Diss.--Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät--Passau--Universität, 1995. / Bibliogr. p. 329-340. Index.

Thesis advisor: Richard Lennan / Thesis advisor: Roberto Goizueta / A number of theologians claim that the church has not tapped into the fullness of Vatican II’s teaching on the sensus fidelium. As an attempt to address that concern, this thesis examines the teaching authority of the laity as a key element of the sensus fidelium in the church. It argues for a fuller realization of Vatican II’s emphasis on the laity’s participation in Christ’s prophetic office. It proposes a three-part lay hermeneutic (hermeneutic of everyday life, hermeneutic of desire, and hermeneutic of trust) as a relevant, authoritative framework for discerning the sensus fidelium. This thesis employs a method that is primarily critical, hermeneutical and practical. It is structured in three chapters. Chapter One offers a comprehensive theology of the sensus fidelium. Chapter Two focuses on the laity, their sense of the faith and the process through which they receive the faith. Chapter Three presents a vision of church that is attentive to the teaching authority of the laity. Through an analysis of the laity’s sensus fidei as an integral dimension in the discernment of the sensus fidelium, this thesis emphasizes that authority in the church derives from all its members and that the interpretation of faith is a process that invites the participation of all the baptized as sharers in Christ’s prophetic function. In such a church, the laity and ordained together equally belong to the guild of interpreters of God’s revelation. Consequently, the laity possess a teaching authority that contributes significantly to the life of the church. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Diss.--Katholisch-theologische Fakultät--München--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 1999. / Bibliogr. p. XXVII-XLIV. Index.

Thesis advisor: Michael J. Himes / This dissertation inquires into the necessity, process, and structure of the bishop's discernment of the local church's <italic>sensus fidelium</italic>. As an authentic source of saving knowledge of God such that its reception brings union with God and others, the <italic>sensus fidelium</italic> ought to be a source for episcopal teaching. In his reception of the <italic>sensus fidelium</italic>, the bishop continues to learn and to be transformed by the apostolic faith, and is in turn better able to teach the faith with authority. If the bishop's reception of the <italic>sensus fidelium</italic> is integral to his ability to teach the apostolic faith in an authoritative manner, then the orthopraxis of that reception is of great importance. One aspect of that orthopraxis is the bishop's discernment of the <italic>sensus fidelium</italic>. As a ministerial habitus, discernment has implications both for the bishop's personal transformation and for his ability to place his spirituality at the service of the apostolate. The <italic>Spiritual Exercises</italic> of Ignatius of Loyola and the structures of the Society of Jesus are employed as a comparative model of discernment. The <italic>Spiritual Exercises</italic> offers a way of viewing discernment as a virtue that develops one's capacity for both reception from and union with God and others. Discernment in the Society of Jesus is undertaken to foster unity of understanding and purpose at the service of the Society's apostolate. Structures promoting discernment and relating spirituality to authority provide insights into how discernment may be developed within the larger church. Chapter One indicates that the bishop's discernment must become a virtue, that is, it must both be continually undertaken and personally transformative of his own capacity to know and respond to the Holy Spirit. Further, it must take into account in a positive and constructive manner other sources of authority, or of knowing God, within the church's historical context. Chapter Two analyzes the virtues and structures currently considered normative for the bishop's ministry in the local church. While ecclesial documents encourage dialogue, spirituality, and various virtues to aid the bishop's ministry, they leave undeveloped a coherent description of the relationship between discernment and the bishop's spirituality and authority, and do not sufficiently address the bishop's formation by the <italic>sensus fidelium</italic> of the local church. In order to better realize the ideals offered by these documents and to more sufficiently conceive how the bishop comes to personally symbolize the local church, Chapter Three and Chapter Four present the spirituality of the <italic>Spiritual Exercises</italic> and structures of the Society of Jesus. Chapter Five then constructs a model of episcopal discernment in the context of communion ecclesiology and in light of the insights of the Jesuit tradition in order to demonstrate how elements of Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit institutional structures may either illuminate episcopal self-understanding and practice or be adapted to the advantage of dialogical discernment within the local church. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Dissertation--Frankfurt am Main Universität, 1999. / Bibliogr. p. XIII-XLVI.

Thesis advisor: Richard Lennan / A number of theologians claim that the church has not tapped into the fullness of Vatican II’s teaching on the sensus fidelium. As an attempt to address that concern, this dissertation examines the teaching authority of the laity as a key element in the expression of the sensus fidelium in the church. It argues for a fuller realization of Vatican II’s emphasis on the laity’s participation in Christ’s prophetic office. It proposes a three-part lay hermeneutic (hermeneutic of everyday life, hermeneutic of desire, and hermeneutic of trust) as a relevant, authoritative framework for discerning the sensus fidelium, of which Filipino popular Catholicism is a living expression. This dissertation employs a method that is primarily critical, hermeneutical and practical. It is structured in two parts: the first two chapters establish the theological underpinnings of the study, while the last three chapters focus on the laity, their sense of the faith, their reception process, their lived faith expressed through popular Catholicism, and their participation in the prophetic office of Christ. Through an analysis of the laity’s sensus fidei as an integral dimension in the discernment of the sensus fidelium, this dissertation emphasizes that authority in the church derives from all its members and that the interpretation of faith is a process that invites the participation of all the baptized as sharers in Christ’s prophetic function. In such a church, not only the ordained, but the laity, equally belong to the guild of interpreters of God’s revelation. The laity possess a teaching authority that contributes significantly to the life of the church. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-322) and index.