orthodoxy in the formation of civil society in our country. Such domestic researchers as S. Kiyak, P. Yarotskyi, V. Yelenskyi, and O. Kiselyov were engaged in the analysis of the problems of ecumenism as a post-secular paradigm. The research objective. Given the lack of coverage of the issue of ecumenical efforts as a Christian response to the challenges of modern global society, there is a need for a critical and objective analysis of the ecumenical concept as a whole, as well as in the realm of social practices. The statement of basic materials. Ecumenism as a phenomenon originates in the Christian environment and its primary goal is to restore unity, first of all, between Christian denominations. An important component of ecumenical activity, which researchers single out, is the social dimension of ecumenism, the consequences of which are much easier to characterize in the social plane. It is worth noting that this dimension is important, given the fact that there are a large number of supporters of the ecumenical movement, who claim that the effectiveness of building ecumenical dialogue and achieving agreement in theological matters is largely determined by social unity, the development of cooperation in a social direction. The transfer of the emphasis of their ecumenical activity by Christian denominations to the sphere of social service, as a result of the confrontation with the difficulties that arose during the theological and dogmatic dialogue, created a favorable environment for the formation of a visible image of Christian unity, which is one of the main elements of the Church's mission in the world. §12 of the “Decree on Ecumenism” states that social cooperation should be aimed at: “proper appreciation of the dignity of the human person, nurturing the good of peace, applying evangelical principles in social life, developing the sciences and arts in the Christian spirit, (...) overcoming such tragedies today, such as hunger and natural disasters, illiteracy and the poor, lack of housing, unfair distribution of material goods.” Such cooperation will also contribute to better interdenominational knowledge of Christians and pave the way towards unity.

Ecumenism as Hope: The Prophetic Role and the Eschatological Function of the Church

The article is structured around one of the questions that has been at the forefront of controversies in the orthodox church in recent years: why is ecumenical dialogue necessary and why “must” we engage in it? The answer can be simple: because it is the will of the Saviour Jesus Christ, who prays to the Father “that they may all be one” (John 17:21). Nevertheless, some Christians reject or even condemn ecumenical dialogue. To explain the presence of the orthodox church in the ecumenical movement, I proposed the concept of ecumenism as hope. In this article, I also offered a synthesis of the relations between the orthodox church and the other Christian communities from the perspective of teleology. I then tried to show that the re-evaluation of eschatology could oppose the “mechanical paradigm” of the historical–critical method, because eschatology contains the element of “hope”. I concluded that “hope” in the eschatological sense could be understood as the eschatological inauguration of the unity of faith in the church.

Orthodoxy and Ecumenical Dialogue after Crete Synod (2016) and Social Ethos Document (2020): History, Critical Positions and Reception

In this study, I will analyse the position of the Orthodox Church(es) towards the ecumenical dialogue in accordance with the documents approved by the Synod of Crete (2016), but also with the social document For the Life of the World of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (2020). After a brief presentation of the important moments of the historical journey for the meeting of the Synod, I will present the most important internal and reception issues of it. In the following, I will present the reason for the publication of the social document and the relation with the Synod of Crete. In the last part of the study, I will deal critically with a theological synthesis on the following topics: ecclesiological self-identity, Trinitarian baptism, the quality of being a Christian, the Orthodox Church and the Churches, ecumenism for dialogue, for witnessing, and cooperation. Of course, in the end, I will present the most important conclusions.

Is a Theological Synthesis Still Possible? The Paradigm of Objective Mariology

As a “doctrinal synthesis of the Christian faith” (St. John Paul II), the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God could serve as a focal point that brings together various theological concepts and approaches pertaining to salvation history. For that to happen, however, it is necessary to delve into and discover the richness of Mariology. Often regarded as a secondary discipline, as a context for other disciplines or even as a source of difficulties in ecumenical dialogue, Mariology nowadays needs a revival of its own. The call for constructing an “objective Mariology” presumes that the autonomy of theology as an academic discipline will be preserved and that theological reflection on the Virgin Mary will be objectivized in terms of both form and content. To meet these demands, one must strive to respect the supernatural purpose and sources of theology as such, and strengthen and develop biblical Mariology as well as the reflection of the Church Fathers. Furthermore, there is a need to draw from the rich legacy of the Franciscan school when reflecting on the unity of God’s plan of creation and Redemption in His eternal reasons. Finally, one must not accept a departure from the “hermeneutic of continuity” in the Catholic doctrine on the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Immaculate and Assumed. The article sets out to describe the essence of the above assumptions and proposes specific conditions that would foster the development of an “objective Mariology”. In that respect, it is important to establish the First Person of the Holy Trinity as the starting point for any reflection on the plan of salvation—of which the Immaculate Conception is the ultimate origin and ultimate goal.

