This volume consists of 174 selections grouped under eight headings, covering the full spectrum of Christian theology from theological anthropology to eschatology. The aim of the book is "to guide people to Rahner's spirituality and thought, with as much authenticity and diversity as possible"; to present Rahner's thought, to the extent that this is humanly feasible (there are some four thousand items in his bibliography). All the essential perspectives and dimensions of his theological work have been brought into play: his unique, experimental style of thinking; his thorough (but generally unobtrusive) familiarity with Scripture, the Church Fathers, and medieval theology; his way of defining concepts precisely; his critical objections in the area of Church life and politics; and the spiritual inexhaustibility of his intimate writings on prayer. The selections themselves are introduced by a forty-one-page "portrait" of Rahner by Bishop Lehmann, providing a masterful summary of his life and the history of his thought, a profile of the basic structure of his theology, and an appreciation of his incalculable contribution to life of the Church and the course of theology in the twentieth century. [Book jacket].
Description:
This volume consists of 174 selections grouped under eight headings, covering the full spectrum of Christian theology from theological anthropology to eschatology. The aim of the book is "to guide people to Rahner's spirituality and thought, with as much authenticity and diversity as possible"; to present Rahner's thought, to the extent that this is humanly feasible (there are some four thousand items in his bibliography). All the essential perspectives and dimensions of his theological work have been brought into play: his unique, experimental style of thinking; his thorough (but generally unobtrusive) familiarity with Scripture, the Church Fathers, and medieval theology; his way of defining concepts precisely; his critical objections in the area of Church life and politics; and the spiritual inexhaustibility of his intimate writings on prayer. The selections themselves are introduced by a forty-one-page "portrait" of Rahner by Bishop Lehmann, providing a masterful summary of his life and the history of his thought, a profile of the basic structure of his theology, and an appreciation of his incalculable contribution to life of the Church and the course of theology in the twentieth century. [Book jacket].