The Church of God in Jesus Christ consists of three parts: the first provides a concise historical survey of ecclesiology elucidating the most salient teachings and insights from the Old and New Testaments, the writings of the fathers, the medievals, moderns, up to the present day. It integrates a standard historical overview with a recovery of oft ignored or forgotten insights from the tradition (e.g., beginnings of the Church in prehistoric times and in Israel, Irenaeus's Trinitarian ecclesiology and St. Bernard's nuptial vison of the Church. The second part is a systematic ecclesiology ordered around the four marks of the Church, then proceeding to treat the participation of all the faithful in the threefold office of Christ, the ongoing renewal and reform of the Church by the Holy Spirit working through her members, and finishing with a hitherto neglected study of the eschatological consummation of the Church in heavenly glory. The third part consists of five essays on particular themes of special importance in ecclesiology. Of the five, most notable is the chapter on the relationship between the Church's infallibility and Mary. Fr. Roch Kereszty intends to integrate theological insights with nourishing the reader's spiritual life by emphasizing the essentially Trinitarian, nuptial and Marian dimensions of the Church. The book fills a genuine need in that it offers a rich synthesis of the ecclesiological renewal in an accessible and clear language. It will enrich not only students of theology but all those college educated adults who are interested to delve beyond the cliches of the media into the contemplation of the manifold mystery of the Church.
Roch A. Kereszty, O. Cist. is adjunct professor of theology at the University of Dallas.
"Thorough and precise in scholarship, sensitive to contemporary issues and accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students. A unique and valuable work."--Michael Sirilla, author of The Ideal Bishop (CUA Press)"This book is a brilliant synthesis of doctrinal handbook and creative, at times even daring, theological exploration. It plunges the reader into a deep and loving contemplation of the mystery of the church in characteristically accessible, straightforward prose. It sets an agenda for future work in ecclesiology even as it will serve as an excellent textbook in undergraduate and graduate classes for years to come."--John C. Cavadini, University of Notre Dame "Father Kereszty is a man of profound scholarly and pastoral wisdom. In this long-awaited book, he provides a primer in Ressourcement ecclesiology, rooted in Scripture, the Fathers, and the high medievals, and flowering at Vatican II. Among the few living theologians educated at the height of the Ressourcement movement, Father Kereszty's mastery of its key themes has become connatural. His communication of these insights--at a time when rationalistic currents threaten the church afresh--is a model of evangelical simplicity and clarity."--Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary "This wonderful book is the rich fruit of a faithful lifetime--a lifetime not only of penetrating theological reflection on the mystery and mission of Christ's church, but of prayer and teaching from the church's heart. At last we have in English a Catholic ecclesiology with the brevity and clarity needed for an introductory course on the church, yet the substance to repay a lifetime of study."--Bruce D. Marshall, Southern Methodist University
