Edward Schillebeeckx: A Theologian in His History: A Catholic Theology of Culture

'I don't write for eternity, but for the men and women of today who are in a particular historical situation. I try to respond to their questions. So my theology has a date; it is contextual, but at the same time I want to go beyond the situation as such. That is the universal aim of my works because I try to take into account the questions of all men and women.' Edward Schillebeeckx. How did a young man from a traditional Belgian Catholic family, whose conventional training in philosophy and theology took place just before and during the Second World War, become one of the leading progressives at the Second Vatican Council and a theologian with an international reputation?

Edward Schillebeeckx: A Theologian in His History answers this intriguing question, using extracts from Schillebeeckx's earliest, previously unpublished, writings. This is the first full biography of his life and theological development until the end of Vatican II.

Erik Borgman vividly recreates a bygone Catholic culture; and by showing how Schillebeeckx reacted to, rose above, and helped to change it, he brings attention to the stature of this theological genius.

This is the story of the formation of the radically minded Dutch Church, which for many Schillebeeckx came to embody. Here, also, is a vivid account of Vatican II from a Dutch perspective, which shows how hopes for the future came to be dashed and Schillebeeckx himself became the subject of investigation by the Vatican.

This book is essential reading alongside Schillebeeckx's own major books Jesus, Christ and Church, offering deep insights into the mind of a master theologian.