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Rebuilding Catholic Theology with and against German Liberal Theology. : The Case of Ernesto Buonaiuti's Reception of Adolf von Harnack

Dessy, Valeria LU (2026) In Journal for the History of Modern Theology
Abstract

This article examines the intellectual engagement between the Catholic scholar Ernesto Buonaiuti (1881-1946) - one of the foremost proponents of the historical-critical method in Italy - and the prominent German Protestant church historian Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930). This study adopts a transnational and transconfessional approach to church history, according to which religious thought develops not in isolation but through active engagement with other national and confessional traditions. It argues that Buonaiuti's approach to Harnack was dialogical rather than merely antagonistic, showing that he not only addressed disagreement through the tools of the historical-critical method but also reinterpreted them in the service of Catholic... (More)

This article examines the intellectual engagement between the Catholic scholar Ernesto Buonaiuti (1881-1946) - one of the foremost proponents of the historical-critical method in Italy - and the prominent German Protestant church historian Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930). This study adopts a transnational and transconfessional approach to church history, according to which religious thought develops not in isolation but through active engagement with other national and confessional traditions. It argues that Buonaiuti's approach to Harnack was dialogical rather than merely antagonistic, showing that he not only addressed disagreement through the tools of the historical-critical method but also reinterpreted them in the service of Catholic renewal. In doing so, Buonaiuti anticipated the later Catholic endorsement of the historical-critical method.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Adolf von Harnack, Ernesto Buonaiuti, Historical-Critical Method, Modernism/Or Roman Catholic Modernism
in
Journal for the History of Modern Theology
publisher
De Gruyter
external identifiers
  • scopus:105042173137
ISSN
0943-7592
DOI
10.1515/znth-2025-0018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0e18eb1c-e048-4bc7-9daf-5aef4e6cba8a
date added to LUP
2026-09-21 15:10:34
date last changed
2026-09-21 15:11:23
@article{0e18eb1c-e048-4bc7-9daf-5aef4e6cba8a,
  abstract     = {{<p>This article examines the intellectual engagement between the Catholic scholar Ernesto Buonaiuti (1881-1946) - one of the foremost proponents of the historical-critical method in Italy - and the prominent German Protestant church historian Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930). This study adopts a transnational and transconfessional approach to church history, according to which religious thought develops not in isolation but through active engagement with other national and confessional traditions. It argues that Buonaiuti's approach to Harnack was dialogical rather than merely antagonistic, showing that he not only addressed disagreement through the tools of the historical-critical method but also reinterpreted them in the service of Catholic renewal. In doing so, Buonaiuti anticipated the later Catholic endorsement of the historical-critical method.</p>}},
  author       = {{Dessy, Valeria}},
  issn         = {{0943-7592}},
  keywords     = {{Adolf von Harnack; Ernesto Buonaiuti; Historical-Critical Method; Modernism/Or Roman Catholic Modernism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{De Gruyter}},
  series       = {{Journal for the History of Modern Theology}},
  title        = {{Rebuilding Catholic Theology with and against German Liberal Theology. : The Case of Ernesto Buonaiuti's Reception of Adolf von Harnack}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/znth-2025-0018}},
  doi          = {{10.1515/znth-2025-0018}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}