The Common Priesthood of Lutherans and Catholics

English translation. The original article can be found here
 Luther insisted on the royal, common or universal priesthood of all the baptised, as the Second Vatican Council also recalled, referring to the mutual complementarity between the common and ministerial priesthood, which however differ non tantum gradu sed essentiam (cf. LG 10). These pages review the main points on the common priesthood, according to Luther's proposal and the response of the Councils of Trent and Vatican II and, as a complementary counterpoint, add the teachings of a 20th century Catholic author, Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, partly before and partly after Vatican II, which could be of interest for understanding the subject under discussion. The similarities and differences are thus noted here, which are conducive to the subsequent ecumenical dialogue on this subject, which is acquiring particular importance in the context of the theology of synodality.

Il principio della sinodalità nella prospettiva ecumenica secondo il teologo ortodosso Dumitru Staniloae

The Romanian Orthodox theologian Dumitru Stăniloae stated that the main task of the next ecumenical synod should be the reunification of the Christian Churches and that this union should be done under the emblem of Orthodoxy. Until that happy event, a long road of preparation and rapprochement between the Christian Churches is needed. Inspired by this deep conviction, he wanted to offer his own contribution, not only by studying the doctrine of the other Christian Churches and bringing to the knowledge of the faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church the results obtained by the ecumenical dialogue, but also by presenting solutions, from the Orthodox perspective, to the problems raised by this dialogue. In this study I intend to present the contribution offered by this Romanian theologian to the cause of Christian unity. After a brief presentation of the ecumenical relations achieved by the Romanian Orthodox Church in this century, we will present, in the second part, the principles which, according to him, should guide the progressive rapprochement of the Christian Churches.

Reimagining Ecumenism for the 21st Century—Stăniloae’s Theology as a Source and Inspiration

There are many competent voices who estimate that in recent years ecumenism has been going through a crisis. Concern for ecumenical dialogue is becoming secondary for many theologians or members of the clergy, including hierarchs, who are preoccupied almost exclusively with addressing the problems facing their local and confessional communities. As a result, receptivity to ecumenical dialogue and cooperation is even lower among the faithful, who are preoccupied with assessing their own Christian identity in a socio-cultural context marked by rapid change and unprecedented challenges, of which secularism is only one of many. The disappointing assessment of the state of contemporary ecumenism, has led some ecumenists to an effort of identifying solutions for reimagining interconfessional dialogue in an ever-changing world. Theologians from all Christian traditions seek to contribute to identifying ways to unblock the current situation and to propose concrete approaches for rethinking ecumenism for future generations of believers. One of the ways suggested in the literature is to think of ecumenism less in terms of theological agreements, and more in terms of a process of mutual learning, considering that we can receive and offer our gifts in a mutual process, being aware of the need for each community to be open to such a perspective. In this paper, we argue that the constant receptivity to Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae’s theology, and to his anthropology in particular, that exists in Western traditions can be an opportunity for revitalising the ecumenical dialogue through the gift exchange model described above. We start from the premise that Fr. Stăniloae’s work represents an important gift not just for the Orthodox, but also for many Protestant and Catholic theologians, and we suggest that this direction can produce a reciprocal effect on Orthodox theologians to open up and receive the gifts of Western theology.

