James F. Keenan’s A History of Catholic Theological Ethics is intended to provide a survey of the development of Catholic theological ethics from New Testament times to the present day. The aim of the book is to provide a narrative of the development of Catholic theological ethics, giving a sense of the “humane complexity and giftedness of that tradition” (xiii). It begins with New Testament teaching to position Catholic ethics against the background of the fundamental claims of the revelation of Christ (3), emphasising love as the crucial marker for the early church and even the definition of sin (18, 22, 31). Chapter 2 traces ethics through the early church period, highlighting the importance of the body for human existence and relationality (37), and the need for those who have been shown mercy to demonstrate the virtues of mercy and hospitality in practical ways (42–52).
The third chapter discusses “pathways to holiness” from the 4th to the 16th century, seeking to orient the history of Catholic ethics away from a narrow focus on confession and avoidance of sin, which were only part of the picture. Keenan includes one particularly illuminating treatment of gluttony extracted from a 7th-century handbook of behavior to illustrate the approach to sin and its avoidance, and the tariff required to remove one’s debt incurred by sin.
Chapter 4 examines Thomas Aquinas and the medieval scholastics who provided the foundation for modern moral theology. The work then examines “pathways to modernity,” including the Roman Catholic responses provoked by events such as the Reformation and the conquest of the Americas, and the emergence of the Decalogue as the foundational text for ethics.
Keenan argues that moral theology was juridified in the 20th century as Catholic moral teaching became increasingly legalistic and constraining, preoccupied with sin and reaching into many areas of the lives of the faithful, such that moral theology closely resembled canon law (253–64). The final chapter contends that the incursion of lay people into the field of ethics challenged both the centralization and juridification of Catholic moral theology—resulting in a new humility in Catholic discourse.
While Keenan is no undiscerning admirer, he is at times critical of the official teaching of the magisterium, for instance characterizing its teaching on sex as extreme and becoming increasingly distant from the problems facing the world, and even a hindrance to the pursuit of holiness (57, 102–110). “One only has to see that girls’ dresses and male sperm received more attention than atomic weapons to appreciate how distant the manualists were from the world as it tried to emerge from World War II” (266).
The book succeeds in its aim of narrative construction, providing a fascinating window into the contested and contestable nature of Catholic moral theology, illustrating well its complexity. One important but underdeveloped aspect of this complexity is the sources relied on by theologians for ethics, which have not remained constant throughout the history of the church. Keenan notes that the Decalogue replaced the seven virtues as the primary source for Christian ethics in the 16th century (192).
While there are references to natural law throughout, its lack of prominence is surprising, especially given its centrality to ethics within the teaching of the magisterium. One important theme of the book is its strongly historical orientation: that truth is objective but that our appreciation of the truth is constantly being grasped and refined over time (284–9). The development of Catholic doctrine over time, as well documented in this study, lends weight to this view. Another important feature of the book is its efforts to reintroduce the voices of women, long neglected in the history of Catholic ethics.
There are many fascinating insights throughout A History of Catholic Theological Ethics and it is replete with illuminating and mostly relevant anecdotes (e.g., 128–9, which recounts the story of Peter Abelard’s relationship with Heloise, and his subsequent castration by Heloise’s uncle). The book is readable, idiosyncratic, learned, and contains much of interest and value.
Benjamin B. Saunders is an associate professor at Deakin Law School.
Benjamin B. Saunders
Date Of Review:
July 28, 2023