Download Free An Outline Of The History Of Clerical Celibacy In Western Europe Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online An Outline Of The History Of Clerical Celibacy In Western Europe and write the review.

Excerpt from An Outline of the History of Clerical Celibacy in Western Europe: To the Council of Trent At the outset it may be well to warn the reader that in form ing an opinion concerning clerical morality there are certain important facts which should be kept constantly in mind. The written evidence upon the subject which has been preserved seems to indicate that during the Middle Ages and the opening centuries of the modern period the clergy as a class were very immoral. It must be remembered, however, that the period of time under discussion is a long one, extending from the fourth to the sixteenth century, and while the sources of information are comparatively abundant, it is unreasonable to suppose that they give us a fair and adequate picture of the clergy of all Europe for more than a millennium. Further, these sources consist largely of conciliar enactments and of the utterances of those engaged in reform. It is evident that they must be used with caution, for a future student who judged the nine teenth century only by its codes of criminal law and the denun ciatory writings of social reformers would obtain a grotesque idea of its current morality. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
In order to arrive at a correct understanding of the much-discussed topic of clerical celibacy, it is necessary to clarify the pertinent facts and regulations found within the Church from its beginnings until the present time. Further, it is also necessary to explore the theological reasons for celibacy. This can be done only on the basis of a knowledge of the relevant sources and of current scholarship, especially if this book’s presentation is to be accepted as valid and credible. Before tracing the historical development of celibacy in the Western and Eastern Churches, this study begins with an analysis of the actual concept of clerical celibacy, which necessarily lies at the basis of the respective obligations that it imposes. To give solidity to his conclusions, Cardinal Stickler provides an outline of the method which a proper treatment of this argument demands. The final part of his book is dedicated to the theological presuppositions and foundations of celibacy
The debate over clerical celibacy and marriage had its origins in the early Christian centuries, and is still very much alive in the modern church. The content and form of controversy have remained remarkably consistent, but each era has selected and shaped the sources that underpin its narrative, and imbued an ancient issue with an immediacy and relevance. The basic question of whether, and why, continence should be demanded of those who serve at the altar has never gone away, but the implications of that question, and of the answers given, have changed with each generation. In this reassessment of the history of sacerdotal celibacy, Helen Parish examines the emergence and evolution of the celibate priesthood in the Latin church, and the challenges posed to this model of the ministry in the era of the Protestant Reformation. Celibacy was, and is, intensely personal, but also polemical, institutional, and historical. Clerical celibacy acquired theological, moral, and confessional meanings in the writings of its critics and defenders, and its place in the life of the church continues to be defined in relation to broader debates over Scripture, apostolic tradition, ecclesiastical history, and papal authority. Highlighting continuity and change in attitudes to priestly celibacy, Helen Parish reveals that the implications of celibacy and marriage for the priesthood reach deep into the history, traditions, and understanding of the church.
Heid presents a penetrating and wide-ranging study of the historical data from the early Church on the topics of celibacy and clerical continence. He gives a brief review of recent literature, and then begins his study with the New Testament and follows it all the way to Justinian and the Council in Trullo in 690 in the East and the fifth century popes in the West. He thoroughly examines the writings of the Bible, the early church councils, saints and theologians like Jerome, Augustine, Clement, Tertullian, John Chrystostom, Cyril and Gregory Nazianzen. He has gathered formidable data with conclusive arguments regarding obligatory continence in the early Church.