METANOIA

Metanoia (biblical Greek, meaning a complete conversion of the heart) is a treatise on the preliminary steps of conversion: penitence and confession. After explaining what is meant by metanoia, Father Richter discusses the concept of Christian justification in relation to penitence, and the sacrament of Penance (or confession) as interpreted by Catholics and by Protestants (with special attention to Luther's views). The book undoubtedly will have some value for spiritual directors, although it is more speculative than pastoral, more ascetical than practical, than one might wish. Beyond that rather limited audience, Metanoia will prove as forbidding as its title.