The study of Jesus remains central to Christianity. "Who was and is Jesus?" and "What has he done for us and for our world?" are crucial questions that demand careful consideration and perennial answers. These Christological questions reach to the heart of Christian identityaboth in its understanding of itself and in its relation to other world religions. In Christology: Origins, Developments, Debates , Gerald O'Collins continues his groundbreaking work in Christology by first tracing its major developments over the last fifty years. He next turns to a theology of resurrectionaChristology's central eventaand the foundational roles played by its two great witnesses, Peter and Paul. O'Collins then masterfully constructs a "theology of religions" that explores the relationship of Christianity to other living faiths precisely in light of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In this volume, O'Collins engages the riches of the tradition and the challenges of the present to aid scholars and students alike who wish to grasp the centrality of the second person of the Trinity to the Christian faith.

Despite a long history of external threats and internal strife, the Roman Catholic Church remains a vast and influential presence in our modern world. But what were its origins, and how has it changed and adapted over the centuries? After Pope Benedict XVI dramatically resigned in early 2013 (the first Pope to resign since the fifteenth century), and Pope Francis was elected, many wondered what direction he would lead the Church in, and whether the Church could modernise in the face of the demands of our world. In this Very Short Introduction, Gerald O'Collins covers the history of the Catholic Church, and considers some of the key issues facing Catholicism today, such as the catastrophic revelations about clerical child abuse, the impact of the growth of Islam, and the destruction in the Middle East of ancient Christian church communities. He also shows how Catholics are being increasingly challenged by an opposition between their traditional Christian values and rights which are endorsed by the secular world, such as the right to physician assisted suicide or same-sex marriage, and considers the future for the largest and oldest institution in the world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This book will help students in choosing a topic for their thesis that they can investigate and turn into a short paper or a long dissertation. The book looks at questions like the following. What should feed into their choice of a supervisor? How should they compile and organise their bibliography and set about writing the introduction? What are some tips for writing paragraphs and entire chapters and producing conclusions? What are ways of providing references, using helpful (or at least correct) punctuation, avoiding common mistakes in spelling, and improving their level of writing? When difficulties arise-for instance, with their supervisor-how might they cope with and resolve such difficulties? This book is a guide. It aims to offer straightforward suggestions about doing research, putting the results into a convincing form, and dealing with difficulties that inevitably arise. The overall objective of this book is to provide students and their supervisors with some down-to-earth proposals about things to do and things to avoid when preparing and producing a long essay or a thesis. This book is the result of many years of teaching and supervising students.

The study of Jesus remains central to Christianity. "Who was and is Jesus?" and "What has he done for us and for our world?" are crucial questions that demand careful consideration and perennial answers. These Christological questions reach to the heart of Christian identity-both in its understanding of itself and in its relation to other world religions. In Christology: Origins, Developments, Debates, Gerald O'Collins continues his groundbreaking work in Christology by first tracing its major developments over the last fifty years. He next turns to a theology of resurrection-Christology's central event-and the foundational roles played by its two great witnesses, Peter and Paul. O'Collins then masterfully constructs a "theology of religions" that explores the relationship of Christianity to other living faiths precisely in light of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In this volume, O'Collins engages the riches of the tradition and the challenges of the present to aid scholars and students alike who wish to grasp the centrality of the second person of the Trinity to the Christian faith.

Twenty-two scholars from an enormous range of theological disciplines came together in New York at Easter 1996 to debate the central truth of Christianity: the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This ground-breaking and international study knits together mainstream scholarship on biblical studies, fundamental theology, moral theology, philosophy, and many other schools of thought to offer a balanced and integral view of the Resurrection.

In this fully revised and updated second edition of his accessible account of systematic Christology, Gerald O'Collins continues to challenge the contemporary publishing trend for sensationalist books on Jesus that are supported neither by the New Testament witness nor by mainline Christian beliefs.
This book critically examines the best biblical and historical scholarship before tackling head-on some of the key questions of systematic Christology: does orthodox faith present Jesus the man as deficient and depersonalized? Is his sinlessness compatible with the exercise of a free human will? Does up-to-date exegesis challenge his virginal conception and personal resurrection? Can one reconcile Jesus' role as universal Saviour with the truth and values to be found in other religions? What should the feminist movement highlight in presenting Jesus? This integral Christology is built around the resurrection of the crucified Jesus, highlights love as the key to redemption, and proposes a synthesis of the divine presence through Jesus. Clear, balanced, and accessible, this book should be valued by any student reading systematic theology, anyone training for the ministry in all denominations, as well as interested general readers.

Through the lens of Christology, a new approach to the theology of religions. Adopting the person and saving work of Christ (Christology) as the master key for organizing themes already treated by theologies of religion, theologian Gerald O'Collins introduces important themes previously largely ignored, such as the relevance of the theology of the cross for thinking about "the others" and the impact of Christ's priesthood on all men and women of all places and times.

