New Catholic Encyclopedia -1967- Volume 14 Page 299

The keyword is more than a library call number. It functions as a scholarly locus probans (a place to find proof) for several reasons:

The page opens mid-sentence from the previous page, discussing the transition from the early Church’s public, canonical penance to the private, auricular confession that became standard in the medieval Latin Church. A representative quote (paraphrased from the 1967 text) would read: new catholic encyclopedia -1967- volume 14 page 299

Based on the structural mapping of the 1967 edition, page 299 falls within the critical entry on (specifically, the subsection on The Transmission of Divine Revelation ). The keyword is more than a library call number

Perhaps the most intellectually dense part of page 299 is a half-column titled "The Performative Nature of Absolution." Here, the encyclopedia draws on the then-cutting-edge (for Catholic circles) philosophy of language, particularly the work of J.L. Austin on performative utterances . The page argues that the priest’s words do not merely describe forgiveness; they enact it, provided the proper matter (contrition) and intention are present. This fusion of analytic philosophy with scholastic sacramental theology was avant-garde for 1967. Perhaps the most intellectually dense part of page

This is fascinating because 1967 was a powder keg of hermeneutics. Dei Verbum (the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) had just been promulgated two years prior. For the previous century, Catholic theology had been defensive—focused on the “deposit of faith” handed over as a neat package of propositions. But page 299 of this encyclopedia captures the shift mid-motion.

For the careful researcher, page 299 offers both a destination and a departure point: a definitive statement on the sacramental form of penance as understood in 1967, and an invitation to trace that understanding backwards to the Fathers and forwards to the present. Whether you are a historian, a theologian, or a curious layperson, the next time you encounter the keyword "new catholic encyclopedia -1967- volume 14 page 299" , remember that you are holding a key to a rich and consequential chapter in Catholic intellectual history.

If you are a graduate student, a historian of medieval theology, or a Catholic priest researching the history of penance, here is how to use this citation effectively: