RST 207 - Vatican II and Catholic Reform

The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) revolutionized the relationship of the Roman Catholic Church to the modern world. Within a few short years, a church that had been characterized as clerical, juridical, and triumphal assumed a different, more humble posture characterized by dialogical engagement with contemporary society. The Council renewed the Church’s self-understanding and consequently all areas of Catholic theology experienced radical rethinking. The sixteen documents of the Council will frame a study of the renewed meaning and practice of Catholicism in a post-conciliar age. The renewal of theological categories such as revelation and scripture, God, Christ, ecclesiology, and Christian praxis will be examined.
Lecture
3 Credits