Nouvelle Théologie
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The ( English: ''New Theology'') is an intellectual movement in Catholic theology that arose in the mid-20th century. It is best known for
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
's endorsement of its closely-associated ''ressourcement'' (French for ''return to the sources'') idea, which shaped the events of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
. It existed most notably among certain circles of French and German theologians. The ''nouveaux théologiens'' (new theologians) sought "a spiritual and intellectual communion with
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
in its most vital moments as transmitted to us in its classic texts, a communion which would nourish, invigorate, and rejuvenate twentieth-century Catholicism." Many of the theologians associated with the movement advocated for a far broader "return to the sources" of the Christian faith: namely, Scripture and the writings of the
Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...
. They also developed a renewed interest in particulars of biblical exegesis, typology, art, literature, and
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
.


Origins

Following the promulgation of the encyclical '' Aeterni Patris'' by
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
in 1879, Catholic theology became dominated by neo-scholasticism. During the reign of
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
, neo-scholasticism became increasingly defined in opposition to
Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
: in 1914 Pius X ordered the publication of a list of 24 philosophical propositions, propositions summarising the central tenets of neo-scholasticism to be taught in all colleges as fundamental elements of philosophy. The roots of a questioning such neo-scholastic dominance may be traced to theologians working from the 1920s onwards. While some French
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
studies conducted in exile at Ore Place,
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, in the years 1906–1926 have been seen by some as forerunners of the , the movement itself is generally associated with the period between 1935 and 1960. In its early stages (i.e. the 1930s and early 1940s) the movement is also particularly associated with the French language, in part contrast with the Latin used in seminary teaching at the time.


Ideas

Although lumped together as a set by their opponents, the theologians associated with the had a great range of interests, views, and methodologies, and were not themselves a co-ordinated group. In later writing, Yves Congar,
Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...
and Henri Bouillard all denied that the was anything but a construct of its opponents. However, subsequent studies of the movement have suggested that there did exist a set of shared characteristics among writers of the . These include: *A tendency to ascribe a worthy place to history within the theological endeavour. *The appeal of a positive theology. *A critical attitude towards neo-scholasticism.


Relationship with Church authorities


Criticism and persecution

The developing movement received criticisms in the late 1940s and 1950s. A first attack was made by the influential Dominican theologian Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange in a polemical 1946 article in the journal '' Angelicum''. While the theologians of the movement generally preferred to call their movement a ''ressourcement'', based on their return to original patristic thought, Garrigou-Lagrange claimed that they did not "return to the sources" but deviated from the long-standing theological tradition of the Catholic Church, thus creating a "new theology" all their own which, he claimed, was essentially
Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
in disguise. Although another writer, Pietro Parente, had used the term "teologia nuova" in an 1942 article on ''
L'Osservatore Romano ''L'Osservatore Romano'' is the daily newspaper of Vatican City which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world. It is owned by the Holy See but is not an official publication, a role ...
'', it was from Garrigou-Lagrange's article that the label entered into widespread use. In 1950,
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
published the encyclical ''
Humani generis ''Humani generis'' is a papal encyclical that Pope Pius XII promulgated on 12 August 1950, "concerning some false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic Doctrine". It primarily discussed, the encyclical says, "new opinion ...
'', in which he condemned "certain new intellectual currents" in the Church, accusing them of relativism and attacking them for reformulating dogmas in a way that was not consistent with Church tradition and for following
biblical hermeneutics Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics, which involves the study of principles of interpretation, both theory and methodology, fo ...
that deviated from the teachings of the encyclicals '' Providentissimus Deus'', ''Spiritus Paraclitus'' and '' Divino afflante Spiritu''; Pius XII also admonished that such currents were trying to revive the modernist heresy, which had been strongly condemned by Pius X in his 1907 encyclical '' Pascendi Dominici gregis''. The encyclical did not mention any particular theologian but was widely interpreted as a condemnation of the ''Nouvelle théologie'' and was followed by an extensive purge in '' Le Saulchoir'' and Fourvière.' The broader impact of ''Humani Generis'' was a freezing of systematic theology into a Thomist orthodoxy represented by the “twenty-four theses” of Pius X. Some parts of the encyclicals '' Mystici Corporis Christi'' (1943) and '' Mediator Dei'' (1947) have also been considered to be a condemnation of the ''Nouvelle théologie''.


Rehabilitation

Following the election of
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
and the calling of the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
, anti-modernist polemics declined and many theologians associated with the ''Nouvelle théologie'' were gradually rehabilitated and many of them took part in the Council with the qualification of '' peritus''. Following the Council, the more conservative supporters of ''Nouvelle théologie'' had important careers in the Church: Hans Urs von Balthasar, Jean Daniélou , Yves Congar and
Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...
were made cardinals by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
, while Joseph Ratzinger was elected as
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
in 2005. The same could not be said for the more liberal members, who were gradually marginalised due to their extreme views: Hans Küng was stripped from his theological license by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1979 for questioning
papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...
, while Edward Schillebeeckx was repeatedly condemned by the Congregation and even by Pope Paul VI himself (encyclical '' Mysterium fidei'') due to his heterodox views about
Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...
and the
eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...
. The 1993 encyclical '' Veritatis splendor'' of
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
softened the stance of ''Aeterni Patris'' and ''Humani generis'', stating that, although the thought of St. Thomas took precedence, other avenues could be explored for the good of the Church.


See also

* '' Ad fontes'', a Latin phrase meaning "to the sources" used by Renaissance humanists


Notes


References


Sources

* * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nouvelle theologie Christian theological movements Catholic theology and doctrine