Beyond the Visible Church
The Motif of the ecclesia ab Abel from Augustine to James Alison
Beyond the Visible Church
The Motif of the ecclesia ab Abel from Augustine to James Alison
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Paperback / softback
£63.99
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9798400800092
Number of Pages: 448
Published: 21/01/2024
Width: 15.2 cm
Height: 22.9 cm
In Beyond the Visible Church, theologian Florian Klug investigates the Abel motif hermeneutically throughout Christian church history. By showing how the biblical motif of Abel was read and used by representative theologians like Augustine, Bonaventure, Martin Luther, Yves Congar, and others of each epoch, Klug builds the story of the Church’s self-conception and shows how it has evolved over time. By tracing this theological and ecclesiological history and how the motif formed theologians and the Church over time, Klug shows readers a new way to conceive and understand God’s universal will for salvation.
By deconstructing and reconstructing the historical occurrences of these ideas, Klug demonstrates that the Church’s self-conception is not yet complete. This unique and ground-breaking study opens new ways forward for Catholic ecclesiology—hope for today’s universal Church.
By deconstructing and reconstructing the historical occurrences of these ideas, Klug demonstrates that the Church’s self-conception is not yet complete. This unique and ground-breaking study opens new ways forward for Catholic ecclesiology—hope for today’s universal Church.
Contents
Foreword: A Tradition-Based Response to the Religious Ideologies of Exclusion vii
Preface xi
Introduction: Methodological Approach xiii
Chapter 1
The Patristic Applications of the Abel Motif 1
Augustine’s Struggle for the Conceptual Breadth of Catholicism (354–430) 1
Gregory the Great and the Meaning of Eschatological Signs (540–604) 105
Chapter 2
The Abel Motif in Medieval Theology 133
Bonaventure and the Transparency of the Divine Signs (1221–1274) 133
James of Viterbo and the Rise of the Nation-States in Europe (1255–1307) 171
Chapter 3
Appearances of the Abel Motif in the Modern Age 193
Jan Hus and the Vertigo of the Church’s Authority (1372–1415) 193
Martin Luther’s Struggles with Righteousness (1483–1546) 226
Francisco Suárez and the Discovery of the New World (1548–1617) 256
Chapter 4
The Abel Motif in Contemporary Theology 275
The Universal Scope of the Church at the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) 275
James Alison, Imitation, and the Pattern of Exclusion 342
Abel and the Church as a Non-Excluding Community 348
Chapter 5
Conclusion and Constructive Development of the Abel Motif 357
Summary of the Findings 357
The Development of the Abel Motif in Constructive Theology 376
Bibliography 393
Index of Names 421
Index of Subjects 423
Foreword: A Tradition-Based Response to the Religious Ideologies of Exclusion vii
Preface xi
Introduction: Methodological Approach xiii
Chapter 1
The Patristic Applications of the Abel Motif 1
Augustine’s Struggle for the Conceptual Breadth of Catholicism (354–430) 1
Gregory the Great and the Meaning of Eschatological Signs (540–604) 105
Chapter 2
The Abel Motif in Medieval Theology 133
Bonaventure and the Transparency of the Divine Signs (1221–1274) 133
James of Viterbo and the Rise of the Nation-States in Europe (1255–1307) 171
Chapter 3
Appearances of the Abel Motif in the Modern Age 193
Jan Hus and the Vertigo of the Church’s Authority (1372–1415) 193
Martin Luther’s Struggles with Righteousness (1483–1546) 226
Francisco Suárez and the Discovery of the New World (1548–1617) 256
Chapter 4
The Abel Motif in Contemporary Theology 275
The Universal Scope of the Church at the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) 275
James Alison, Imitation, and the Pattern of Exclusion 342
Abel and the Church as a Non-Excluding Community 348
Chapter 5
Conclusion and Constructive Development of the Abel Motif 357
Summary of the Findings 357
The Development of the Abel Motif in Constructive Theology 376
Bibliography 393
Index of Names 421
Index of Subjects 423
