Synopses & Reviews
The greatest challenge to ecumenical dialogue has come not from discussions on justification by faith or papal primacy or even infallibility, but from discussions related to the Virgin Mary. This remarkable assertion is the raeason behind noted theologian and ecumenist George Tavard's historical and ecumenical investigation of the image of Mary.
Mary belongs not only to Christians but to Jews and Muslims as well. In a broad sense she can also be seen in relation to female symbols of the Absolute not as divinity but as divine. Time and changes in dogma have also affected the way Mary is perceived. Tavard has therefore divided his investigation into five parts. He gathers insights from Scripture (Part I), Tradition (Part II), the Reformation (Part III), the Modern Age (Part IV), and World Religions (Part V). Together these perspectives clarify and enhance the Theotokos and her ties with the people of God. George H. Tavard, a member of the Augustinians of the Assumption, professor emeritus of theology at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and distinguished professor of theology at Marquette University, was a peritus at Vatican Council II, where he was involved in preparing the decree on ecumenism. He has participated in several international and American ecumenical dialogues and has written extensively on theology and ecumenism.
Review
This book would be useful to teachers and administrators in Catholic schools, to participants in R.C.I.A. programs and, in general, to anyone seeking to learn how Catholics make sense of life today.Studies in Religion
Review
. . . invaluable as a learning resource for candidates enrolled in our certificate program for Catholic leadership in health, education, and social services. . . . Thomas Rausch's accessible text, enhanced in its second edition by Catherine Clifford's comprehensive questions and glossary, should be required reading for all Catholics over the age of 50 and strongly recommended for everyone else.M.J. Marrocco, Director of Continuing Education, University of St. Michael's College, Toronto, Ontario
Review
This second edition of Rausch's extremely serviceable survey of Roman Catholic faith, ethics, and practice has been augmented with updated bibliographies, focus questions, and glossary to make the work even more user-friendly for those who desire an overview of the Roman Catholic Church. A useful appendix includes a three-page list of places where topics in the present text correlate with material found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. . . . Rausch writes with clarity, which should make this work a fine first introduction to Catholicism for either classroom or adult education.Theology Today
Review
An expanded and updated version of Thomas Rausch's well-received, Catholicism at the Dawn of the Third Millennium (1996), this volume is a welcome source for undergraduate classes and adult study groups. . . after receiving the review copy of Catholicism in the Third Millennium, I decided to adopt it as the basic text for my undergraduate course on Roman Catholicism. It will be interesting to see if my students react to it as positively as I did.Catholic Studies Book Review
Review
This book provides an excellent introduction to Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Church for those who want something different than adult catechisms or theological textbooks. It thoroughly covers the basic characteristics most people take for granted when dealing with Catholicism.Theoforum
Synopsis
This book originated in courses on Mary in ecumenical perspective. The author discusses how Christian images of Mary in theology, piety, dogma, and even in visions acquire new dimensions from being images of the Mother of Jesus in Islam and the female imaging of the Absolute in some of the great religions of Asia. This both relativizes and enhances the Theotokos and her ties with the People of God.
About the Author
George H. Tavard, a member of the Augustinians of the Assumption, professor emeritus of theology at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and distinguished professor of theology at Marquette University, was a peritus at Vatican Council II, where he was involved in preparing the decree on ecumenism. He has participated in several international and American ecumenical dialogues and has written extensively on theology and ecumenism. Father Tavard is the author of A Review of Anglican Orders, The Church, Community of Salvation, and The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary, published by Liturgical Press.