Vatican II, Shaun Blanchard
Vatican II, Shaun Blanchard
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Vatican II
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Shaun Blanchard, Stephen Bullivant

Narrator: Stephen Bowlby

Unabridged: 4 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/28/2023


Synopsis

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), or Vatican II, is arguably the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church since the Reformation. The Council initiated, intentionally or not, profound changes not simply within Catholic theology, but in the religious, social, and moral lives of the world's billion Catholics. It also reconfigured, intellectually and practically, the Church's engagements with those outside of it—most obviously with regard to other religions.

The sixteen documents formally issued by Vatican II constitute some of the most influential writings of the whole twentieth century. Debates over their correct interpretation and authority are constant, but they remain an indispensable point-of-reference for all areas of Catholic life, from liturgy and sacraments, to the Church's vast network of charitable and educational endeavors the world over.

In this Very Short Introduction, Shaun Blanchard and Stephen Bullivant present the backstory to this event. Vatican II is explored in light of the wider history of the Catholic Church and placed in the tumultuous context of the 1960s. It distils the research on Vatican II, employing the first-hand accounts of participants and observers, and the official proceedings of the Council to paint a rich picture of one of the most important events of the last century.

About Shaun Blanchard

Shaun Blanchard is senior research fellow at the National Institute for Newman Studies. A graduate of North Carolina, Oxford, and Marquette, Shaun writes on a variety of topics in early modern and modern Catholicism. He is the author of The Synod of Pistoia and Vatican II (OUP, 2020) and, with Ulrich Lehner, coedited The Catholic Enlightenment: A Global Anthology (2021). Forthcoming works include a monograph on ecclesiology in the late eighteenth-century English-speaking world, an anthology of translated Jansenist sources (coedited with Richard Yoder), and book chapters on the British and Irish Catholic Enlightenment and the popes and the Enlightenment.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rory on September 24, 2023

At less than 200 pages this is indeed a relatively short history of Vatican II, especially as compared to the enormous 5 volume history produced by Giuseppe Alberigo. This means that the pace is quite fast, and although the book is generally comprehensive of the issues, it only achieves that by some......more

Goodreads review by Josiah on March 17, 2024

As a history of the Vatican II, this was pretty swell. However, the assumptions, presuppositions, and digs about Protestants were unwarranted and/or false. To be fair, just read any historic Reformed confession of faith about our views on the Papacy and we probably have said things much stronger tha......more

Goodreads review by Gavin on July 31, 2024

I didn’t know, other than the major events, of Vatican II, so this was very helpful to understand the background, and what was accomplished whether you liked it or not.......more

Goodreads review by JonM on July 03, 2023

I have a lot more respect for Vatican 2 because of things I learned in this book.......more

Goodreads review by Napalmlolita on January 23, 2024

Not that important stuff.........more