The Evolving World and Theology ed. by Johannes Metz (review)

132 BOOK REVIEWS Eucharist is unsatisfactory. The treatment of transubstantiation is restricted and dated, particularly in view of the work done by Schillebeeckx and summarized in Powers's study. O'Neill restricts his confrontation with phenomenological approaches to "radical phenomenology," and in particular to the work of Luchesius Smits. This is, in effect, to ignore the writings of such major theologians as Rahner, Schillebeeckx, and Schoonenberg , among others. Rather than reducing all phenomenological approaches to radical phenomenology (espoused by very few Christians), the critic of such approaches ought to address himself to representatives of more commonly held positions. Were O'Neill's book read by itself, it might well be judged a significant contribution. But when it is read in conjunction and comparison with Powers's work, it suffers by the connection. The good points made by O'Neill are made better by Powers, and the limitations of O'Neill's work are made more evident by the breadth of Powers's. Nevertheless, all in all, we are fortunate in having two good Eucharistic studies available to us. Dominican House of Studies Washington, D. C. JoHN A. FARREN, 0. P. The Evolving World and Theology. Edited by JoHANNES METZ. Concilium, Vol. 26. New York: Paulist Press, 1967. Any brief essay inevitably raises more questions than it answers. A dozen such essays can compound that provocative effect. This is the case with The Evolving World and Theology. Taking evolution as their theme, an international group of Christian scholars examines the interaction between theology and the world of growing scientific knowledge and power. With one or two exceptions, they succeed in offering precise, carefullynuanced statements of the question. It is a tribute to the caliber of the authors that their ten-page essays generally quicken the reader's enthusiasm for asking questions rather than quench that enthusiasm. The preface places theology squarely in the evolving world, not in any safe, neutral zone all to itself but immersed in the ambiguity and partial, hard-won clarities of human inquiry. Metz finds a healthy tension between theology and science that expresses the creaturely situation of Faith in this world. Werner Broker, a young priest-scientist, sketches without detail evolutionary phenomena on the biological, cosmic and historical levels. (The English text has several examples of the inappropriate use of scientific terms.) The mood of the article is not pessimistic, but Broker doubts that BOOK REVIEWS 133 human freedom has increased in the course of human history. Z. Alszeghy, a recognized authority in this area, surveys the statements on evolution by the magisterium since 1860, pointing out that even the most recent have continued to allow freedom. He argnes, therefore, that the theological arguments thus far adduced to show that evolution is irreconcilable with faith are evidently unconvincing. Karl Rahner, in a similar approach to the question of monogenism, concludes that there is no reason for the magisterium to intervene in the matter of polygenism in order to protect the doctrine of original sin. Harvey Cox examines the future with three sets of optics: apocalyptical, teleological and prophetic. He urges Christian theologians to purge and purify their eschatology so as to offer universal hope to mankind. The general secretariat of Concilium uses the same device to examine death as a) the destruction of the present order, b) a continuation of this life into the next, and c) something completely new and mysterious to man. Andreas van Melsen, a Dutch philosopher of science, examines a natural law that changes because nature changes and because man changes. He draws an analogy between natural sciences and ethics. In science, experimentation adds both to the content and to the method of science. In ethics, new experiences contribute in some way to the first principles of natural law. H. Dolch, a philosopher-theologian, proposes that, in an evolutive world, the real sin is a refusal to cooperate in God's dynamic plan. The two most positive and realistic chapters are those of Emmanuel Mesthene and Eric Mascall. Mesthene, in particular, offers a balanced analysis of the impact of technology upon man and the aims a Christian must have in a technological world. In the bibliographical survey section, Ben van Onna, a...