‘In Contemplation only’: Revisiting the Debate between the Chalcedonians and Anti‐Chalcedonians on the Reality of the Natures of Christ

AbstractAlthough a theological exchange of ideas between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians flourished at the end of the twentieth century, the ecumenical achievements of these discussions have been met with notable objections and critiques by theologians. This article focuses on one key notion that was highlighted for having been left unresolved in the ecumenical discussions, namely the concept of the difference of the natures of Christ ‘in contemplation only’ (ἐν ϑεωρίᾳ μόνῃ). The essay revises the traditional Chalcedonian perspective with regard to the interpretation of difference in contemplation, which considers it to be based on the assumption of a real distinction between the natures after Incarnation. The argument shows that this view was intended to form a response to the anti‐Chalcedonian notionalist interpretation, according to which the natures are only conceptually differentiated. By reconstructing the philosophical background of some notable sixth‐century Chalcedonian theologians, along with Cyril of Alexandria as the main theological source for the anti‐Chalcedonians, the essay will suggest that they bear the influence of opposing philosophical perspectives on conceptualization. The argument will show how some of the theological differences between the Chalcedonians and Cyril follow closely opposing attitudes in ancient philosophy towards fictional entities and conceptual constructivism. The conclusion will advocate that future ecumenical dialogues should take into account the relevance of these epistemological differences.

Gabriel Marcel’s Existential Phenomenological Method as basis for Ecumenical Dialogue

Dialogue has been part of the movement of the Church in understanding its faith in the context of the present situation where she is now living, and that is the world. She is now in a world where everyone has found through their expression of faith in different religions, which resembles a similarity in values and faith. So the Church formulated elements wherein they can share their differences and similarities to adhere to the prayer of Jesus to the Father that “all may be in one”; yet we face the fact that this is no longer important because of the theological components that are present. In an attempt to revitalize this ecumenism, the research incorporates the existential philosophical method of Gabriel Marcel, the primary and secondary reflection. The researcher plans to achieve this by first exposing Gabriel Marcels Existential Phenomenological Method. Second, exposing some themes of the Church in doing Ecumenical Dialogue, and lastly to emerge the two to form a new perspective in Ecumenical Dialogue. In spiritual ecumenism, dialogues of love, truth, and life are all possible if only we open our minds to what is essential (primary reflection) in these elements and make them our individual values (secondary reflection).

Newman, Wesley and the logic of unity: An inductive approach to ecumenism

It is a privilege to be invited to contribute to the Festschrift dedicated to Professor Johan Buitendag, Emeritus Dean, Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. While his own work often examined the relationship between theology and natural science, he was also passionate about ecumenism and, in that spirit, the present essay utilised what might be described as an inductive approach to an important ecumenical question, the unity between Methodists and Catholics. Ecumenical dialogue is often undertaken from a theological and dogmatic perspective. This essay took a different approach in that it sought to inductively examine what might be described as the inner logic of two ecclesial systems (Methodist and Catholic). In doing so, it was premised upon an Aristotelian philosophical principle, epistemic fit, in that it presupposed that both these ecclesial bodies possess an intrinsic logic that can be brought to the surface in order to exhibit parallel contours in the wider ecclesial terrain.Contribution: This article fits well within the scope of HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies in that it contributed to a new subdiscipline in epistemology, which explores the conceptual and epistemological dimensions of ecclesiology. Using the concept of epistemic fit, the article offered an inductive approach to some of the practical issues that emerge in ecumenical dialogue.

The "Sense of the Faith" in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology by John J. Burkhard (review)

