Disputed Truth: Memoirs (Volume 2) [Hardcover]

Hans Kung (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2008

Hans Küng has been a major influence on post-war Christianity by any reckoning. a peritus for the second Vatican council, he then went on to publish a number of controversial books, including Infallible?, which enraged the Vatican and caused him to lose the ecclesiastical approval of his teaching at the university of Tübingen. However, he remains a respected priest in good standing with his bishop.

Throughout all the upheavals that the Catholic Church has undergone in recent decades, Küng has been an outspoken observer, turning himself from enfant terrible to béte noire. However his world influence has been great. Whether speaking at the United Nations or consorting with politicians and religious leaders, he is always listened to with respect and enthusiasm. A string of recent books has added to the reputation—notably On Being a Christian and Does God Exist?

What is not so well known is that, as a young man, Küng was a close friend and confidant of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI). Over the years, however, they increasingly came to represent exactly what the other most despised. But on being appointed to the Holy See, Ratzinger had a long private meeting with Kung, the consequences of which may resonate within the Catholic Church for many years. In these thrilling memoirs Küng gives his personal account of all these struggles and ambitions. The result is a book of major importance for any student of the church in the 20th century. This second volume covers the period following the close of the Second Vatican Council right up to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Many will be fascniated by a blow-by-blow account of Kung's struggle with the vatican, and for the insight the book gives into the man himself." - Catholic Herald

"Kung's great strength lies in the sheer weight of his scholarship, his openness to evidence, and his passion for truth." - Church Times

Review in The Tablet.

"A book which makes absorbing reading for anyone interested in the course of 20th century Catholic history or the development of modern theology." Church of England Newspaper

"On the evidence of this book, Professor Kung is a just and congenial guide in this post-Vatican II age." - Renew

"Brilliantly written in snappy style and full of vim." - The Pastoral Review

"This volume begins with Küng as a young theologian making his mark at Vatican II and ends with the Vatican taking away his credentials as a Catholic theologian. As with virtually all memoirs, this is an exercise in self-justification. Küng offers his account of his decades-long struggle with the Vatican and in particular with Joseph Ratzinger, who went on to become Pope Benedict XVI. Küng likes a good fight, and his account of his theological skirmishes makes for engaging reading." —The Christian Century, December 16, 2008

Review in Times Literary Supplement.

"In this second installment of his memoirs, Kung spares no modesty in giving his rendition of some of the most harried events of the post-conciliar Church, many of which found him at the center of the controversies. The first volume (My Struggle for Freedom, 2003) explored his life in the years leading to the Second Vatican Council and Klung's role as a peritus. In Disputed Truth, Kung focuses on the extensive lecturing tours he has made in the Council's aftermath, the personalities and places he has encountered, as well as his numerous publications and the vicissitudes of his exchanges with the hierarchy. What comes through on every page is that this is his side of the story." —Patrick J. Hayes, Catholic Books Review, 2009

"As with all memoirs, Kung's Disputed Truth presents a life from one perspective. Given all that he's undergone though it's not mean-spirited. Rather, it is an act of self-defense by someone who has been one of recent Catholicism's most influential theologians." — St. Anthony Messenger (Michael J. Daley St. Anthony Messenger )

"This book of memoirs is an attempt by Kung to insure his legacy. They are testimony to the dimensions that the search and disputes for truth assumed in his life." —Lucien J. Richard, OMI Catholic Library World (Lucien J. Richard, OMI Catholic Library World )

"Kung and Joseph Ratzinger were the youngest priests participating in the Second Vatican Council. One of the two committed himself to the Catholic hierarchy and is now Pope Benedict XVI; here the voice of other continues his story through a period when his calls for reform were leading ever closer to the punitive measures that would eventually be taken to silence and discredit him. His major works during this time were Infallable? An Enquiry, On Being a Christian, and Does God Exist?. He stops to take another breath at 1980." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.

'Kung's autobiography is an honest exposure of the politics of the Catholic Church, the foibles of recent popes, and the internal workings of the powerful Curia in Rome.'

“This volume begins with Küng as a young theologian making his mark at Vatican II and ends with the Vatican taking away his credentials as a Catholic theologian. As with virtually all memoirs, this is an exercise in self-justification. Küng offers his account of his decades-long struggle with the Vatican and in particular with Joseph Ratzinger, who went on to become Pope Benedict XVI. Küng likes a good fight, and his account of his theological skirmishes makes for engaging reading.” –The Christian Century, December 16, 2008

“In this second installment of his memoirs, Kung spares no modesty in giving his rendition of some of the most harried events of the post-conciliar Church, many of which found him at the center of the controversies. The first volume (My Struggle for Freedom, 2003) explored his life in the years leading to the Second Vatican Council and Klung’s role as a peritus. In Disputed Truth, Kung focuses on the extensive lecturing tours he has made in the Council’s aftermath, the personalities and places he has encountered, as well as his numerous publications and the vicissitudes of his exchanges with the hierarchy. What comes through on every page is that this is his side of the story.” –Patrick J. Hayes, Catholic Books Review, 2009

"As with all memoirs, Kung's Disputed Truth presents a life from one perspective. Given all that he's undergone though it's not mean-spirited. Rather, it is an act of self-defense by someone who has been one of recent Catholicism's most influential theologians." — St. Anthony Messenger (, St. Anthony Messenger )

"This book of memoirs is an attempt by Kung to insure his legacy. They are testimony to the dimensions that the search and disputes for truth assumed in his life." —Lucien J. Richard, OMI Catholic Library World (, Catholic Library World )

'Kung’s autobiography is an honest exposure of the politics of the Catholic Church, the foibles of recent popes, and the internal workings of the powerful Curia in Rome.’

