Matthias Joseph Scheeben (1835-1888) was a German priest and scholar whose theology points to the inner coherence of the Christian faith and its supernatural mysteries. Notable in his own time, Scheeben later received praise from Pope Pius XI, who in 1935 encouraged study of the late theologian's works, reflecting: "The entire theology of Scheeben bears the stamp of a pious ascetical theology." Hans Urs von Balthasar credited Scheeben as "the greatest German theologian to date." Scheeben's works include Nature and Grace, The Mysteries of Christianity, and the unfinished Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics.

• Foreword by Thomas Joseph White, OPBOOK FIVE: SoteriologyPART TWO: The Work of Christ the Redeemer and the Role of His Virgin MotherTHE REDEMPTION OF FALLEN MANKIND BY CHRIST OR THE RESTORATION AND PERFECTION OF THE SUPERNATURAL ORDER BY THE INCARNATE SON OF GODCHAPTER THREE: The attributes established by Christ’s constitution and origin and through his destiny (Conclusion of the Christology)SECTION TWO The supernatural attributes of Christ’s humanity, especially the supernatural perfection of its internal and external operationThe gratia unionis or unctionis substantialis and the substantial deification and sanctification of Christ’s humanity that is entailed therein as heart and root of all its supernatural prerogativesIn general the fullness of the supernatural perfection of the spiritual life in Christ’s humanity resulting from the substantial anointing, and specifically the fullness of created grace as the inherent principle thereofThe original fullness of intellectual perfection or of truth and wisdom in Christ’s soul, in particular the vision of GodThe fullness of ethical perfection or of holiness and justice of Christ’s human will, especially its absolute sinlessnessTransition to Christ’s actions: The supernatural perfection of Christ’s moral freedom resulting from His holiness, without detriment to the freedom of choice necessary for merit and the form thereof that was peculiar to Christ as a theandric freedomThe specific, indeed infinite value of Christ’s actions in their capacity as divine service and their corresponding supreme and unique God pleasing characterThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to procure and to obtain supernatural goods, and the impetratory and meritorious or moral-juridical efficacy of Christ’s human actions corresponding to that power—in particular its property as the merit of the Mediator and Head, and the grace of the Head and Mediator that underlies that meritThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to cause and to produce supernatural effects, or the dynamic (or physical), more precisely organic-dynamic power of His humanity as a physical organ of the divinity. More complete definition of the dogmatic concept of the vis vivifica carnis Christi [life-giving power of Christ’s flesh] and of the gratia mediatoris et capitisSECTION THREE The states (Latin: status) of Christ’s humanity and the chief moments in the course of its life (mysteria vitae Christi)The states or the course of Christ’s life in generalThe state of Christ’s abasement, in particular the bodily and spiritual needs accepted by ChristThe miraculous joining of prerogatives and needs in the condition of Christ’s lowliness, particularly the relation of His ability to suffer to the beatitude of His soulThe completion of Christ’s abasement in His Passion and death on the crossThe intermediate condition of Christ during the separation of His soul from His body— in the tomb and in the netherworldThe state of Christ’s perfection, exaltation, and glorification: His Resurrection and Ascension and His sitting at the right hand of the FatherCHAPTER FOUR: The Work and the Offices of the RedeemerSECTION ONE The work of the Redeemer: the Redemption and the restoration of mankind through Christ’s mediating deed and the perfecting of the supernatural order connected with itPreliminary remarks about the content and form of the work of RedemptionSynoptic development of the dogmatic concept of the actual deed of Redemption or of the atoning merit of Christ as mediatory Head of mankind, which merit establishes RedemptionProof of the chief aspect in Christ’s salvific deed, atoning merit, in Scripture and traditionThe intrinsic possibility and correctness of the dogmatic concept of Christ’s atoning merit against the hostilities toward it and the distortions of itThe intrinsic perfection of the propitiatory satisfaction of Christ: the condign and superabundant