What do you think?
Rate this book
Time Past, Time Future: An Historical Study of Catholic Moral Theology
Paperback. Stains to wrappers, page edges & first leaves. 278 pages.
- GenresTheology
278 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1990
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 29, 2020
A fascinating historical survey of moral theology that includes information about key players and the historical movements and changes of the last three hundred years especially. Key focuses include neo-Thomism as contrasted with the "revisionists" and the peculiar branches of American Catholicism. Highly recommended (even if I don't agree with all of Gallagher's specific positions).
March 21, 2023
A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF NEO-THOMISM AND MORE RECENT TRENDS
Author John A. Gallagher wrote in the Preface to this 1990 book, “what [is] moral theology? This work attempts to provide an answer to that particular question. The first five chapters trace the historical formation of the manuals of moral theology… The next seven chapters discuss alternative theological and moral paradigms employed by various theologians between 1879 and the present… the final three chapters trace the manner in which revisionist theologians have alte3red both the theological premises and the moral theory of the traditional neo-Thomist manuals of moral theology…
“The thesis of the present volume is that the neo-Thomist manuals of moral theology constituted a specific theological genre and that for theological, cultural, and sociological reasons that genre has simply disintegrated. Both the theologies and moral theories employed by contemporary revisionist theologians are so different from those of their neo-Thomist predecessors that one must begin to question whether the present state of the discipline is more accurately portrayed as the beginning of a ‘new routine’ or a revision of the old…. The theological discipline which continues to be called moral theology is currently either in the process of discovering the manner in which the remnants of its theological past can serve the needs of contemporary Catholicism or is in the process of creating and new theological genre to meet these same needs. It is the contention of this study that the latter is the case.”
He explains, “The manuals of moral theology were instances of a theological genre developed within the context of the counter-Reformation. They served as major instruments in the theological and ministerial education of Roman Catholic priests for almost four hundred years. They continued to be a major element in seminary education until the eve of the Second Vatican Council… Just as the Council of Trent .. occasioned the emergence of this new theological genre, so the theological, cultural, and ministerial concerns which were the catalyst for Vatican II occasioned the demise of the genre of moral theology.” (Pg. 29)
Of neo-Thomist manuals, he comments, “The moral order was constituted by a set of goods ordered to the ultimate end of human persons and to their proximate welfare. This was a theistic morality, neither Christocentric nor anthropocentric with regard to the origin of moral duties. The moral demand may be epistemologically independent from knowledge of God or belief n a command of God; one can know what ought to be done independently of revelation and the new law. But this morality was not ‘metaphysically independent’ of the divine plan. What the Christian knows in the Spirit and what the pagan knows in the heart are one and the same divine plan.” (Pg. 71)
He suggests, “Despite both its dominance n Catholic theological circles and its papal encouragement, neo-Thomist had significant competitors for its position of preeminence throughout the almost one hundred years of its existence. The modernist movement at the turn of the century and the theologians of the ‘nouvelle theologie’ at the end of World War II are the best known such competitors… The emergence of transcendental Thomism in the writings of Karl Rahner, Bernard Lonergan and others, as well as the development of theological paradigms less directly based on the thought of Aquinas, were to create the current milieu in Catholic theology, a milieu best characterized as one of pluralism. Despite the prominence of neo-Thomism theology during this period, the existence and contributions of these alternative theologies ought not to be dismissed. What is new in the pluralism of post-Vatican II Catholic theology is not its existence, but its recognition and its degree.” (Pg. 123-124)
He states, “The horrors of World War I brought an end to liberal Protestant theology n Europe. Protestant Christianity found it impossible to remain at east with civilizations capable of producing the enormous destruction of life and property which occurred during the war… There was no corresponding development in Catholic theology; neo-Thomism continued to be the prevalent voice in Catholic theology... Catholic theology has never really gone through a phase of liberalism such as was true of Protestant theology… There simply was not liberal theology within Catholicism to react against.” (Pg. 140)
