Office of Peter and the Structure of the Church

Rating:
Summary: From the perspective of this non-Roman Catholic reader. . .
Review: . . .Fr. von Balthasar has provided a thoroughly scriptural and theological defense of the Papacy.

Fr. von Balthasar has enunciated, in remarkably cogent fashion, a theory of ecclesiology which as both thoroughly Catholic and expertly reasoned.

What I found most compelling, was his scheme of authority structures in the New Testament, and how each one (James, representing Law; John, representing love; Paul, representing freedom; and Peter representing authority)was necessary to the proper functioning of the Church. His incorporatin of the role of Mary in the Church was also worthy of note.

A good read for anyone wishing to understand the theology behind the papacy, and how the Church is organized.

This book gave me a lot to think about.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book to read
Review: I may not have read the entire book yet, but it is already interesting. Hans Urs Von Balthasar truly has a sense of the structure of the Church and the office of Peter. I hope to learn more from him as I read on. Also, thanks to the person I bought this book from.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book to read
Review: I was not a fan of von Balthasar's before reading this book. I would find him incredibly difficult and dense to read. However, this book changed my mind about this great theologian.

Written at a level the average theologically educated reader can understand, von Balthasar's questions raised in this book are no less penetrating. I particularly enjoyed his insightful expositions of Simon-Peter's human fallibility, as well as von Balthasar's theological speculation why Our Lord would choose this very apostle to be graced with the Petrine Primacy and the gift of infallibility.

Nevertheless, as von Balthasar reminds the reader, these gifts are not given to St. Peter for his personal benefit, but rather to facilitate his service to the entire Church.

A must read for all Catholic apologists, as well as those struggling with the Petrine Primacy.

Rating:
Summary: Fed my mind and changed my heart...
Review: I was not a fan of von Balthasar's before reading this book. I would find him incredibly difficult and dense to read. However, this book changed my mind about this great theologian.

Written at a level the average theologically educated reader can understand, von Balthasar's questions raised in this book are no less penetrating. I particularly enjoyed his insightful expositions of Simon-Peter's human fallibility, as well as von Balthasar's theological speculation why Our Lord would choose this very apostle to be graced with the Petrine Primacy and the gift of infallibility.

Nevertheless, as von Balthasar reminds the reader, these gifts are not given to St. Peter for his personal benefit, but rather to facilitate his service to the entire Church.

A must read for all Catholic apologists, as well as those struggling with the Petrine Primacy.