This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the thought of Ignacio Ellacura, the Jesuit philosopher-theologian martyred for his work on behalf of Latin America's oppressed peoples.
While serving as president of the Jesuit-run University of Central America in the midst of El Salvador's brutal civil war, Ellacura was also a prolific writer. His advocacy on behalf of the country's persecuted majority provoked the enmity of the Salvadoran political establishment. On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran military entered the university's campus and murdered Ellacura, along with five other Jesuit priests and two women.
Kevin F. Burke, SJ, shows why Ellacura is significant not only as a martyr but also as a theologian. Ellacura effectively integrated philosophy, history, anthropology, and sociopolitical analysis into his theological reflections on salvation, spirituality, and the church to create an original contribution to liberation theology.
Ellacura's writings directly address one of the most vexing issues in theology can theologians account for the demands arising from both the particularity of their various social-historical situations and also the universal claims of Christian revelation? Burke explains how Ellacura bases theology in a philosophy of historical realitythe "ground beneath the cross"and interprets the suffering of "the crucified peoples" in the light of Jesus' crucifixion. Ellacura thus inserts the theological realities of salvation and transcendence squarely within the course of human events, and he connects these to the Christian mandate to "take the crucified peoples down from their crosses."
Placing Ellacura's thought in the context of historical trends within the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Vatican II and the rise of liberation theology in Latin America, Burke argues that Ellacura makes a distinctive contribution to contemporary Catholic theology.

The Ground Beneath The Cross: The Theology Of Ignacio Ellacuria (Moral Traditions)

Kevin F. Burke

1. paperback print, Washington, D.C, 2004

United States, United States of America

March 31, 2004

"This book is the first comprehensive analysis in English of the thought of Ignacio Ellacuria, Jesuit and theologian martyred for his work on behalf of Latin America's oppressed." "Burke places Ellacuria's thought within the context of changes within the Roman Catholic Church and other historical trends, particularly Vatican II and the rise of liberation theology in Latin America."--BOOK JACKET.

An analysis of the thought of Ignacio Ellacuria, the Jesuit philosopher. It shows why Ellacuria is significant not only as a martyr but also as a theologian. It explains how Ellacuria bases theology in a philosophy of historical reality and interprets the suffering of "the crucified people" in the light of Jesus' crucifixion.

Ignacio Ellacuria was born on November 9, 1930, in the Basque town of Portugalete near Bilbao.

xviii, 244 p. ; 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index

2024-01-26