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T. F. Torrance, Catholicism, and the quest for church unity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2023

Stanley Maclean Open the ORCID record for Stanley Maclean [Opens in a new window]
Stanley Maclean*
Affiliation:
Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea
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Email: stanley.maclean@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article examines T. F. Torrance's engagement with Catholicism. It uncovers the breadth and depth of his ecumenical spirit, while concurrently shedding light on his own theological development. The article reveals an evolution in Torrance's posture toward Catholicism, moving from fierce criticism to critical praise, with the Second Vatican Council as a watershed in his thinking. His criticism was provoked by what he considered the fundamental problem with Catholicism (namely, the ‘Latin heresy’ in its theology); while his praise was elicited by the evangelical, christocentric, and ecumenical spirit of the Council.

Keywords

dualismecumenicalheresyhermeneuticsmissionTrinity
Type
Research Article
Information
Scottish Journal of Theology , Volume 76 , Issue 3 , August 2023 , pp. 256 - 268
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

1 Scandrett, Joel, ‘Thomas. F. Torrance and Ecumenism’, in Molnar, Paul D. and Habets, M., (eds), T&T Clark Handbook of Thomas F. Torrance (London: T&T Clark, 2020), p. 51Google Scholar.

2 See Radcliff, J., Thomas F. Torrance and the Orthodox-Reformed Theological Dialogue (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2018)Google Scholar.

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8 ‘The Problem of Discussion with Rome’, in Thomas F. Torrance, Conflict and Agreement in Church (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock), p. 152.

9 Ibid., p. 153.

10 Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November 1950, §24 <https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html>; accessed 6 February 2023.

11 Ibid.

12 ‘Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est.’ Vincent of Lérins, Commonitorium 4.3.

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15 Torrance, ‘Problem of Discussion’. Torrance always uses the term ‘Evangelical’ for the churches that stem from the Reformation. But since the word ‘evangelical’ has quite different connotations today, I have chosen to use the term ‘Protestant’ instead throughout this article.

16 The Catechism of St Pius X <http://www.cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/pius/psacr00.htm>; accessed 6 February 2023.

17 Ibid.

18 Ibid.

19 Torrance, ‘The Roman Doctrine of Grace from the Point of View of Reformed Theology’, in Thomas F. Torrance, Theology in Reconstruction (London: SCM Press, 1965), pp. 169–90.

20 Torrance, ‘Roman Doctrine of Grace’, p. 174.

21 Douglas Farrow, ‘T. F. Torrance and the Latin Heresy’, First Things (Dec. 2013), p. 27.

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23 Ibid.

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26 Ibid., pp. 262–3.

27 Ibid., pp. 276–7.

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30 Torrance, ‘The Function of the Inner and Outer Word’, pp. 106, 116.

31 Lonergan, Bernard, Method in Theology (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1990), p. 4Google Scholar.

32 Torrance, The Mediation of Christ, p. 100.

33 Torrance, ‘The Function of the Inner and Outer Word’, p. 123.

34 Ibid., p. 121.

35 Bernard Lonergan, Insight, vol. 3 of The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan, 5th edn, ed. F. Crowe and R. Doran (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1992), p. 372.

36 T. F. Torrance, ‘Intuitive and Abstractive Knowledge: From Duns Scotus to John Calvin’, in De doctrina Ioannis Duns Scoti: Acta tertii Congressus Scotistici Internationalis: Studia Scholastico-Scotistica 5 (Rome: Societas Internationalis Scotistica, 1968), p. 292.

37 Torrance, ‘Intuitive and Abstractive Knowledge’, p. 305.

38 Torrance, Theology in Reconciliation, p. 7

39 Ibid., pp. 9–10.

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41 Ibid.

42 O'Malley, John, ‘The Council's Spirit: Vatican II: The Time for Reconciliation’, Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, 42/1 (2012)Google Scholar, article 3.

43 Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism), Introduction <https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html>; accessed 6 February 2023.

44 Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Rome’, p. 60.

45 Ibid.

46 Lumen Gentium: The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964) <https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html>; accessed 6 February 2023.

47 Ibid., §15.

48 Ibid., §8.

49 Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Rome’, p. 59.

50 Ibid., p. 62; see Lumen Gentium, §28.

51 Lumen Gentium, §10.

52 Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Rome’, p. 60.

53 Ibid., p. 62.

54 See Lumen Gentium, §8.

55 See Thomas F. Torrance, Space, Time and Incarnation (Oxford: OUP, 1969); idem, Theological Science (Oxford: OUP, 1969); idem, God and Rationality (Oxford: OUP, 1971).

56 T.F. Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Science’, in God and Rationality, pp. 124–30.

57 Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Rome’, p. 63

58 Ibid., p. 63.

59 Torrance, T. F., Juridical Law and Physical Law: Toward a Realist Foundation for Human Law (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1997), p. 2Google Scholar.

60 Torrance, ‘Ecumenism and Rome’, p. 62.

61 Ibid.

62 Rahner, Karl, The Trinity (Freiburg: Herder & Herder, 1970)Google Scholar.

63 Torrance, T. F., ‘Toward an Ecumenical Consensus on the Trinity’, Theologische Zeitschrift 31 (1975), p. 337Google Scholar.

64 Torrance, T. F., The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being Three Persons (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996), p. 10Google Scholar.

65 Rahner, Trinity, p. 35.

66 Ibid., p. 36

67 Ibid., p. 22.

68 Torrance, Thomas F., ‘Toward an Ecumenical Consensus on the Trinity’, in Trinitarian Perspectives: Toward Doctrinal Agreement (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1994), p. 339CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

69 Ibid.

70 Ibid., p. 340

71 Rahner, Trinity, p. 104.

72 Ibid.

73 Torrance, ‘Toward an Ecumenical Consensus’, p. 346.

74 Ibid., p. 347.

75 Ibid.

76 Ibid., pp. 348–9.

77 Torrance, Thomas F., The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being Three Persons (London: T & T Clark, 2001 [1996]), p. 136Google Scholar.

78 Ibid., pp. 124, 161.

79 Hattie Williams, ‘Kirks and Roman Catholic Scots Celebrate their Common Heritage’, Church Times, 27 May 2022 <https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/27-may3-june/news/uk/kirks-and-roman-catholic-scots-celebrate-their-common-heritage>; accessed 6 February 2023.