Description: This unprecedented comparison of the three most recent Catholic councils traverses more than 450 years and examines the church's most pressing and consistent concerns--issues of purpose, power, and relevance. O'Malley addresses key questions councils raised.ised.
Brief description: John W. O'Malley was University Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University and the author of many books, including Four Cultures of the West, Trent, Vatican I, What Happened at Vatican II, and The First Jesuits (all from Harvard); The First Jesuits has been translated into twelve languages. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Philosophical Society, and a recipient of the Harvard Centennial Medal as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, the Renaissance Society of America, and the American Catholic Historical Association. O'Malley was a member of the Society of Jesus and a Roman Catholic priest.
Review Quotes: This magnificent study shows how the Catholic Church has tried to reconcile faithfulness to its core identity throughout the ages. Drawing on his deeply researched studies of councils, O'Malley illuminates how the Church has moved from Trent's definitions of what was permitted and forbidden to Vatican II's attempt to articulate the Church's identity in the modern world--a plea for reconciliation between humans of all faiths and convictions.--Charles Taylor, McGill University