Pope John Paul II's encyclical Vertatis Splendor is an historic document: the first extensive analysis of the foundations of morality by a pope. It stands alongside the new catechism as a major statement about Christian morality, the role of reason in the moral life, and the vision of life for the disciple of Jesus. In the present collection of essays, leading American scholars assess various aspects of the pope's encyclical. Topics include the pope's use of scripture, his images of perfection, natural law, sexual ethics, implications for bioethics, the nature of Christian love, and perspectives on the Church in the twentieth century.

In Sanctified Vision John J. O'Keefe and R. R. Reno explain the structure and logic of the early Church fathers' interpretations of the Bible. These interpretations are considered foundational to the development of Christianity as a religion and offer insight into how the early church fathers thought about Christian doctrine and practice. By analyzing selected portions of patristic exegesis, the authors illustrate specific reading techniques employed by the church fathers to expound the meaning they believed intrinsic to biblical texts.

This approach is organized around three basic analytic strategies: literal, typological, and allegorical. The literal strategy is an intensive and broad analysis that identifies particular word associations that intensify scriptural meaning. The typological strategy interprets distinct patterns of events within scripture and applies those patterns to other events in scripture and the history of the church. The allegorical approach to biblical reading, like the topological strategy, seeks patterns in the text, but these patterns are more diverse and represent larger themes or beliefs of the early church.

Within this analytic framework, the authors explain the larger structure of patristic exegesis and argue for the importance of this structure in the emergence of Christian orthodoxy.

This book is a collection of original readings on Catholic marriage from an A-list group of religious thinkers and scholars. This work also includes sample syllabus and an appendix of frequently asked questions, making this work ideal for student and scholar use--or anyone interested in the current issues surrounding the meaning of marriage.