Why Avery Dulles Matters

Avery Cardinal Dulles, who Joseph Bottum described as “one of the greatest thinkers in the modern Roman Catholic church and perhaps its most distinguished representative in the United States,” died on December 12, 2008. In our May issue—now free to all readers—Thomas G. Guarino examines the wide-ranging interest and influence of the first American Jesuit to be named a cardinal:

Dulles’ theological vision pivots on two unwavering axes. The first is his deeply Catholic imagination that endeavors to take account of every possible position, consolidating widely diverse views into an authentic unity. The second is his commitment to the Second Vatican Council. Always he sought to display the continuity of that momentous event with the rich biblical, doctrinal, and spiritual heritage of the Catholic Church, even while embracing the council’s significant reforms and invigorating theological developments. At Vatican II, Catholicism confronted the innovations of natural science, historical scholarship, and the secular state. Like the council itself, Dulles aspired to remain entirely faithful to the principles embedded within the Christian tradition, while applying those principles creatively and imaginatively to a new world. His theological research was dedicated primarily to the nature of the Church and to the Christian understanding of revelation. But the sweeping scope of those two topics ensured that his writings would touch on virtually every significant area of theological inquiry.

Dulles produced hundreds of scholarly works, over thirty of which were first published in First Things . Listed below are his articles from 1990–2008: