Fernando Ocáriz - Fundamental Theology

Fernando Ocriz & Arturo Blanco

Midwest Theological Forum
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Fundamental Theology

Original title: Teologa Fundamental

Second Revised and Actualized Edition
Copyright 1998, 2008 Fernando Ocriz & Arturo Blanco

Copyright 1998, 2008 Ediciones Palabra S.A. Madrid (Spain)

This English edition copyright 2009, 2011 Rev. James Socias

Publisher: James Socias
Editor-in-Chief: Jeffrey Cole
Design and Production: Kimberly Chojnicki, Cristina Martinez

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

In accordance with c. 827, permission to publish is granted on April 2, 2009 by the Very Reverend John F. Canary, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Permission to publish is an official declaration of ecclesiastical authority that the material is free from doctrinal and moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted it agree with the content, opinions, or statements expressed in the work; nor do they assume any legal responsibility associated with publication.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ocriz Braa, Fernando.

[Teologa fundamental. English]

Fundamental theology / Fernando Ocriz & Arturo Blanco. p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-890177-24-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Catholic Church--Doctrines. I. Blanco, A. (Arturo) II. Title.

BX1751.3.O2313 2009

230.2--dc22

2009020719

ISBN 978-1-936045-74-7

BIBLICAL ABBREVIATIONS

PROLOGUE

With the title Fundamental Theology we are pleased to present this revised edition of Revelation, Faith, and Credibility which was first published in 1998. This revision results from the introduction of certain changes to the original which, while still following its basic design, are intended to present even more clearly the nature of this inquiry as part of a broadening collection of manuals of theology.

This revised edition incorporates minor improvements to the original text and takes advantage of the practical experiences of those who have used Revelation, Faith, and Credibility . Additionally, it seeks to clarify certain points for better understanding while omitting those parts which were not essential for the subject, but are better left for more specialized studies.

Fundamental Theology also utilizes those documents relevant to the subject which have been issued by the Magisterium since the original publication of Revelation, Faith, and Credibility . In this regard, Fundamental Theology presents the reader with the latest and most up-to-date teachings of the Church. Included in this edition are John Paul IIs encyclical Fides et ratio , which examines the diverse aspects in the relationship between faith and reason; Dominus Iesus , which presents the declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding Christian and non-Christian religions; and the recent book of Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth , which examines the identity between the Jesus of history and the Christ of Faith.

In presenting this book we renew our desire that it will be useful for students of theology and for all those who are interested in studying the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. Furthermore, it is our hope that it will lead the reader to a profound Christian awareness that cooperates with the grace of God in sustaining the Faith, lends reason to our hope, and helps others to receive this great gift of knowing and loving Christ, discovering that everything Christ did has a transcendental value, showing us the nature of God (cf. St. Josemara Escriv, Christ is Passing By , 109).