New, More Faithful Translation of "Theology of the Body"
Dr. Michael Waldstein, Graduate of the Class of 1977
(Fall 2007 Newsletter)
 The
theology of the body is one of Pope John Paul II's gifts to the
Church. Yet, translations, until recently, have not delivered the
work in the form the late pontiff had intended. Thanks to the perseverance
and meticulous research of a noted biblical scholar who is a graduate
of Thomas Aquinas College Class of 1977, John Paul II's masterpiece
has been newly translated and restored to its original meaning.
Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body was
published last fall by Pauline Books & Media and unveils in
a series of essays the divine plan for human spousal love and the
spousal meaning of the body as proclaimed by Christ. Its publication
was launched at an event hosted by His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the
Holy See to the United Nations, at the Permanent Observer Mission
of the Holy See to the United Nations, in a building that Pope John
Paul II dedicated in 1995.
Catholic Press Association Award
The new translation is the work of Dr. Michael M. Waldstein, Founding
President of the International Theological Institute for Studies
on Marriage and the Family in Gaming, Austria, and, with his wife
and fellow graduate, Susan, of the Class of 1978, a member of the
Pontifical Council for the Family.
Acclaimed by theologians around the world, this new translation
is a winner of the Catholic Press Association's (CPA) 2007 award
for theological books. Commenting on the award, the CPA says,
As theologians seek to understand the legacy of John Paul
II, Michael Waldstein has provided a tremendous service to the English
speaking world in this careful reconstruction of one of Karol Wojtyla's
pre-papal works that proved an essential resource for addresses
and reflections during his pontificate….Waldstein used a pre-1978
Polish typescript, preserved in the archives at Dom Polski
in Rome. This work will be a standard resource for anyone interested
in John Paul II's contribution to Catholic teaching of human sexuality,
marriage, celibacy, and much more.
Background
Dr. Waldstein is a highly-respected doctor of theology and professor.
He holds a Bachelors degree from Thomas Aquinas College, a doctorate
in philosophy from the University of Dallas, a licentiate in Scripture
from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, and a doctorate
of theology in New Testament from Harvard Divinity School. Before
moving to Austria to help found the International Theological Institute
for Studies on Marriage and the Family (ITI), he was for eight years
an associate professor of New Testament in the Program of Liberal
Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
No stranger to the theology of the body, Dr. Waldstein had taught
its concepts of the spiritual communion of life, love, marriage,
and sexuality for 10 years. "I had worked very hard to understand
the order of the argument," he recalls. "I thought I had
made real progress, but I always wished I could get my hands on
a division of the work by John Paul II himself."
The many problems inherent in translating the inspirational lectures
the Pope delivered in his general addresses between 1979 and 1984
were well known and frustrating to clergy, scholars, and lay readers
alike. Since the talks had been transcribed and translated by different
persons, problems with the text were inevitable-inadvertent omissions,
intentional edits, and many inconsistencies.
Discovery of a New Text
Realizing the compelling need for a new, systematic perspective
that considered the theology of the body as a whole, Dr. Waldstein
was confident that somewhere among John Paul II's papers there must
exist an outline he himself used while writing such a large and
complex work.
Based on that conviction, Dr. Waldstein decided to delve into
the John Paul II archives in Rome's Casa Polacca. Not knowing
Polish, he took with him a Polish colleague, Fr. Wojtek Janusiewicz.
After much probing, they located folders containing a Polish version
of the theology of the body. When Dr. Waldstein and his colleague
examined the documents, they were astonished to find that the Polish
text contained an elaborate system of 219 section and sub-section
headings-a crucial element of the work-consisting of some 1,600
words.
After careful consideration, they realized that the Polish version
was not a translation from the Italian, but in fact the exact opposite.
In their hands, they held an original manuscript of the theology
of the body that was completely unknown to scholars.
The New Translation
 Waldstein's
faith, perseverance, and dedication to the text have led to the
publication late last year of Man and Woman He Created Them:
A Theology of the Body. It features a foreword by His Eminence
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, O.P.
For this new edition, John Paul II's original system of chapter
headings has been translated from Polish for the first time. Dr.
Waldstein believes that the headings provide a substantial help
for readers. "That alone would have made it worthwhile to produce
a new edition," he explains. "In studying the book, the
impression of many people is that you don't know where you are and
where you're going. You understand that it's all extremely interesting
and profound, but you feel a bit at sea. Restoring the Pope's own
structure and headings really breaks open the text. I think the
orientation people will feel when they read it is a qualitative
leap from what was possible before."
He continues, saying, "The biggest difference, though, in this
translation, is that it provides the rigor of the Pope's thinking
and the clear order of thought throughout the work." Dr. Waldstein
also reveres the beauty and poetry of the Pontiff's language, saying,
"There are many passages about love that are transparent and
hauntingly beautiful." He adds that reading the theology of
the body is like climbing a very high mountain. "It takes a
good amount of effort, but you climb up all the time, which means
that you reach higher and higher levels. From the top, the view
is breathtaking. The Pope's words can be read by everybody."
In his foreword to the book, His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn
says,
Professor Waldstein shows in his Introdction, John Paul
II's teaching-even if in some respects new-is deeply rooted in the
Catholic tradition. . . .This new edition of the theology of the
body is the fruit of ten years of intensive work at the ITI in Austria,
founded at the request of John Paul II, which I serve as Grand Chancellor.
Professor Waldstein, ITI's founding President and St. Francis of
Assisi Professor of New Testament, brings this work to a first important
conclusion in his new translation and introduction. May God's blessing
accompany the further fruits of this work.
This article was compiled, in part, from press releases from CNA,
CPA, and Catholic PRWire.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Fall 2007
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