While belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is at the very core of the Christian faith, the significance of the Spirit in particular is sometimes overlooked in faith practice and theological reflection, resulting in what theologians call Geistvergessenheit. In this context, Lumen Gentium, one of the most important documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), is usually praised for its pneumatological renewal. The current volume, however, argues that this renewal is no more than modest. The Holy Spirit is still conceived of predominantly as an adjunct to Christ. To substantiate that claim, Jos Moons has developed a novel method of close reading on the basis of which he compares Lumen gentiumâs conception of the Spirit to that of Mystici corporis (1943). He also analyses the redaction-historical development of the former and concludes with a plea to envisage the Spirit more boldly: as actively guiding the church, especially by means of the sensus fidelium, its charisms and the discernment of spirits.
Jos Moons SJ, Ph.D. (2018), Tilburg University (The Netherlands), is a Jesuit priest, lecturer at KU Leuven (Belgium) and researcher at Tilburg University. He has published on sensus fidelium, charisms, the epiclesis, synodality and The Art of Spiritual Direction (2020).
"This volume makes a notable contribution to the ongoing study of the Second Vatican Council. It is essential reading for anyone interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of contemporary (official) Catholic Pneumatology, not only in its conciliar past, but also where it might well be heading in a near, more synodal, future.", J.Stayne, in: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovaniensis, Volume 99, Issue 1 (2023).
"With its careful articulation of methodological and theological issues, this book will be useful for both students at all levels of theological education, as well as seasoned academic scholars. They will welcome its finely nuanced approach to the pneumatology of Lumen Gentium and its ongoing agenda." - Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University, in: Louvain Studies, Volume 45, Issue 2 (2022).
"[I]t is meticulously researched, solidly argued and in the last chapter a forward-looking work. It is not only of interest to catholic theologians focusing on ecclesiology and pneumatology." - Jean-Daniel Plüss, European Pentecostal Charistmatic Research Association, Switzerland, in: Pneuma Volume 44, Issue 3-4 (2022).
Abbreviations
General Introduction
â1âGeistvergessenheit
â2âRenewal: A Contentious Issue
â3âRenewal: Further Clarifications
â4âClose Reading: A Method
â5âStructure
part 1: The Holy Spirit according to Mystici Corporis
1 The Ecclesiological and Pneumatological Context of Mystici Corporis
â1.1âEcclesiological Context
â1.2âStructure and Ecclesiology
â1.3âPneumatological Context: Michael Schmaus, Sebastiaan Tromp, Ãmile Mersch
2 The Pneumatology of Mystici Corporis
âA Close Reading
â2.1âStructure of the Text
â2.2âTheological Content
â2.3âArgumentative Function
â2.4âConclusion
part 2: The Holy Spirit according to Lumen Gentium
3 The Redaction History and Ecclesiology of Lumen Gentium
â3.1âRedaction History: A Play in Six Acts
â3.2âEcclesiology: The Church in Eight Parts
â3.3âConclusion
4 The Pneumatology of Lumen Gentium
âA Close Reading
â4.1âStructure of the Text
â4.2âTheological Content
â4.3âArgumentative Function
â4.4âConclusion
part 3: The Pneumatological Renewal ofâ Lumen Gentium
5 From Mystici Corporis to Lumen Gentium
â5.1âSimilarities between Mystici Corporis and Lumen Gentium
â5.2âPneumatological Renewal
â5.3ââDeliberate Pneumatological Change for the Betterâ?
6 The Redaction History of Lumen Gentium 4
â6.1âThree Motives for Pneumatological Renewal
â6.2âThe Holy Spirit according to Lumen Gentium 4
â6.3âThe Introduction of Lumen Gentium 4
â6.4âLumen Gentium 4 as a Whole
â6.5âLumen Gentium 4 per Sentence
â6.6âGeneral Conclusion
7 The Redaction History of Lumen Gentium 48
â7.1âThe Holy Spirit according to Lumen Gentium 48
â7.2âThe Development of Chapter Seven
â7.3âThe Pneumatological Development of Lumen Gentium 48
â7.4âGeneral Conclusion
8 The Pneumatological Renewal of Lumen Gentium
9 General Conclusion: Beyond the Council
âThree Requirements for Further Pneumatological Renewal
â9.1âA Renewed Pneumatology
â9.2âA âReceptiveâ Church
â9.3âAdvancing Pneumatological Topics: Charisms, Sensus Fidelium and Discernment of Spirits
â9.4âConclusion
Summary Bibliography Index of Persons Index of (Selected) Subjects
Scholars, especially in the field of Vatican II, pneumatology, Lumen gentium, and Theological libraries.