The 33 Doctors of the Church (review)

Since Benedict XIV, a pope with a penchant for bringing order to disorder, laid out three criteria for those considered a "doctor" for the entire Church: eminens doctrina (eminent learning), insignis vitae sanctitas (distinguished holiness of life), and Ecclesiae declaratio (declaration by pope or council), the number has more than doubled. Together they constitute a fairly diverse group: a married man, eight from the East, three Africans, six from Asia, and since 1970, three women. The title doctor ecclesiae conveys an official judgment that a certain man or woman is a trustworthy resource from which the entire Church can draw to better understand the faith. One might, therefore, expect a plethora of information concerning their lives and teachings available to the educated Catholic. Unfortunately, this is not the case, with many of these figures unknown to all but specialists. When did you last hear someone refer to St. Peter Chrysologus, or St. Lawrence of Brindisi? This problem is not insignificant. If the title "doctor" is to be more than a mere honorific, those so entitled must be widely known.

Christopher Rengers, O.F.M. Cap., in a final act of a life devoted to sharing the fruits of scholarship with the public, provides his readers with a needed and fascinating tour of the doctors of the church. Each is explained in the light of his or her historical context as well as the ongoing relevance of their life and work. The prose is clear and crisp, and befitting an introductory work, no prior knowledge of the figures or church history is required. A generous selection of quotations enables the reader to encounter the figure directly. To my knowledge, it is the most extensive treatment of all thirty-three doctors in a single volume currently available.

Not surprisingly, Rengers's scholarly interests in mariology and hymnody color his treatment. The contributions each has made to Catholic thought and practice in these areas are highlighted. The average reader will be surprised to find out just how much of what the Church sings, prays, and believes derives from these figures. In addition, the writer does justice to the fact that the designation of doctor ecclesiae is inseparable from doctrinal controversy and a polemical style jarring to contemporary sensibilities. In refusing to shield his readers from the infamous aggressiveness of such figures as Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria, and Bernard of Clairvaux, Rengers rightly insists that taking the doctors seriously requires taking their passion for the truth with equal seriousness. Apart from such a connection they can have little contemporary relevance. Ultimately, he argues that much can be forgiven in the defense of Catholic truth, even to the point of defending Bernard's treatment of Abelard: "the gesture of truth sometimes has to be not a pointing finger, but a mailed fist" (p. 284). While this statement is problematic, to say the least, it serves to highlight the crucial issue of appropriation. In an effort to inspire his readers to treasure these men and women, Rengers downplays the need for critical discernment. This task is necessary, however, not only because of historical and cultural distance but the fact that the ecclesial designation of doctor ensures only a general reliability; even here the wheat needs separating from the chaff. It would have helped if the book contained a more thorough introduction, tracing the history of the ecclesial practice of singling certain saints to honor as teachers of the whole Church. Even so, readers looking for a reliable and interesting introduction to doctores ecclesiae, their lives, teachings, and influence, will find it here.