John Navone
Encyclopedia
John J. Navone S.J.
(born October 19, 1930) is a Jesuit
priest
, theologian, philosopher, educator, author
, raconteur, and Professor
Emeritus
of Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome, Italy. Having reached the mandatory age, he has retired from the Gregorian, returned to the Society's Oregon Province, and is now teaching at Gonzaga University
in Spokane, WA.
). He has five siblings: Joseph, James, George, Helen, and Catherine. He received his primary education at St. Anne School. His first three years of High School were spent at O'Dea High School
, operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers
. He transferred to the Jesuit Seattle Preparatory School
for his senior year, graduating from there in 1948.
Navone matriculated at Seattle University
his freshman year before entering the Jesuit novitiate of St. Francis Xavier at Sheridan, OR on 14 August 1949 and studied there for four years. The next step of his education was at the Mount St. Michael Philosophate, then a Jesuit Seminary associated with Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.
He received his master's degree in philosophy from Gonzaga in 1956. From 1959 to 1963 he studied theology at Regis College, University of Toronto
in Toronto, ON. From 1963 until 2009, he resided in Rome
, where he received his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University
in 1966 His doctoral dissertation, "History and Faith in the Thought of Dr. Alan Richardson" was published in 1966 by the SCM Press, London, marking the first time a Catholic doctoral dissertation was published by this Anglican - Protestant press. The book appeared in the Contemporary Theology Series to which Barr, Macquarrie, Moltmann, Ogden and Torrance contributed.
Navone began teaching biblical theology at the Gregorian University in 1967, spending his career in that department. He also taught courses in theology of history, narrative theology, and the theology and spirituality of beauty.
His interests in research, writing, and teaching never led him to an official administrative position at the Gregorian, but in the earlier years of his tenure there, the University lacked a formal organization for institutional development, and Navone began informal work along those lines. Because of his outgoing personality, he soon became an unofficial spokesperson for the University, particularly with the American media. These activities led to relationships with various bureau chiefs which in turn led to a number of articles in the media concerning "the Greg". These articles often contained comments made by Navone.
Navone made significant and relatively early contributions to the discipline of narrative theology. Leading sociologist Andrew Greeley wrote:
"There are, it seems to me, three tendencies in contemporary American Catholic theology, two positive and one disgraceful". . . "The second tendency, linked closely to the first in basic themes, but very different from it in approach is "story theology" or "narrative theology" with its paradigm of religious experience, religious symbol and religious story. John Navone and John Shea are the best known and the best practitioners. Their work is compatible with and accessible to some of the most exciting developments in American social scientific and humanistic thinking at the present time and has immediate practical implications for homiletics, catechetics and apologetics. Story theology is the greatest and, I think, most important theological development of our time and will so be judged for decades and centuries to come."
Navone's seminal work and collaboration with Catholic Theologian Johann Baptist Metz
on Narrative Theology, also called "The Theology of Story", have led to several Catholic and Protestant seminaries worldwide using his books as Theology textbooks.
As of 2010, Navone has involved himself with teaching a course of Thomistic philosophy and theology for the Catholic Studies program of the History Department of Gonzaga University
, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor. in the spring of 2010, he taught a course on Leadership and Spirituality for the Professional Leadership Department at Gonzaga.
Navone’s book Tellers of the Word was America (magazine)
’s Book of the Month Club selection for May 1981.
Of Navone's twenty-three books, five have been associated with the development of narrative theology and the work of Bernard Lonergan, his teacher and eventual colleague at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Two of his most recent books have won recognition in both Europe and the United States for his contribution to the theology and spirituality of beauty. Gesa E Thiessen [Theological Aesthetics: A Reader (London: SCM, 2004)] ranks Navone among 95 contributors to this field from the time of Justin Martyr in 165. Edward Farley of Vanderbilt University Divinity School calls attention to Navone's work in this field as one of the "five significant twentieth-century Catholic theologies of beauty" in his book Faith and Beauty: A theological Aesthetic (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001), pp. 74–81.
Navone was in Rome for the final years of Vatican II and was acquainted with many of the participants, including the observers from the Church of England. He forged friendships that led to the writing and publication of several of his books during these years.
Navone was keynote speaker at the Anglican clergy conference at St. George's House, Windsor Castle, England, Dec. 4 to 8, 1978. He addressed the 50 Anglican priests daily on "Communicating Christ", a subject which is the title of his book published in 1976.
"Vidal seems to delight in the company of clerics. One of the people he dines with in Rome is American Jesuit John Navone, a theologian at the Pontifical Gregorian University. When Navone once brought a group of visiting Jesuits to Vidal's apartment, Vidal greeted them with the question "Out for a night in Transylvania?" On another occasion, at dinner, Vidal teased Navone: "Now, John, tell us what your idea of heaven is…all about those angels." Navone gently replied: "There are no harps. We are already there. Heaven is communicating with friends." Moved, Vidal had nothing to say.
Magician Playmate
Mixed with the desire for mystery, though, is undoubtedly a desire for mere novelty. Jesuit Theologians John Navone of Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, who held a "Devil Day" at the Gregorian recently to discuss the theology of the Devil, so far is not seriously alarmed by the recrudescence of Satanism. In modern Devil cults, he argues, the Devil " is more often a type of magician playmate, the product of a Playboy culture rather than the malign personal being found in Scripture. These cults tend to use the Devil for a type of arcane amusement; whereas the unamusing Devil that appears in Scripture manages to use men for his dark purposes."
"Father Navone, an American who teaches at the Jesuits' Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, says such perplexities "no longer can be solved by a one-man fiat. The new Pope must avail himself of the wisdom of the church by calling a Vatican III to resolve the monumental doctrinal, disciplinary and moral problems."
Says Father John Navone of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome: "A kind of intellectualist bias has grown up: unless you are aware of the very latest academic theory about the Bible, you might as well not read it. The result is a dangerous gap between the thinking of elite universities and the beliefs of thriving congregations."
Asserts John Navone, a Jesuit theologian at Gregorian University: "They're (Opus Dei) in the forefront of the Vatican."
For the "Greg," as its students calls it, is the Church's Oxbridge, Sorbonne and Yale-Harvard, all combined in one. The Greg's Father John Navone calls it "the Crucible of Catholicism." It is the university for any seminarian who aspires to prestige and power in the Church: of today's cardinals, 35 percent attended the Gregorian; so did the last eight Popes.
"In traditional theology, the devil is a malfunctioning, deranged angel. Devils are a category of angels that slipped. There is a radical distinction there. They don't think right. They don't love right. Something that was created good went wrong. I think the basic Catholic does believe that there is a real devil and there are real devils."
Under the guise of obedience to the US church – which is so tolerant of those who criticize basic items of faith –they (dissidents) can attack teaching from Rome, and still appear to be good Catholics. As Father John Navone, of the Gregorian University of Rome says, this will have the effect of eliminating from theology all Vatican teaching that is not declared infallible. Theologians are in effect putting themselves above the church.
The Pope is now calling his theologians to order. Dissent is feasible, even under this Pope, but it has to be loyal. "To do the opposite," says Father Navone, "to prize dissent and contradiction for their own sake, is often to author theology that is immediately appealing, but is likely to die on the vine. In the long term the church will simply not recognize it as its own."
"Anyone who does not adhere to the basic commitments of the Catholic tradition," says Father Navone, "should not style himself a Catholic theologian."
"I think what makes this university incomparable is that when we give a written examination, the student has the right to turn in his paper in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German or English," said the Reverend John Navone of Seattle, a professor of New Testament Theology, who has taught at the Gregorian since 1967. "Most professors can handle an examination in any of those six languages – plus Latin."
Father Navone said the university may appear quieter today, in comparison to the ferment of 1970, because "many of the things that were once considered startling new changes have just become part of life here. If the mood is quieter now than it was a decade ago, this has had no impact on academic freedom at the Gregorian, Father Navone said."The attitude seems to be that if you have been approved to teach here, nobody is worried about what you teach or how you teach it. The Gregorian is dynamically in the center. It is certainly not conservative when you think of some of the other institutions in Rome and elsewhere. On the other hand, it is certainly not as daring as some other places."
