Catholicism: The Story Of Catholic Christianity

E-Book Overview

Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity КНИГИ ; КУЛЬТУРА и ИСКУССТВО Автор: Gerald O'Collins, Mario Farrugia Название: Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity Издательство: Oxford University Press Год: 2003 Формат: pdf in rar Размер: 4.43 Мб Язык: АнглийскийThis lucid and accessible account explains how Roman Catholicism and its beliefs and practices came to be what they are. The authors move through history to sum up the present characteristics of Catholic Christianity and the major challenges it faces in the third millennium. Explaining matters in a fresh and original way, they do justice to the Catholic heritage and show that Catholicism is a dynamic and living faith. Well-structured, highly informative, and clearly written, the book does not duck critical problems and the negative side of history. Rather, O'Collins and Farrugia explore the challenges which Catholics and other Christians must face, and examine the need to confront contemporary moral issues. This is an authoritative, lively, and up-to-date introduction to Catholicism for the modern reader.DepositFilesUploading 0

E-Book Content

CATHOLICISM This page intentionally left blank CATHOLICISM The Story of Catholic Christianity by Gerald O'Collins SJ and Mario Farrugia SJ Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Gerald O'Collins and Mario Farrugia 2003 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Data available ISBN 0-19-925994-1 (hbk) ISBN 0-19-925995-X (pbk) 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Typeset by Kolam Information Services Pvt. Ltd., Pondicherry, India Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by Biddles Ltd, Guildford & King's Lynn PREFACE The world's oldest and largest institution, the Catholic Church, is not limited to any particular class, race, or nation. With its geographical and cultural spread, it reaches out to all humanity. It lives up to its attribute, ‘catholic’: that is to say, it is worldwide and universal. It embraces all nations. A Catholic can join St Augustine of Hippo (354–430) in saying: ‘I exist in all languages: my language is Greek, my language is Syrian, my language is Hebrew. My language is that of all peoples, for I exist in the unity of all peoples’ (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 147. 19). ‘Catholicity’ belongs, of course, among the characteristics of the Church confessed by all Christians in the NiceneConstantinopolitan Creed which is derived in its full form from the First Council of Constantinople (AD 381). Used at least sometimes every year by all Chris