Lublin Lectures and Works on Max Scheler

The Catholic University of America Press is honored to publish the English Critical Edition of the Works of Karol Wojtyła/John Paul II. Prepared under the auspices of the John Paul II Institute in Washington DC, the English Critical Edition will comprise more than 20 volumes, covering all of John Paul II’s writings in the years before his papacy and a thematic selection of his papal writings.

This collection is essential for several reasons. First, gaining access to the saint’s writings has posed significant challenges. Except for official papal addresses and documents preserved and disseminated by the Vatican, St. John Paul’s works have been published in a large number of different venues, often with limited dissemination. Many documents need a new translation. In addition, English-language audiences have faced the challenge―even in the case of published texts―of dealing with several languages, various translations, and textual idiosyncrasies.

The second volume of the series presents Wojtyła’s lectures at the Catholic University of Lublin and his works on Max Scheler. This volume consists of four parts: Karol Wojtyła’s lectures at the Lublin University from 1954 to 1957 (during three academic years); Wojtyła’s articles related to the ethical issues discussed in the Lublin lectures; his habilitation thesis on Max Scheler from 1953; and other essays related more closely to Scheler’s thought.
As was the case with Volume 1, Volume 2 also relies on the original manuscripts and typescripts of Wojtyła’s works. These original texts were compared with the Polish published editions, and all significant differences between them have been marked in the scholarly apparatus. Some of the essays in this volume have not been previously published in English, while some others have never been published before.

Karol Wojtyła/Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005. Gregorz Ignatik is assistant professor of theology at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, OH. Antonio López, FSCB, is Provost/Dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America.