Tracey Rowland is Dean and Associate Professor of Political Philosophy and Continental Theology at the John Paul II Institute, Melbourne, Australia, a member of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, UK, and a member of the editorial board of the English language edition of Communio, founded, among others, by Joseph Ratzinger. She is the author of Culture and the Thomist Tradition: After Vatican II (2003) and Ratzinger's Faith: The Theology of Benedict XVI (2008).

This book introduces Catholic theology by locating its form and content in the crucible of the early Church's reception of the Good News. In the patristic period, one finds the conjunction of liturgical experience (broadly understood), scriptural exegesis, metaphysical reflection, and doctrinal/creedal formulation that characterizes Catholic theology throughout its history.

With this framework in view, the major purpose of the book is to introduce readers to the tenets of Catholic faith, and the book also should acquaint readers with the central doctrinal debates of the Catholic tradition. Using the Apostles' Creed as a structure for the book, I will draw upon the thought of a wide array of theologians (patristic, medieval, and modern), as well as biblical exegetes and philosophers, in order to introduce theology in the Catholic tradition.

Prologue: Catholic Theology and the Crucible of the Early Church: Liturgical Experience, Scriptural Exegesis, Metaphysical Reflection, and Doctrinal Formulation

God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth
a. YHWH and the Trinity
b. Creation and Creatures
c. Providence, Law, and Sin

Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord
a. The Messiah of Israel: Torah and Temple
b. The Incarnation: Priest, Prophet, King
c. The Paschal Mystery: The Day of the Lord

The Holy Spirit
a. History and Prophecy
b. The Newness of Pentecost
c. Grace, Virtue, Divinization

The Holy Catholic Church
a. The Eucharist Builds the Church
b. Mystical Body and People of God
c. One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

The Communion of Saints
a. Truth and Love
b. The Exchange of Spiritual Goods
c. The Motherhood of Mary

The Forgiveness of Sins
a. Faith and the Sacraments
b. Continual Conversion
c. The Salt of the World

The Resurrection of the Body
a. Body and Soul
b. Death
c. Resurrection and Bodiliness

Life Everlasting
a. Time, Eternity, and the New Creation
b. Judgment
c. Heaven, Purgatory, Hell

Epilogue