Reviewed by: The "Sense of the Faith" in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology by John J. Burkhard Jared Wicks S.J. The "Sense of the Faith" in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology. By John J. Burkhard, OFM Conv. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press Academic. 2022. Pp. xiv, 442. $59.95. ISBN: 9780814666890). John Burkhard taught ecclesiology at the Washington Theological Union from the 1990s until the Union's closure in 2015, with service as its President in 2006 and 2008–09. Theologians will know Burkhard's ample bibliographies of post-Vatican Council II studies of the sensus fidei published in Heythrop Journal in 1993, 2005, and 2006. The volume reviewed here is also extensive bibliographically, offering a chronological list of nearly 400 studies of the sensus from 1940 to 2000. The importance of Burkhard's work rests on the centrality of the sensus fidei in Vatican II's teaching, as brought out recently in several passages of Ormond Rush's theological summa of the Council, The Vision of Vatican II (Liturgical Press, 2019). For the sensus fidei is a key dimension of a basic theological principle of the Council, namely, faith's graced adherence to God's saving revelation. The sensus is the capacity, sometimes called an "instinct," given by the Holy Spirit's "anointing" (1 John 2: 20.27), to enable the believer and the believing community to lay hold of God's word in its true meaning while dismissing inauthentic versions. It is at the heart of living faith in personal adherence, penetration of revealed meaning, and the application of God's word to life in the Lord (so, Lumen gentium 12, also 35, with Dei verbum 8, and Gaudium et spes 44 and 62). In ten substantial chapters, Burkhard presents the history of treatments of the sensus fidei in Catholic teaching, both by theologians and the magisterium, beginning with scattered references to doctrines held by an unexplained "sense of the church" both before Trent and in that council's decrees. Learned accounts treated the sensus in nineteenth-century works by Johann Adam Möhler, Giovanni Perrone, and John Henry Newman, with its importance being sealed by Pope Pius IX's consultation of the Catholic people's consensus in adhering in faith to Mary's Immaculate Conception, as a step to the dogmatic definition of 1854. In the twentieth century, two Dominicans treated the sensus, first as a major factor in doctrinal development (Francisco Marin-Sola) and then as the instinctive wisdom of the believer's graced sensibility (Mannes D. Koster). After the dogmatic definition of Mary's Assumption in 1950, the Alsatian Redemptorist Clément Dillenschneider promoted attention to the sensus fidei while relating it to the Church's lex orandi, while Yves Congar's Lay People in the Church (originally 1953) situated the sensus in God's spiritual endowment of the whole Church to enable it to carry out its share in Christ's prophetic office. [End Page 385] Burkhard relates the iter of the sensus fidei through the labors of Vatican Council II, beginning textually with a later chapter of the 1962 schema De ecclesia, which contrasted public opinion in the Church with the grace-effect that enables the believing people to respond obediently to proposed teaching and understand its meaning. In early 1963 a transformed ecclesiology schema located the sensus in a new second chapter on the whole people of God, who are indefectible in believing, taught and anointed as they are by God (Jn. 6:45; 1 Jn. 2:20.27), for carrying out in the world Christ's offices of priest, prophet, and royal servant. The aula discussion of 1963 led to several refinements now in Lumen gentium 12, which distinguishes sharply the one sensus of all believers from the great variety of charisms for special callings, with the former leading believers to adhere to what is truly the word of God (1 Thes. 2:13), both grasping its depths and applying it more completely in life. Burkhard treats the reception of Vatican II's doctrine of the sensus fidei in several venues, as in ecumenical dialogue documents, in the new codes of Catholic canon law, in papal teaching, especially by...

Den postreformatoriska katolicismen i Norden

This article summarizes and discusses some results of my earlier research focusing on the Catholic mission in Scandinavia and the alternative identity discourses that this missionary activity created. It also discusses Catholic gender discourses and ideals of masculinity. The Nordic countries were subjected to Catholic missionary activity, aimed at bringing the Nordic peoples to convert to the Catholic faith. Catholic orders and congregations played a significant role in this missionary work, and most of the Catholic priests who worked in the Nordic area were members of religious institutes. Male religious often took responsibility for the parishes, whereas the female religious mainly dedicated themselves to education, health care, and other forms of social work. Women religious sometimes had a great influence on the mission work. Yet, even if belonging to religious orders transcended socially constructed gender differences, it was nevertheless only men who held the power-generating positions. In the literary conversion narratives as well as in the inquiries about conversion motives made among ordinary converts, conversion is described as a process leading to a conviction of the Catholic Church as the only true church. The Catholic unity, hierarchical order, logical teaching systems, and uncompromising adherence to metaphysical aspects of the Christian creed are emphasized and contrasted with the division and adaptation tendencies in the Protestant churches. Devotional life and the solemn litur­gy are also highlighted, as is the anchoring of the Catholic Church in an, as it was believed, unchanging tradition that has withstood the storms of time. The reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council, which paved the way for ecumenical dialogue and for a more open form of Catholicism, changed the discourse of conversion. In post-Conciliar Scandinavian conversion narratives, it is no longer the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church that is emphasized but spiritual values, such as a feeling of the presence of God, mysticism, and personal sanctification.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from a Romanian Orthodox Perspective: A Historical and Missiological Analysis of Common Prayer

