Ulrich L. Lehner
Ulrich L. Lehner (Ph.D. habil. in History and Ph.D. in Theology) is the William K. Warren Professor at the University of Notre Dame, IN. His works have been translated into French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Polish and Spanish. He specializes in the study of early modern religious history, theology and culture and has authored and/or edited more than 30 books.
He is an elected Member of the Academia Europea, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts , and the Accademia Ambrosiana.
He is an elected Member of the Academia Europea, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts , and the Accademia Ambrosiana.
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Cases from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico.
OPEN ACCESS PUBLICATION
Although the study of Catholic Enlightenment is booming among historians and theologians, too few texts are available in reliable translations. A major strength of this edition is not only that its introduction introduces the reader to the colorful landscape of eighteenth-century theological discussions, but also presents the entire text of Mayr's book (with the exception of its appendix) thereby allowing the reader to see the strengths and weaknesses of Enlightenment ecumenism.
Mayr's Limited Infallibility was put on the Index of Forbidden Books, on which it remained until the 20th Century. It invites readers to a modern, non-scholastic way of theologizing for the sake of Christian unity.
While most studies of Catholic Reform focus entirely on social disciplining or political aspects, this study unearthes the spiritual side of this reform: What kind of spiritual exercises helped the faithful, what metaphors were used and for what purpose, etc.
1 The Dynamics of Reform
2 The Varying Theologies of the Priesthood
3 The Homily
4 Teaching the Faith in a Parish
5 The Spiritual Formation of the Family
6 Lay Movements Transforming the Church
7 Eucharist and Confession
8 Transformation through Prayer
9 Symbols and Images
10 Mary and Joseph: Images of Hope
Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism reveals that the period between 1550 and 1700 emerged as an intellectually vibrant atmosphere, shaped by the tensions between personal creativity and magisterial authority. The essays explore ideas about grace, physical predetermination, freedom, and probabilism in order to show how the rhetoric of innovation and tradition can be better understood. More importantly, contributors illustrate how disintegrated historiographies, which often excluded Catholicism as a source of innovation, can be overcome. Not only were new systems of metaphysics crafted in the early modern period, but so too was a new conceptual language to deal with the pressing problems of human freedom and grace, natural law, and Marian piety. Overall, the volume shines significant light on hitherto neglected or misunderstood traits in the understanding of early modern Catholic culture.
Re-presenting early modern Catholicism more crucially than any other currently available study, Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism is a useful tool for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars in the fields of philosophy, early modern studies, and the history of theology.
1. Introduction: Innovation and Creativity in Early Modern Catholicism
Ulrich L. Lehner
2. The Rhetoric of Innovation and Constancy in Early Modern Catholicism
Ulrich L. Lehner
3. Catholic Theology and Doctrinal Novelty in the Quarrel over Grace: Theological schools, innovations, and pluralism during the Molinism Controversy
Sylvio Hermann De Francheschi
4. Faithfulness and Novelty in Early Modern Thomism: The Dionysian Dimension of Physical Predetermination
Matthew Gaetano
5. The Innovative Character of the Suárezian Project in its Proper Historical Context
Victor M. Salas
6. New Models of Church Government: Innovation in Catholic Ecclesiology, ca. 1600–1800
Shaun Blanchard
7. At the Fringes of the Church: The Ecclesial Status of Heretics and their Baptized Children in Early Modern Ecclesiology
Eric DeMeuse
8. The Invention of Probabilism
Emanuele Colombo
9. Natural Law and Cultural Difference: innovations in Spanish scholasticism
Elisabeth Rain Kincaid
10. Duns Scotus and the Making of Modern Catholic Theology
Trent Pomplun
11. The Invention of Early Modern Mariology
Damien Tricoire
Reason is a powerful tool not only for finding our way in an increasingly complex world but also for growing intellectually and emotionally. This short, accessible volume unlocks the dynamics of human reason, helping readers to think critically and to use reason confidently to solve problems. It enables readers to think more clearly and precisely about the world and tackles a number of profound philosophical questions without getting bogged down with jargon. Topics include knowledge, identity, leadership, creativity, and empathy.
Written in an accessible style that integrates philosophy, illustrations, personal anecdotes, and statistical data, this book is well suited for use in undergraduate, classical school, and home school contexts. It is an invaluable guide for anyone interested in gaining better reasoning skills and a more rational approach to life.