"But for the Roman Catholic Church, the conversion of a Jew poses fewer problems than that of a Protestant", said the Reverend John Navone of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. "Since we both hold the Old Testament to be true," he said, "there is no problem for us in accepting Jews and no need for them to renounce their previous beliefs."
“Navone who is an American, said the findings (of the Pew survey) were meaningless without a clearer definition of religion, and he strongly contested the suggestion that Italian people were not spiritual. Going to Mass every Sunday might be an indication of religious faith, but was not a proof of it, he said. “All the problems that Jesus had were with religious people,” Navone added. According to the time, the Scribes and Pharisees had religion, and Jesus didn’t at all.
Navone said some of the most “obnoxious” people he knew profess to be religious, and some of the most religious were those who did not pretend to have the answers. “The truly religiou people I know don’t boast about it,” Navone said. “They have a radical humility. And that goes for Einstein as well.”
Navone said many American who profess to be religious had a warped sense of religion. They think religion is real estate and “they define the Kingdom of God with a geopolitical reality,” he said. He assailed what he called the “crackpots” in U.S. fundamentalist Protestantism, whom he said were inciting war in the Middle East “because they think it will hasten the second coming of Christ.”
"A longtime Jesuit theologian in Rome said today Pope Benedict XVI will be a clear doctrinal teacher who will attempt to reaffirm the Roman Catholic Church's roots in Europe and end what he called the "dumbing down"" of Christian faith.
"We are going to see the real Joseph Ratzinger," said the Reverend John Navone, who teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University. "He is a renaissance man of many qualities, really a profound theologian."
Reverend Navone said the choice of the Pope's name taps deep into the roots of European culture and probably was intended to refer to Saint Benedict of Nursia, the 6th-century founder of the Benedictine Order, which preserved Christian civilization and writing through the Dark Ages."
Reverend Navone said the new pope, who has written a book about Europe, was determined to restore Christian doctrine in a continent where congregations are abandoning the church en masse, even if it means a smaller and purer church.
The new pope, who warned about the "dictatorship of relativism" in a homily before entering the conclave, "is going to clarify the meaning of Christianity and Catholicism," for teachers in Catholic universities. "And Catholics are going to find out what their faith is all about." "He is going to be an antidote to those who say that all religions are the same," while firmly promoting Christian values amid the rise of Islam.
The new pope will also be "the best antidote against the dumbing down of Catholicism," Reverend Navone said. "I think he is going to demand more quality and better preparation for teachers in Catholic universities."
Reverend Navone said that the new pope was "an extremely intelligent traditionalist" and at the same time a modest man whose talents had been eclipsed by "the showman pope." He said that is was providential that the new pope's first trip outside Italy would be to a world youth festival in Cologne this August. But after that, he said the pope would probably choose to remain in the Vatican and provide doctrinal thinking for the Church rather than repeating John Paul's frenetic globetrotting.
Reverend Navone said the conclave's decision was the most dramatic affirmation of the role of the German Church since the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. For a country that has experienced "so much humiliation" in its recent history, the election would reaffirm "the German role in the Christian history of Europe," he said.
Reverend Navone said German thought brought a profound theological tradition to the Church, but that the pope "has probably the best sense of history and culture" of all the cardinals. "It is a marvelous affirmation of what the German Church has to offer," he said.
"Overall," Navone says,"the Catholic Church has taken the role of mediator between the United States and the rest of the world. There's only one superpower, the United States. The church is trying very much to be the peacemaker."
Navone and others suggest that the planned visit to Cuba may accelerate the pace of change in that country, just as the ties with Libya may allow the diplomatically isolated Gadhafi means to re-establish dialogue with Europe and the U.S.
1967 Personal Witness: A Biblical Spirituality (New York: Sheed & Ward), 239 pages.
1968 Temoignage Personnel: Une spiritualité biblique (Mulhouse).
1968 Testimonio personal: Una espiritualidad biblica (Santander).
1969 Il dogma trinitario (Rome: Gregorian University), 70 pages.
1969 Bibliografia lucana de articoli (Rome: Gregorian University), 78 pages.
1970 Themes of St. Luke (Rome: Gregorian University), 247 pages.
1971 Theologies of History (Rome: Gregorian University), 185 pages.
1974 A Theology of Failure (New York: Paulist Press), 129 pages.
1974 Everyman's Odyssey: Seven Plays Seen as Modern Myths about Man's Quest for Personal Integrity (Rome: Gregorian University), 251 pages.
1976 Communicating Christ (Slough, U.K.: St. Paul Publications), 239 pages.
1976 Teologia del fallimento (Alba: Edizioni Paoline), 245 pages.
1977 Towards a Theology of Story (Slough, U.K.: St. Paul Publications), 239 pages.
1979 The Jesus Story: Our Life as Story in Christ (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 254 pages.
1981 Tellers of the Word (New York: LeJacq), (Book of the Month Selection), 341 pages.
1984 Gospel Love: A Narrative Theology (Wilmington: Michael Glazier), 159 pages.
1984 Triumph Through Failure (Homebush, Australia: St. Paul Publications), 187 pages.
1985 Freedom and Transformation in Christ (Rome: Gregorian University), 159 pages.
1986 The Story of the Passion (Rome: Gregorian University), 415 pages.
1986 Narratori della Parola (Casale Monferrato: Edizioni Piemme), 335 pages.
1986 L'amore evangelico (Rome: Borla), 204 pages.
1986 The Dynamic of the Question in Narrative Theology (Rome: Gregorian U.), 110 pages.
1989 Self-giving and Sharing: The Trinity and Human Fulfillment (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 161 pages.
1990 Seeking God in Story (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 335 pages.
1990 Dono di sé e comunione: la Trinità e l'umana realizzazione (Assisi: Cittadella Editrice), 269 pages.
1996 Towards a Theology of Beauty (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 91 pages.
1996 The Land and the Spirit of Italy (New York: Legas), 215 pages.
1998 Verso una teologia della bellezza (Milan: Paoline), 118 pages.
1998 The Land and the Spirit of Italy: The Texture of Italian Religious Culture. Revised and Expanded Edition (New York: Legas), 223 pages.
1998 Italia Natura e Genio, tr. by Saverio di Paola, scj (Rome: Edizioni Dehoniane), pp. 316, wins the National Prize "Premio Capri - S. Michele" XV Edition.
