A Half Century of Ecclesiology

T PROTESTANT theologian Otto Dibelius made a prophetic statement when, in the title of a well-known book, he referred to the 20th century as "the century of the Church." Although treatises on the Church had appeared sporadically since the 14th century, ecclesiology had not yet assumed the central position in Catholic theology that it has enjoyed in our own century. The foundation of Theological Studies in 1940 coincides with the first fruits of the ecclesiological harvest that has been continually increasing in bulk, if not always in merit, until the present day. It will not be possible, in a single brief article, to avoid arbitrary selectivity. I shall concentrate especially on comprehensive works by Roman Catholics which represent creative contributions. I shall deliberately omit works of a more historical and reportorial nature, and I shall make no attempt to cover the literature on special questions such as ecumenical councils, the papacy, ministry, the priesthood, the laity, the sacraments, missiology, ecumenism, church-state relations, and the like. Even with these limitations, it will be impossible to avoid neglecting some important literature. For practical purposes, one could divide the period under survey into two major parts: the 25 years to the end of Vatican II (1940-65) and the 25 years since the council (1965-89).