Giovanni Perrone’s Theological Curriculum and the First Vatican Council

This article examines the role of theological education as a factor in shaping the priorities and teachings of the First Vatican Council. The contribution of the Jesuit professor of dogmatic theology at the Collegio Romano, Giovanni Perrone, was particularly important for forming the theological minds of Church leaders in the middle decades of the 19th century. Perrone’s four-year curriculum, the Praelectiones Theologicae, was organized around the principles of faith, reason, and ecclesiastical authority. These principles formed a coherent and tightly integrated constellation for those educated in Perrone’s curriculum, in which reason relied upon the formative structure of faith, and faith as an act required the authority of the Church for its exercise. Correspondingly, the unity of the Church required the authoritative dimension of faith and suitable organs for its exercise. Perrone’s curriculum was employed in many parts of Europe during the 19th century. This article examines the theology of Perrone’s ...