The nature of Roman primacy and the extent of the teaching and jurisdictional authority of the pope have long been areas of misunderstanding and disagreement between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches of the East. Just as the Petrine office of the Roman pontiff admits of historical unfolding, so, too, do differing theological accounts of this office, and the period of the fourth-century Arian controversy marks a significant stage in the development of both. D. Vincent Twomey’s Apostolikos Thronos exposes two divergent Eastern accounts of Roman primacy in the writings of the rival fourth-century bishops Eusebius of Caesarea and Athanasius of Alexandria. In the first part, Twomey examines successive versions of Eusebius’ Church History, and he shows how Eusebius comes to replace his earlier apostolic ecclesiology with a novel imperial ecclesiology tied to Constantine’s embrace of Christianity, a shift that both reflects and contributes to a lasting change in the consciousness of the East toward the See of Rome. The second part explores the perspective on Roman primacy found in Athanasius’ historical and apologetic works, penned in response to his deposition from the See of Alexandria, which reveal how Athanasius preserves the traditional apostolic ecclesiology of the early Eusebius and also displays a deepening theological appreciation for the preeminence of the church and bishop of Rome, anticipating later articulations of the theology of the papacy.

The nature of Roman primacy and the extent of the teaching and jurisdictional authority of the pope have long been areas of misunderstanding and disagreement between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches of the East. Just as the Petrine office of the Roman pontiff admits of historical unfolding, so, too, do differing theological accounts of this office, and the period of the fourth-century Arian controversy marks a significant stage in the development of both. Twomey exposes two divergent Eastern accounts of Roman primacy in the writings of the rival fourth-century bishops Eusebius of Caesarea and Athanasius of Alexandria. --Book jacket.

This important and illuminating book focuses on Ratzinger's status as one of the preeminent Catholic theologians of the 20th century. Aidan Nichols provides a full-scale investigation of his theology as it develops from the 1950s onward. The book presents a chronological account of the development of Ratzinger's writing which reflects a wide range of historical and theoretical interests such as: Augustine's ecclesiology, early Franciscanism and the idea of salvation history, Christian brotherhood, the unfolding of the Second Vatican Council, the Apostles' Creed, explorations of the concept of the Church, preaching, liturgy and Church music, eschatology, the foundations of dogmatic and moral theology, and the problem of pluralism. This third edition, as well as providing a two-chapter-long biography of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, and amplifying the account already given of his later pre-papal writings, describes the new thinking that belongs to the years of Benedict's pontificate. That comprises his trilogy of books on Jesus of Nazareth, his quartet of encyclicals, and the set of major speeches he gave at global venues, chiefly on the contribution of faith to culture and civil society. An expanded Conclusion, weighing the lasting significance of his work, leads into a presentation of the themes of his posthumous essay collection - the 'curtain-call' he entitled 'What is Christianity?'

Ephesus (Ephesos): An Abbreviated History from Androclus to Constantine XI. The reader is provided with what is known about the city of Ephesus, its people, and its place within the larger framework of ancient and medieval Mediterranean history. Beginning with the Ionian migration and the founding of Ephesus on the west coast of Asia Minor around 1050 B.C., the story moves quickly through periods when the city was ruled successively by local tyrants, Persian kings and satraps, Athenian and Spartan generals, Antigonid, Ptolemaic and Seleucid kings, Roman emperors and Pergamene dynasts, Byzantine emperors and Greek patriarchs, Arab caliphs, Latin popes and crusaders, Seljuk and Beylik Turks, Mongols, and ending with the conquest by the Ottoman Turks in A.D. 1453. Throughout emphasis has been placed on the lives of Ephesian individuals and groups, and their respective contributions to architecture, law, literature, painting, medicine, philosophy, poetry, politics, religion and sculpture, often at times characterized by political and territorial power struggles and ecclesiastical doctrinal controversies and disagreements. The history of Ephesus is of ongoing interest to historians, archaeologists and students of classical literature, science, religion and philosophy, as well as to amateurs and laymen who are keenly interested in Mediterranian antiquity. It is documented with excerpts, biographical references, explanatory footnotes and a few illustrations.

Aidan Nichols shows how recovering the Church's traditional mission will re-energise its witness in such areas as philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, the family, economics, gender relations, and politics. Providing insight into the forces of mainstream culture, this volume will enlighten and embolden all those concerned for the renewal of Christendom in today's world.