The Shape of Catholic Theology

An exemplary summary of the state of Catholic theology and what appears to be its future.

This historical treatment of Catholic theology looks not to the content of that theology but rather to the form in which that content is contained and how it is expressed. Faithful to Catholic teaching yet critical, discerning yet impartial, Nichols offers this introduction to dogmatic theology, with the firm belief "that dogmatics are the center of theology, and that any theological discipline which cuts itself off from these heartlands does so at its own peril. For it is in dogmatics that theology is in touch with the heart of revelation, and only by virtue of the quality of its contact with that revelation is thinking Christian at all."

Though comprehensive and far-reaching, this work is not beyond the understanding of people just commencing a study of theology. It makes an excellent text for study groups.

Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P., of Blackfriars, Cambridge, is a lecturer at Cambridge University. He was awarded the title Sacrae Theologiae Magister by the Dominican order in 2003. His many important works include The Shape of Catholic Theology: An Introduction to its Sources, Principles and History; Epiphany: A Theological Introduction to Catholicism; Lovely, like Jerusalem: The Fulfillment of the Old Testament in Christ and the Church; The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI: An Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger; and, most recently, Lost in Wonder: Essays on Liturgy and the Arts.