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Christian Ethics. Moral Theology in the Light of Vatican II. Volume II: Special
Moral Theology. By Karl H. Peschke. Alcester, England: C. Goodliffe Neale
Ltd., rev. ed., 1993. Pp. xvi+822. Price £16.
In reading this revised volume, one has a sense of being in a world of reflection
that is a modernised scholastic version of the Manuale Theologiae Moralis. The
volume, in two parts, treats the theological virtues and worship in the first, and
the commandments in the second. Since Peschke presents such a diverse range of
topics, the area covered is necessarily broad. While one could accept the limited
scope and purpose of this manual, there are, however, a number of weaknesses
which I found to be problematic. The rearrangement of the chapters with the
addition of one on responsible care for creation does little to disguise the fact that
this is a scantily revised 1985 edition. For example, there is no discussion of the
just-war theory after the Gulf war or any serious examination of economic life
in the light of the encyclical Centesimus annus (1991), in which Pope John Paul
II addresses the topic at considerable length. With few exceptions, only in the
29-page bibliography are there any references to works published after 1988.
That an introductory textbook break new ground is not necessary, perhaps not
even desirable. Required are rather a good conceptual framework, a well-
rounded outline of the field and reliable information about its major aspects, for
without these students will be unable to grasp the issues and unequipped to
investigate matters more deeply.While its treatment of topics need not be
exhaustive in every case, text should not only explore the nature of subject,
a
bring issues, angles and possibilities to light, but also provide the background
needed for profitable further study.
Measured against this standard, Moral Theology in the Light of Vatican II.
Special Moral Theology, must be judged inadequate. While some new material
has been added to the 1985 edition (social communication, moral order of the
social economy and a chapter on responsible care for creation), there is insuffi-
cient treatment of pertinent moral questions (non-violence, pacifism, nutrition
and hydration, business ethics), the methodological differences that subjects
treated by Peschke reveal, and the thought of contemporary theologians (major
thinkers, and the issues they seek to address, and their common and distinctive
perspectives on them) to be of much assistance to students seeking an introduc-
tion. In short, while a treatment of &dquo;human behaviour in the different spheres and
situations of human life&dquo; sounds like a good idea, and while the methodology
employed might well contribute towards that end, this revised text is a dis-
appointment on both counts.
DERMOT FARRELL

John Henry Newman: The Liturgy and the Breviary, Their Influence on his Life as
an Anglican. By D. A. Withey. London: Sheed and Ward, 1992.
In this fascinating and carefully researched book, Dr Withey has done three
things. He has provided us with a full account of the tortuous and controversial
Tractarian attempts to organise a translation of the Roman Breviary. He has
supplied us with useful chapters and appendices on Newman’s liturgical writings,
as well as a sample of ten hymns from the abortive translation project; and he
has examined his liturgical theology in the context of his passage into the Roman
Catholic Church.
The first of these, the projected translation of the Breviary, illustrates a joke
told recently at a retreat: &dquo;What is the difference between a liturgist and a ter-
rorist ?&dquo; Answer: &dquo;You can negotiate with the latter!&dquo; The trouble with this pro-
ject was that it opened up the painful question for Anglicans, of how many of

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