Josephine Massyngberde Ford?

[neophyte]

My dad’s reading her commentary on Revelation, in which she makes some sort of case that Revelation was written by John the Baptist and his disciples. I can’t find out much about her other than books for sale, and an oblique reference to her possible support of the ordination of women to Holy Orders. He’s putting stock in her because she was a professor at Notre Dame University, therefore what she says must be legit. Can anyone give me some more background on her?

Thanks.

 

[ahs]

I’ve never heard of her. But why would he put stock in her just because she was a professor at Notre Dame? Being a professor at a university doesn’t make one a Bible Scholar.
You know, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the largest elected party in the German Reichstag in 1933. Therefore, what he had to say about Jews in Germany MUST have been worth putting stock into…at least by that logic.
And Martin Luther was a very well educated Catholic Augustinian Priest. Therefore, what he had to say about the Church being wrong for 1,500 years on salvation was definitely worth putting stock into.

 

[neophyte]

I’ve never heard of her. But why would he put stock in her just because she was a professor at Notre Dame? Being a professor at a university doesn’t make one a Bible Scholar…:

Hey, I didn’t say it was reasonable, just that he’s doing it. shrug He’s protestant his whole life, Notre Dame’s supposed to be a Catholic school, she uses lots of references,…she’s gotta be in the Catholic mainstream, right? Oy vey… I can’t talk him out of it.

A number of documents written in support of women’s ordination refer to her work, but I’ve not been able to find anything of hers directly.

 

[commenter]

My dad’s reading her commentary on Revelation, in which she makes some sort of case that Revelation was written by John the Baptist and his disciples. I can’t find out much about her other than books for sale, and an oblique reference to her possible support of the ordination of women to Holy Orders. He’s putting stock in her because she was a professor at Notre Dame University, therefore what she says must be legit. Can anyone give me some more background on her?

Thanks.

She was a dissenter, just as some other well known dissenters were at Notre Dame Theology. Notre Dame Theology is not in any way under the Magisterium, since around 1970 or so. A teacher might choose to adhere to the Magisterium, but the university does not require this. There are a few colleges where the Theology faculty take an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium, but Notre Dame is not one of them.

Dissenting from the Catholic Faith won’t get a person fired. I don’t know if it will reduce one’s chances of getting hired; probably not.

 

[commenter]

Hey, I didn’t say it was reasonable, just that he’s doing it. shrug He’s protestant his whole life, Notre Dame’s supposed to be a Catholic school, she uses lots of references,…she’s gotta be in the Catholic mainstream, right? Oy vey… I can’t talk him out of it.

A number of documents written in support of women’s ordination refer to her work, but I’ve not been able to find anything of hers directly.

Notre Dame in recent years has directly defied their local bishop (and numerous other American bishops) by **honoring **politicians who oppose the Catholic faith, either “Catholic” or non Catholic. The same university leaders who defy their own local bishop, and also defy the Vatican by not implementing “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” also oversee the Theology Department.

I don’t mean ND is all bad; it is more Catholic than Indiana State University, for instance. There are elements in various departments favorable to Catholicism, more so at Notre Dame than at Ohio State University. But the university as a whole is not a “Catholic university” which it used to be, or the way Franciscan University of Steubenville still is.

 

[neophyte]

She was a dissenter, just as some other well known dissenters were at Notre Dame Theology.

That’s the feeling I was getting. Do you know of any links to her works that make it reasonably obvious?

 

[neophyte]

Notre Dame in recent years has directly defied their local bishop (and numerous other American bishops) by **honoring **politicians who oppose the Catholic faith, either “Catholic” or non Catholic.

I’m aware of that, but at the moment I’m interested in Dr. Ford, not Notre Dame.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Well, the lady is dead now, and she seems to have retired in 1998, which I believe was 3 years prior to the mandatum requirement. Don’t you think we need a little more than a vague reference to “some sort of case” before she and Notre Dame are dragged over the coals with respect to this specific matter / allegation?

 

[neophyte]

Well, the lady is dead now, and she seems to have retired in 1998, which I believe was 3 years prior to the mandatum requirement. Don’t you think we need a little more than a vague reference to “some sort of case” before she and Notre Dame are dragged over the coals with respect to this specific matter / allegation?

Dragged over the coals? What in the world are you talking about? I’m just trying to find out whether or not she was known for heterodoxy, and get some help finding the texts of her articles. So far I’ve come up dry, and it’ll be a while before I can spend the day driving over to hang out in a seminary library.