He asserts, “If Catholic theology was and should continue to be univocal, then there can be no sense in a phrase such as ‘American Catholic theology.’ … It was precisely such a univocal conception of Catholic theology which neo-Thomism sought to maintain… To many contemporary theologians, such a conception of Roman Catholic theology is no longer tenable… It will be suggested below that there have been at least three manners in which American Catholic thought has addressed its intellectual and cultural milieu. The first will be called the congregational Catholic approach, the second, the cultural Catholic approach. The third approach was a form of neo-Thomism which attempted to presents its conception of Catholicism as an alternative to the theological and philosophical strains of American culture.” (Pg. 184-185)
He says, “it is readily apparent to anyone who has followed their writings that contemporary Catholic moralists have been producing a theological literature which is inconsistent with the theological premises of neo-Thomist moral theology.” (Pg. 203) Later, he adds, “there were a number of theological reasons which led to contemporary theologians to distinguish their positions from that of neo-Thomism. Changing perspectives concerning the nature and adequacy of neo-Thomist moral theology would lead to yet further grounds for abandoning that position.” (Pg. 219)
He explains, “The decisive moment in the transition from neo-Thomist to revisionist moral theology has usually been associated with the publication of Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae and the theological debate which it engendered… Why in 1968 were Catholic theologians prepared to voice public dissent to a papal directive? [John] Mahoney has suggested one important reason: the manner in which the encyclical seemed to differ from the spirit of the Second Vatican Council… Contemporary revisionist historians understand the term ‘moral theory’ differently than their neo-Thomist predecessors… The moral theory of revisionist historians is much more likely to be determined by their theological convictions… The moral theory of these authors is directly the product of their theology.” (Pg. 223-224)
He reports, “one would be hard pressed to find a contemporary Catholic theologian who would espouse today the principles advocated under the aegis of situation ethics. Proportionalism, on the other hand, appears to have taken a solid hold in the thinking of a growing number of European and American theologians… which can no longer be assumed under the mantle of the traditional genre.” (Pg. 245)
He concludes, “Proportionalism will continue to play an important role in Catholic theological ethics. Not only is proportionalism a fitting tool for the evaluation of specific actions, it can also serve as a critique of public policy. Proportionalism attempts to assess the significance of ontic goods and evils in relation to the whole of a culture and a religious tradition.” (Pg. 274)
This book will not interest those seeding discussion of specific ‘issues’(e.g., birth control, abortion, homosexuality), but will be of interest to those looking into the ‘meta’ issues about Catholic moral theology.
Author John A. Gallagher wrote in the Preface to this 1990 book, “what [is] moral theology? This work attempts to provide an answer to that particular question. The first five chapters trace the historical formation of the manuals of moral theology… The next seven chapters discuss alternative theological and moral paradigms employed by various theologians between 1879 and the present… the final three chapters trace the manner in which revisionist theologians have alte3red both the theological premises and the moral theory of the traditional neo-Thomist manuals of moral theology…
“The thesis of the present volume is that the neo-Thomist manuals of moral theology constituted a specific theological genre and that for theological, cultural, and sociological reasons that genre has simply disintegrated. Both the theologies and moral theories employed by contemporary revisionist theologians are so different from those of their neo-Thomist predecessors that one must begin to question whether the present state of the discipline is more accurately portrayed as the beginning of a ‘new routine’ or a revision of the old…. The theological discipline which continues to be called moral theology is currently either in the process of discovering the manner in which the remnants of its theological past can serve the needs of contemporary Catholicism or is in the process of creating and new theological genre to meet these same needs. It is the contention of this study that the latter is the case.”