A collection of eighteen essays on the Gospels, Acts, and the letters of Paul, written throughout Gerald O’Collins's distinguished career. †

In this book, Gerald O'Collins, SJ, takes a systematic look at the 2010 English translation of the Roman Missal and the ways it fails to achieve what the Second Vatican Council mandated: the full participation of priest and people. Critiquing the unsatisfactory principles prescribed by the Vatican instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (2001), this book, which includes a chapter by John Wilkins: tells the story of the maneuverings that sidelined the 1998 translation approved by eleven conferences of English-speaking bishops, criticizes the 2010 translation, and illustrates the clear superiority of the 1998 translation, the "Missal that never was"

Convened by Pope John XXIII, the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) profoundly changed the self-image and life of the Catholic Church. But understanding, interpreting, and implementing Vatican II still remain a task far from completed. Pope Francis has given fresh impetus toward practicing the Council's teaching about a humble, servant Church that pursues justice and peace for the whole world.This book explores and presents Vatican II's developments in doctrine about divine revelation; the nature, mission, and collegiality of the Church; religious freedom; and the divine grace that reaches all human beings. It takes up the profound significance of the liturgy constitution, which opened the way for the Council's subsequent teaching.In documenting the renewal and reform conveyed by the message and meaning of Vatican II, this book illustrates the scholarship and accessible style for which Gerald O'Collins has become renowned.

This book identifies the distinguishing features of fundamental theology, as distinct from philosophical theology, natural theology, apologetics, and other similar disciplines. Addressing the potential for confusion about basic Christian claims and beliefs, Gerald O'Collins sets out to relaunch fundamental theology as a discipline by presenting a coherent vision of basic theological questions and positions that lay the ground for work in specific areas of systematic theology. Rethinking Fundamental Theology examines central theological questions: about God, human experience and, specifically, religious experience; the divine revelation coming through the history of Israel and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; human faith that responds to revelation; the nature of tradition that transmits the record and reality of revelation; the structure of biblical inspiration and truth, as well as basic issues concerned with the formation of the canon; the founding of the Church with some leadership structures; the relationship between Christ's revelation and the faith of those who follow other religions. O'Collins concludes with some reflections on theological method. Written with the scholarship and accessibility for which O'Collins is known and valued, this book will relaunch fundamental theology as a distinct and necessary discipline in faculties and departments of theology and religious studies around the world.

This midlife journey coincided with events that swept the world in the sixties and seventies: the death of President Kennedy, May '68 in France, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Vietnam War, and the spiritual revolution caused by Vatican II. ______ 'With remarkable honesty and lucidity, Gerald describes the impact of the Council on his generation of young priests. He pulls no punches as he narrates the challenge to his thinking and calling to celibacy. This story could easily have been sanitized. Thankfully he has not given into that temptation. He has presented a fascinating and detailed autobiography of a fruitful and fulfilled life'. -Lord Carey of Clifton, Former Archbishop of Clifton. ______ Author or co-author of sixty published books, in 2006 Gerald O'Collins was created a Companion of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC), the highest civil honour granted through the Australian government.

At a time when many more students around the world are taking courses and seminars in theology and religious studies, some can be confused about the meaning of basic and even very important theological terms. To help relieve this situation, the dictionary identifies and clarifies a thousand central terms, providing necessary information about their origin, the history of their usage, and their place in the story of Christianity. Fresh in its language and ecumenical in its style, this dictionary has already proved itself a valuable resource for thousands of students and teachers of theology and religious studies. The third, enlarged edition adds some further entries, updates other entries, includes two timelines, and indicates some essential bibliographical resources (both printed and online). Highlights: * Shorter and more accessible than larger theological dictionaries and encyclopedias that often run to many volumes * Balanced and ecumenical in perspective * Offers essential and up to date information on Eastern Christianity * Includes essential information from the Bible and the history of Christianity * Includes some of the very latest information and "breaking news" in theology

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1). When Paul wrote these words he seemed confident he had made himself clear. But for centuries the Pauline doctrine of justification has been a classic point of interpretation and debate in Christian exegesis and theology. And while in recent decades there have been moments of hopeful convergence among the various traditions of the Western church, the fine print often reveals more facets and distinctions than ever before. This Spectrum Multiview volume focuses on five views of justification and calls on representative proponents to set forth their case and then respond to each other. The five views are: Traditional Reformed (Michael S. Horton) Progressive Reformed (Michael F. Bird) New Perspective (James D. G. Dunn) Deification, or Theosis (Veli-Matti Karkkainen) Roman Catholic (Gerald O?Collins and Oliver Rafferty) In addition, editors James Beilby, Paul R. Eddy and Steven E. Enderlein provide an extensive introduction to the issues informing this important debate. This distinguished forum of biblical interpreters and theologians offers a lively and informative engagement with the biblical, historical and contemporary understandings of justification. Justification: Five Views is not only a fascinating probe into Paul's meaning, it is also a case book in theological method. Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

