Search results for ""LUMEN""

"Omnes Gentes" is a collaborative effort between "Missio"-Belgium, the International "Lumen Vitae" Institute for Catechesis and Pastoral Studies (Brussels), the Faculty of Theology (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), and the Faculte de theologie et de droit canonique (Universite Catholique Louvain-la-Neuve). "Omnes Gentes" believes that the Gospel about Jesus Christ constitutes a challenging and life giving message for all people.The first part of this volume, "A Mission Statement for Today's Christians," contains the contributions of the first "Omnes Gentes" conference (2003). As the title suggests, this conference intended to make a statement on the missionary task of all Christians. In many contributions by Belgian and international scholars it is emphasized that mission is no longer seen as a unidirectional movement, starting from the Western Church, and that the Church in Belgium and Europe is a missionary Church as well.In the second part of this volume, "Rituals for Life," the contributions of the second "Omnes Gentes" conference (2004) are gathered. The fruitful exchanges between scholars from Belgium, Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ucraine and the United States made it possible to reflect on the anthropological, ritual, liturgical and theological dimensions of a "lively" Christian liturgy.

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Spain, summer 1937. The civil war between Spanish nationalists and republicans rages. On the bloody sierras of Aragon, among Generalissimo Franco’s volunteers is Martin Bora, the twenty-something German officer and detective whose future adventures will be told in Lumen, Liar Moon, The Road to Ithaca and others in the Bora series. Presently a lieutenant in the Spanish Foreign Legion, Bora lives the tragedy around him as an intoxicating epic, between idealism and youthful recklessness. The first doubts, however, rise in Bora’ s mind when he happens on the body of Federico Garcia Lorca, a brilliant poet, progressive and homosexual. Who murdered him? Why? The official version does not convince Bora, who begins a perilous investigation. His inquiry paradoxically proceeds alongside that which is being carried out by an “enemy”: Philip Walton, an American member of the International Brigades. Soon enough the German and the New Englander will join forces, and their cooperation will not only culminate in a thrilling chase after a murderer, but also in a very human, existential face-to-face between two adversaries forever changed by their crime-solving encounter...

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Two of the Council's sixteen documents—the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes—explain the Church's self-understanding of what she is and what she does better than has ever been done in any of the Church's official documents in the course of her long history. The diversity inherent in the Church as Catholic, or universal, is also covered in the book in a discussion of the Council's Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches, Orientalium Ecclesiarum. Such currently widely discussed and debated contemporary issues as the primacy of the pope, the collegiality of the bishops, the universal call to holiness, the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the economy of salvation, the relations of the Church and Catholics with other Christians and with the modern world, and the dignity of the human person—all of these issues, and how they apply today in the life of the Church, go back to Vatican II and to the Council's great documents on the Church, which are more relevant than ever today with the passage of time.

