Spirituality in the Secular City by Christian Duquoc, O. P. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS S'fS analyzes Paul and illustrates both the perduring and dynamic aspects of tradition. The concluding article of this volume by M. C. Vanhengel and J. Peters concerns itself with the problem of the historicity of the gospels. Also contained in this volume are six bibliographical surveys on the homily which, besides discussing the nature of the homily, give a very useful and enlightening resume of the literature now available in the various languages discussed. The subject of this Concilium volume is of very great importance and an understanding of its content will help all of us in our endeavor to make the Word of God revelant to twentieth-century man. CoUege of St. Mary of the Springs, Columbus, Ohio. WILLIAM F. HEALY, o. P. Spirituality in the Secular City. By CHRISTIAN DuQuoc, 0. P. Concilium, Vol. 19. New York: Paulist Press, 1966. Pp. 19~. $4.50. This volume contains some useful insights on secularity, desacralization, the theology of earthly realities, modern asceticism. The line of thought pursued throughout is that secular realities have an integrity of their own which must be respected and in which we can find God. Chardin is mentioned frequently and his basic vision is accepted by most of the writers. Among them are two Americans, Bernard Cooke and Ernest Larkin, and one Canadian, Elmer O'Brien. The rest are Europeans, mostly French. The translations are good, except for the first essay, which is awkward. David Reisman's 'inner-directed' comes into English from whatever it was in the French as ' introdetermined ' (p. 8) . Christian Duquoc, the editor, has a very strong essay on the role of the theologian today, somewhat overstated but nonetheless provocative. The best essay, probably, is Claude Geffre's on the process of desacralization. The most interesting is the brief report at the end of the volume on ' The Brothers of the Virgin of the Poor,' a new group founded in 1956 who desire to be at the same time children of the ancient monks of the East as well as disciples of the message of the hermit of Tamanrasset. The volume is not the last word on secular spirituality but it is a good first word, a good introduction. Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D. C. THOMAS R. HEATH, 0. p. ...