The book follows the structure of the Spiritual Exercises, commenting on major themes in what Ignatius calls the First Week, the Second Week, the Third Week, and the Fourth Week, ending with the Contemplation for Attaining Love. It engages the audience by introducing fresh reflections on the Principle and Foundation (to be read in the context of late medieval marriage vows), and by using, at length, several episodes in the Gospel stories (e.g. the nativity of Christ, the call to service of Peter's mother-in-law, the particular approaches of the evangelists to Christ's passion and death, and the place of Ch. 21 in John's theology of love) to show how contemporary biblical interpretation enriches possibilities for prayer. Resources for prayer are drawn from Christian painting, sculpture, music, literature (e.g., Pascal and Kierkegaard) and poetry. The author explores links between the Exercises and the traditional practice of lectio divina. In doing this, he illustrates the scope of teaching on lectio divina coming from the Second Vatican Council and shows how translators and commentators have missed the Council's use of the technical term lectio divina. †

Inspiration: Towards a Christian Interpretation of Biblical Inspiration anchors its study of inspiration firmly in the Scriptures and examines the inspired nature of the Bible and its inspiring impact. Gerald O'Collins begins by examining classical view of inspiration expounded by Karl Barth and Raymond Collins. He takes up the inspired origin of the Old Testament, where earlier books helped to inspire later books, before moving to the New Testament, which throughout shows the inspiring impact of the inherited Scriptures-both in direct citations and in many echoes. The work then investigates the Bible's inspiring influence on Christian worship, preaching, teaching, the visual arts, literature, and life. After a chapter that clarifies the interrelationship between divine revelation, tradition, and inspiration, two chapters expound ten characteristics of biblical inspiration, with special emphasis on the inspiring quality of the Bible. O'Collins explains a major consequence of inspiration, biblical truth, and the grounds on which the Church 'canonized' the Scriptures. After spelling out three approaches to biblical interpretation (the authorial intention, the role of readers, and the primacy of the text itself), the book ends by setting out ten principles for engaging theologically with the Scriptures. An epilogue highlights two achievements of the book. By carefully distinguishing inspiration from divine revelation and biblical truth, it can deliver readers from false problems. This work also underlines the inspiring effects of the Scriptures as part of the Holy Spirit's work of inspiration.

Many observers greeted the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) as the most important religious event in the twentieth century. Its implementation and impact are still being felt in the Catholic Church, the wider Christian world, and beyond. One sea change that Vatican II brought concerned Roman Catholic attitudes towards Judaism, Islam, and other religions. Gerald O'Collins breaks fresh ground by examining in detail five documents from the Council which embodied a new mind set about other religious faiths and mandated changes that quickly led to international and national dialogues between the Catholic Church and the followers of non-Christian religions. The book also includes chapters on the insights that prepared the way for the re-thinking expressed by Vatican II, and on the follow-up to the Council's teaching found in the work of Pope John Paul II and Jacques Dupuis. O'Collins ably illustrates how the Council made a startling advance in official Catholic teaching about followers of other living faiths. Carefully researched, the book is written in the clear, accessible style that readers of previous works by O'Collins will recognize.

This book examines in depth and at length what the Old Testament and the New Testament hold about the salvation of God's 'other peoples'. The Bible repeatedly witnesses to the universal scope of the divine love for all human beings and the chances of salvation that are available to them. Since the Israelites experienced for many centuries, both at home and abroad, the religion and culture of numerous other peoples, the Old Testament texts have much to say, both positively and negatively, about the religious prospects and destiny of these peoples. In its second half this book scrutinizes what Jesus, the evangelists, Paul and the Letter to the Hebrews indicate about God's loving designs for all human beings. At the end, the book breaks new ground by developing the universal presence of the risen Jesus (along with the Holy Spirit) and his role as universal Wisdom, and the full teaching of the Letter to the Hebrews on the possibility of faith for all people.

Many observers greeted the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) as the most important religious event in the twentieth century. Its implementation and impact are still being felt in the Catholic Church, the wider Christian world, and beyond. One sea change that Vatican II brought concerned Roman Catholic attitudes towards Judaism, Islam, and other religions. Gerald O'Collins breaks fresh ground by examining in detail five documents from the Council which embodied a new mindset about other religious faiths and mandated changes that quickly led to international and national dialogues between the Catholic Church and the followers of non-Christian religions. The book also includes chapters on the insights that prepared the way for the rethinking expressed by Vatican II, and on the follow-up to the Council's teaching found in the work of Pope John Paul II and Jacques Dupuis. O'Collins ably illustrates how the Council made a startling advance in official Catholic teaching about followers of other living faiths. Carefully researched, the book is written in the clear, accessible style that readers of previous works by O'Collins will recognize.