About the Author

Hans Kung is Emeritus Professor of Ecumenical Theology at the University of Tubingen and President of the Global Ethic Foundation. He is the author of numerous best selling books including On Being a Christian (Harper Collins).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (July 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826499104
• ISBN-13: 978-0826499103
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great autobiographies, July 19, 2008

By 

B. F. Mooney "biologist" (Mooresville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disputed Truth: Memoirs (Volume 2) (Hardcover)

This is a truly fine book.

The second volume of Dr. Hans Kung's memoirs is vintage Kung: encyclopedic, opinionated but fair, quite engaging in style, and fascinating in detail. Bowden's translation brilliantly conveys into English Kung's verve and intensity in German (I have to take this as the case based on opinions of friends who read German fluently) - translator and author are very well matched in talent. Highly recommended (indeed, required) reading for any student of modern religion, theology, Christianity, or the Roman Catholic Church. Kung's courage, honesty, and humanity come through clearly, as in his first volume, but here his style is even more relaxed. He is a towering figure in theology, a scholar of amazing intellect, and a great man, and there is much to take in and benefit from here.

His dedication to the gospel message of Christianity is telling and present throughout the book, and his love for this church is readily apparent - he is an fine example of the value and tenacity of "the loyal opposition."

This does come to the point: many readers will be curious about Kung's treatment of the controversy that has been central to his life, and this book is the one to read if you want his take on the events that made him a hero to those who love intellectual freedom and revere the true message of Christianity. Those people will also be angered by the decades of persecution Kung has suffered. It will also interest, but probably further enrage, those who hold very highly conservative views in the Roman Catholic church. I only hope that those in the latter camp will actually read the entire book and try to keep an open mind while doing so.

Kung's treatment of Dr. Joseph Ratzinger (the current Pope Benedict XVI) is detailed, very fair, and full of insight into this man as a person and a scholar. I can only say that you must read the whole book to appreciate the care Kung took in writing about his changing and complex relationship with Father Ratzinger.

One note: the Amazon Editorial Review is incorrect when it states that "This second volume covers the period following the close of the Second Vatican Council right up to the present day." That was Kung's intent when he closed volume one. But in this book he was only able to describe his life up to about 1980. There are only a few remarks about events after that year, scattered about the book and present in his opening and closing sections. He clearly state that, Deo Volente, he will conclude with a third volume that brings his life up to the present. I am glad that Kung made this decision, since, for historical reasons alone, we need the sort of detail he gives in the present book.

I am basically a Protestant in my orientation as a Christian, which influences my outlook as a person and as a professional scholar of religion; I hasten to add that I have always deeply respected the Roman Catholic Church, and Kung's many writings, including this book, have only increased my respect, admiration, and affection for this great denomination. Kung has fought nobly to return his church to it's true gospel roots and greatness, and for the reuniting of all Christendom, as well as for religious tolerance and religious freedom worldwide. I find this volume, and his life, very moving. May God grant this fine man the health and years to write the third installment of his autobiography, and perhaps other books as well.

This book is in the line of great autobiography, an Apologia Pro Vita Sua for our day. Five stars plus, Father Kung!!!!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the company of a great man of sacred and secular substance, September 6, 2008

By 

James Koenig "Jim Koenig" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disputed Truth: Memoirs (Volume 2) (Hardcover)

Hans Kung's writing is like spending time with a great elder statesman, professor, priest who humbly shares experience, insights,personal history, triumphs, battles, faith, and freedom. In a world that has many who would return to the 1950's as if it were a better time-- Kung has always had the faith and courage to be a progressive thinker who in the slow process of reform does not throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. That the hierarchy of the Roman Church stripped him of his teaching position for challenging policies like Papal Infallibility-- only makes a stronger case for examining the difference between faith and dogma. Or shall we call that the difference between faith and the snarfy "watchdog-ma" hierarchical system that emphasizes hierarchical power over the servant role of the priesthood. This book is also a wonderful contextual examination of contemporary European history. Wonderfully written-- albeit not a quick "throw away" read-- but well worth the time spent with Hans Kung. I've already bought the autobiography continued-- Disputed Truth: Memoirs II by Hans Kung--

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kueng's struggles and triumphs., June 11, 2009

By 

stratfordfirenze - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Disputed Truth: Memoirs (Volume 2) (Hardcover)

A well thought out book by one of the foremost thinkers in philosophy and religion that I have read out of the last century. What an incredible life! The book makes clear some things about Kueng and his life-long struggle to remain a person of deep and abiding faith in a time when sometimes faith seems impossible. It has never been a disappointment to hear what this great thinker has to say.