Papers by Eric J DeMeuse
Spanish Jesuits and ‘the Greeks’: Reception and Perception of the Eastern Church by Luis de Molina, Francisco Suárez, and Gabriel Vásquez
The Journal of Theological Studies, 2017
In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Jesuit missionaries in the East enjoyed a ... more In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Jesuit missionaries in the East enjoyed a rich communicatio in sacris with Orthodox Christians. This resulted in an intellectual exchange between East and West, with Greek theologians, bishops, and even patriarchs engaging the thought of Bellarmine, Molina, Suárez, Vásquez, Gregory of Valencia, and other Jesuit scholastics. The present article explores the degree to which three of these Latin scholastics—Luis de Molina, Francisco Suárez, and Gabriel Vásquez—(1) received Greek authors, both patristic and ‘more recent’, and (2) perceived Greek theological positions as well as the status of the Eastern Church. It will be shown that, despite Suárez’s and Vásquez’s delineation of the Greeks as schismatics and occasionally as heretics, all three Spaniards maintained ecumenically promising opinions of the Greek Church—some of which would foreshadow official positions adopted at the Second Vatican Council—and a certain degree of sacramental porosity between East and West.
Unity and Catholicity in Christ
Debates concerning the relationship between Tridentine Catholicism and Catholicism after Vatican ... more Debates concerning the relationship between Tridentine Catholicism and Catholicism after Vatican II dominate theological conversation today, particularly with regard to understandings of the Church and its engagement with the world. Current historical narratives paint ecclesiology after the Council of Trent as dominated by juridical concerns, uniformity, and institutionalism. Purportedly neglected are the spiritual, diverse, and missional aspects of the Church. This book challenges such narratives by investigating the Spanish Jesuit Francisco Suárez’s theology of ecclesial unity and catholicity. The author shows how Suárez wrestles with the new demands of his time and anticipates later ecumenical developments in twentieth-century Catholic ecclesiology. Early modern expansion prompted theologians after Trent to reckon with the ecclesial status of baptized Protestants, the Greek Orthodox, and nonbelievers in the New World. It further prompted reflection on the universality, or catholi...
At the fringes of the Church
Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism
'The World is Content with Words': Jansenism between Thomism and Calvinism
Beyond Dordt and De Auxiliis: The Dynamics of Protestant and Catholic Soteriology in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (Brill Publishers), 2019
Nostre Philon: Philo After Trent
The Studia Philonica Annual, 2017
The sixteenth century witnessed a renaissance in translations and editions of Philo of Alexandria... more The sixteenth century witnessed a renaissance in translations and editions of Philo of Alexandria. After the Council of Trent, however, at least one ecclesiastical censor in Rome condemned the use of Philo by the Italian historiographer Carlo Sigonio, erroneously arguing that by using Philo, Sigonio had violated the decrees of the Council. This article argues that the voice of this censor was a marginal cry amidst the voices of Early Modern Catholicism rather than, as has been argued, the 'authentic voice of the Counter Reformation.' To do so, this article investigates the reception of Philo in post-Tridentine scholarship, demonstrating (1) that Philo retained his exalted status among Catholics during this period, (2) that Catholics employed Philo against the reformers in defense of monastic vows, and (3) that despite criticisms of Philo among certain exegetes, this in no way reflected suspicion toward Philo as a source, but merely legitimate disagreement on exegetical points. Thus Signoio's censors did little to hinder Philo's positive reception after Trent, and, at least in this aspect, post-Tridentine Catholicism evidenced more continuity with renaissance humanism than is typically granted.
Spanish Jesuits and 'the Greeks': Reception and Perception of the Eastern Church by Luis de Molina, Francisco Suárez, and Gabriel Vásquez
The Journal of Theological Studies, 2017
In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Jesuit missionaries in the East enjoyed a ... more In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, Jesuit missionaries in the East enjoyed a rich communicatio in sacris with Orthodox Christians. This resulted in an intellectual exchange between East and West, with Greek theologians, bishops, and even patriarchs engaging the thought of Bellarmine, Molina, Suárez, Vásquez, Gregory of Valencia, and other Jesuit scholastics. The present article explores the degree to which three of these Latin scholastics—Luis de Molina, Francisco Suárez, and Gabriel Vásquez—(1) received Greek authors, both patristic and ‘more recent’, and (2) perceived Greek theological positions as well as the status of the Eastern Church. It will be shown that, despite Suárez’s and Vásquez’s delineation of the Greeks as schismatics and occasionally as heretics, all three Spaniards maintained ecumenically promising opinions of the Greek Church—some of which would foreshadow official positions adopted at the Second Vatican Council—and a certain degree of sacramental porosity between East and West.
Book Reviews by Eric J DeMeuse
International Journal of Systematic Theology , 2017