1999 Enjoying God's Beauty (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 134 pages.
1999 Em busca de uma teologia da beleza (São Paulo: Paulus), 123 pages.
2001 Lead, Radiant Spirit - Our Gospel Quest (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 128 pages.
1963 "In Our Image and Likeness," November
1964 "The Parable of the Banquet," November
1965 "Leading Ideas in St. John's Gospel," November
1965 "We Have Seen His Glory," December
1968 "The Glory and Humiliation of Christ: Luke's Diptych Development, Feb
1968 "The Fatherhood of God in Luke," December
1970 "The Lucan Banquet Community," December
1971 "Time," October
1972 "The Journey Theme in Luke-Acts," February
1972 "The Apocalyptic Theology of History," March
1972 "Characteristics of Apocalyptic," April
1973 "Biblical Conflict with Magic and Sorcery," February
1973 "Speeches in Acts," March
1975 "Dreams in the Bible, November
1999 "Spiritual Journey in the New Testament," May/June
1999 "The Mountain of God," July/August
2000 "The Ungracious Refuser of Festivities," May/June
2000 "Garden and Wilderness Metaphors," September/October
2000 "The Fullness and Abundance of God," November/December
2001 "Famine, Hunger, and Thirst in the Bible," May/June
2001 "Spiritual Pedagogy in the Gospel of Mark," July/August
2002 "The Compassion of Jesus in John," March
2002 "The Compassion of Jesus in the Synoptics," July
2002 "Death, Satan and Sin," November
2003 "Preeminence Among Biblical Siblings," March
2004 "Luke-Acts and the Roman Empire," July/August
2004 "The Messianic Banquet of Wisdom," September/October
2005 "Shepherding in the Hebrew Bible," March
2006 "The Way and the Journey in Luke-Acts," March
2006 "Luke's Banquet Theme: Five Aspects," July/August
2007 "Scriptures for Remembering," May/June
2008 "Write a Gospel," January
1974 The Theology of Failure, LXXIV/5, February
1975 The Social Responsibility of Christians, LXXV/10, July
1976 Christian minimalism vs. ideological maximalism, LXXVI/7, April 1976
1980 The graves of craving and self-fulfillment, LXXXI/2, November
1986 What is "love"?, LXXXVI/6, March l986
1987 Communicating Christ as a friend, LXXXVIII/1, October
1988 Saints for all seasons, LXXXVIII/5, February
1988 Salvation without God? LXXXIX/1, October
1990 The image and glory of God, XCI/1, October
1992 Media hostility to religion, XCII/11-12, August–September
1998 Spiritual acedia, torpor and depression, XCIX/11-12, August–September
2000 The uniqueness of Jesus Christ, C/11-12, August–September
2001 Christianity, modernity, postmodernity, CI/11-12, August–September
2002 No tradition—no civilization, CIII/1, October
2003 God's saving beauty, CIII/5, February
2004 Healing the Heart, CIV/4, January
2004 Theological Pitfalls and Their Consequences, CV/3, December
2005 The Nearness of God, CVI/6 June
2005 Our Triune God, October
2006 "God Alone is Good," (Mark 10:18), May
2006 Our Adversary, August
2006 The Vision, Hope and Love of Christ, November
2007 Heroes, saints and leaders for human development, CVII/8, May
2007 Our Creator God, CVII/9, June
2009 God reminds us to Remember, May
1984 Love is Patient 87/11, November
1984 Love Pays Attention 87/12, December
1986 Jesus: The Life Story for Human Development and Fulfillment (C.F.), 89/1, January
1986 Learning to Know God (Cover Feature), 89/2, February
1986 Suffering Out of Love (Cover Feature), 89/3, March
1987 Christ's Freedom for All, 90/2, February
1987 For Peace: the first commandment (Cover Feature), 90/9, September
1987 Our Question-Raising God, 90/10, October
1988 Finding Ourselves in the Jesus Story (C.F.), 90/2, February
1988 The Church An Icon of the Trinity (C.F.), 90/11, November
1989 Spiritual Amnesia: Identity Crisis, 91/2, February
1989 Attention Given 91/3, March
1989 Home, homelessness and homecoming 91/9, September
1990 No escape from finitude, 92/2, February
1990 No escape from finitude, 92/3, March
1998 Saint Francis and Bonaventure's vision, 100/10, October
1974 The Myth and Dream of Paradise, November
1984 The Sense of an Ending, January
1984 Mark's Story of the Death of Jesus, March
1987 Three Versions of Life: the pastoral, tragic and melodramatic, September
1991 The Greatest Christian Hero, Philosopher and Poet: Dawson's Italian Trinity, June
1992 Columbus was not Eichmann, March
1992 Icons and Glory, May
1993 Scripture for Christian Conversion, January
1993 Opera: The Creative Expression of Italy, September
1994 Pre-Renaissance Tuscan and Franciscan Humanism, May
1994 Siena Icon of the Common Good: Lorenzetti and Lonergan, October
1996 American Art Cultural Crisis, April
1999 Italy in the High Middle Ages ll50 - 1309, May
2003 No tradition, no civilization, February
2004 Divine and Human Hospitality, May
2006 Are There Any Catholic Theologians?. January
1955 Colonial Peoples Come of Age (Jan. 29)
1956 Southern Italy: Land Reborn (Jan. l)
1956 Southern Italy: Mission Country? (Oct. 27)
1960 Canada's Immigration Problems (April 23)
1962 Teenagers and the Unknown God (June 30)
1964 Noonday Land (Jan. 11)
1972 Italian Politics: More Parties than People? (Mar. 18)
1972 Italy—An Environmental Disaster Area? (June 3)
1973 How Italian View Religion (April 23)
1989 Italy's Re-Renaissance (Dec. 1989)
1991 Fortress Europe Faces Immigrants (Dec. 7)
1989 The Gospel Norm of True Love (July/Aug. 3/7)
1990 Divine and Human Conflict (March 4/3)
1963 Fellini's La Dolce Italia (Mar.15)
1972 Italy: Can Democracy Survive? (Jan.7)
1973 The Monk as Criminal (July 27)
1974 The Next Conclave (June14)
1985 Narrative Theology: One Approach (16, Autumn)
1986 The Dynamic of the Question (17, Spring)
1991 Glenn Tinder's Prophetic Spirituality (28,)
1995 Siena's Saints of Civility (36, Autumn)
1996 John Edwards' Theology of Beauty (38, Autumn)
2005 The Sending of the Spirit (55, Summer)
1987 The Question-Raising Word of God (July)
1988 The Last Day and the Last Supper in Mark's Gospel (January)
1986 Narrative Theology: A Survey (52/3)
1987 The Dynamics of the Question in the Quest for God (XII/3)
1968 Lucan Joy (Feb. XX/50)
1968 The Temptation Account in St. Luke (4, 1-13) (March, XX/51)
1968 The Holy Spirit (April, XX/52)
1968 Prayer (October, XX/52)
1975 Possession and Exorcism (July)
1990 Heroes, Saints and Leaders: Models for Human Development (Feb. XI/1)
1991 The Transforming Power of Beauty (Feb. XII/1)
1992 The Conversion Dynamic of Biblical Themes (Nov. XIII/3)
1968 "Glory" in Pauline and Johannine Thought (Jan. 41/1)
1969 Remembering and Worship (Nov. 43/9)
1974 Italian Devils as Symbols of Evil in English Literature (Summer, 27/81)
1975 The Archetypal Symbol and Christotheraphy (Part 1) (Summer 28/84)
1975 The Archetypal Symbol and Christotheraphy (Part 2) (Autumn 29/85)
1974 Italian Devils of Anglo-Saxon Literature (March 28/3)
1975 Where Have All the Heroes Gone? (May)
2002 The Resurrection (March–April, 34/2)
2003 Patriarchs of Faith, Hope and Love (Jan.- Feb., 35/1)
2003 Grief and Grieving (May–June, 35/3)
2004 The Passion and Death of Jesus in John's Gospel (March–April, 36/2
1966 "Memories make the future," December
1963 "Jeremiah: Man of God," March
1965 "God's Gifts to Our Old Testament Fathers," May
1975 "The Search for the Self: The Christ-self and the Christ-figures," 34/1, Jan.
1976 "Openness Communicating the Vision of God," 35/4, July
1979 "Write a Gospel," 38/5, Sept.
1980 "Four Gospels: Four Stages of Christian Maturation,"39/4, July
1981 "Bipolarities in Conversion," 40/3, May/June
1982 "Conversion Expressed in Dialogue and Story," 41/5, Sept./Oct.
1983 "Conversion and Conflict," 42/2, March/April
1984 "Tell the Story of the Lord and His People,"43/5, Sept./Oct.
1985 "Christian Conversion: Suffering Out of Love," 44/1, Jan./Feb.
1986 "The Dynamic of the Question in the Search for God," 45/6, Nov./Dec.
1991 "In a Glass Darkly: The Awareness of God," 50/4, July/Aug.
1992 "Four Italian Boundary Stories," VI/1
1992 "The Italian 'Spirit of Place,'" VI/6
1993 "Pre-Renaissance Franciscan and Tuscan Humanism," VII/2-3
1993 "Opera: The Creative Expression of Italy," VII/6
1994 "The People and Landscapes of Italy," VIII/5-6
1995 "Eighteenth-Century Lucca: Model of Civility," IX/1
1995 "Two Exponents of the Integrating Spirit of Italy," IX/2
1995 "Six Regions with an Affinity to Italy," IX/3
2000 "Ascoli Piceno, Travertine Splendor," XVI/12
2003 "Civic Legacies of Medieval Italy," XVIII/19
2003 "The Integrating Dynamic of Italian Art," XIX/21
1976-77 "The divided self and its healing," (6/6 /fall / automne)
1990 "The Cost of Ongoing Christian Conversion" (46/2, Juin)
"Carlo Martini and the Gospel Matrix for Christian Formation in the Light of Lonergan's Conversion Theology," pp. 29 – 43.
