Welcome to Theological Studies
Founded and sponsored by the Society of Jesus, Theological Studies is a Catholic scholarly journal that serves the Church and its mission by promoting a deeper understanding of the Christian faith through the publication of research in the theological disciplines and through reviews of noteworthy books. The journal has been in continuous publication since 1940.
About This Website
In keeping with the Society of Jesus’s commitments to serve the global Church, the journal is pleased to provide this site as a resource for scholars who do not have ready access to our journal. It contains articles and book reviews from 1940 up to the last five years, which can be accessed here free of charge. Articles or reviews published in the last five years are available by subscription, or a per article charge, at SAGE Journals. Article submissions by authors must be made via SAGE, where you will also find the latest formatting and style guides. For your convenience, they are also available on this website.
In the Current Issue
From the Editor’s Desk
As this issue goes to press, just over a month has passed since Robert Francis
Prevost was elected pope, taking the name Leo. While it is certainly too early
to ascertain the precise direction this pontificate will chart for the life of the
church and its engagement with the world, the absence of certainty has done little to
quell the widespread tide of speculation. Indeed, almost immediately following Pope
Leo XIV’s introduction shortly after noon on May 8, 2025 from the iconic balcony
overlooking St. Peter’s Square, ecclesial observers and pundits began meticulously
scrutinizing every facet of his past and present ministry.
The Council of Nicaea 325: Reassessing the Role of Eusebius of Caesarea
This article offers a comprehensive interpretation of the Council of Nicaea, in light of Eusebius of Caesarea’s role in the so-called Arian crisis. Given the historical-theological orientation of the study, it begins with hermeneutical caveats regarding the sources. It then examines the outbreak of the crisis, Eusebius’s theology before the controversy, the Ossius embassy, the Council of Antioch, and the Council of Nicaea itself. The article argues, first, that the key theological issue at stake was the strict eternity of the Son, which Eusebius of Caesarea denied; second, that Eusebius—not Arius—was the principal adversary of Alexander of Alexandria; third, that the Nicene theological discussions primarily revolved around Eusebius’s faith; and, fourth, that the homoousios implied the strict eternity of the Son.