Oxford Handbook of Joseph Ratzinger

Since his earliest contributions to Catholic theology, Joseph Ratzinger has been a subject of considerable scholarly interest. His work, spanning decades of theological inquiry, has shaped contemporary thought on faith, reason, and ecclesiology. From his beginnings as a theology professor to his role as a theological advisor during the Second Vatican Council, Ratzinger consistently demonstrated a commitment to doctrinal clarity and rigorous theological reflection, shaping his intellectual trajectory. His tenure as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under John Paul II further cemented his authority, and his writings as Benedict XVI offered a rich corpus of theological insight. Ratzinger's oeuvre is situated within that of the circle of Communio theologians, whose approach to theology is strongly Christocentric and biblical. St Augustine profoundly shaped Ratzinger's ecclesiology and his reflections on the relationship between faith and reason, a legacy further reinforced by the influence of Ratzinger's early mentors and intellectual heroes, many of whom were students of Augustine and Bonaventure. The Oxford Handbook of Joseph Ratzinger provides a comprehensive exploration of his contributions, bringing together scholars from across the Anglosphere, Africa, and Europe. Contributors include theologians, journalists, and former colleagues from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, offering perspectives on fundamental theology, moral theology, sacramental theology, scriptural exegesis, liturgical theology, theological anthropology, and ecclesiology. With chapters spanning a range of theological disciplines, this Handbook offers a definitive reference on the theological thought of Joseph Ratzinger, illuminating his enduring influence within the Catholic tradition.

Professor Tracey Rowland holds a PhD from the Divinity School of Cambridge University and the STL and STD degrees from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. From 2014-2019 she was a member of the IXth International Theological Commission and she is currently a member of the Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences. She holds the St John Paul II Chair of Theology at the University of Notre Dame (Australia). She is also the series editor of the Collected Works of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI to be published by Word On Fire (Academic) in English. In 2020 she won the Ratzinger Prize for Theology. Francesca Murphy is Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. She has written seven books, including Gnosis and the Theocrats from Mars (Bloomsbury 2017) and God is not a Story (OUP, 2009). She edits the Illuminating Modernity series with Bloomsbury. She has translated three monographs, most recently Olivier-Thomas Venard's A Poetic Christ. She edited two previous OUP Handbooks, on Christology and on Revelation. Her principal research interest is theological aesthetics, focusing on genre theory.