In the last forty years, Roman Catholic moral theology has been experiencing revolutionary tension and change. In this compelling exposition, distinguished Jesuit moral theologian John Mahoney examines the events, personalities, and conflicts that have contributed, from New Testament times to the present, to the Roman Catholic moral tradition and its contemporary crisis, and interprets the fundamental changes taking place in the subject today. He surveys a wide range of topics, including papal infallibility, confession as a sacrament, the legacy of Augustine, the dramatic change in attitude to "salvation outside the Church," and the continuing impact on moral theology of the 1968 papal encyclical on birth control and of the Second Vatican Council. "One of the most important works in moral theology to appear since the Second Vatican Council. It has no peer in English as a theological history of the discipline....Mahoney's superb history documents how the study of moral theology got into its rigid state prior to the council and makes constructive suggestions for its renewal that are rooted in its broader history....The timing of this volume's appearance is almost as important as its content....A rich bibliography and full index should let grateful students and scholars use it as a sourcebook; with its felicitous style and clarity of argument, this book should be equally captivating to the general reader."-- America "Mahoney puts the theology back into moral theology."-- Church "Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Roman Catholic moral theology or contemporary issues within that discipline."-- Journal of Religion "A remarkable and instructive book....He illuminates the past in such fashion that it sheds considerable light on the often obscure lines of renewal and reformulation that the discipline of moral theology is struggling to pursue....A work of great insight and wisdom, the fruit of considerable scholarship and reflection."-- Theological Studies "Can be read by profit by anyone who possesses a little knowledge of the subject. Virtually all that he considers is of contemporary interest for non-Catholics."-- Choice In the last forty years Roman Catholic moral theology has been experiencing revolutionary tension and change. In this unique and thoroughly documented study, a distinguished Jesuit moral theologian examines the events, personalities, and conflicts which have contributed, from New Testament times to the present, to the Roman Catholic moral tradition and its contemporary crisis, and interprets the fundamental changes taking place in the subject today. John Mahoney is at King's College London.