Sensus Fidelium: The Use of a Concept in the Post-Vatican II Era

Daniel J. Finucanes original work assesses the long history of the understanding and use of the concept of sensus fidelium and develops criteria from its history and the teachings of Vatican II to critique the postconciliar use of the concept. This a comprehensive work in both its scope of history and its treatment of contemporary theologies of the concept as well as suggesting a significant role for hermeneutical issues. The variety of views on the sensus fidelium challenges the traditional understanding of the concept. In this study criteria are offered here for reassessing the sensus fidelium in the light of Vatican IIs teaching and the concepts history. Major theological perspectives on this topic since Vatican II are surveyed and explicated. Among the theologians and philosophers discussed are Newman Congar Rahner John Coulson Jean Guitton Guenter Biemer Samuel D. Femiano John C. Ford Beinert Schmaus Granfield and others. This is an important contribution to understanding the workings of Catholocisms theological development since 1962 and the development of a definition of a conceptual notion of laity that has played an increasingly important part in both theological reflection and in councils of the Church. --Professor Andrew Woznicki STD University of San Francisco Dr. Dan Finucane is associate professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University where he served for ten years as the director of SLUs Manresa Program in Catholic Jesuit Studies. He is also a former Campus Minister. Academic webpage: https: //sites.google.com/a/slu.edu/dan-finucane/home