character (condignitas et abundantia) of its atoning force and the infallibility of its propitiatory forceThe efficacy of Christ’s atoning merit with regard to the object or the fruit thereof and the form of its applicationThe universal intention of the deed of Redemption with regard to all sinners and all sins in mankind, and the restoration of the general order of salvation for all mankind that is thereby establishedThe higher perfection of the supernatural order in mankind and in all creation given in the Person and the work of Christ, and Christ’s position in the divine plan for the worldSECTION TWO The hierarchical offices of the Redeemer and their functionsThe offices of the Redeemer in generalThe prophetic-apostolic teaching office of ChristChrist’s high-priestly office and its functions.1. Preliminary concepts concerning priesthood and sacrifice in general and specifically in God’s pre-Christian institutionsChrist’s priesthood and its functions2. Doctrinal development.a) Christ’s priesthood in itself, its superiority and perfectionChrist’s priesthood and its functions. Continuation.b) Christ’s priestly functions, specifically His sacrificial functionsChrist’s hierarchical royal office and its functionsCHAPTER FIVE: The Virgin Mother of the Redeemer and her Relation to the Work of Redemption (Mariology)Preliminary remarks. The theological sources of MariologyThe consecrated virginity and the human marriage of the Mother of Jesus in relation to each other and to her Divine MotherhoodThe grace of Divine Motherhood as Mary’s supernatural personal characterThe supreme dignity and position of the Mother of God in the supernatural order, resulting from her personal characterThe fullness of grace of the Mother of God, in general and specifically according to its positive aspecta. The privilege of the anticipated sanctification of the Mother of God and of her resultant pristine freedom from original sin, or of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Explanation of the doctrineb. Proof of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception from Scripture and Tradition. History and significance of the relevant controversyThe perpetual and comprehensive freedom from sin (sinlessness and impeccability) caused by Mary’s first and second sanctification or the supreme purity and constancy of her holiness and the supreme perfection of her justiceMary’s freedom from the dominion or the bonds of death: the singularity of her death, the incorruptibility of her body, and her anticipated resurrectiona. Preliminary remarks about the supernatural efficacy of the Mother of the Redeemerb. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption— considered first in principle and in generalc. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption in its concrete form and in detail. The related motherly position and activity of Mary with respect to the redeemed and her permanent mediatory officeBibliography of Works Cited by Scheeben in Handbook 5.2Scripture IndexSubject and Persons Index

It seems opportune for Catholic theology, struggling to find its way in the mists of contemporary loss of faith, to return to the greatest theologians who prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council in order to carry forward the evangelizing and Christocentric mission of that Council. Now is the time to retrieve the Roman-trained spiritual master Matthias Joseph Scheeben—and there is no better place to begin than with this towering masterpiece on Christ the Savior. Read­ing Scheeben, one finds oneself immersed in Scripture and Tradition, as he effortlessly probes into the details of scriptural and patristic thought, guided by the overarching framework of the high medieval and post-Tridentine reception of the Catholic dogmatic inheritance. Do you wish to be a theologian? Read this book!" - Gerhard Cardinal Müller Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Matthias Joseph Scheeben (1835-1888) was a German priest and scholar whose theology points to the inner coherence of the Christian faith and its supernatural mysteries. Notable in his own time, Scheeben later received praise from Pope Pius XI, who in 1935 encouraged study of the late theologian's works, reflecting: "The entire theology of Scheeben bears the stamp of a pious ascetical theology." Hans Urs von Balthasar credited Scheeben as "the greatest German theologian to date." Scheeben's works include Nature and Grace, The Mysteries of Christianity, and the unfinished Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics.

