SOURCES OF CHRISTIAN ETHICS

First published in French in 1985, this work has been recognized by scholars worldwide as one of the most important books in the field ofmoral theology. Here Servais Pinckaers, writing in a tone that isreconciliatory rather than polemical, returns Christians ethics to itssources: the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. He discusses the complementarydomains of morality and the behavioral and natural sciences, andtraces the scriptural themes - particularly in the Sermon on the Mountand the writings of St. Paul - that most influence moral instruction.The unique feature of Pinckaer s contemporary Thomistic view it itsemphasis on the virtues, gifts, and evangelical Beatitudes as the heartof the Christian moral life. His approach to morality results in whathe calls the freedom for excellence, a notion of freedom that hecontrasts with the nominalist concept of the freedom of indifference,which has dominated moral theology since the fourteenth century. Thisvolume will serve the needs of both beginning and advanced students inseminary and university courses in moral theology and ethics. It willalso provide the background and perspective needed to achieve a fullerunderstanding of the moral teaching of the Catechism and of theencyclical Veritatis splendor. Servais Pinckaers, O.P., is professor ofmoral theology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He isauthor of numerous books in moral moral theology, including mostrecently L Evangile at la Morale (1989) and La Morale Catholique(1991). Distributor: Spring Arbor/Ingram Author: Servais Pinckaers Format: 489 pages, paperback ISBN: 9780813208183