In the 40th year after the close of the second Vatican Council, here is the final volume of its most definitive history. "History of Vatican II, Volume V" takes the reader through the approval of texts such as the "Constitution on Divine Revelation," the "Decree on Religious Liberty," the "Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity" and the "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World."Reconstructing and commenting on the final session and the transition to a post-Conciliar world Volume V includes chapters on the critical period between the third and fourth sessions by Giovanni Turbanti and the beginning of the fourth session by Gilles Routhier. The third chapter by Mauro Velati deals with events that settled how the fourth session would approve key texts, and the fourth chapter by Christophe Theobald reveals how "the Church under the Word of God" came to be the central focus of Vatican II Theology.
Chapters by Peter Hunermann, Lukas Vischer, and Giuseppe Alberigo tell the story of the final days, interpret the Council as an ecumenical event, and show how the reception of the Council's work by the Church at large foreshadows the struggles over the meaning of the Council that continue to this day.An unprecedented and unsurpassed effort of international scholars, "History of Vatican II", will remain a key resource for historians, theologians, and religious professionals for years to come.