• Foreword by Thomas Joseph White, OPBOOK FIVE: SoteriologyPART TWO: The Work of Christ the Redeemer and the Role of His Virgin MotherTHE REDEMPTION OF FALLEN MANKIND BY CHRIST OR THE RESTORATION AND PERFECTION OF THE SUPERNATURAL ORDER BY THE INCARNATE SON OF GODCHAPTER THREE: The attributes established by Christ’s constitution and origin and through his destiny (Conclusion of the Christology)SECTION TWO The supernatural attributes of Christ’s humanity, especially the supernatural perfection of its internal and external operationThe gratia unionis or unctionis substantialis and the substantial deification and sanctification of Christ’s humanity that is entailed therein as heart and root of all its supernatural prerogativesIn general the fullness of the supernatural perfection of the spiritual life in Christ’s humanity resulting from the substantial anointing, and specifically the fullness of created grace as the inherent principle thereofThe original fullness of intellectual perfection or of truth and wisdom in Christ’s soul, in particular the vision of GodThe fullness of ethical perfection or of holiness and justice of Christ’s human will, especially its absolute sinlessnessTransition to Christ’s actions: The supernatural perfection of Christ’s moral freedom resulting from His holiness, without detriment to the freedom of choice necessary for merit and the form thereof that was peculiar to Christ as a theandric freedomThe specific, indeed infinite value of Christ’s actions in their capacity as divine service and their corresponding supreme and unique God pleasing characterThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to procure and to obtain supernatural goods, and the impetratory and meritorious or moral-juridical efficacy of Christ’s human actions corresponding to that power—in particular its property as the merit of the Mediator and Head, and the grace of the Head and Mediator that underlies that meritThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to cause and to produce supernatural effects, or the dynamic (or physical), more precisely organic-dynamic power of His humanity as a physical organ of the divinity. More complete definition of the dogmatic concept of the vis vivifica carnis Christi [life-giving power of Christ’s flesh] and of the gratia mediatoris et capitisSECTION THREE The states (Latin: status) of Christ’s humanity and the chief moments in the course of its life (mysteria vitae Christi)The states or the course of Christ’s life in generalThe state of Christ’s abasement, in particular the bodily and spiritual needs accepted by ChristThe miraculous joining of prerogatives and needs in the condition of Christ’s lowliness, particularly the relation of His ability to suffer to the beatitude of His soulThe completion of Christ’s abasement in His Passion and death on the crossThe intermediate condition of Christ during the separation of His soul from His body— in the tomb and in the netherworldThe state of Christ’s perfection, exaltation, and glorification: His Resurrection and Ascension and His sitting at the right hand of the FatherCHAPTER FOUR: The Work and the Offices of the RedeemerSECTION ONE The work of the Redeemer: the Redemption and the restoration of mankind through Christ’s mediating deed and the perfecting of the supernatural order connected with itPreliminary remarks about the content and form of the work of RedemptionSynoptic development of the dogmatic concept of the actual deed of Redemption or of the atoning merit of Christ as mediatory Head of mankind, which merit establishes RedemptionProof of the chief aspect in Christ’s salvific deed, atoning merit, in Scripture and traditionThe intrinsic possibility and correctness of the dogmatic concept of Christ’s atoning merit against the hostilities toward it and the distortions of itThe intrinsic perfection of the propitiatory satisfaction of Christ: the condign and superabundant character (condignitas et abundantia) of its atoning force and the infallibility of its propitiatory forceThe efficacy of Christ’s atoning merit with regard to the object or the fruit thereof and the form of its applicationThe universal intention of the deed of Redemption with regard to all sinners and all sins in mankind, and the restoration of the general order of salvation for all mankind that is thereby establishedThe higher perfection of the supernatural order in mankind and in all creation given in the Person and the work of Christ, and Christ’s position in the divine plan for the worldSECTION TWO The hierarchical offices of the Redeemer and their functionsThe offices of the Redeemer in generalThe prophetic-apostolic teaching office of ChristChrist’s high-priestly office and its functions.1. Preliminary concepts concerning priesthood and sacrifice in general and specifically in God’s pre-Christian institutionsChrist’s priesthood and its functions2. Doctrinal development.a) Christ’s priesthood in itself, its superiority and perfectionChrist’s priesthood and its functions. Continuation.b) Christ’s priestly functions, specifically His sacrificial functionsChrist’s hierarchical royal office and its functionsCHAPTER FIVE: The Virgin Mother of the Redeemer and her Relation to the Work of Redemption (Mariology)Preliminary remarks. The theological sources of MariologyThe consecrated virginity and the human marriage of the Mother of Jesus in relation to each other and to her Divine MotherhoodThe grace