Volk van God. Structuur en Inrichting van de Rooms-katholieke Kerk Volgens Het Wetboek van Canoniek Recht (CC. 204–746) by Jan Hendriks (review)

252 the jurist VOLK VAN GOD. STRUCTUUR EN INRICHTING VAN DE ROOMS-KATHOLIEKE KERK VOLGENS HET WETBOEK VAN CANONIEK RECHT (CC. 204–746) by Jan Hendriks. Oegstgeest: Colomba, 2006. Pp. 296. Msgr. Jan Hendriks, a priest of the Diocese of Rotterdam and rector of the seminary “De Tiltenberg” of the Diocese of Haarlem, and a wellknown canon lawyer in the Netherlands, has published a new book: Volk van God. Structuur en inrichting van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk volgens het Wetboek van Canoniek Recht (cc. 204–746) (in English translation: Structure and Organization of the Roman-Catholic Church according to the Code of Canon Law (cc. 204–746)). Earlier, Hendriks published a book on Vatican II (Vaticanum II en verder . . . : de leer van het concilie en de ontwikkeling daarvan in de tijd erna, Brugge: Tabor, 1994), a book on canon law for pastoral practice (Kerkelijk recht. Handboek voor de pastorale praktijk, Oegstgeest: Colomba, 1998), a book on marriage law (Huwelijksrecht: canon 1055–1165 van het wetboek van canoniek recht, Brugge/Oegstgeest: Tabor/Colomba, 1995), and a book on the Catholic school (De katholieke school: de ontwikkeling van het kerkelijk denken over het katholiek onderwijs van concilie tot codex, Brugge: Tabor, 1987). Furthermore, he published in major canonical periodicals such as Periodica and Ius Ecclesiae, on various topics, such as the declaration Dignitatis humanae, associations of the faithful, canon 128 and more. This current book is a commentary on Book Two of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The division of the book follows the order of the code. There are three parts: part I on the Christian faithful, part II on the hierarchy, and part III on the institutes of consecrated life and the societies of apostolic life.At the very end of the book, a bibliography is added. The author did not forget the comfort of his readers and added five practical indexes: an index of words, an index of names of persons, an index of canons of the 1917 code, an index of canons of the 1983 code, and an index of documents ofVatican II. This fivefold addition makes the book very valuable and practical, even and especially for a reader who is not too familiar with canon law and this particular subject-matter. The topics dealt with in part I are: Introductory canons (204–207), I. Obligations and rights of all Christian faithful, II. Obligations and rights of laity, III. Ordained ministers or clerics, IV. Obligations and rights of clerics, V. Loss of the clerical state, VI. Personal prelatures, and VII. Associations of the Christian faithful. There are only two major divisions or chapters in part II: I. The highest authority in the Church (Pope and College of Bishops, Synod of Bishops, College of Cardinals, Roman Curia, and Legates of the Pope) and II. Particular Churches and Their Groupings . This last chapter deals not only with particular churches, but also with groupings of particular churches (province, plenary and provincial council, conference of bishops) and the internal ordering of particular churches (diocesan synod, diocesan curia, vicars, chancellor and notaries , council for economic affairs, presbyteral council, college of consultors and cathedral chapter, pastoral council, parishes, pastors and parochial vicars, vicars forane, rectors of churches and chaplains). Part III is divided in four chapters: a general introduction, religious institutes, secular institutes and societies of apostolic life. There are a couple of minor criticisms about the book, such as some typographical errors, especially in the footnotes and the bibliography. Likewise, it would have been better if the bibliography had been somewhat expanded. The book is well-written and offers a good overview of the revised Book Two of the Code of Canon Law. It can serve as a thorough introduction to canon law for those unfamiliar with the discipline.At the same time, the work is very helpful for the canon lawyer: principles are clarified and canons are explained. The material is presented in a historical and theological-ecclesiological context. Even for practitioners, it is good to go back to basics from time to time. This book should definitely be on the shelves of every “pastoral actor,” whether a canon lawyer or not. One final note: the author and his publisher should...