The aggiornamento of Catholic theology began before the reign of Pope John XXIII and has continued after it. From the years immediately after the publication of Humani generis up to the present, Catholic theological thought has been in a state of intense expansion marked by occasional temporary reversals. And the growing achievement of Catholic theologians has attracted the attention of popular journals and the interest of scholars of all religious persuasions.
The present book surveys this exciting period, the "decisive decade" from 1954-1964, and its contribution to theological development and to the related areas of Old Testament, New Testament, Patrology and Liturgical Studies. In accord with the program of its editor, Elmer O'Brien, S.J., THEOLOGY IN TRANSITION is no more chronicle of theological production but a comprehensive and evaluative appraisal of the significant work of the period. The emphasis throughout the book is upon doctrine and upon the relevance of the decade's contribution to the continuing progress of theological reflection. It is therefore less a record of the past than a contribution to the future.