Letters

Celibacy book review

Fr Adrian Head

Contents - Feb 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: What is the purpose of Catholic schools? - Michael Gilchrist Liturgy: 'Excellent start' on accurate English Missal translation - AD2000 REPORT News: The Church Around the World Modern church design: 'Spank the architect!' - Paul Mees Melbourne and Sydney initiatives to educate adults in the Catholic faith - Peter Holmes Human life: precious from conception - Fr Angelo Serra SJ Interview: Scott Hahn interviewed on Dei Verbum : What Vatican II taught about Scripture - Zenit News Service Letters: Social Justice Statement - John R. Barich Letters: Celibacy book review - Fr Adrian Head Letters: Higher calling - Judy O'Reilly Letters: Christ's gift - Wendy Francis Letters: One-World Church? - Philip Robinson Letters: Fertility rates - Brian Harris Letters: New Age? - Fr Don Coutts Letters: Clarification - August Magdaleno Books: Spiritual Combat Revisited, by Jonathon Robinson - Richard Egan (reviewer) Books: Anti-Catholicism in America: The Last Acceptable Prejudice, by Mark S. Massa SJ - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Mystical Flora, by St Francis de Sales - Mark Posa (reviewer) Books: The Rosary : Chain of Hope, by Benedict J. Groeschel CFR - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: The Beginner's Book Of Chant, by a Benedictine monk - Paul Russell (reviewer) The foundation of moral law: the pagan witness of Cicero, 106-43 BC Books: AD Books - Fresh book titles for the New Year Reflection: The ministerial priesthood: 'truly a gift from God' - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes

Thank you for the book review by Fr Peter Murphy on Stefan Heid's Celibacy in the Early Church in the December-January issue of AD2000. In the April 2003 issue of Homiletic & Pastoral Review there was an excellent well-researched article by Hugh Ballantyne about the origin of priestly celibacy.

He writes that in 1878-79 a German historian - Gustave Bickell - published a thesis stating that the obligation of priestly celibacy dates from the time of the Apostles; and that when a married man was ordained, he was required to remain celibate thereafter within the marriage. In 1879-80 another German historian - Franz Funk - replied, stating that such a rule dated only from the fourth century and was not Apostolic.

From the latest studies it appears that Bickell was right. But Funk won the argument and his view became the opinio communis of the Church, and today it is still the most widely accepted interpretation. Cardinal Alfons Stickler showed through his studies on the matter that when married men were ordained to the diaconate in the early Church, they also were vowed to perpetual continence from then on.

FR ADRIAN HEAD
Quorn, SA

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 1 (February 2004), p. 14