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The general topic of this book concerns the ontology, epistemology, and teleology of the hermeneutics of dogma. In particular, the author addresses contemporary challenges faced by the necessity of maintaining the integrity of dogmatic truth of the Christian faith, of divine revelation and its transmission through tradition, particularly with respect to the relationship between history and doctrinal truth. The author integrates a theological hermeneutics, namely, the Lérinian hermeneutics of Vatican II, with a historically conscious hermeneutics. His aim is to show how we can consider the historical and contextual nature of dogmas, creeds and confessions while at the same time honoring their assertions of dogmatic truth that are permanent, valid and binding for all times.
List of contents
Acknowledgments - Introduction: Vatican II's Hermeneutics of Ressourcement - The Hermeneutics of Vatican II: The Essentialist vs. Historicist Dispute - The Nature of Revelation: Scripture, Tradition, and the Church - Divine Revelation and Foundationalism: Towards a Historically Conscious Foundationalism - Applying Lérinian Hermeneutics: Berkouwer, "Duplex Ordo Cognitionis," and the Nouvelle Théologie - Conclusion: The Development of Dogma - Index.
About the author
Eduardo J. Echeverria is Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from the Free University in Amsterdam and his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. His publications include Berkouwer and Catholicism: Disputed Questions (2013), Pope Francis: The Legacy of Vatican II (2015), and Divine Election: A Catholic Orientation in Dogmatic and Ecumenical Perspective (2016).
Summary
The general topic of this book concerns the ontology, epistemology, and teleology of the hermeneutics of dogma.
Report
"As a Protestant theologian I have been surprised to see how, in the best modern accounts of the doctrine of revelation, all roads lead, if not to Rome, at least to Vatican II's Dei Verbum. On display in that document are all the crucial issues relevant for a constructive Christian account of divine revelation. Eduardo J. Echeverria's book is an interpretation of Dei Verbum, but not the kind that remains satisfied with just parsing the text. He places the council's Lérinian hermeneutics of retrieval in dialogue with historical consciousness, traces its connection to the nouvelle théologie, and draws the conclusions for an account of the development of doctrine. There is much here to inform and stimulate theologians of any confession. I especially appreciated how conversant Echeverria is with Protestant thinkers like Berkouwer and Vanhoozer; how nimbly he dismantles the false dichotomy between personal and propositional revelation; and how well he illuminates the distinction between the deposit of faith and the mode in which it is expressed." -Fred Sanders, Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University
