Where and how do we encounter God’s revelation made once for-all in
Christ Jesus?
The answer to this urgent question is explored in Matthias
Joseph Scheeben’s Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics, Book One: Theological Epistemology, Part One: The Objective Principles of Theological Knowledge,
here translated for the first time in English by Michael J. Miller.
Scheeben (1835–1888), a renowned German theologian, in this unabridged
first part of a two-volume set, begins with a discussion of the nature
and scope of dogmatic theology as a science.
He treats divine revelation
as the source of theological knowledge and as transmitted in Scripture
and in the Apostolic Tradition. Included in this volume is Scheeben’s
treatise, “The Objective Principles of Theological Knowledge.” Scheeben
writes on faith in its source, contents, and handing on in the Church as
it confronts the believer, eliciting their assent.
Author Biography:
Matthias Joseph Scheeben (1835–1888) was a German priest and scholar
whose theology points to the inner coherence of the Christian faith and
its supernatural mysteries. Notable in his own time, Scheeben later
received praise from Pope Pius XI, who in 1935 encouraged study of the
late theologian’s works, reflecting: “The entire theology of Scheeben
bears the stamp of a pious ascetical theology.” Hans Urs von Balthasar
credited Scheeben as “the greatest German theologian to date.”
Scheeben’s works include Nature and Grace, The Mysteries of Christianity, and the unfinished Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics.
Endorsements:
“To Matthias Joseph Scheeben we owe the most valuable work of
Catholic dogmatic theology in modern times, a priceless combination of
deep love for the mysteries of the Catholic faith, profound learning,
and speculative genius.”—Bruce D. Marshall, Southern Methodist
University
“In [Sheeben’s] unsurpassed masterwork, the reader encounters a
profound fusion of dogmatic, speculative, and spiritual theology, a deep
ressourcement (avant la lettre) in the theology of the
patristic period, both West and East (Augustine as much as Cyril of
Alexandria), an intense engagement of medieval theology (with a double
focus on Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas), and a surprisingly detailed
and nuanced appreciation of Baroque scholasticism. The translation of
this theological masterwork into English is an intellectual achievement
and theological event of the first order.”— Reinhard Hütter, The
Catholic University of America
“In the present volume, Scheeben’s reflections on divine revelation,
Scripture and Tradition, and the Church’s doctrinal judgments will
instruct Catholic theologians who seek to navigate between the twin
perils of an ahistorical triumphalism and an accommodationist
liberalism, in light of Vatican II’s dogmatic constitutions Dei Verbum
and Lumen Gentium.” —Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr.
Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary