Apologia for Tradition

“It was the best of times and the worst of times…” That is how we often look at our age, usually saying the latter, especially in light of moral decay and the crisis in the priesthood and papacy. Robert de Mattei’s book's a soothing breeze, saying, “No, the sky is not falling. The Church has been through like quandaries and scandals before.”

I tend to first buy a bottle of wine because of its label—sanguine shopper! So when I saw the cover to Apologia, I wanted to read the book. But almost as soon as I turned from the cover, I was hooked on the book. The first half of the book provides a relatively brief and in-depth and fascinating summary of the history of heresy and the papacy. It shows how the popes have handled the Arian heresy, the Avignon papacies and those scandals, the rise of the Reformation, and others. This alone is worth its weight in gold, so to speak. It served as a great reminder not to get too caught in the question of papal “heresy” today.

The second half focuses on one of the particular quandaries of our own time: the current state of Rome and the Tradition of the Church. De Mattia defines and delves into what the magisterium is, what Tradition is, and how the different members of the Church are involved with both. He clears up a lot of confusion over the sense of Tradition and the magisterium. I will not say that this book is a “must read,” lest I appear to be using a common hyperbole. But I will say, “This book is an OUGHT-TO-READ!”

The historical background that forms the bulk of the book is helpful. And the part dealing with the definitions of Tradition and Magisterium is critical given the current state of the crisis. But the author appears to support the hermeneutic of continuity proposed by Pope Benedict XVI as a way forward from the Vatican II doctrinal issues. Given the problem lies in the VII documents themselves, that is a poor conclusion. And it is worth noting, this book was written prior to the advent of Pope Francis. Suffice it to say, whatever the strengths of engaging Rome using that hermeneutical approach, the situation has changed markedly since it was written.

Still, it is a short and informational book that is not ruined by its being outdated by the breakneck speed of Rome’s deterioration. In fact, the explanation of terms and historical context remain just as relevant as ever to maintain the proper middle-way in this unprecedented crisis in the Church.