Every year, the member Churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) are called to actively participate in the meetings organized in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. From my perspective, these moments are an extraordinary opportunity to share in the richness of the Orthodox tradition, which means an act of confession and authentic witness. In the first part, I will present critically the canonical synthesis of the Orthodox, the concept of “Ecumenical Eucharist” and of Lima Liturgy, followed by the recommendations of the Special Commission for Orthodox participation in the WCC regarding confessional and interconfessional common prayer. Then, this article will make a historical presentation of the week of prayer. It is very important to know how this initiative started and how it was accepted at the beginning and over the years. At least in Romania, where we have an Orthodox majority, this week has become a controversial issue produced by those who are against ecumenical dialogue. A special attention is for the actual practice approved by the Romanian Patriarchate. Finally, the article will present the statements of the new Orthodox documents and it will end with some conclusions about this moment of common Christian witness.

THE QUESTION OF THE MEDIATION OF MARÍA. ANALYSIS IN CONTEXT EGYPTIAN

¿Shall we call Mary as a mediator of grace? The present article seeks to provide an an-swer to this question based on the Catholic doctrines, with particular emphasis in the Egyptian context given the fact that it can serve as an example of an ecumenical and interreligious context (in which there are the Coptic orthodox church, the Egyptian protestants and the Muslims). The purpose of such a research is to promote an ecumenical dialogue and to encourage an interreligious comprehension through a new mariological approach to Mary`s role as mediator. This study presents the catholic doctrines on Mary`s mediation and summarizes the position of the Coptic orthodox church and the Egyptian protestants on such a question, in order to explore the possi-bilities to build an interreligious dialogue with Muslim faith based on the recognition of her mediation.

Prospects of ecumenical dialogue in the early works of the Holy Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović

Both in social and theological spheres we can see a tendency to the strict definition of the relation of the Bishop Nikolaj Velimirivić to ecumenical dialogue, which in itself is a kind of simplification. In this article an attempt is made to overcome this simplification and to highlight the main features of his theological position vis-à-vis the ecumenical movement and the creation of the frames for ecumenical dialogue. With time the Holy Bishop will change his initial views on the ecumenical movement, but they are certainly important for understanding the historical and theological context of the development of the ecumenical dialogue in the beginning of the 20th century. The main aim of the writing of this article is the underlining and highlighting the very meaning of ecumenism, which for Bishop Nikolaj was not a unity on purely utilitarian and political basis, but a certain type of the panhumanist universalism, which carries within itself the potential ideals of the allhuman equality and spiritual brotherhood. Therefore we do not consider the before mentioned type of the institutialized ecumenical movement, which relativizes the Church, its dogmas, canonical structure and liturgical tradition and placing it on the same level with all other Christian denominations, who take part in the before mentioned movement, but we speak about the spiritual dialogue of the brothers in Spirit, notwithstanding to what confessions they belong to.

Ethical aspects of catholic ecclesiology in the context of social strategy adjornamento

This study analyzes the ethical aspects of Catholic ecclesiology through the prism of the social strategy of adjournamento. Verification of the actual social significance of Christianity in its Catholic confessional manifestation requires a thorough philosophical and ethical analysis of the fundamental concepts of Catholic ecclesiology, structurally modified at the doctrinal level at the II Vatican Council (1962 - 1965), which carried out an anthropological reception of the ecclesiological concept of the People of God as the essence of the Catholic Church's understanding of counterweight to its scholastic understanding as the mystical body of Christ. Such anthropologization became the impetus for overcoming soteriological exclusivism and the basis for the intensification of interreligious and actually ecumenical dialogue, as well as for the development of the latest philosophical anthropology in general in its religious, specifically Catholic coverage. The purpose of the study: to investigate the ethical and anthropological content of Catholic ecclesiology in the context of its structural resocialization as part of the adjournamento strategy. The methodological basis of the research was a systematic approach to the study of modern Catholicism, a hermeneutic method of studying the doctrinal features of the texts of the Catholic faith at the II Vatican Council and in the post-conciliar period, a phenomenological method for objective perception of the ethical and anthropological features of Catholic ecclesiology. Among the prominent ecclesial topics, one can single out the problem of Christian brotherhood, as well as social aspects of Catholic ecclesiology, according to which the main mission of the church is transformed from a scholastic-mystical understanding of the importance of the church for the world to a philosophical and anthropological understanding of it. Roman pontiffs John Paul II and Benedict XVI, as well as modern Ukrainian researchers Gotych M., Kolisnyk M., Savchuk O., Shepetyak O., were involved in the development of this problem.

The “Sense of the Faith” in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology by John J. Burkhard

Reviewed by: The “Sense of the Faith” in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology by John J. Burkhard Jared Wicks S.J. The “Sense of the Faith” in History: Its Sources, Reception, and Theology. By John J. Burkhard, OFM Conv. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press Academic. 2022. Pp. xiv, 442. $59.95. ISBN: 9780814666890). John Burkhard taught ecclesiology at the Washington Theological Union from the 1990s until the Union’s closure in 2015, with service as its President in 2006 and 2008–09. Theologians will know Burkhard’s ample bibliographies of post-Vatican Council II studies of the sensus fidei published in Heythrop Journal in 1993, 2005, and 2006. The volume reviewed here is also extensive bibliographically, offering a chronological list of nearly 400 studies of the sensus from 1940 to 2000. The importance of Burkhard’s work rests on the centrality of the sensus fidei in Vatican II’s teaching, as brought out recently in several passages of Ormond Rush’s theological summa of the Council, The Vision of Vatican II (Liturgical Press, 2019). For the sensus fidei is a key dimension of a basic theological principle of the Council, namely, faith’s graced adherence to God’s saving revelation. The sensus is the capacity, sometimes called an “instinct,” given by the Holy Spirit’s “anointing” (1 John 2: 20.27), to enable the believer and the believing community to lay hold of God’s word in its true meaning while dismissing inauthentic versions. It is at the heart of living faith in personal adherence, penetration of revealed meaning, and the application of God’s word to life in the Lord (so, Lumen gentium 12, also 35, with Dei verbum 8, and Gaudium et spes 44 and 62). In ten substantial chapters, Burkhard presents the history of treatments of the sensus fidei in Catholic teaching, both by theologians and the magisterium, beginning with scattered references to doctrines held by an unexplained “sense of the church” both before Trent and in that council’s decrees. Learned accounts treated the sensus in nineteenth-century works by Johann Adam Möhler, Giovanni Perrone, and John Henry Newman, with its importance being sealed by Pope Pius IX’s consultation of the Catholic people’s consensus in adhering in faith to Mary’s Immaculate Conception, as a step toward the dogmatic definition of 1854. In the twentieth century, two Dominicans treated the sensus, first as a major factor in doctrinal development (Francisco Marin-Sola) and then as the instinctive wisdom of the believer’s graced sensibility (Mannes D. Koster). After the dogmatic definition of Mary’s Assumption in 1950, the Alsatian Redemptorist Clément Dillenschneider promoted attention to the sensus fidei while relating it to the Church’s lex orandi, while Yves Congar’s Lay People in the Church (originally 1953) situated the [End Page 168] sensus in God’s spiritual endowment of the whole Church to enable it to carry out its share in Christ’s prophetic office. Burkhard relates the iter of the sensus fidei through the labors of Vatican Council II, beginning textually with a later chapter of the 1962 schema De ecclesia, which contrasted public opinion in the Church with the grace-effect that enables the believing people to respond obediently to proposed teaching and understand its meaning. In early 1963 a transformed ecclesiology schema located the sensus in a new second chapter on the whole people of God, who are indefectible in believing, taught and anointed as they are by God (Jn. 6:45; 1 Jn. 2:20.27), for carrying out in the world Christ’s offices of priest, prophet, and royal servant. The aula discussion of 1963 led to several refinements now in Lumen gentium 12, which distinguishes sharply the one sensus of all believers from the great variety of charisms for special callings, with the former leading believers to adhere to what is truly the word of God (1 Thes. 2:13), both grasping its depths and applying it more completely in life. Burkhard treats the reception of Vatican II’s doctrine of the sensus fidei in several venues, as in ecumenical dialogue documents, in the new codes of Catholic canon law, in papal teaching, especially by...