One of the most important ecumenical events of the last decade has been the proposal that the Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church officially state that their mutual condemnations in relation to the doctrine of justification no longer apply. The essays in this volume, by leading Lutheran and Roman Catholic theologians, provide essential background and support of this historical development. The detailed analyses contained herein of the Luterhan Confessions and the Council of Trent's Decree of justification advance our understanding of these texts which are still normative for the churches.Contributors includes Friedrich Beisser, Erwin Iserloh, Karl Lehmann, Harding Meyer, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Otto Hermann Pesch, Vinzenz Pfnur, Michael Root, William G. Rusch, J. Francis Stafford, and Gunther Wenz.This book is a major contribution to ecumenical theology and to the reconciliation of the Reformation division of the churches.