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Summary: Vatican Council II by Flannery - THE TRUTH ABOUT VATICAN II
Review: A must have for those with a reference library containing the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Not loaded with prejudicial commentary. Just the text of the products of Vatican II. If you teach the Catholic faith in any way, you should have a copy.
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Summary: Provides a General Explanation and Apologetic for Vatican II
Review: Any student of modern Catholicism should have this book. What Vatican II did in its influence of present day Catholic perspectives and outlook is well-known. What is often forgotten is the documents outlining the future understanding of what the Roman Catholic Church is.Catholics high school level and up should be introduced to this, particular those students concerned with understanding the official apologetic on tough issues. Protestants of all denominations will see how their own history has been intertwined with Roman Catholicism, and, from this volume, appreciate the similarities and differences. In fact, I bought my copy in a conservative Protestant bookstore, as the nearby Catholic store only sold gift books. In this first volume, "The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents," you'll quickly see is not a teaching book like the new Catechism is intended. Instead, it is a collection of key papers, decrees and statements explaining Rome's view on issues as varied as the * liturgy
* worship music
* requirements to receive communion
* ecumenism
* bishops
* training of priests
* nonChristian religions and the Catholic Church's relationship to them
* defining and explaining divine revelation
* lay people
* religious liberty
* missionaries In many ways, this is far more substantive than the Catechism, in that it provides a more thorough Scriptural base in its reasoning. It is more of an anthology of legal decrees, and yet it accessible. It isn't in legalese, but it may refer to Articles and other documents unknown to some readers. The introduction realizes the reader may not be a Vatican scholar, and a quick, but useful overview of biblical and extrabiblical abbreviations. Each section thereafter has an introduction to provide context behind the need for developing the given decree. The appendix is strong, and will lead serious researchers to the precise document in question. The book appears to be set in a 10 pt. Times, with just a quarter to half inch margin, and the volume itself is delivered with an awkward dimension. The book is thicker than it should be, and the solution would've been bigger pages, and thus, a thinner book instead of the current 1062 pages. There is a study edition which is said to accommodate these concerns. I fully recommend "Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Vatican Collection, Volume 1)." It is just part of the beginning to understand the vastness of modern Catholic theology, but it is a highly readable book, and is officially recognized by Rome for its reliability. Anthony Trendl
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Summary: What the Church teaches since Vatican II.
Review: From some of the comments I have heard people make about what the Church teaches since Vatican II, I think quite a few people should get these documents and read them. From what I have heard, this is a good translation. Read it and see what the Church really teaches.
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Summary: What the Church teaches since Vatican II.
Review: From some of the comments I have heard people make about what the Church teaches since Vatican II, I think quite a few people should get these documents and read them. From what I have heard, this is a good translation. Read it and see what the Church really teaches.
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Summary: TRANSLATION ERROR
Review: The actual documents of Vatican Council II are required reading for anyone who wants to know what the Catholic Church really teaches. This translation is suspect however. In paragraph 25 of the Dogmatic Constitution Of The Church, Lumen Gentium, the translation here is: "when he (the pope) proclaims by an absolute decision a doctrine .....". The Latin text has "definitivo actu" which is clearly translated (by anyone who knows even pig latin) "by a definitive act." This loose translation is highly significant for the document goes on to say that doctrines so defined, by a definitive act (definitivo actu), are "rightly said to be irreformable." This egregious error makes the whole translation highly suspect.
This error has been used by liberals who contend that the ordination of women to the prieshood is still open. IT IS NOT!
I recommend the Sixteen Documents of Vatican II by Pauline Books & Media, also available from Amazon.
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