2. Church Authority and Theology

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we look at the interrelationship between thought in the Catholic Church and authority, focusing in particular on (i) Catholic conceptions of the Church as an institutional body, a collection of believers, and God interacting with the world (ii) Catholic views on the end of the incarnation (iii) the significance of Pentecost (iv) the significance of ascension (v) Joseph Ratzinger’s enquiry into the ecclesial identity of the Church (vi) differences between Catholic and Protestant conceptions of the Church as a group of people (vii) Catholic and Protestant conceptions of the relationship between theological thinking and scripture, and the nature of interpretation.

Course

In this course, Professor Lewis Ayres (University of Durham) explores some of the major themes in Catholic thought. In the first module, we consider changes in Catholic doctrine following the publication of four documents of the Second Vatican Council. In the second module, we examine the unique relationship between Church authority and theology, and the ecclesial identity of the Church. In the third module, we look at Catholic social thought, including the Church’s views on economics, politics, relationships, the family, and the environment. In the fourth and final module, we examine the nature and significance of the principle of sacramentality in Catholic theology and social teaching.

Lecturer

Professor Lewis Ayres is a lecturer in Catholic and Historical Theology at Durham University. His research interests are in Trinitarian theology in Augustine and in the Greek writers of the fourth century. His publications include Augustine and the Trinity (2010), and Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth Century Theology (2004).