Episode 273: Dr. Matthew Minerd on the art of translation, Eastern Catholicism, Thomism & Ressourcement Theology, Part 2 (November 29, 2023)

This week on The Open Door (November 29th), panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer continue their discussion of the art of translation, Eastern Catholicism, and the relation between Thomism and Ressourcement theology with special and returning guest Professor Matthew Minerd. He is a Ruthenian Catholic, raised Roman Catholic in a mixed American-Slavic and Appalachian cultural context in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Matthew is a husband and father, a seminary professor, and a translator.

1. Has your work as a translator triggered new questions for you about biblical translations? Are there any translations that you think are especially helpful?
2. You are an Eastern Catholic and teach in an Eastern Catholic seminary. What do Western Catholics especially need to know about Eastern Catholic spirituality?
3. After Vatican II there were major changes in the Roman liturgy. Some now prefer what Benedict XVI presented as the Extraordinary Rite; others have embraced the liturgy of Eastern Catholicism. How have Eastern Catholics reacted to the liturgical changes in the West?
4. What are some distinctive theological influences in Eastern Catholicism?
5. Has Eastern Catholicism experienced special difficulties in addressing the relation between Church and State?
6. Some speak of Jacques Maritain as the single most influential Thomist of the last century. Was he open to Ressourcement theology?
7. You have a leadership role in the American Maritain Association. Where do you see the spirit of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain active today?
8. Maritain was deeply engaged in the politics of his time. Does Thomism offer a foundation for constructive politics?
9. What’s your view of the American Solidarity Party?
10. Could you tell us a bit about your current projects?