Description
Book SynopsisCatholics without Rome examines the dawn of the modern, ecumenical age, when Old Catholics, unable to abide Rome's new doctrine of papal infallibility, sought unity with other catholics in the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox churches.
In 1870, the First Vatican Council formally embraced and defined the dogma of papal infallibility. A small and vocal minority, comprised in large part of theologians from Germany and Switzerland, judged it uncatholic and unconscionable, and they abandoned the Roman Catholic Church, calling themselves Old Catholics. This study examines the Old Catholic Church's efforts to create a new ecclesiastical structure, separate from Rome, while simultaneously seeking unity with other Christian confessions. Many who joined the Old Catholic movement had long argued for interconfessional dialogue, contemplating the possibility of uniting with Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox. The reunion negotiations initiated by Old Catholics marked the beginni
Trade Review
“This volume is a valuable, even a necessary, piece of the modern story of Christianity. I think such a marvelous work echoes some of the similar discerning outlook of Diarmaid MacCulloch’s splendid Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years.” —Michael Plekon, author of The World as Sacrament
“The reader comes away with a clear and nuanced picture of the Old Catholic movement, a real appreciation for the depth of the ecumenical thinking it inspired, and a good grasp of interconfessional relations in the nineteenth century.” —Paul Valliere, author of Conciliarism
"This volume is readable and engaging, and it contains sufficient explanations to be accessible to the non-expert...a welcome contribution to the study of Christian history." — Reading Religion
"Geffert and Boerneke reveal themselves to be trusted mentors who themselves treat their sources with respect, critical acumen, and perspicacious contextual awareness." — Journal of Ecumenical Studies
Table of ContentsAbout This Work
Note on Transliteration and Dates
Epigraph
Preface
Introduction
1. Nineteenth-Century Ecumenism
2. Rome
3. The Vatican Council
4. Reactions and Rupture
5. Making Sense of Old Catholics
6. Establishing the Old Catholic Ecclesia
7. Intensifying Interest
8. Preparing for Bonn
9. The First Bonn Reunion Conference, 1874
10. The Second Bonn Reunion Conference, 1875
11. Ways Part
12. Explaining Failure
13. Aftermath as Conclusion
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