1997 "Good and Bad Government," 30/3, March
1997 "A Lorenzetti Masterpiece," 30/10, October
1998 "Enjoying True Beauty," 31/3, March
1999 "Italy's pictorial culture 1300-1600," 32/2, February
2000 "Two pearls of Renaissance Italy," 33/2, February
2001 "Sano di Pietro," 34/2, February
1998 "The Dynamic of Contemplation in the Synoptic Gospels," October–November
1963 "Reverence for the Individual as an Expression of the Divine Mind and Will," January
1957 "Christianity and the Vedic Tradition," XVIII/2, December
1975 "Christian Responsibility for the Environment," 169/10, December
1978 "Christ, The Beatitude of God," 29/11, November
1976 "Theologian as Interpreter of Dreams," 22/2, Summer
1963 "The Priest and His Friends," April
1966 "The Witness," July
2007 "Christ's Saving Grace,' pp. 16–17, September/October
2007 "Sharing the Love of Jesus," p. 65, November/December
2008 "Write a Gospel," pp. 13–16, March/April
1994 "The Geography of Nowhere Has a Chianti Counterpart" March 8
, the Vatican City newspaper.
1998 (reprinted 2002) Ed. Sodi, Manilio. La teologia narrative in Il Dizionario di Omiletia. Bergano: Elle Di Ci-Velar, Leumann
1987 Eroi, modelli, santi e "leader," 138/3298, 340-352.
1988 Tre interpretazioni della vita: bucolica, tragica e melodrammatica, 139/3324, 545-558.
1989 L'ultima cena nel Vangelo di Marco, 139/3307, 13-19.
1990 Il paradosso della Chiesa nel mondo, 141/33358, 350-358.
1990 Spiritualitá degli itinerari biblici, 141/3363/3364, 238-247.
1991 Il mistero di Dio interpella l'uomo, 142/3373, 23-32.
1992 Tendenze religiose in USA, 143/3401, 453-457.
1994 Il ciclo di dipinti del Lorenzetti nel Municipio di Siena e la dimension sociale del cristianesimo, 145/3453, 249-259.
1995 La crsisi culturale negli Stati Uniti, 146/3485, 371-384.
1998 Genova nella storia dell'Europa, 149/3545, 361-374.
1999 La matrice evangelica della formazione cristiana, 150/3572, 162-169.
1999 Quale cultura religiosa negli Stati Uniti?, 150/3581, 380-392.
2002 Il valore dell'arte cristiana, 153/3645, 255-264.
2005 La politica estera degli Stati Uniti secondo Z. Brzezinski, 156/3717, 258-269.
2008 Il nazionalismo e eccezionalismo americano, 159/3748, 349-362.
1985 Teologia narrativa: una rassegna delle sue applicazioni (sett-ott. XXVI/5)
2001 Il pelligrinaggio alla montagna di Dio (marzo-aprile XLII/2)
2002 Il mistero pasquale (marzo-aprile, XLIII/2)
2003 La scrittura per la conversione cristiana (marzo-aprile XLIV/2)
2004 Le parabole di Gesú (novembre-dicembre XLV/4)
2006 Ospitalita e accoglienza: L'invito di Dio all'uomo (magio-giugno XLVII/3)
1991 Il ricordarsi divino e umano (lettura) (Maggio-Giugno 46/3)
1995 La teologia della bellezza in Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), (VI/2)
1968 “Tentazione” pp. 1583–1597
1993 Conversao e tema biblicos (May/June)
1995 Impacto cultural del S. Francisco (Oct.)
1996 A Crise Cultural Americana (Jan.)
1996 A Teologia do Belo segundo Jonathan Edwards (Mar).
1996 A festa em Josef Pieper (Jan.)
1996 O povo e as Paisagengs da Itália (April)
1996 Carlo Martini e a Formacao Crista (Dec.)
1997 A cultura pictórica da Italia (Mar/April)
1998 A Italia na Alta Idade Media (May/June)
1998 Génova, gonzo da Europa (Sept/Oct)
1999 Saboreando a verdadeira beleza (July/Aug.)
2000 Trinidade e pessoa humana (April)
2000 A guerra americana da cultura (Aug/Sept.)
2000 Critica da cultura americana (Oct.)
2000 Legados civicos da Itália Medieval (Nov.)
2001 Consumismo e declínio cultural (Nov.)
2002 Religiao e politica na América (Feb.)
2002 Beleza para chegar a Deus (May/June)
2003 Character unico de Jesus Cristo (Oct.)
1990 L'echec dans le theatre contemporain, fevrier
1991 Les bons e le mechant, avril
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(born October 19, 1930) is a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, theologian, philosopher, educator, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, raconteur, and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome, Italy. Having reached the mandatory age, he has retired from the Gregorian, returned to the Society's Oregon Province, and is now teaching at Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
in Spokane, WA.
Early life
John Joseph Navone was born in Seattle, WA on 19 October 1930, the son of Giacomo "Jack" Navone and Juliet Micheli Navone. At the time of his birth, his father was not yet a US Citizen, so Navone has dual citizenship in the United States and Italy (and therefore the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
). He has five siblings: Joseph, James, George, Helen, and Catherine. He received his primary education at St. Anne School. His first three years of High School were spent at O'Dea High School
O'Dea High School
O'Dea High School is a Catholic boys' high school located on Seattle's First Hill, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. The school is named after Edward John O'Dea who was bishop of Seattle when the school was built....
, operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
. He transferred to the Jesuit Seattle Preparatory School
Seattle Preparatory School
Seattle Preparatory School, popularly known as Seattle Prep is a private Jesuit high school located on Capitol Hill, in Seattle. It was founded in 1891 and has maintained a long history of academic excellence. The school regularly sends many of its students to Ivy League and 'highly selective'...
for his senior year, graduating from there in 1948.
Education
Seattle University
Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
his freshman year before entering the Jesuit novitiate of St. Francis Xavier at Sheridan, OR on 14 August 1949 and studied there for four years. The next step of his education was at the Mount St. Michael Philosophate, then a Jesuit Seminary associated with Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA.
He received his master's degree in philosophy from Gonzaga in 1956. From 1959 to 1963 he studied theology at Regis College, University of Toronto
Regis College, University of Toronto
Regis College is a theological college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1930 and affiliated with the Society of Jesus. It is an entirely postgraduate college and a member institution of the Toronto School of Theology.-History:...
in Toronto, ON. From 1963 until 2009, he resided in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he received his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in 1966 His doctoral dissertation, "History and Faith in the Thought of Dr. Alan Richardson" was published in 1966 by the SCM Press, London, marking the first time a Catholic doctoral dissertation was published by this Anglican - Protestant press. The book appeared in the Contemporary Theology Series to which Barr, Macquarrie, Moltmann, Ogden and Torrance contributed.
Academic career
In 1956 through 1959, he taught Latin, French, German, and Sociology at Seattle Preparatory School.Navone began teaching biblical theology at the Gregorian University in 1967, spending his career in that department. He also taught courses in theology of history, narrative theology, and the theology and spirituality of beauty.
His interests in research, writing, and teaching never led him to an official administrative position at the Gregorian, but in the earlier years of his tenure there, the University lacked a formal organization for institutional development, and Navone began informal work along those lines. Because of his outgoing personality, he soon became an unofficial spokesperson for the University, particularly with the American media. These activities led to relationships with various bureau chiefs which in turn led to a number of articles in the media concerning "the Greg". These articles often contained comments made by Navone.
Navone made significant and relatively early contributions to the discipline of narrative theology. Leading sociologist Andrew Greeley wrote:
"There are, it seems to me, three tendencies in contemporary American Catholic theology, two positive and one disgraceful". . . "The second tendency, linked closely to the first in basic themes, but very different from it in approach is "story theology" or "narrative theology" with its paradigm of religious experience, religious symbol and religious story. John Navone and John Shea are the best known and the best practitioners. Their work is compatible with and accessible to some of the most exciting developments in American social scientific and humanistic thinking at the present time and has immediate practical implications for homiletics, catechetics and apologetics. Story theology is the greatest and, I think, most important theological development of our time and will so be judged for decades and centuries to come."
Navone's seminal work and collaboration with Catholic Theologian Johann Baptist Metz
Johann Baptist Metz
Johann Baptist Metz is a Catholic theologian. He is Ordinary Professor of Fundamental Theology, Emeritus, at Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster, Germany....
on Narrative Theology, also called "The Theology of Story", have led to several Catholic and Protestant seminaries worldwide using his books as Theology textbooks.