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La contribution des évêques et théologiens belges au Concile Vatican II a été largement mise en lumière en 2005 lors d’un colloque scientifique (cf. D. DONNELLY et al. [éds], The Belgian Contribution to the Second Vatican Council: International Research Conference at Mechelen, Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve (September 12-16, 2005) [BETL, 216], Leuven – Paris – Dudley, MA, Peeters, 2008). Il en résulte que le Pontificio Collegio Belga a été l’un des «laboratoires» de plusieurs textes conciliaires, non seulement de Lumen gentium, mais aussi de Dei Verbum et de Gaudium et spes. Leo Declerck, auteur de ce volume, était pendant ces années vice-recteur du Collège belge et adjoint du recteur Mgr A. Prignon qui a exercé une grande influence auprès du cardinal Suenens et des autres évêques belges. Déjà à l’époque, Leo Declerck a gardé (et classé) pour les archives de Prignon une copie des documents (correspondances, projets de textes) produits ou polycopiés au Collège belge et que Prignon lui avait confiés, une partie de ceux-ci provenant des papiers Suenens. Quarante ans plus tard, il a entamé le classement et l’édition des inventaires des archives de plusieurs protagonistes du concile: Suenens, Charue, De Smedt, Heuschen, Philips, Willebrands, Heylen, Lanne. La découverte de documents inédits fut à l’origine de la publication d’un certain nombre d’articles qui concernent des acteurs belges et de la mise sous les projecteurs de quelques péripéties moins connues mais cruciales de l’histoire conciliaire et postconciliaire (notamment la réponse des évêques belges au Questionnaire du cardinal Ottaviani en 1966, et la réaction du cardinal Suenens et de l’épiscopat belge à l’encyclique Humanae vitae en 1968). Le recueil des articles comprend des textes concernant d’abord le cardinal Suenens (membre de la Commission de coordination et un des quatre modérateurs du concile), puis Mgr Charue (2ème vice-président de la Commission doctrinale), Mgr De Smedt (qui a joué un rôle majeur dans le texte Dignitatis humanae sur la liberté religieuse mais aussi dans Nostra aetate sur les religions non chrétiennes), Mgr Heuschen (dont l’aide, surtout dans l’expensio modorum de Lumen gentium, fut indispensable sans négliger le rôle qu’il a joué dans le chapitre De Matrimonio de Gaudium et spes), Mgr Prignon enfin (dont l’influence discrète auprès du cardinal Suenens a souvent été déterminante). Il va sans dire que l’auteur, étant actuellement un des rares survivants de Vatican II, a pu pimenter ses textes par quelques souvenirs personnels et vécus. À bon droit, le professeur Étienne Fouilloux observe dans sa Préface que: «Par-delà l’intérêt spécifique de chacun de ces extraits, leur rassemblement prouve que Leo Declerck n’est pas seulement l’archiviste indispensable de l’événement Vatican II vu de Belgique, mais un historien à part entière de l’Église catholique en Concile, dont il est aujourd’hui l’un des plus fins et des plus scrupuleux connaisseurs».

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The Experimental Darkroom is a book focused on traditional black & white photographic materials—darkroom chemistry and silver gelatin paper—now used in many non-traditional ways. The book starts with a comprehensive digital negatives chapter. Topics are divided into five sections: cameraless experimentation, camera experimentation, printing experimentation, finished print experimentation, and a section highlighting contemporary photographers who use these approaches today. Each process under discussion is accompanied by photographic examples and a step-by-step method written in a “Just the facts, ma’am” style.Topics included are: Photograms and clichés verre Lumen prints Chemigrams Pinhole and zoneplate Holgas Chromo Liquid emulsion and modern tintype Lith printing Sabattier Mordançage Bleaching and bleachout Toning, traditional to experimental Applied color and abrasion tone Encaustic, photomontage, and collage Bromoil The Experimental Darkroom encourages taking risks and having fun. Over 400 images and 71 artists are included in its 276 pages. The outcome will be an expansion of creative options for the silver gelatin print. The options are engaging and now more accessible with digital negatives. Images are no longer solely captured in camera or on analog film. The darkroom is no longer always dark. The print is no longer a pristine and accurate rendition of what the camera sees. Photographers are pushing the boundaries of black & white photographic practice. It is an exciting time to get into the darkroom and play!

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Der Dialog zwischen der römisch-katholischen Kirche und den Kirchen der Reformation befindet sich, nach Meinung der erheblichen Mehrheit der Beobachter, in einer schwierigen Lage. Im Zentrum der Debatte liegt die Frage nach den unterschiedlichen Modellen der christlichen Einheit. Dieses Problem findet bekanntlich seine Zuspitzung in der Behauptung Roms, die Kirchen der Reformation seien keine Kirchen "im eigentlichen Sinne". Die in diesem Band versammelten Aufsätze stellen einen Versuch dar, diese Problematik anhand des Erbes des 2. Vatikanums und seiner ökumenischen Rezeption zu hinterfragen, und zwar im Kontext der heutigen religiösen und weltanschaulich pluralistischen Gesellschaft. Acht Theologen beider Konfessionen, aus verschiedenen Ländern Europas stammend, beschäftigen sich mit den unterschiedlichen Aspekten der Fragestellung. Unter anderem wird die eigentliche Rezeptionsgeschichte des Konzils behandelt, sowie Einsichten zur Debatte über die Modelle der kirchlichen Einheit geliefert. Im Vordergrund stehen die ekklesiologischen Implikationen vom § 8 der Konzilskonstitution Lumen Gentium und ihre Wirkungsgeschichte. Die Autoren konzentrieren sich in ihrer Untersuchung teils auf einige Aspekte der gegenwärtigen katholischen Theologie und deren Auswirkungen auf den Dialog der Kirchen, teils heben sie die ökumenischen Züge der "vorpäpstlichen" Theologie Joseph Ratzingers hervor. Zudem wird die ökumenische Lage im Kontext des interreligiösen Dialogs analysiert und eine Auswertung der Debatte und der möglichen Entwicklungen aus der Perspektive einer evangelischen Diasporakirche präsentiert.Die Reihe Rom und Protestantismus - Schriften des Melanchthon-Zentrums in Rom wird von den Verlagen Mohr Siebeck (Tübingen) und Claudiana (Turin) gemeinsam verlegt.

