Volume 2, Issue 2, June 1989
Articles
The Papacy in a Unified Church
John Macquarrie, pp.123-134
The article raises the question of the role of the Papacy if and when the divided churches of Christendom draw together in a more visibly unified body. It is argued that the Papacy has its justification in scripture, in tradition, and in the kind of structure appropriate to the Church. It must, however, be seen to be serving the Church rather than dominating it, and some suggestions are made about how the controversial questions of infallibility and jurisdiction might be resolved.
In Search of the Lost Coin: Toward a Feminist Biblical Hermeneutic
Elaine Wainwright, pp.135-150
The contemporary Women’s Movement has given rise to profound methodological questions in every field of academic endeavour, and biblical studies is no stranger to these questions. They have led to the development of a variety of feminist biblical hermeneutics that seek to uncover the voices of biblical women which have been silenced, ignored or forgotten. What will their emergence mean for the future of both church and society?
The Eucharist as Jesus' Presence to the Broken
Francis J. Moloney, pp.151-174
The Eucharist has been considered as an encounter with the Lord to which only the worthy are to be admitted. This current “tradition” is questioned by looking at some of the foundational eucharistic passages in the scriptures. The Word of God seems to argue that the Eucharist is the place of encounter between Jesus and the broken. In this article the eucharistic teachings of the New Testament are carefully examined, and the emergence of this tradition considered for the future of both church and society.
Limits and Hopes: Catholics and Religious Freedom in the People's Republic of China
Geoffrey King, pp.175-209
Despite the more liberal policies of the present Chinese government, the Catholic Church in China remains very limited in its activities. It can have no voice on matters of public policy; Catholics can give no external expression to their belief in the primacy of the Pope. This state of affairs is determined as much by Chinese tradition and the economy as by Marxist ideology. But a mission of “presence” remains possible, and there seem to be no insuperable obstacles to a model of church communion which respects both papal primacy and the Chinese desire for “autonomy”.
Jesus Left Loose Ends
William Loader, pp.210-228
Many of the major issues which confronted the apostolic Church are to be accounted for by the fact that Jesus left loose ends. These include the Torah (food laws, purity laws, circumcision), the inclusion of Gentiles, the order of the Church and its relation to Israel, scripture interpretation and the timing and character of the Kingdom hope. This article looks at some of the ways the early communities grappled with these issues, and at the implications of Jesus’ having left loose ends for an appropriate understanding of the Church. The Church’s identity and authority lie ultimately not in the use of scriptural witness and/or community structures as fixed law, but in its solidarity with the past event and future hope of the Kingdom which is good news for the poor.
Book Reviews
God of the Poor: The Mystery of God in Latin American Liberation Theology
Victorio Araya
John Sweeney pp.229-231
Tell us our Names: Story Theology from an Asian Perspective
C.S. Song
Ian S. Williams pp.232-234
Theology from the Womb of Asia
C.S. Song
Ian S. Williams pp.232-234
On Job: God-talk and the Suffering of the Innocent
Gustavo Gutierrez
Campion Murray pp.234-236
The Incarnation: Collected Essays in Christology
Brian Hebblethwaite
Peter Carnley pp.236-238
New Testament Theology in Dialogue
James Dunn and James Mackey
Chris Mostert pp.238-240
Foundation Documents of the Faith
C.S. Rodd (ed.)
Bruce Barber pp.240-241
Mary, Woman and Mother
Francis J. Moloney
Veronica Lawson pp.241-243
New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity
G.H.R. Horsley (ed.)
Michael FitzPatrick pp.244-246
Contributors
John Macquarrie was born in Scotland in 1919. He has taught theology in the University of Glascow (1953-62), Union Theological Seminary, New York (1962-70), and the University of Oxford (1970 until his retirement in 1986). He is a priest of the Anglican communion, and his writings include Principles of Christian Theology, In Search of Humanity, and In Search of Deity. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1984.
Elaine Wainwright, R.S.M., (B.A. Hons.), M.A., lectures in Scripture in the Brisbane College of Theology and is a member of the academic staff of Pius XII Seminary, Banyo, Brisbane. She is currently completing a Ph.D. with the University of Queensland on Women in the Gospel of Mark.
Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B., B.A., S.T.L., L.S.S., D.Phil., is Head of the Biblical Studies Department at Catholic Theological College, Melbourne. He is a member of the International Theological Commission to the Holy See and Consultor to the Secretariate for Christian Unity. Most recent publications are Woman: First Among the Faithful - A New Testament Study (1986) and The Living Voice of the Gospel: The Gospels Today (1987).
Geoffrey King, S.J., B.A., B.D., J.C.D., has since 1979 taught Canon Law and Church History at the United Faculty of Theology in Melbourne. In June 1989 he takes up his appointment as Director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila. In 1988 he was based in Hong Kong and engaged in research into the situation of the Catholic Church in China. Further more technical canonical issues concerning the situation of the Chinese Church are discussed in his forthcoming contributions to The Jurist.
William (Bill) Loader, Dr. Theol. (Mainz), has been New Testament Lecturer for the Perth Theological Hall of the Uniting Church in Australia since 1978 and teaches at Murdoch University with the Joint Faculty of Theology as a member of the Perth College of Divinity. His publications include Sohn und Hoherpriester (1981) and The Christology of the Fourth Gospel, to be published in P. Lang Verlag later this year.