of Divine Motherhood as Mary’s supernatural personal characterThe supreme dignity and position of the Mother of God in the supernatural order, resulting from her personal characterThe fullness of grace of the Mother of God, in general and specifically according to its positive aspecta. The privilege of the anticipated sanctification of the Mother of God and of her resultant pristine freedom from original sin, or of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Explanation of the doctrineb. Proof of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception from Scripture and Tradition. History and significance of the relevant controversyThe perpetual and comprehensive freedom from sin (sinlessness and impeccability) caused by Mary’s first and second sanctification or the supreme purity and constancy of her holiness and the supreme perfection of her justiceMary’s freedom from the dominion or the bonds of death: the singularity of her death, the incorruptibility of her body, and her anticipated resurrectiona. Preliminary remarks about the supernatural efficacy of the Mother of the Redeemerb. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption— considered first in principle and in generalc. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption in its concrete form and in detail. The related motherly position and activity of Mary with respect to the redeemed and her permanent mediatory officeBibliography of Works Cited by Scheeben in Handbook 5.2Scripture IndexSubject and Persons Index

It seems opportune for Catholic theology, struggling to find its way in the mists of contemporary loss of faith, to return to the greatest theologians who prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council in order to carry forward the evangelizing and Christocentric mission of that Council. Now is the time to retrieve the Roman-trained spiritual master Matthias Joseph Scheeben—and there is no better place to begin than with this towering masterpiece on Christ the Savior. Read­ing Scheeben, one finds oneself immersed in Scripture and Tradition, as he effortlessly probes into the details of scriptural and patristic thought, guided by the overarching framework of the high medieval and post-Tridentine reception of the Catholic dogmatic inheritance. Do you wish to be a theologian? Read this book!" - Gerhard Cardinal Müller Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Matthias Joseph Scheeben (1835-1888) was a German priest and scholar whose theology points to the inner coherence of the Christian faith and its supernatural mysteries. Notable in his own time, Scheeben later received praise from Pope Pius XI, who in 1935 encouraged study of the late theologian's works, reflecting: "The entire theology of Scheeben bears the stamp of a pious ascetical theology." Hans Urs von Balthasar credited Scheeben as "the greatest German theologian to date." Scheeben's works include Nature and Grace, The Mysteries of Christianity, and the unfinished Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics.

• Foreword by Thomas Joseph White, OPBOOK FIVE: SoteriologyPART TWO: The Work of Christ the Redeemer and the Role of His Virgin MotherTHE REDEMPTION OF FALLEN MANKIND BY CHRIST OR THE RESTORATION AND PERFECTION OF THE SUPERNATURAL ORDER BY THE INCARNATE SON OF GODCHAPTER THREE: The attributes established by Christ’s constitution and origin and through his destiny (Conclusion of the Christology)SECTION TWO The supernatural attributes of Christ’s humanity, especially the supernatural perfection of its internal and external operationThe gratia unionis or unctionis substantialis and the substantial deification and sanctification of Christ’s humanity that is entailed therein as heart and root of all its supernatural prerogativesIn general the fullness of the supernatural perfection of the spiritual life in Christ’s humanity resulting from the substantial anointing, and specifically the fullness of created grace as the inherent principle thereofThe original fullness of intellectual perfection or of truth and wisdom in Christ’s soul, in particular the vision of GodThe fullness of ethical perfection or of holiness and justice of Christ’s human will, especially its absolute sinlessnessTransition to Christ’s actions: The supernatural perfection of Christ’s moral freedom resulting from His holiness, without detriment to the freedom of choice necessary for merit and the form thereof that was peculiar to Christ as a theandric freedomThe specific, indeed infinite value of Christ’s actions in their capacity as divine service and their corresponding supreme and unique God pleasing characterThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to procure and to obtain supernatural goods, and the impetratory and meritorious or moral-juridical efficacy of Christ’s human actions corresponding to that power—in particular its property as the merit of the Mediator and Head, and the grace of the Head and Mediator that underlies that meritThe specific power of Christ’s humanity to cause and to produce supernatural effects, or the dynamic (or physical), more precisely organic-dynamic power of His humanity as a physical organ of the divinity. More complete definition of the dogmatic concept of the vis vivifica carnis Christi [life-giving power of Christ’s flesh] and of the gratia mediatoris et capitisSECTION THREE The states (Latin: status) of Christ’s humanity and the chief moments in the