The Reception of Vaticanum II in the Apologetics of Józef Myśków (1927–1988)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the reception of Vatican II teachings in the apologetics of Józef Myśków (1927–1988), a theologian and apologist associated with the Warsaw School of Apologetics, which conducted research and teaching at the Faculty of Theology of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw from 1956 to 1992. With the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council and the publication of the council’s documents, a shift can be observed in Myśków’s scholarly reflections. The Warsaw apologist, keenly interested in Vatican II, not only undertook analysis of key texts but, above all, rebuilt his own apologetic system to incorporate the thought of the latter council. Using an analytical method, the author of the article presents the debate on apologetics after the Second Vatican Council, as reflected in the writings of the Warsaw professor. The second part is devoted to Myśków’s concept of ecumenical apologetics in its theoretical and practical dimensions. The analyses conducted allow us to conclude that, according to Myśków, apologetics after the last council is tenable, although it should be supplemented with selected issues proposed by the documents of Vatican II, both in terms of Christology and ecclesiology. Inspired by ecumenical ideas, Myśków proposes a new approach to apologetics, with a clear ecumenical slant. While he admits that it was not the council itself that gave rise to this idea, the council’s teachings confirmed and strengthened his beliefs regarding the integration of apologetics and ecumenism. As a result, Myśków creates his own, original concept of apologetics, which is being called comparative. In addition to his theoretical efforts related to the new model of apologetics, the Warsaw professor undertakes practical activities, promoting doctoral theses with a clear apologeticecumenical profile and preparing scholarly articles based on the methodology he has developed.