The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction by Dietrich Von Hildebrand

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio, Aug. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Considered controversial fifty years ago, Dietrich von Hildebrand's The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction is recognized today as one of the earliest, faithful defenses of the Catholic Church's teachings on sex and birth control.

On the 50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the Hildebrand Press publishes a new edition of Hildebrand's classic book.

The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction
By Dietrich von Hildebrand
With a new foreword by Tracey Rowland

"Hildebrand provided one of the first lengthy defenses of Humanae Vitae...His treatment does not ignore the procreative meaning of the sexual act, but, rather than placing the crux of the argument there, he argues that the very meaning of marriage and the sexual act as an act of total self-donation grounds the Church's opposition to contraception. This idea, of course, has become the centerpiece of John Paul II's teaching on Humanae Vitae." — Janet E. Smith, author of Why Humanae Vitae is Still Right

Dietrich von Hildebrand wrote The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction mere months after Pope Paul VI promulgated the eponymous encyclical. In doing so, he became one of the first Catholic intellectuals of public stature to defend the encyclical.

"To read The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction by Dietrich von Hildebrand some five decades later is a very consoling experience," writes Tracey Rowland, in her foreword to the book. "It bears testimony to the fact that at least one Catholic married man had the necessary spiritual and intellectual capital to make the right judgment call and explain it within the broader context of the Church's understanding of the sacrament of marriage and the work of the human conscience."

Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) was a philosopher known for his seminal works in ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, and philosophy of religion. He was one of Europe's most outspoken voices against Nazism and Communism. A convert to Catholicism, he had a profound impact on the thought and life of the Church in the twentieth century. For more information visit: hildebrandproject.org

The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction
by Dietrich von Hildebrand
ISBN: 978-1-939773-13-5 
 $11.99 U.S.  Paperback • $9.99  eBook
On Sale Now

Contact: Catherine Beigel, (740) 263-3002
[email protected]

SOURCE Hildebrand Project