This book is an original study of the Marian discourses of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) who is recognised as a major modern theologian within and without the Catholic Church. It evinces Ratzinger's ability to open new horizons in inherited teaching and new ways of understanding it within the parameters of orthodox theology. This is especially true of his theological understanding of Mary and the relationship of her being to that of the Church. The author gives a succinct introduction to this Mariology, navigating through biblical theology, Patristics, history of dogma, Christian anthropology, and some contemporary developments in Marian studies. By highlighting the devotional and pastoral implications of Marian spirituality in the Church, Ratzinger is further portrayed as a faithful theologian and conserver of the truth of Christian worship (lex credendi, lex orandi). Undoubtedly, Ratzinger is a renowned theologian, but the scholarly nature of this text convincingly presents him as a sound and outstanding Mariologist. This book is the fi rst to offer a fascinatingly comprehensive and intelligible account of this subject by drawing together, for the fi rst time, passages from a very wide range of Ratzinger's writings.
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