As of 2010, Navone has involved himself with teaching a course of Thomistic philosophy and theology for the Catholic Studies program of the History Department of Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor. in the spring of 2010, he taught a course on Leadership and Spirituality for the Professional Leadership Department at Gonzaga.
Navone’s book Tellers of the Word was America (magazine)
America (magazine)
America is a national weekly magazine published by the American Jesuits that contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life....
’s Book of the Month Club selection for May 1981.
Religious career
John J. Navone entered the Society of Jesus in 1949 and was ordained in 1962.Of Navone's twenty-three books, five have been associated with the development of narrative theology and the work of Bernard Lonergan, his teacher and eventual colleague at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Two of his most recent books have won recognition in both Europe and the United States for his contribution to the theology and spirituality of beauty. Gesa E Thiessen [Theological Aesthetics: A Reader (London: SCM, 2004)] ranks Navone among 95 contributors to this field from the time of Justin Martyr in 165. Edward Farley of Vanderbilt University Divinity School calls attention to Navone's work in this field as one of the "five significant twentieth-century Catholic theologies of beauty" in his book Faith and Beauty: A theological Aesthetic (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001), pp. 74–81.
Navone was in Rome for the final years of Vatican II and was acquainted with many of the participants, including the observers from the Church of England. He forged friendships that led to the writing and publication of several of his books during these years.
Navone was keynote speaker at the Anglican clergy conference at St. George's House, Windsor Castle, England, Dec. 4 to 8, 1978. He addressed the 50 Anglican priests daily on "Communicating Christ", a subject which is the title of his book published in 1976.
Quotations in Major Media
Father Navone has been quoted in a number of major publications, and these quotations help to reveal his love for people, his talents as theologian and social commentator, and his gift as a storyteller.Friendship with Gore Vidal
Father Navone developed a friendship with author Gore Vidal during his years in Rome. When Time magazine did a cover article on Vidal, the friendship was mentioned:"Vidal seems to delight in the company of clerics. One of the people he dines with in Rome is American Jesuit John Navone, a theologian at the Pontifical Gregorian University. When Navone once brought a group of visiting Jesuits to Vidal's apartment, Vidal greeted them with the question "Out for a night in Transylvania?" On another occasion, at dinner, Vidal teased Navone: "Now, John, tell us what your idea of heaven is…all about those angels." Navone gently replied: "There are no harps. We are already there. Heaven is communicating with friends." Moved, Vidal had nothing to say.
Satanism
From Time cover story "Satan Returns"Magician Playmate
Mixed with the desire for mystery, though, is undoubtedly a desire for mere novelty. Jesuit Theologians John Navone of Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, who held a "Devil Day" at the Gregorian recently to discuss the theology of the Devil, so far is not seriously alarmed by the recrudescence of Satanism. In modern Devil cults, he argues, the Devil " is more often a type of magician playmate, the product of a Playboy culture rather than the malign personal being found in Scripture. These cults tend to use the Devil for a type of arcane amusement; whereas the unamusing Devil that appears in Scripture manages to use men for his dark purposes."
In Search of a Pope
From Time cover story "In Search of a Pope":"Father Navone, an American who teaches at the Jesuits' Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, says such perplexities "no longer can be solved by a one-man fiat. The new Pope must avail himself of the wisdom of the church by calling a Vatican III to resolve the monumental doctrinal, disciplinary and moral problems."
Who Was Jesus?
From Time cover story "Who was Jesus"Says Father John Navone of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome: "A kind of intellectualist bias has grown up: unless you are aware of the very latest academic theory about the Bible, you might as well not read it. The result is a dangerous gap between the thinking of elite universities and the beliefs of thriving congregations."
The Opus Dei Code
From Time cover story "The Opus Dei Code":Asserts John Navone, a Jesuit theologian at Gregorian University: "They're (Opus Dei) in the forefront of the Vatican."
A Wind of Change
Father Navone as qoted in Life Magazine:For the "Greg," as its students calls it, is the Church's Oxbridge, Sorbonne and Yale-Harvard, all combined in one. The Greg's Father John Navone calls it "the Crucible of Catholicism." It is the university for any seminarian who aspires to prestige and power in the Church: of today's cardinals, 35 percent attended the Gregorian; so did the last eight Popes.
Who The Devil Is
Father Navone wrote in his Life article:"In traditional theology, the devil is a malfunctioning, deranged angel. Devils are a category of angels that slipped. There is a radical distinction there. They don't think right. They don't love right. Something that was created good went wrong. I think the basic Catholic does believe that there is a real devil and there are real devils."
Quotation in The Times
Father Navone was featured in a 1989 Times article:Under the guise of obedience to the US church – which is so tolerant of those who criticize basic items of faith –they (dissidents) can attack teaching from Rome, and still appear to be good Catholics. As Father John Navone, of the Gregorian University of Rome says, this will have the effect of eliminating from theology all Vatican teaching that is not declared infallible. Theologians are in effect putting themselves above the church.
The Pope is now calling his theologians to order. Dissent is feasible, even under this Pope, but it has to be loyal. "To do the opposite," says Father Navone, "to prize dissent and contradiction for their own sake, is often to author theology that is immediately appealing, but is likely to die on the vine. In the long term the church will simply not recognize it as its own."
"Anyone who does not adhere to the basic commitments of the Catholic tradition," says Father Navone, "should not style himself a Catholic theologian."
Barry James article on the Gregorian
The International Herald Tribune quotes Father Navone:"I think what makes this university incomparable is that when we give a written examination, the student has the right to turn in his paper in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German or English," said the Reverend John Navone of Seattle, a professor of New Testament Theology, who has taught at the Gregorian since 1967. "Most professors can handle an examination in any of those six languages – plus Latin."
Father Navone said the university may appear quieter today, in comparison to the ferment of 1970, because "many of the things that were once considered startling new changes have just become part of life here. If the mood is quieter now than it was a decade ago, this has had no impact on academic freedom at the Gregorian, Father Navone said."The attitude seems to be that if you have been approved to teach here, nobody is worried about what you teach or how you teach it. The Gregorian is dynamically in the center. It is certainly not conservative when you think of some of the other institutions in Rome and elsewhere. On the other hand, it is certainly not as daring as some other places."
Barry James article on Madeleine Albright's Conversion
James again quotes Navone:"But for the Roman Catholic Church, the conversion of a Jew poses fewer problems than that of a Protestant", said the Reverend John Navone of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. "Since we both hold the Old Testament to be true," he said, "there is no problem for us in accepting Jews and no need for them to renounce their previous beliefs."
Barry James article on Americans and Religion
“Just because people say they are religious, does not make it so, no more than if they say they are intelligent or moral,” said Father John Navone, a Jesuit at the Gregorian University in Rome.“Navone who is an American, said the findings (of the Pew survey) were meaningless without a clearer definition of religion, and he strongly contested the suggestion that Italian people were not spiritual. Going to Mass every Sunday might be an indication of religious faith, but was not a proof of it, he said. “All the problems that Jesus had were with religious people,” Navone added. According to the time, the Scribes and Pharisees had religion, and Jesus didn’t at all.
Navone said some of the most “obnoxious” people he knew profess to be religious, and some of the most religious were those who did not pretend to have the answers. “The truly religiou people I know don’t boast about it,” Navone said. “They have a radical humility. And that goes for Einstein as well.”
Navone said many American who profess to be religious had a warped sense of religion. They think religion is real estate and “they define the Kingdom of God with a geopolitical reality,” he said. He assailed what he called the “crackpots” in U.S. fundamentalist Protestantism, whom he said were inciting war in the Middle East “because they think it will hasten the second coming of Christ.”
Quotation in The Australian
Shortly after the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to the Papacy, Barry James interviewed Father Navone and submitted the article containing the following quotation to The Australian:"A longtime Jesuit theologian in Rome said today Pope Benedict XVI will be a clear doctrinal teacher who will attempt to reaffirm the Roman Catholic Church's roots in Europe and end what he called the "dumbing down"" of Christian faith.
"We are going to see the real Joseph Ratzinger," said the Reverend John Navone, who teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University. "He is a renaissance man of many qualities, really a profound theologian."
Reverend Navone said the choice of the Pope's name taps deep into the roots of European culture and probably was intended to refer to Saint Benedict of Nursia, the 6th-century founder of the Benedictine Order, which preserved Christian civilization and writing through the Dark Ages."
Reverend Navone said the new pope, who has written a book about Europe, was determined to restore Christian doctrine in a continent where congregations are abandoning the church en masse, even if it means a smaller and purer church.
The new pope, who warned about the "dictatorship of relativism" in a homily before entering the conclave, "is going to clarify the meaning of Christianity and Catholicism," for teachers in Catholic universities. "And Catholics are going to find out what their faith is all about." "He is going to be an antidote to those who say that all religions are the same," while firmly promoting Christian values amid the rise of Islam.
The new pope will also be "the best antidote against the dumbing down of Catholicism," Reverend Navone said. "I think he is going to demand more quality and better preparation for teachers in Catholic universities."
Reverend Navone said that the new pope was "an extremely intelligent traditionalist" and at the same time a modest man whose talents had been eclipsed by "the showman pope." He said that is was providential that the new pope's first trip outside Italy would be to a world youth festival in Cologne this August. But after that, he said the pope would probably choose to remain in the Vatican and provide doctrinal thinking for the Church rather than repeating John Paul's frenetic globetrotting.
Reverend Navone said the conclave's decision was the most dramatic affirmation of the role of the German Church since the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. For a country that has experienced "so much humiliation" in its recent history, the election would reaffirm "the German role in the Christian history of Europe," he said.
Reverend Navone said German thought brought a profound theological tradition to the Church, but that the pope "has probably the best sense of history and culture" of all the cardinals. "It is a marvelous affirmation of what the German Church has to offer," he said.
Quotation in USA Today
"The pope is trying to keep and even-handed policy," observes Father John Navone, a Jesuit academic. "He is trying to defang and declaw the more extreme groups among the Muslims and elsewhere, just as he did with the Soviet Union. There is a method in this.""Overall," Navone says,"the Catholic Church has taken the role of mediator between the United States and the rest of the world. There's only one superpower, the United States. The church is trying very much to be the peacemaker."
Navone and others suggest that the planned visit to Cuba may accelerate the pace of change in that country, just as the ties with Libya may allow the diplomatically isolated Gadhafi means to re-establish dialogue with Europe and the U.S.
Quotation in the Spokesman-Review
“It was at St. Michael’s here in Spokane, with its superb instructors, that I began to study philosophy and learned about what I call ‘The Life of the Mind.’ (follow reference for full article) ”Books
1966 History and Faith in the Thought of Dr. Alan Richardson (London: SCM), 161 pages.1967 Personal Witness: A Biblical Spirituality (New York: Sheed & Ward), 239 pages.
1968 Temoignage Personnel: Une spiritualité biblique (Mulhouse).
1968 Testimonio personal: Una espiritualidad biblica (Santander).
1969 Il dogma trinitario (Rome: Gregorian University), 70 pages.
1969 Bibliografia lucana de articoli (Rome: Gregorian University), 78 pages.
1970 Themes of St. Luke (Rome: Gregorian University), 247 pages.
1971 Theologies of History (Rome: Gregorian University), 185 pages.
1974 A Theology of Failure (New York: Paulist Press), 129 pages.
1974 Everyman's Odyssey: Seven Plays Seen as Modern Myths about Man's Quest for Personal Integrity (Rome: Gregorian University), 251 pages.
1976 Communicating Christ (Slough, U.K.: St. Paul Publications), 239 pages.
1976 Teologia del fallimento (Alba: Edizioni Paoline), 245 pages.
1977 Towards a Theology of Story (Slough, U.K.: St. Paul Publications), 239 pages.
1979 The Jesus Story: Our Life as Story in Christ (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 254 pages.
1981 Tellers of the Word (New York: LeJacq), (Book of the Month Selection), 341 pages.
1984 Gospel Love: A Narrative Theology (Wilmington: Michael Glazier), 159 pages.
1984 Triumph Through Failure (Homebush, Australia: St. Paul Publications), 187 pages.
1985 Freedom and Transformation in Christ (Rome: Gregorian University), 159 pages.
1986 The Story of the Passion (Rome: Gregorian University), 415 pages.
1986 Narratori della Parola (Casale Monferrato: Edizioni Piemme), 335 pages.
1986 L'amore evangelico (Rome: Borla), 204 pages.
1986 The Dynamic of the Question in Narrative Theology (Rome: Gregorian U.), 110 pages.
1989 Self-giving and Sharing: The Trinity and Human Fulfillment (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 161 pages.
1990 Seeking God in Story (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 335 pages.
1990 Dono di sé e comunione: la Trinità e l'umana realizzazione (Assisi: Cittadella Editrice), 269 pages.
1996 Towards a Theology of Beauty (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 91 pages.
1996 The Land and the Spirit of Italy (New York: Legas), 215 pages.
1998 Verso una teologia della bellezza (Milan: Paoline), 118 pages.
1998 The Land and the Spirit of Italy: The Texture of Italian Religious Culture. Revised and Expanded Edition (New York: Legas), 223 pages.
1998 Italia Natura e Genio, tr. by Saverio di Paola, scj (Rome: Edizioni Dehoniane), pp. 316, wins the National Prize "Premio Capri - S. Michele" XV Edition.
1999 Enjoying God's Beauty (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 134 pages.
1999 Em busca de uma teologia da beleza (São Paulo: Paulus), 123 pages.
2001 Lead, Radiant Spirit - Our Gospel Quest (Collegeville: Liturgical Press), 128 pages.
The Bible Today
1963 "The Patriarchs of Faith, Hope, Love," April1963 "In Our Image and Likeness," November
1964 "The Parable of the Banquet," November
1965 "Leading Ideas in St. John's Gospel," November
1965 "We Have Seen His Glory," December
1968 "The Glory and Humiliation of Christ: Luke's Diptych Development, Feb
1968 "The Fatherhood of God in Luke," December
1970 "The Lucan Banquet Community," December
1971 "Time," October
1972 "The Journey Theme in Luke-Acts," February
1972 "The Apocalyptic Theology of History," March
1972 "Characteristics of Apocalyptic," April
1973 "Biblical Conflict with Magic and Sorcery," February
1973 "Speeches in Acts," March
1975 "Dreams in the Bible, November
1999 "Spiritual Journey in the New Testament," May/June
1999 "The Mountain of God," July/August
2000 "The Ungracious Refuser of Festivities," May/June
2000 "Garden and Wilderness Metaphors," September/October
2000 "The Fullness and Abundance of God," November/December
2001 "Famine, Hunger, and Thirst in the Bible," May/June
2001 "Spiritual Pedagogy in the Gospel of Mark," July/August
2002 "The Compassion of Jesus in John," March
2002 "The Compassion of Jesus in the Synoptics," July
2002 "Death, Satan and Sin," November
2003 "Preeminence Among Biblical Siblings," March
2004 "Luke-Acts and the Roman Empire," July/August
2004 "The Messianic Banquet of Wisdom," September/October
2005 "Shepherding in the Hebrew Bible," March
2006 "The Way and the Journey in Luke-Acts," March
2006 "Luke's Banquet Theme: Five Aspects," July/August
