The Encyclicals of John Paul II: An Introduction and Commentary [Hardcover]

Pope John Paul II was the second longest serving pope in history and the longest serving pope of the last century. His presence was influential not only to Catholics, but also throughout the world. The Encyclicals of John Paul II is the first book to focus in depth on the popes fourteen encyclicals, through which he communicated many of the key themes of his papacy.

The first part of the book includes helpful background informationa brief biographical sketch of John Paul IIs life, his intellectual formation, and central theological themes of his papacy, including some of the major controversies of the 20th century. The first section of the book also provides invaluable background on the nature of an encyclical, including the history of this papal document.

The second part of the book provides a thorough commentary on these encyclicals. The encyclicals are grouped by theme, introduced individually, and analyzed to trace broad themes through John Paul IIs work and theology. The Encyclicals of John Paul II provides an important discussion of these key documents from John Paul IIs papacy.

Spinello (Boston College) has written the first general introduction to all of John Paul II's encyclicals. The book does not discuss the pope's other works except in passing, but Spinello devotes useful space to describing the pre-papal writings and their relation to the encyclicals. Written from the viewpoint of a convinced conservative partisan of John Paul II, the focus of this book is on the pope's anthropology, ethics, and relation to contemporary philosophical and theological currents. Spinello sees John Paul II's thought as a whole, resting on Thomistic metaphysics and a strong commitment to personal freedom and responsibility grounded in truth exercised in relationship to others. All of this is viewed throlS,