Autorite episcopale et sollicitude pastorale (IIe–VIe siecles)

This collection of 22 studies in French considers the nature of the bishop's authority in the Early Church and the sources from which it was drawn. It also looks at pastoral care and points to the great diversity of forms of worship and rite from the earliest days of the Church.

The first set of articles in this collection is concerned with the nature of the bishop’s authority in the Early Church and the sources from which it was drawn. This is seen in political terms, as in the writings of Justin Martyr, as well as spiritual ones. Charles Munier singles out Tertullian as the first to formulate a doctrine of apostolic succession, but also traces his subsequent path towards the affirmation of the authority of the Holy Spirit over that embodied in the ’Orthodox Church’. The following studies turn to a complementary area of ecclesiology, that of pastoral care. The author points to the great diversity of forms of worship and rite, from the earliest days of the Church; these, he argues, reflect a constant process of adaptation, to fit particular religious needs, and to understand such divergences it is necessary to investigate the theological motives that lay behind them. Particular topics here are those of baptism and marriage, especially the still controversial question of how and with what discretion to treat divorce and remarriage. La première série d''articles de cette collection examine la nature et la source de l’autorité des évêques de l’Eglise primitive. Ceci est abordé en termes politiques, au travers d’étude sur Justin le Martyr, ainsi qu''en termes spirituels. Charles Munier, tout en reconnaissant Tertullien pour avoir été le premier à formuler la doctrine de la succession apostolique, retrace aussi la voie parcourue ultérieurement par ce dernier vers l’affirmation de la suprémacie de l’autorité du Saint Esprit sur celle répresentée par l’Eglise orthodoxe. Les études suivantes se tourent vers un domaine complémentaire de l’ecclésiologie, celui de la sollicitude pastorale. L’auteur souligne la grande diversitie de liturgies et de rites qui ont toujours eu cours au sien de l’Eglise; selon lui, on voit là le reflet d''un processus d''adaptation constant, destiné a répondre à des besoins