The Church Unfinished: Ecclesiology through the Centuries (review)
Understanding the complex nature of the Christian Church has been a continual challenge for theologians throughout the ages. Bernard P. Prusak of Villanova University has joined their ranks with his history of ecclesiology which emphasizes an eschatological openness to the future. His is a formidable task, dealing with two millennia of history, a vast amount of primary and secondary literature, and a plethora of interpretations. He devotes nearly one hundred pages to the biblical sources and then, in a tour d'horizon, addresses some of the principal ecclesiological topics.
Prusak often refers to the patristic idea that the Church can become young again. That image was mentioned in Lumen Gentium 4:"the Spirit by the power of the Gospel rejuvenates the Church."The Council's view reflects the second-century apocalyptic work, The Shepherd of Hermas, which portrayed the Church as a haggard old woman who gradually becomes younger and more beautiful. St. Bede had a similar idea about the continuous growth of the Church when he wrote that "every day the Church gives birth to the Church"(PL93: 166). Leonardo Boff in our own day speaks often of "ecclesiogenesis."
We do not find, however, an exhaustive survey of ecclesiological history in Prusak's work. Of necessity, he is selective in his choice of topics. Yet one regrets that he did not give more attention to such important questions as ecumenism, Mary and the Church, social justice, the laity, religious life, and the priesthood. He mentions the Council of Trent only briefly, almost as an aside. Although Trent did not discuss ex professo some of the pressing ecclesiological issues of the sixteenth century, such as the papacy, it did discuss the sacraments, the sources of revelation, and institutional reform, all of which clearly have significant ecclesial ramifications. Finally, Prusak's "Epilogue:AFuture for Women in the Church?" raises a legitimate ecclesiological issue, but unfortunately he does not present it with the rigorous theological evaluation it deserves.
This volume is most readable. Prusak writes clearly with a positive and irenic tone. He shows familiarity with a wide range of biblical, theological, and historical sources. The footnotes provide us with an abundance of valuable information. Moreover, he deals masterfully with several critical ecclesiological issues. For example, his description of the founding of the Church by Jesus is well nuanced in his explanation of "the extended establishment of the Church" as it came into existence in stages. His treatment of the ecclesiology of communion is excellent and functions as a leitmotiv. It is appropriately applied to the Eucharist, the local and universal Church, collegiality, and the Church as a communion of churches. Of special value are his comments on the eschatological nature of the Church found in Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. The Church, though "unfinished," is ever called to newness in its ongoing pilgrimage.