2007 "Scriptures for Remembering," May/June
2008 "Write a Gospel," January
Homiletic & Pastoral Review
1971 Idols of the Tribe, LXXI, July1974 The Theology of Failure, LXXIV/5, February
1975 The Social Responsibility of Christians, LXXV/10, July
1976 Christian minimalism vs. ideological maximalism, LXXVI/7, April 1976
1980 The graves of craving and self-fulfillment, LXXXI/2, November
1986 What is "love"?, LXXXVI/6, March l986
1987 Communicating Christ as a friend, LXXXVIII/1, October
1988 Saints for all seasons, LXXXVIII/5, February
1988 Salvation without God? LXXXIX/1, October
1990 The image and glory of God, XCI/1, October
1992 Media hostility to religion, XCII/11-12, August–September
1998 Spiritual acedia, torpor and depression, XCIX/11-12, August–September
2000 The uniqueness of Jesus Christ, C/11-12, August–September
2001 Christianity, modernity, postmodernity, CI/11-12, August–September
2002 No tradition—no civilization, CIII/1, October
2003 God's saving beauty, CIII/5, February
2004 Healing the Heart, CIV/4, January
2004 Theological Pitfalls and Their Consequences, CV/3, December
2005 The Nearness of God, CVI/6 June
2005 Our Triune God, October
2006 "God Alone is Good," (Mark 10:18), May
2006 Our Adversary, August
2006 The Vision, Hope and Love of Christ, November
2007 Heroes, saints and leaders for human development, CVII/8, May
2007 Our Creator God, CVII/9, June
2009 God reminds us to Remember, May
Messenger of St. Anthony
1983 Rejection and Christian Witness, 91/10 October1984 Love is Patient 87/11, November
1984 Love Pays Attention 87/12, December
1986 Jesus: The Life Story for Human Development and Fulfillment (C.F.), 89/1, January
1986 Learning to Know God (Cover Feature), 89/2, February
1986 Suffering Out of Love (Cover Feature), 89/3, March
1987 Christ's Freedom for All, 90/2, February
1987 For Peace: the first commandment (Cover Feature), 90/9, September
1987 Our Question-Raising God, 90/10, October
1988 Finding Ourselves in the Jesus Story (C.F.), 90/2, February
1988 The Church An Icon of the Trinity (C.F.), 90/11, November
1989 Spiritual Amnesia: Identity Crisis, 91/2, February
1989 Attention Given 91/3, March
1989 Home, homelessness and homecoming 91/9, September
1990 No escape from finitude, 92/2, February
1990 No escape from finitude, 92/3, March
1998 Saint Francis and Bonaventure's vision, 100/10, October
New Blackfriars
1974 The Italian Devils of Anglo-Saxon Literature, February1974 The Myth and Dream of Paradise, November
1984 The Sense of an Ending, January
1984 Mark's Story of the Death of Jesus, March
1987 Three Versions of Life: the pastoral, tragic and melodramatic, September
1991 The Greatest Christian Hero, Philosopher and Poet: Dawson's Italian Trinity, June
1992 Columbus was not Eichmann, March
1992 Icons and Glory, May
1993 Scripture for Christian Conversion, January
1993 Opera: The Creative Expression of Italy, September
1994 Pre-Renaissance Tuscan and Franciscan Humanism, May
1994 Siena Icon of the Common Good: Lorenzetti and Lonergan, October
1996 American Art Cultural Crisis, April
1999 Italy in the High Middle Ages ll50 - 1309, May
2003 No tradition, no civilization, February
2004 Divine and Human Hospitality, May
2006 Are There Any Catholic Theologians?. January
America
1954 West Germany Acts to Save Families (Oct. 2)1955 Colonial Peoples Come of Age (Jan. 29)
1956 Southern Italy: Land Reborn (Jan. l)
1956 Southern Italy: Mission Country? (Oct. 27)
1960 Canada's Immigration Problems (April 23)
1962 Teenagers and the Unknown God (June 30)
1964 Noonday Land (Jan. 11)
1972 Italian Politics: More Parties than People? (Mar. 18)
1972 Italy—An Environmental Disaster Area? (June 3)
1973 How Italian View Religion (April 23)
1989 Italy's Re-Renaissance (Dec. 1989)
1991 Fortress Europe Faces Immigrants (Dec. 7)
Priests & People
1988 The Real Self in Communion (Sept. 2/7)1989 The Gospel Norm of True Love (July/Aug. 3/7)
1990 Divine and Human Conflict (March 4/3)
Commonweal
1960 The Two Italies (Nov.18)1963 Fellini's La Dolce Italia (Mar.15)
1972 Italy: Can Democracy Survive? (Jan.7)
1973 The Monk as Criminal (July 27)
1974 The Next Conclave (June14)
Milltown Studies
1984 Towards a Theology of Story (13, Spring)1985 Narrative Theology: One Approach (16, Autumn)
1986 The Dynamic of the Question (17, Spring)
1991 Glenn Tinder's Prophetic Spirituality (28,)
1995 Siena's Saints of Civility (36, Autumn)
1996 John Edwards' Theology of Beauty (38, Autumn)
2005 The Sending of the Spirit (55, Summer)
Theology (London)
1977 A Theology of Darkness, Terror and Dread (September)1987 The Question-Raising Word of God (July)
1988 The Last Day and the Last Supper in Mark's Gospel (January)
The Irish Theological Quarterly
1976 The Christ Story of the Christ-Self (XLIII/3)1986 Narrative Theology: A Survey (52/3)
Journal of Dharma
l984 The Sacramental Dimension of the Recital of the Community's Faith (IX/3)1987 The Dynamics of the Question in the Quest for God (XII/3)
Scripture: The Quarterly of the Catholic Biblical Association
l968 The Way of the Lord (January, XX/49)1968 Lucan Joy (Feb. XX/50)
1968 The Temptation Account in St. Luke (4, 1-13) (March, XX/51)
1968 The Holy Spirit (April, XX/52)
1968 Prayer (October, XX/52)
The Way
1973 Dimensions of Creative Solitude (Supplement 18, Spring)1975 Possession and Exorcism (July)
Studies in Formative Spirituality: Journal of Ongoing Formation
1985 Love: Remembering to Share Our Story of God (Feb. VI/1)1990 Heroes, Saints and Leaders: Models for Human Development (Feb. XI/1)
1991 The Transforming Power of Beauty (Feb. XII/1)
1992 The Conversion Dynamic of Biblical Themes (Nov. XIII/3)
Worship
1966 Love in the Message of Paul (Aug./Sept. 40/7)1968 "Glory" in Pauline and Johannine Thought (Jan. 41/1)
1969 Remembering and Worship (Nov. 43/9)
Faith and Freedom: A Journal of Progressive Religion
1973 Tale of Two Cities (Autumn 27/79)1974 Italian Devils as Symbols of Evil in English Literature (Summer, 27/81)
1975 The Archetypal Symbol and Christotheraphy (Part 1) (Summer 28/84)
1975 The Archetypal Symbol and Christotheraphy (Part 2) (Autumn 29/85)
20th Century: An Australian Review
1974 The Town in American Literature (Winter 28/2)1974 Italian Devils of Anglo-Saxon Literature (March 28/3)
1975 Where Have All the Heroes Gone? (May)
Chicago Studies
1976 Personal Transformation Through the Communication of the Christ-Self (Summer 15/2)Faith
2001 Beauty as an approach to God (March–April, 33/2)2002 The Resurrection (March–April, 34/2)
2003 Patriarchs of Faith, Hope and Love (Jan.- Feb., 35/1)
2003 Grief and Grieving (May–June, 35/3)
2004 The Passion and Death of Jesus in John's Gospel (March–April, 36/2
The Catholic World
1965 "Letter from Ireland," March1966 "Memories make the future," December
Review for Religious
1962 "The Humanity of Christ in St. Mark," July1963 "Jeremiah: Man of God," March
1965 "God's Gifts to Our Old Testament Fathers," May
1975 "The Search for the Self: The Christ-self and the Christ-figures," 34/1, Jan.
1976 "Openness Communicating the Vision of God," 35/4, July
1979 "Write a Gospel," 38/5, Sept.
1980 "Four Gospels: Four Stages of Christian Maturation,"39/4, July
1981 "Bipolarities in Conversion," 40/3, May/June
1982 "Conversion Expressed in Dialogue and Story," 41/5, Sept./Oct.
1983 "Conversion and Conflict," 42/2, March/April
1984 "Tell the Story of the Lord and His People,"43/5, Sept./Oct.
1985 "Christian Conversion: Suffering Out of Love," 44/1, Jan./Feb.
1986 "The Dynamic of the Question in the Search for God," 45/6, Nov./Dec.
1991 "In a Glass Darkly: The Awareness of God," 50/4, July/Aug.