""Whoever needs an act of faith to elucidate an event that can be explained by reason is a fool, and unworthy of reasonable thought." This line, spoken by the notorious 18th-century libertine Giacomo Casanova, illustrates a deeply entrenched perception of religion, as prevalent today as it was hundreds of years ago. It is the sentiment behind the narrative that Catholic beliefs were incompatible with the Enlightenment ideals. Catholics, many claim, are superstitious and traditional, opposed to democracy and gender equality, and hostile to science. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that Casanova himself was a Catholic. In The Catholic Enlightenment, Ulrich Lehner points to such figures as representatives of a long-overlooked thread of a reform-minded Catholicism, which engaged Enlightenment ideals with as much fervor and intellectual gravity as anyone. Their story opens new pathways for understanding how faith and modernity can interact in our own time.
Lehner begins two hundred years before the Enlightenment, when the Protestant Reformation destroyed the hegemony Catholicism had enjoyed for centuries. During this time the Catholic Church instituted several reforms, such as better education for pastors, more liberal ideas about the roles of women, and an emphasis on human freedom as a critical feature of theology. These actions formed the foundation of the Enlightenment's belief in individual freedom. While giants like Spinoza, Locke, and Voltaire became some of the most influential voices of the time, Catholic Enlighteners were right alongside them. They denounced fanaticism, superstition, and prejudice as irreconcilable with the Enlightenment agenda.
In 1789, the French Revolution dealt a devastating blow to their cause, disillusioning many Catholics against the idea of modernization. Popes accumulated ever more power and the Catholic Enlightenment was snuffed out. It was not until the Second Vatican Council in 1962 that questions of Catholicism's compatibility with modernity would be broached again.
Ulrich Lehner tells, for the first time, the forgotten story of these reform-minded Catholics. As Pope Francis pushes the boundaries of Catholicism even further, and Catholics once again grapple with these questions, this book will prove to be required reading."
In the present day, there is widespread confusion regarding the theological achievements of the Catholic Enlightenment. This book outlines such contributions in the fields of biblical exegesis, church reform, liturgical renewal, and the move towards a more tolerant view of other churches and religions. Since some of the most important Catholic Enlighteners lived in Germany, this book concentrates on their endeavors, but also frequently points to other European players. Only an un-polemical historical assessment of the Catholic Enlightenment can help us to get out of the current gridlock of interpreting Vatican II: was there a break with tradition or was there continuity? By reviewing the historical debates that preceded Vatican II, the unknown, marginalized or deliberately forgotten roots of the conciliar debates come to light that can help us fine tune future hermeneutical endeavors. This history is hitherto unknown to most researchers. Indeed, it is possibly the most neglected field of modern literary history.
Cases from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico.
OPEN ACCESS PUBLICATION
Although the study of Catholic Enlightenment is booming among historians and theologians, too few texts are available in reliable translations. A major strength of this edition is not only that its introduction introduces the reader to the colorful landscape of eighteenth-century theological discussions, but also presents the entire text of Mayr's book (with the exception of its appendix) thereby allowing the reader to see the strengths and weaknesses of Enlightenment ecumenism.
Mayr's Limited Infallibility was put on the Index of Forbidden Books, on which it remained until the 20th Century. It invites readers to a modern, non-scholastic way of theologizing for the sake of Christian unity.
While most studies of Catholic Reform focus entirely on social disciplining or political aspects, this study unearthes the spiritual side of this reform: What kind of spiritual exercises helped the faithful, what metaphors were used and for what purpose, etc.
1 The Dynamics of Reform
2 The Varying Theologies of the Priesthood
3 The Homily
4 Teaching the Faith in a Parish
5 The Spiritual Formation of the Family
6 Lay Movements Transforming the Church
7 Eucharist and Confession
8 Transformation through Prayer
9 Symbols and Images
10 Mary and Joseph: Images of Hope
Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism reveals that the period between 1550 and 1700 emerged as an intellectually vibrant atmosphere, shaped by the tensions between personal creativity and magisterial authority. The essays explore ideas about grace, physical predetermination, freedom, and probabilism in order to show how the rhetoric of innovation and tradition can be better understood. More importantly, contributors illustrate how disintegrated historiographies, which often excluded Catholicism as a source of innovation, can be overcome. Not only were new systems of metaphysics crafted in the early modern period, but so too was a new conceptual language to deal with the pressing problems of human freedom and grace, natural law, and Marian piety. Overall, the volume shines significant light on hitherto neglected or misunderstood traits in the understanding of early modern Catholic culture.
