© Paul Michael Haffner MMXVIII
Books
Early Christianity and ecumenism
New Testament Theology
This work is primarily a class manual for those who
wish to deepen their understanding of and love for
the New Testament. It is of course no substitute for
reading the Biblical text itself, which is the first and
foremost task of the student. This book is simply a
companion to guide the reader of the New Testament
on his or her pilgrimage. It furnishes a few key
signposts in terms of the basic ideas of how the
biblical text came about, its objective value and special
character and inspiration, the Synoptic Problem and
the Canon of the New Testament. Some tools for
interpretation are offered, and then some basic
themes are treated, in particular the Church, the Holy
Eucharist, Mary, the Mother of God, the rôle of the
Apostles Peter and Paul, and the interplay between
faith and reason in the New Testament.
L’ecumenismo oggi
Dalla reciproca comprensione si giunge alle condizioni
per un futuro migliore per tutti. Il movimento
ecumenico, soprattutto dal Concilio Vaticano II in poi,
ha acquisito il significato specifico di «movimento per
ricomporre l’unità della Chiesa»; tale unità si deve
realizzare nel contesto di una ricca diversità, anch’essa
espressione di universalità, attraverso la
collaborazione attiva di tutte le Chiese e la
partecipazione di tutti i membri delle rispettive
Chiese. La comunione nella quale noi cristiani
speriamo e crediamo è, nella sua realtà più profonda,
la stessa comunione di vita con la Santissima Trinità:
perché sappiamo di muoverci in risposta alla chiamata
del Padre che vuole ricondurre l’umanità all’unità e
alla salvezza nel Figlio mediante il dono dello Spirito
Santo. Oggi come sempre il nostro interesse ed i
nostri sforzi partono dal cuore del messaggio di
Cristo: “Non prego solo per questi, ma anche per
quelli che per la loro parola crederanno in me; perché
tutti siano una sola cosa. Come tu, Padre, sei in me e
io in te, siano anch’essi in noi una cosa sola, perché il
mondo creda” (Gv 17, 20-21).
Early Christianity:
Theology shaped by Saints
Preface by H. E. Cardinal Prosper Grech
This book explores how in the first centuries the
followers of Jesus Christ lived their faith centred upon
Him. It provides a comprehensive introduction,
starting from New Testament times, to key figures in
the rise of Christianity including Mary, Mother of God,
and Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the founders of
Christian Rome. The book shows how the theological
tradition of the primacy of Rome developed in the
Church and with the Papacy. It considers a wide range
of issues in the life of the nascent Church, helping us
to understand how the early Christians related faith
and reason, and were prepared to suffer martyrdom
for their belief. Early liturgical and sacramental life is
fully described, including a broad examination of the
issues surrounding the date of the Easter celebration.
It also illustrates how the Church had to face internal
conflict and heresy, and examines the work of the first
general Councils.
Paul Haffner explores the significant role played by
women in early Christianity, and describes the
contribution of monks and missionaries in spreading
the faith. He illustrates the impact on early Christianity
of its leading figures, who exercised the major
influence then and are still the most important of the
Church today. This study is carried out from a Roman
perspective, as the cradle and centre of Christianity.
The book intertwines doctrine and history, tradition
and legend, in the hope that the reader will have a
colourful ride through the first centuries of the
Christian epoch, enabling them to emulate what they
find there.