course of its life (mysteria vitae Christi)The states or the course of Christ’s life in generalThe state of Christ’s abasement, in particular the bodily and spiritual needs accepted by ChristThe miraculous joining of prerogatives and needs in the condition of Christ’s lowliness, particularly the relation of His ability to suffer to the beatitude of His soulThe completion of Christ’s abasement in His Passion and death on the crossThe intermediate condition of Christ during the separation of His soul from His body— in the tomb and in the netherworldThe state of Christ’s perfection, exaltation, and glorification: His Resurrection and Ascension and His sitting at the right hand of the FatherCHAPTER FOUR: The Work and the Offices of the RedeemerSECTION ONE The work of the Redeemer: the Redemption and the restoration of mankind through Christ’s mediating deed and the perfecting of the supernatural order connected with itPreliminary remarks about the content and form of the work of RedemptionSynoptic development of the dogmatic concept of the actual deed of Redemption or of the atoning merit of Christ as mediatory Head of mankind, which merit establishes RedemptionProof of the chief aspect in Christ’s salvific deed, atoning merit, in Scripture and traditionThe intrinsic possibility and correctness of the dogmatic concept of Christ’s atoning merit against the hostilities toward it and the distortions of itThe intrinsic perfection of the propitiatory satisfaction of Christ: the condign and superabundant character (condignitas et abundantia) of its atoning force and the infallibility of its propitiatory forceThe efficacy of Christ’s atoning merit with regard to the object or the fruit thereof and the form of its applicationThe universal intention of the deed of Redemption with regard to all sinners and all sins in mankind, and the restoration of the general order of salvation for all mankind that is thereby establishedThe higher perfection of the supernatural order in mankind and in all creation given in the Person and the work of Christ, and Christ’s position in the divine plan for the worldSECTION TWO The hierarchical offices of the Redeemer and their functionsThe offices of the Redeemer in generalThe prophetic-apostolic teaching office of ChristChrist’s high-priestly office and its functions.1. Preliminary concepts concerning priesthood and sacrifice in general and specifically in God’s pre-Christian institutionsChrist’s priesthood and its functions2. Doctrinal development.a) Christ’s priesthood in itself, its superiority and perfectionChrist’s priesthood and its functions. Continuation.b) Christ’s priestly functions, specifically His sacrificial functionsChrist’s hierarchical royal office and its functionsCHAPTER FIVE: The Virgin Mother of the Redeemer and her Relation to the Work of Redemption (Mariology)Preliminary remarks. The theological sources of MariologyThe consecrated virginity and the human marriage of the Mother of Jesus in relation to each other and to her Divine MotherhoodThe grace of Divine Motherhood as Mary’s supernatural personal characterThe supreme dignity and position of the Mother of God in the supernatural order, resulting from her personal characterThe fullness of grace of the Mother of God, in general and specifically according to its positive aspecta. The privilege of the anticipated sanctification of the Mother of God and of her resultant pristine freedom from original sin, or of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Explanation of the doctrineb. Proof of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception from Scripture and Tradition. History and significance of the relevant controversyThe perpetual and comprehensive freedom from sin (sinlessness and impeccability) caused by Mary’s first and second sanctification or the supreme purity and constancy of her holiness and the supreme perfection of her justiceMary’s freedom from the dominion or the bonds of death: the singularity of her death, the incorruptibility of her body, and her anticipated resurrectiona. Preliminary remarks about the supernatural efficacy of the Mother of the Redeemerb. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption— considered first in principle and in generalc. The cooperation of the Mother of the Redeemer in the work of Redemption in its concrete form and in detail. The related motherly position and activity of Mary with respect to the redeemed and her permanent mediatory officeBibliography of Works Cited by Scheeben in Handbook 5.2Scripture IndexSubject and Persons Index

It seems opportune for Catholic theology, struggling to find its way in the mists of contemporary loss of faith, to return to the greatest theologians who prepared the way for the Second Vatican Council in order to carry forward the evangelizing and Christocentric mission of that Council. Now is the time to retrieve the Roman-trained spiritual master Matthias Joseph Scheeben—and there is no better place to begin than with this towering masterpiece on Christ the Savior. Read­ing Scheeben, one finds oneself immersed in Scripture and Tradition, as he effortlessly probes into the details of scriptural and patristic thought, guided by the overarching framework of the high medieval and post-Tridentine reception of the Catholic dogmatic inheritance. Do you wish to be a theologian? Read this book!" - Gerhard Cardinal Müller Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith