Includes index.

The Sacred Scriptures and Christian theology -- The Old Testament -- From the editor -- The Hebrew Bible, called by Christians the Old Testament -- Tanak division 1, Torah : words of instruction -- Tanak division 2, Nebiim : words of judgment and salvation -- Tanak division 3, Kethubim : words of wisdom -- The New Testament and other early Christian literature -- Overview : the early Christians and their writings -- Early Christian Gospels -- Keeping in touch : early Christian letters -- Christology and ecclesiology : following Christ in a community of the Holy Spirit --Christology : who do you say that I am? -- The story begins : Jesus of Nazareth and the kingdom of God -- The story continues : the christology of the New Testament church -- Faithfully interpreting the story : the christological councils -- Conclusion : the never ending question -- The people of God : the church -- An image -- After that first day -- Historical resource -- Tradition -- Competition good for us? -- Studying tradition -- The marks (signs) of the church -- Conclusion : leaving a lot out -- Grace and sacraments : the mystery of the divine-human encounter -- Signs and symbols : creating meaning in human communication -- Describing and defining the sacraments -- The two basic sacraments of Christ and church -- The seven sacraments -- Conclusion : Christians as living sacraments -- The church's mission in the world -- Christian morality : choosing God in this world -- Decisions, decisions, decisions -- Natural law -- Scripture -- What resources guide us? -- Recognizing moral issues -- Social justice : gospel witness and mission of the church -- Gospel witness -- Mission of the church -- Conclusion : social justice and christian spirituality -- The Abrahamic faiths : Catholicism and relationships with Judaism, Islam -- Judaism, the Jewish people, and the church -- First-century Judaism -- Jewish Christianity -- Rabbinical Judaism -- Traditional Jewish faith and practice -- Modern Judaism -- Christian-Jewish relations -- The Holocaust and Vatican II on Jews and Judaism -- Islamic religious experience : foundations, Scripture, and spirituality -- Islamic images of God -- The Qur'an and the history of revelation -- Muhammad and the history of prophethood -- Distinctive scriptural themes in Islamic spirituality -- Catholic theology in a global context -- Catholic theology in a global context : a world church -- Meaning of terms : world Christianity, world church -- Theological aspects of a world church -- Some commonalities in theologies from around the globe.