From a conversation between selected authors and documents from the Roman Catholic Magisterium, this thesis suggests that the Roman Catholic Church is one who is given by God to be an assurance of faith to the church. In the first part of the thesis the author reflects on the image of the ordained priest as leader of the community and considers the questions raised in the recent debate as to the identity of the ordained as acting in the person of Christ and in the person of the church. Also considered is the identity of the ordained as emerging from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church especially in relation to the document ‘Pastores Dabo Vobis’ of John Paul II. The definition of the presbyter as distinct from that of bishop is also explored in relationship to the parish and the local bishop. In the second part of the thesis, under the title of ‘Gift and Return’, the author examines some recent theological theories which underline the sacraments as encounters between God and humanity and show how they are participations in the life of God. Recent theological work concerning the post modern challenge to an understanding of how God and the human are mutually present to one another is also undertaken. The final part draws the first two parts together, again with reference to assurance, authenticity, and authority but this time with explicit reference to the three offices of priest, prophet, and pastor. The conclusion is that the presbyter as the gift of assurance is a model that can complement and further explain other images used of the ordained priesthood in general and the presbyterate in particular, such as shepherd and steward.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:661863 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Shields, Thomas Joseph |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30752 |
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