Re-presenting early modern Catholicism more crucially than any other currently available study, Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism is a useful tool for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars in the fields of philosophy, early modern studies, and the history of theology.
1. Introduction: Innovation and Creativity in Early Modern Catholicism
Ulrich L. Lehner
2. The Rhetoric of Innovation and Constancy in Early Modern Catholicism
Ulrich L. Lehner
3. Catholic Theology and Doctrinal Novelty in the Quarrel over Grace: Theological schools, innovations, and pluralism during the Molinism Controversy
Sylvio Hermann De Francheschi
4. Faithfulness and Novelty in Early Modern Thomism: The Dionysian Dimension of Physical Predetermination
Matthew Gaetano
5. The Innovative Character of the Suárezian Project in its Proper Historical Context
Victor M. Salas
6. New Models of Church Government: Innovation in Catholic Ecclesiology, ca. 1600–1800
Shaun Blanchard
7. At the Fringes of the Church: The Ecclesial Status of Heretics and their Baptized Children in Early Modern Ecclesiology
Eric DeMeuse
8. The Invention of Probabilism
Emanuele Colombo
9. Natural Law and Cultural Difference: innovations in Spanish scholasticism
Elisabeth Rain Kincaid
10. Duns Scotus and the Making of Modern Catholic Theology
Trent Pomplun
11. The Invention of Early Modern Mariology
Damien Tricoire
Reason is a powerful tool not only for finding our way in an increasingly complex world but also for growing intellectually and emotionally. This short, accessible volume unlocks the dynamics of human reason, helping readers to think critically and to use reason confidently to solve problems. It enables readers to think more clearly and precisely about the world and tackles a number of profound philosophical questions without getting bogged down with jargon. Topics include knowledge, identity, leadership, creativity, and empathy.
Written in an accessible style that integrates philosophy, illustrations, personal anecdotes, and statistical data, this book is well suited for use in undergraduate, classical school, and home school contexts. It is an invaluable guide for anyone interested in gaining better reasoning skills and a more rational approach to life.
""Whoever needs an act of faith to elucidate an event that can be explained by reason is a fool, and unworthy of reasonable thought." This line, spoken by the notorious 18th-century libertine Giacomo Casanova, illustrates a deeply entrenched perception of religion, as prevalent today as it was hundreds of years ago. It is the sentiment behind the narrative that Catholic beliefs were incompatible with the Enlightenment ideals. Catholics, many claim, are superstitious and traditional, opposed to democracy and gender equality, and hostile to science. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that Casanova himself was a Catholic. In The Catholic Enlightenment, Ulrich Lehner points to such figures as representatives of a long-overlooked thread of a reform-minded Catholicism, which engaged Enlightenment ideals with as much fervor and intellectual gravity as anyone. Their story opens new pathways for understanding how faith and modernity can interact in our own time.
Lehner begins two hundred years before the Enlightenment, when the Protestant Reformation destroyed the hegemony Catholicism had enjoyed for centuries. During this time the Catholic Church instituted several reforms, such as better education for pastors, more liberal ideas about the roles of women, and an emphasis on human freedom as a critical feature of theology. These actions formed the foundation of the Enlightenment's belief in individual freedom. While giants like Spinoza, Locke, and Voltaire became some of the most influential voices of the time, Catholic Enlighteners were right alongside them. They denounced fanaticism, superstition, and prejudice as irreconcilable with the Enlightenment agenda.
In 1789, the French Revolution dealt a devastating blow to their cause, disillusioning many Catholics against the idea of modernization. Popes accumulated ever more power and the Catholic Enlightenment was snuffed out. It was not until the Second Vatican Council in 1962 that questions of Catholicism's compatibility with modernity would be broached again.
Ulrich Lehner tells, for the first time, the forgotten story of these reform-minded Catholics. As Pope Francis pushes the boundaries of Catholicism even further, and Catholics once again grapple with these questions, this book will prove to be required reading."
In the present day, there is widespread confusion regarding the theological achievements of the Catholic Enlightenment. This book outlines such contributions in the fields of biblical exegesis, church reform, liturgical renewal, and the move towards a more tolerant view of other churches and religions. Since some of the most important Catholic Enlighteners lived in Germany, this book concentrates on their endeavors, but also frequently points to other European players. Only an un-polemical historical assessment of the Catholic Enlightenment can help us to get out of the current gridlock of interpreting Vatican II: was there a break with tradition or was there continuity? By reviewing the historical debates that preceded Vatican II, the unknown, marginalized or deliberately forgotten roots of the conciliar debates come to light that can help us fine tune future hermeneutical endeavors. This history is hitherto unknown to most researchers. Indeed, it is possibly the most neglected field of modern literary history.
In order to provide a nuanced understanding of early modern
religious history, the metaphors of ‘border’ and ‘layer’ have
proved particularly useful. This article proposes utilizing Nicolai
Hartmann’s ontology and Helmuth Plessner’s anthropology to
deepen our comprehension of these metaphors. It also highlights
the existence of competing metaphors, such as ‘confessional
osmosis,’ which can mislead or downplay personal agency.
To test the efficacy of stratigraphic metaphors, two case studies
are presented: the multi-confessional city and multiple
conversions. These case studies demonstrate how stratigraphic
metaphors can capture the simultaneity of the simultaneous,
commonalities and differences within the lives of historical
agents. The conversions of the nun Martha Zitter provide a
particularly insightful illustration for the use of such metaphors.
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/paul-simon-and-the-mystery-of-a-sinful-church/#print
After all, the lack of careful semantics in confessional history created massive distortions, as methodological flaws in Etienne François, and the misinterpretation of Martha Zitter's conversion narrative by Merry Wiesner-Hanks and Beth Plummer show.
Les historiens de la première modernité qui analysent la vie religieuse des groupes confessionnels se méprennent souvent sur leur logique interne. L'ontologie de Nicolai Hartmann et l'anthropologie de Helmuth Plessner peuvent aider à redécouvrir cette logique en comprenant la vie religieuse comme des "couches" de l'existence sociétale. En outre, ils proposent un modèle pour parler avec diligence des "frontières" et de l'interaction confessionnelle à travers les "frontières", ce qui élimine le concept vague d'"osmose confessionnelle".
Après tout, l'absence d'une sémantique prudente dans l'histoire confessionnelle a créé des distorsions massives, comme le montrent les défauts méthodologiques d'Etienne François et la mauvaise interprétation du récit de conversion de Martha Zitter par Merry Wiesner-Hanks et Beth Plummer.
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Los historiadores de la modernidad temprana que analizan la vida religiosa de los grupos confesionales a menudo malinterpretan su lógica interna. La ontología de Nicolai Hartmann y la antropología de Helmuth Plessner pueden ser útiles para redescubrir esta lógica al entender la vida religiosa como "capas" de la existencia social. Además, articulan un modelo sobre cómo hablar diligentemente de "fronteras" e interacción confesional a través de "fronteras", que retira el vago concepto de "ósmosis confesional".
Después de todo, la falta de una semántica cuidadosa en la historia confesional creó distorsiones masivas, como demuestran los defectos metodológicos de Etienne François y la interpretación errónea de la narrativa de la conversión de Martha Zitter por Merry Wiesner-Hanks y Beth Plummer.
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-catholic-enlightenment-and-the-freedom-of-the-theologian/#print
Giorgio Caravala, Beyond the Inquisition. Ambrogio Catarino Politi and the Origins or the Counter-Reformation. Translated by Don Weinstein (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017).
Eamon Duffy: Reformation Divided. Catholics, Protestants and the Conversion of England (London et al.: Bloomsbury, 2017).
Alphonsus of Liguori, Theologia Moralis: Moral Theology. Vol. 1, Books I-III on Conscience, Law, Sin and Virtue. Translated by Ryan Grant (Mediatrix Press, 2017).
Anne Ashley Davenport, Suspicious Moderate. The Life and Writings of Francis a Sancta Clara, 1598–1680 (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017).
Reinhardt, Nicole, Voices of Conscience: Royal Confessors and Political Counsel in Seventeenth-Century Spain and France (Oxford: OUP, 2016).
Tutino, Stefania, Uncertainty in Post-Reformation Catholicism. A History of Probabilism (Oxford: OUP, 2017).
Reynolds, Phillip L. How Marriage Became One of the Sacraments (Cambridge University Press, 2016)
Brugger, E. Christian, The Indissolubility of Marriage & The Council of Trent (CUA Press, 2017)