The Hierarchy of Truths According to Yves Congar, O.P

Many welcomed Vatican II's teaching that there exists a hierarchy of the truths of Catholic doctrine (UR,11) as a most promising development for the future of Christian ecumenism, adding that the teaching called for much further elaboration. This study explores the writings of one of the widely recognized originators of the doctrine - Yves Congar - in order to provide further clarification. Congar's Thomist epistemology, his historically sensitive methodology and his theological...
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Many welcomed Vatican II's teaching that there exists a hierarchy of the truths of Catholic doctrine (UR,11) as a most promising development for the future of Christian ecumenism, adding that the teaching called for much further elaboration. This study explores the writings of one of the widely recognized originators of the doctrine - Yves Congar - in order to provide further clarification. Congar's Thomist epistemology, his historically sensitive methodology and his theological understanding of revelation, faith and Church doctrine are carefully presented. Against this backdrop, Congar's exposition of the hierarchy of truths from the dual perspectives of the known object and of the knowing subject are elaborated. The hierarchy of truths is shown to be rooted in Congar's philosophical, historical and theological conceptions of truth, these latter providing seven principles for a careful and accurate grasp of the hierarchy of truths. A survey of the literature about the hierarchy of truths brings into focus Congar's unique contribution. Fr. Congar himself has provided the preface to this study. William Henn, 1950, entered in Capuchin Province of St. Augustine in Pittsburgh. He received an S.T.L. (1984) and an S.T.D. (1986) in Fundamental Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.