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This inventory in Dutch contains a description of the records which Msgr. Willy Onclin (1905-1989), professor of Canon Law in Louvain, has left behind from 1960 till 1986. This book consists of two parts. A first part concerns the activities of W. Onclin as peritus to the Second Vatican Council, especially regarding the decrees Christus Dominus, Presbyterorum ordinis and Optatam totius, the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium and the declaration Gravissimum educationis. The greater second part draws up an inventory of the documents which W. Onclin gathered in his function as assistant-secretary of the Papal Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law. It is devided following the chapters of the new Code of 1983. In this commission W. Onclin was very active concerning the Lex Ecclesiae Fundamentalis, the canons of Book I or General Norms, of Book II or People of God and the canons on the sacraments. By taking this book in the series Novum Commentarium Lovaniense in Codicem Iuris Canonici we want to draw attention to and stimulate the research of the wording of the Code of Canon Law of 1983. This repertory gives namely a survey of the many varied sources, gathered by a world-famous canon lawyer of Louvain, which can be useful for a correct interpretation of the editorial history of the new Code.

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Analogue photography is enjoying a revival. Whereas digital photography is predominantly used for documentary and everyday purposes, its analogue counterpart is becoming increasingly popular as an artistic and experimental medium. This catalogue showcases the wide variety of contemporary trends in analogue photography as exemplified by individual and serial works, as well as photographic installations. Produced by 24 artists from German-speaking countries, the works are grouped into four thematic sections that illustrate different facets of this art form, all with a distinct focus on the material and experimental uses of light, chemical ingredients, and technique. The publication highlights contemporary takes on photograms, chemigrams, and lumen printing, which all hark back to the early days of photography. Silver daguerreotypes and ambrotypes of modern-day sceneries create a disturbing anachronistic effect. Yet other artists employ very different forms of photography that go beyond simple cameras. The catalogue also includes artistic positions that blur the boundaries between analogue and digital photography, e.g., by interacting with artificial intelligence, collaborating with digital machines, and transposing digital images into analogue pictures. The show includes work by: Sylvia Ballhause, Eun Sun Cho, Günter Derleth, Jana Dillo, Tine Edel, Alexander Gehring, Spiros Hadjidjanos, Alexander Kadow, Georgia Krawiec, Martin Kreitl, Antje Kröger, Ute Lindner, Lilly Lulay, Harald Mairböck, Florian Merkel, Falk Messerschmidt, Elisabeth Moritz, Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs, Helena Petersen, René Schäffer, Karoline Schneider, Regina Stiegeler, Claus Stolz, Ria Wank. Text in English and German.

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In Mary’s Bodily Assumption, Matthew Levering presents a contemporary explanation and defense of the Catholic doctrine of Mary’s bodily Assumption. He asks: How does the Church justify a doctrine that does not have explicit biblical or first-century historical evidence to support it? With the goal of exploring this question more deeply, he divides his discussion into two sections, one historical and the other systematic. Levering’s historical section aims to retrieve the rich Mariological doctrine of the mid-twentieth century. He introduces the development of Mariology in Catholic Magisterial documents, focusing on Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Munificentissimus Deus of 1950, in which the bodily Assumption of Mary was dogmatically defined, and two later Magisterial documents, Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium and Pope John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater. Levering addresses the work of the neo-scholastic theologians Joseph Duhr, Aloïs Janssens, and Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange before turning to the great theologians of the nouvelle théologie—Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Louis Bouyer, Joseph Ratzinger—and their emphasis on biblical typology. Using John Henry Newman as a guide, Levering organizes his systematic section by the three pillars of the doctrine on which Mary’s Assumption rests: biblical typology, the Church as authoritative interpreter of divine revelation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the fittingness of Mary’s Assumption in relation to the other mysteries of faith. Levering’s ecumenical contribution is a significant engagement with Protestant biblical scholars and theologians; it is also a reclamation of Mariology as a central topic in Catholic theology.

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In Mary’s Bodily Assumption, Matthew Levering presents a contemporary explanation and defense of the Catholic doctrine of Mary’s bodily Assumption. He asks: How does the Church justify a doctrine that does not have explicit biblical or first-century historical evidence to support it? With the goal of exploring this question more deeply, he divides his discussion into two sections, one historical and the other systematic. Levering’s historical section aims to retrieve the rich Mariological doctrine of the mid-twentieth century. He introduces the development of Mariology in Catholic Magisterial documents, focusing on Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Munificentissimus Deus of 1950, in which the bodily Assumption of Mary was dogmatically defined, and two later Magisterial documents, Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium and Pope John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater. Levering addresses the work of the neo-scholastic theologians Joseph Duhr, Aloïs Janssens, and Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange before turning to the great theologians of the nouvelle théologie—Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Louis Bouyer, Joseph Ratzinger—and their emphasis on biblical typology. Using John Henry Newman as a guide, Levering organizes his systematic section by the three pillars of the doctrine on which Mary’s Assumption rests: biblical typology, the Church as authoritative interpreter of divine revelation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the fittingness of Mary’s Assumption in relation to the other mysteries of faith. Levering’s ecumenical contribution is a significant engagement with Protestant biblical scholars and theologians; it is also a reclamation of Mariology as a central topic in Catholic theology.

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La collégialité est “le talon d’Achille de la réception du Concile de Vatican II et une pierre de touche de la fécondité du concile à long terme” (B. Sesboüé). Les débats houleux sur ce thème pendant la “semaine noire” du concile (16-21 novembre 1964) et l’insertion de la fameuse Nota Explicativa Praevia pour garantir les prérogatives papales restent gravés dans la mémoire. L’institution du Synode des Évêques le 15 septembre 1965 par le pape Paul VI avait permis de grandes espérances. Toutefois cinquante ans après le début du concile, on peut se demander dans quelle mesure la collégialité, cette communion entre le pape et les évêques, a été vécue et réalisée dans la vie de l’Église. Le Prof. Jan Grootaers, chroniqueur et historien renommé du concile, ami et confident de Mgr Philips, le principal rédacteur de Lumen Gentium, nous livre ici une enquête fouillée et rigoureuse sur les Heurs et malheurs de la «collégialité» sous les pontificats de Paul VI et Jean-Paul II. Après une histoire très précise de l’origine et de la signification de la Nota Explicativa Praevia, une étude nous montre comment une note de la Commission Théologique Internationale a été enterrée par un veto de Paul VI en 1971. Deux chapitres présentent alors l’attitude de Jean-Paul II au début de son pontificat et expliquent comment son style pastoral personnel a fait obstacle à l’expression de la collégialité. Ensuite une analyse originale de cinq synodes (de 1969 à 1987) nous révèle les avatars de la collégialité. Les informations souvent de source confidentielle, le style incisif et les analyses pénétrantes de l’auteur nous livrent une ÷uvre non seulement fort instructive mais aussi passionnante.

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Theology Needs Philosophy brings together essays by leading theologians and philosophers on the fundamental importance of human reason and philosophy for Catholic theology and human cultures generally. This edited collection studies the contributions of reason, with its acquired wisdom, science, and scholarship, in five sections. Those sections are: (1) the inevitable presence and service of philosophy in theology; (2) the metaphysics of creation, nature, and the natural knowledge of God; (3) the history of Logos as reason in the fathers, in St. Thomas Aquinas, and Medieval Biblical commentaries; (4) the role of reason in Trinitarian theology, Christology, and Mariology; and finally (5) reason in the theology of Aquinas. The general reader, as well as students and faculty, will be introduced to a constant, but sometimes neglected, element of Catholic intellectual traditions. Pope Francis follows Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II in emphasizing the light of faith in his first encyclical Lumen Fidei, showing how human reason is healed and elevated by faith. Not to act according to reason is contrary to the nature of God, as Pope Benedict’s Regensburg Lecture reminded the world. An abandonment of Catholic faith, and its incorporation of the ancient discoveries of reason, has led to a darkening of reason in secularist modernity. The light of reason is from the Word (Logos) who is God (John 1:9), calling everyone to live attentive to the cultivation of reason. Modern popes have therefore called for a recovery of reason since faith in Jesus Christ heals and intensifies the light of reason so fundamental to the God-given dignity of every human being.

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Queens, countries, and cultures collided in Woodwalker and Ashes to Fire, the first two books in Emily B. Martin’s Creatures of Light series. From Mae’s guidance to retake Lumen Lake to Mona’s eye-opening adventure in Cyprien, we now see things from Gemma’s perspective—a queen in disgrace…and symbol of the oppressive power of Alcoro.Queen Gemma—although she isn’t sure she still has claim to that title—is in prison.To her people, it’s simply called “The Retreat,” but in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by guards and unable to speak to her husband, King Celeno, there’s no other word for it. The only comfort she has is knowing she might not be there long—the Prelate has let her know in no uncertain terms the council is, even now, deciding her ultimate fate.And Gemma would resign herself to that if it wasn’t for a mysterious stranger breaking her free and setting her on a course that could change the world. With precious information—and a skeptical travel companion— Gemma must undertake a journey to find answers to the questions that have defined her life for years…and her country for centuries.If she can make this desperate scheme work, she might not just forge peace between Alcoro and their neighbors, but win some peace of heart as well. And, perhaps, she’ll learn the same lessons Mae and Mona learned: that being Queen doesn’t mean having to do everything alone.Creatures of Light—the eponymous third and final book in Emily B. Martin’s series—is a novel filled with adventure, betrayal, and a queen’s lifelong struggle to love and trust herself.

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How can we approach the mystery that is the church? The French Dominican theologian Yves Congar (1904–1995) explored this theme in works both published and unpublished, from 1931 until his suspension from the Le Saulchoir theology faculty over concern about his “new theology” in 1954. Congar’s goal: to develop what he called a “total ecclesiology” or theology of the church. The then-predominant notions of the church as a perfect society, and strong focus on a pyramid-like view of hierarchy over the laity, did not in Congar’s view offer an integrated, organic portrait of the church as a mystery or as a whole. The key to ecclesiology, he believed, was to give full place to all of the ecclesial elements and to the relationships that hold them together, often in tension.Congar coined the term “total ecclesiology” in his ground-breaking outline for a theology of the laity, A Way towards a Theology of the Laity. In Mystery of the Church, People of God, Rose Beal argues that “total ecclesiology” is the necessary and appropriate lens for a comprehensive interpretation of Congar’s ecclesiological project prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Beal works from Congar’s published works from 1931 to 1954, as well as from unpublished texts from thesame time period, to integrate and propose a comprehensive interpretation of his ecclesiological purposes and methods.The use of Congar’s unpublished materials make this book a unique undertaking. These texts allow Beal to see the “behind the scenes” story of Congar’s ecclesiology. They bring insight to a more accurate and informed interpretation of his extensive published corpus, and offer a clearer view of the path towards his contribution to Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium).

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This book is about ecumenism, from a Catholic point of view. The first part, chapters 1 and 2, describe the history of divisions within the Church, as well as of the efforts to bring about Christian unity. The second part examines Ecumenism from a systematic theological perspective.This first part takes into account the different factors that led to definitive ruptures within the Church, which usually are not only theological. The text gives useful information about what happened after the respective divisions as well as about the various attempts to restore unity, the development of the Ecumenical Movement in the 20th Century, and the current situation of ecumenical dialogue within the Catholic Church. While offering insight into the sad history that has led to the present disunity, this work also highlights the way Christians have sought to bring to fulfill the petition of Christ that his disciples might be one, as He and the Father are one.The second part?chapters three, four and five?offers a systematic theological analysis of unity in the Church, from the point of view of dogmatic theology. We find here an explanation of the Catholic concept of ecumenism, of how Catholic theology understands the unity of the Church, and, finally, of the Catholic principles which sustain the efforts for regaining unity in the Church. The Second Vatican Council, and particularly the Constitution Lumen gentium and the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, are at the foundation of these reflections. At the same time, since the theology of the Church and the life of the Church are intimately connected, there is a profound link between this dogmatic section and the earlier historical section.The last chapter, about the practice of ecumenism, is also written from a theological perspective, but with more links with life and spirituality. The chapter recalls that ecumenism can never simply remain a set of theological principles, but rather inspires an attitude and action in charity which are essential to the Christian life.

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The Second Vatican Council is one of the central themes in the research of Mathijs Lamberigts. He contributed to the study of the redaction history of many Council documents and highlighted the role of individual participants at the Council. As director of the Centre for the Study of the Second Vatican Council, he took great care in preserving and making accessible the archives of conciliar participants, especially those of the squadra belga As a scholar and supervisor, he promoted the spirit and the letter of the Council as an ongoing commitment to many. The twenty-three contributions in this volume all bear witness to the same commitment to study the history and texts of the Council. The articles in the first part focus on the work of Albert Prignon, Edward Schillebeeckx, Emiel-Jozef De Smedt, Henri de Lubac, Remi Hoeckman, Joseph Neuner, Peter Maan and many others. They show how the Council was rooted in early twentieth-century discussions and publications, how it was shaped by Catholics and non-Catholics, and how it affected the thinking and acting of individuals and groups. The contributions in the second part focus on the Council as an unfolding event. They pay attention to the redaction history of Lumen gentium, Unitatis redintegratio, Nostra aetate, and Presbyterorum ordinis. They analyse the positions of the Secretariat for Christian Unity, the Coetus Internationalis Patrum, and the European bishops, or emphasise the development of key concepts, including the In quibus et ex quibus, Mary as the Mater Ecclesiae, or the (in)famous subsistit in. The third part deals with the lasting significance of the Council. With articles on revelation, ecclesiology, liturgy, and interreligious dialogue, the authors in this part creatively explore the (un)contested aspects of the Council’s legacy and the horizon it projects. With these contributions Mathijs Lamberigts’ former students and colleagues wish to honour and continue his research on the Second Vatican Council.

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The conversation of this book is structured around five major documents from the Second Vatican Council, each of which Barth commented upon in his short but penetrating response to the Council, published as Ad Limina Apostolorum. In the two opening essays, Thomas Joseph White reflects upon the contribution that this book seeks to make to contem­porary ecumenism rooted in awareness of the value of dogmatic theol­ogy; and Matthew Levering explores the way in which Barth’s Ad Limina Apostolorum flows from his preconciliar dialogues with Catholic repre­sentatives of the nouvelle théologie and remain relevant to the issues facing Catholic theology today. The next two essays turn to Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation; here Katherine Sondereg­ger (Protestant) reflects on scripture and Lewis Ayres (Catholic) reflects on tradition. The next two essays address the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, which touches upon central differences of Cath­olic and Protestant self-understanding. Christoph Schwöbel (Protestant) analyzes visible ecclesial identity as conceived in a Protestant context, while Thomas Joseph White (Catholic) engages Barth’s Reformed crit­icisms of the Catholic notion of the Church. The next two essays take up Nostra Aetate: Bruce McCormack (Protestant) asks whether it is true to say that Muslims worship the same God as Christians, and Bruce D. Marshall (Catholic) explores the implications of the Council’s reflections on the Jewish people. The next two essays take up the Pastoral Constitu­tion on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes: John Bowlin (Protestant) makes use of the thought of Aquinas to consider the prom­ise and perils of the document, while Francesca Aran Murphy (Catho­lic) engages critically with George Lindbeck’s analysis of the document. The next two essays explore Unitatis Redintegratio: Hans Boersma (Prot­estant) asks whether the ecumenical intention of the document is im­paired by its insistence that the unity of the Church is already present in the Catholic Church, and Reinhard Hütter (Catholic) systematically addresses Barth’s questions regarding the document. The noted ecumen­ist and Catholic theologian Richard Schenk brings the volume to a close by reflecting on “true and false ecumenism” in the post-conciliar period.

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One aspect of the ecclesiological renewal at Vatican II that has not received much scholarly attention so far is the doctrine of the “elements of the church” (elementa ecclesiae), previously unheard of in Roman Catholic magisterial documents. This book offers an original and comprehensive study of this notion and how it became part of the official teaching of the Roman Catholic church. Using a historical-theological approach, the author studies the origins and evolution of the concept of the “elements of the church” and gives a nuanced understanding of this doctrine as outlined in Lumen gentium § 8 and Unitatis redintegratio § 3. In this way, the author offers a renewed insight into the evolution of the position of the Roman Catholic church “in oecumenicis” during and in the aftermath of Vatican II. The development sketched in the book is characterized by a double perspective. On the one hand, there is the debate about the frontiers of the church that focuses on the relationship between the Roman Catholic church and the church of Christ. On the other hand, and closely related to the first aspect, there is the issue of the recognition of “ecclesial” elements in non-Catholic Christian communities. Both threads are closely interwoven and it is important to understand the relationship if one wants to do justice to the doctrinal balance and complexity of Vatican II’s ecumenical ecclesiology. Taking these two aspects together, one should readily acknowledge the shift that typifies Roman Catholic ecclesiology from a juridical approach to the question of defining the Roman Catholic church’s frontiers over against the outside world – and a fortiori over against other Christian denominations – towards a sacramental approach to Roman Catholic ecclesiology in which the notions of sacramentality and mystery are foundational. Along with this new approach came a renewed attention for a Christ-centred ecclesiology and a recognition of the activity and work of the Spirit outside the Roman Catholic church. All of these aspects are touched upon in this book. The author has studied original documentation in a number of archives. The book thus offers a detailed reconstruction of textual evolutions and highlights the role played by Catholic and non-Catholic theologians who have helped shape contemporary ecclesiological thought. It gives us insight into the complex background history of the elementa ecclesiae and shows how it continues to inspire post-conciliar ecclesiological and ecumenical discussions.

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P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by the multidrug-resistance (MDR)-1 gene is one of the best studied efflux transporters that is linked to multidrug resistance in cancer chemotherapies. P-gp belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family of proteins that utilizes energy derived from hydrolysis of ATP to efflux endogenous and exogenous xenobiotics, metabolites and toxins from the intracellular space to the outside, thereby providing a general protective role. P-gp is expressed on the apical plasma membrane of all major drug eliminating organs such as the intestine (enterocytes), liver (bile canaliculi), kidney (proximal tubules), brain (endothelia of blood-brain barrier) and in certain tumor types. In the intestine and BBB, P-gp limits entry of drugs by actively pumping drugs back into the lumen or blood, respectively. In the liver and kidney, P-gp actively effluxes drugs, endogenous substances and metabolites into bile or urine, thereby removing them from the body. Upregulation of P-gp in tumor cells is noted in several cancers and is a hallmark for drug resistance. Additionally, P-gp is also shown to play a role in neurogenesis and maintaining homeostasis in the brain. Alteration of P-gp expression is observed in neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting its importance in maintaining normal brain health. Due to its central role in defining oral pharmacokinetics, systemic clearance, tissue exposure, organ health and chemoresistance, much of the research has been focused on modulating P-gp. Chemical inhibitors, formulation-based and epigenetic approaches are applied to modulate P-gp activity with a goal to improve oral pharmacokinetics, increase tumor and brain penetration, minimize organ toxicity and potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases. Although enormous research on P-gp has been published, a book chapter exclusively and comprehensively covering diverse aspects of P-gp, including the recent developments in the field, is required. With much enthusiasm from the publisher, we have collaborated to bring together wide-ranging topics on P-gp. This book contains 12 chapters covering the structure, function, regulation, distribution and expression of P-gp, its pharmacological importance in health and disease and role in pharmacokinetics and drug-drug interactions. Also included are computational approaches to identify selective inhibitors and tactics to modulate P-gp function using chemical inhibitors (synthesized or isolated from marine sources), formulation strategies or epigenetic approaches. The last chapter describes various methods to quantify P-gp expression levels and function in in vitro, in situ and in vivo settings. It is our sincere hope that this material will serve as an important desk reference for students, researchers and clinical scientists in academia, medical research and the pharmaceutical industry working in various fields such as pharmacology, pharmacy, toxicology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacokinetics and computational biology. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the contributions of all the authors who passionately contributed to this book. We also extend our gratitude to the editorial staff and production manager at Nova publishers. Lastly, but most importantly, we thank our families for their continued support during this journey.

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