Italian Journal
1991 "The Greatest Christian Hero, Philosopher, and Poet: Christopher Dawson's" Italian Trinity" V/3-41992 "Four Italian Boundary Stories," VI/1
1992 "The Italian 'Spirit of Place,'" VI/6
1993 "Pre-Renaissance Franciscan and Tuscan Humanism," VII/2-3
1993 "Opera: The Creative Expression of Italy," VII/6
1994 "The People and Landscapes of Italy," VIII/5-6
1995 "Eighteenth-Century Lucca: Model of Civility," IX/1
1995 "Two Exponents of the Integrating Spirit of Italy," IX/2
1995 "Six Regions with an Affinity to Italy," IX/3
2000 "Ascoli Piceno, Travertine Splendor," XVI/12
2003 "Civic Legacies of Medieval Italy," XVIII/19
2003 "The Integrating Dynamic of Italian Art," XIX/21
Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses
1975-76 "The myth and the dream of paradise," (5/2 fall / automne)1976-77 "The divided self and its healing," (6/6 /fall / automne)
1990 "The Cost of Ongoing Christian Conversion" (46/2, Juin)
Esperienza e Spiritualita
Miscellanea in onore del R. P. Charles A. Bernard, S.J. a cura di Herbert Alphonso, S.J. (Roma: Ed. Pomel, l995)."Carlo Martini and the Gospel Matrix for Christian Formation in the Light of Lonergan's Conversion Theology," pp. 29 – 43.
The Month
1974 "The Acceptance of Differences," 7/11, November1997 "Good and Bad Government," 30/3, March
1997 "A Lorenzetti Masterpiece," 30/10, October
1998 "Enjoying True Beauty," 31/3, March
1999 "Italy's pictorial culture 1300-1600," 32/2, February
2000 "Two pearls of Renaissance Italy," 33/2, February
2001 "Sano di Pietro," 34/2, February
Prayer and Service
1997 "The Patriarchs of Faith, Hope, Love," October–December1998 "The Dynamic of Contemplation in the Synoptic Gospels," October–November
Revue de L'Universite D'Ottawa
1962 "Italian Writing Redisovered," 32/3, July–September1963 "Reverence for the Individual as an Expression of the Divine Mind and Will," January
Philosophical Studies
1956 "The Division of Society According to Plato and Aristotle," Vol. VI, DecemberPhilosophy and Phenomenological Research
1956 "Sankara and the Vedic Tradition," XVII/2, December1957 "Christianity and the Vedic Tradition," XVIII/2, December
The American Ecclesiastical Review
1962 "Vocations in Western Europe," CXLVII/5, November1975 "Christian Responsibility for the Environment," 169/10, December
The Furrow
1975 "Satan Returns," 26/9, September1978 "Christ, The Beatitude of God," 29/11, November
Spiritual Life
1975 "Freedom and Transformation in Christ," 21/1, Spring1976 "Theologian as Interpreter of Dreams," 22/2, Summer
Emmanuel
1962 "Saint Jerome on Priestly Duties," September1963 "The Priest and His Friends," April
1966 "The Witness," July
Contemporary Sprituality: Current Problems in Religious Life
1968 Robert W. Gleason, S.J., Editor (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1968. Chapter 11, "Reverence for the Individual as an Expression of the Divine Mind and Will," pp. 152–169.Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review
1975 "Symbols of Everyman's Odyssey," pp. 258–68, AutumnBiblical Theology Bulletin
1972 "Three Aspects of the Lucan Theology of History," pp. 115–132, AutumnPagina Uno
2006 "Lucca's Four Foremost Composers: The Sound of Lucca," pp. 12–13, 8/6, MarchThe Pastoral Review
2007 "The Uniqueness of Jesus," p. 13, May/June2007 "Christ's Saving Grace,' pp. 16–17, September/October
2007 "Sharing the Love of Jesus," p. 65, November/December
2008 "Write a Gospel," pp. 13–16, March/April
International Herald Tribune
1992 "Italy: Getting Ahead in Life By the Coloratura Principle" May 211994 "The Geography of Nowhere Has a Chianti Counterpart" March 8
Articles in Languages other than English
In addition to the articles listed below, Father Navone has written a number of articles published in L'Osservatore RomanoL'Osservatore Romano
L'Osservatore Romano is the "semi-official" newspaper of the Holy See. It covers all the Pope's public activities, publishes editorials by important churchmen, and runs official documents after being released...
, the Vatican City newspaper.
Il Dizionario di Omiletica
(The Dictionary of Homiletics)1998 (reprinted 2002) Ed. Sodi, Manilio. La teologia narrative in Il Dizionario di Omiletia. Bergano: Elle Di Ci-Velar, Leumann
La Civilta' Cattolica
1987 L'io reale nella comunione dell'amore trinitario, 138/3282, 534-547.1987 Eroi, modelli, santi e "leader," 138/3298, 340-352.
1988 Tre interpretazioni della vita: bucolica, tragica e melodrammatica, 139/3324, 545-558.
1989 L'ultima cena nel Vangelo di Marco, 139/3307, 13-19.
1990 Il paradosso della Chiesa nel mondo, 141/33358, 350-358.
1990 Spiritualitá degli itinerari biblici, 141/3363/3364, 238-247.
1991 Il mistero di Dio interpella l'uomo, 142/3373, 23-32.
1992 Tendenze religiose in USA, 143/3401, 453-457.
1994 Il ciclo di dipinti del Lorenzetti nel Municipio di Siena e la dimension sociale del cristianesimo, 145/3453, 249-259.
1995 La crsisi culturale negli Stati Uniti, 146/3485, 371-384.
1998 Genova nella storia dell'Europa, 149/3545, 361-374.
1999 La matrice evangelica della formazione cristiana, 150/3572, 162-169.
1999 Quale cultura religiosa negli Stati Uniti?, 150/3581, 380-392.
2002 Il valore dell'arte cristiana, 153/3645, 255-264.
2005 La politica estera degli Stati Uniti secondo Z. Brzezinski, 156/3717, 258-269.
2008 Il nazionalismo e eccezionalismo americano, 159/3748, 349-362.
Rassegna di Teologia
1984 Ricordo di amore condiviso e raccontato (settembre- ottobre XXV/5)1985 Teologia narrativa: una rassegna delle sue applicazioni (sett-ott. XXVI/5)
2001 Il pelligrinaggio alla montagna di Dio (marzo-aprile XLII/2)
2002 Il mistero pasquale (marzo-aprile, XLIII/2)
2003 La scrittura per la conversione cristiana (marzo-aprile XLIV/2)
2004 Le parabole di Gesú (novembre-dicembre XLV/4)
2006 Ospitalita e accoglienza: L'invito di Dio all'uomo (magio-giugno XLVII/3)
Citta' di Vita
1991 Koinonia e iconografia scritturistica (lettura) (Marzo-Aprile 46/2)1991 Il ricordarsi divino e umano (lettura) (Maggio-Giugno 46/3)
Ricerche Theologiche
1994 Santi Senesi e civilitá (V/2)1995 La teologia della bellezza in Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), (VI/2)
Nuovo Dizionario di Spiritualita
1968 “Diavolo/Esorcismo” pp. 401 – 4181968 “Tentazione” pp. 1583–1597
Broteria (Portugal)
1992 Colombo descoberto pe la bibliografia recente (Aug/Sept.)1993 Conversao e tema biblicos (May/June)
1995 Impacto cultural del S. Francisco (Oct.)
1996 A Crise Cultural Americana (Jan.)
1996 A Teologia do Belo segundo Jonathan Edwards (Mar).
1996 A festa em Josef Pieper (Jan.)
1996 O povo e as Paisagengs da Itália (April)
1996 Carlo Martini e a Formacao Crista (Dec.)
1997 A cultura pictórica da Italia (Mar/April)
1998 A Italia na Alta Idade Media (May/June)
1998 Génova, gonzo da Europa (Sept/Oct)
1999 Saboreando a verdadeira beleza (July/Aug.)
2000 Trinidade e pessoa humana (April)
2000 A guerra americana da cultura (Aug/Sept.)
2000 Critica da cultura americana (Oct.)
2000 Legados civicos da Itália Medieval (Nov.)
2001 Consumismo e declínio cultural (Nov.)
2002 Religiao e politica na América (Feb.)
2002 Beleza para chegar a Deus (May/June)
2003 Character unico de Jesus Cristo (Oct.)
Catholica (France)
1989 Deux incursions sur le territorire litteraire americain, avril-mai1990 L'echec dans le theatre contemporain, fevrier
1991 Les bons e le mechant, avril