Paul Avis' critically acclaimed work is now out in paperback, priced at £25:
'Avis gives a forceful and convincing demonstration of the relevance of the conciliar tradition for the contemporary church; he raises precisely the issues we need to be discussing concerning authority, reception, and role of the entire community in the decision-making of the church. His ecumenical insights are rooted in a thorough grasp of the historical realities; he presents an eminently readable introduction to a portion of our past we ignore at our loss. This is a book I will return to regularly in the future.'
Michael Root, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, USA
'Paul Avis’s study is a timely reminder of the importance of the late–medieval conciliar tradition for questions about the reformation and reunification of the Western church. A historian and a practical ecumenist, he shows us the pervasive influence of conciliarist constitutional principles through the intervening centuries, as well as their continuing relevance to our contemporary search for Christian unity. There is much to be learned here by those who concern themselves with the church in our times and its roots in the past.'
Oliver O’Donovan and Joan Lockwood O’Donovan, Edinburgh University, UK
'This timely study of the historical debates between conciliarists and monarchists/papalists throws light on the catholicity of the Church. It shows the continuing relevance of conciliarism and the necessity of an ecumenical balance between the two principles of collegiality and of primacy. It will be an excellent introduction to contemporary dialogues on the structure of the Church.'
The Late George H. Tavard, Professor Emeritus, Methodist Theological School, Ohio, USA
'Avis presents a careful, descriptive analysis of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century conciliarism and then proceeds to an examination in the light of the conciliarist legacy of the ecclesiological preoccupations and practices of the churches of the Reformation. The account he gives is solid and informative.'
Francis Oakley, The Catholic Historical Review
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