He explains, “The manuals of moral theology were instances of a theological genre developed within the context of the counter-Reformation. They served as major instruments in the theological and ministerial education of Roman Catholic priests for almost four hundred years. They continued to be a major element in seminary education until the eve of the Second Vatican Council… Just as the Council of Trent .. occasioned the emergence of this new theological genre, so the theological, cultural, and ministerial concerns which were the catalyst for Vatican II occasioned the demise of the genre of moral theology.” (Pg. 29)
Of neo-Thomist manuals, he comments, “The moral order was constituted by a set of goods ordered to the ultimate end of human persons and to their proximate welfare. This was a theistic morality, neither Christocentric nor anthropocentric with regard to the origin of moral duties. The moral demand may be epistemologically independent from knowledge of God or belief n a command of God; one can know what ought to be done independently of revelation and the new law. But this morality was not ‘metaphysically independent’ of the divine plan. What the Christian knows in the Spirit and what the pagan knows in the heart are one and the same divine plan.” (Pg. 71)
He suggests, “Despite both its dominance n Catholic theological circles and its papal encouragement, neo-Thomist had significant competitors for its position of preeminence throughout the almost one hundred years of its existence. The modernist movement at the turn of the century and the theologians of the ‘nouvelle theologie’ at the end of World War II are the best known such competitors… The emergence of transcendental Thomism in the writings of Karl Rahner, Bernard Lonergan and others, as well as the development of theological paradigms less directly based on the thought of Aquinas, were to create the current milieu in Catholic theology, a milieu best characterized as one of pluralism. Despite the prominence of neo-Thomism theology during this period, the existence and contributions of these alternative theologies ought not to be dismissed. What is new in the pluralism of post-Vatican II Catholic theology is not its existence, but its recognition and its degree.” (Pg. 123-124)
He states, “The horrors of World War I brought an end to liberal Protestant theology n Europe. Protestant Christianity found it impossible to remain at east with civilizations capable of producing the enormous destruction of life and property which occurred during the war… There was no corresponding development in Catholic theology; neo-Thomism continued to be the prevalent voice in Catholic theology... Catholic theology has never really gone through a phase of liberalism such as was true of Protestant theology… There simply was not liberal theology within Catholicism to react against.” (Pg. 140)
He asserts, “If Catholic theology was and should continue to be univocal, then there can be no sense in a phrase such as ‘American Catholic theology.’ … It was precisely such a univocal conception of Catholic theology which neo-Thomism sought to maintain… To many contemporary theologians, such a conception of Roman Catholic theology is no longer tenable… It will be suggested below that there have been at least three manners in which American Catholic thought has addressed its intellectual and cultural milieu. The first will be called the congregational Catholic approach, the second, the cultural Catholic approach. The third approach was a form of neo-Thomism which attempted to presents its conception of Catholicism as an alternative to the theological and philosophical strains of American culture.” (Pg. 184-185)
He says, “it is readily apparent to anyone who has followed their writings that contemporary Catholic moralists have been producing a theological literature which is inconsistent with the theological premises of neo-Thomist moral theology.” (Pg. 203) Later, he adds, “there were a number of theological reasons which led to contemporary theologians to distinguish their positions from that of neo-Thomism. Changing perspectives concerning the nature and adequacy of neo-Thomist moral theology would lead to yet further grounds for abandoning that position.” (Pg. 219)
He explains, “The decisive moment in the transition from neo-Thomist to revisionist moral theology has usually been associated with the publication of Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae and the theological debate which it engendered… Why in 1968 were Catholic theologians prepared to voice public dissent to a papal directive? [John] Mahoney has suggested one important reason: the manner in which the encyclical seemed to differ from the spirit of the Second Vatican Council… Contemporary revisionist historians understand the term ‘moral theory’ differently than their neo-Thomist predecessors… The moral theory of revisionist historians is much more likely to be determined by their theological convictions… The moral theory of these authors is directly the product of their theology.” (Pg. 223-224)
He reports, “one would be hard pressed to find a contemporary Catholic theologian who would espouse today the principles advocated under the aegis of situation ethics. Proportionalism, on the other hand, appears to have taken a solid hold in the thinking of a growing number of European and American theologians… which can no longer be assumed under the mantle of the traditional genre.” (Pg. 245)
He concludes, “Proportionalism will continue to play an important role in Catholic theological ethics. Not only is proportionalism a fitting tool for the evaluation of specific actions, it can also serve as a critique of public policy. Proportionalism attempts to assess the significance of ontic goods and evils in relation to the whole of a culture and a religious tradition.” (Pg. 274)
This book will not interest those seeding discussion of specific ‘issues’(e.g., birth control, abortion, homosexuality), but will be of interest to those looking into the ‘meta’ issues about Catholic moral theology.
February 28, 2024
One of the driest books I have ever read. Not my thing at all.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews