Abstract

Ekpo, Anthony The Code of Canon Law is intended to be a canonical reception of the ecclesial and theological insights of the Second Vatican Council. In other words, the Code puts into canonical terms the ecclesial and theological discoveries and rediscoveries of Vatican II. In doing that, the Code also inherited and appropriated the terminological, theological, intratextual and intertextual difficulties evident in the final texts of Vatican II, which were left to theologians to interpret and synthesise in the ongoing reception of the council's theology. Triplex munus is one such difficulty that made its way into the text of the Code. The Latin triplex munus or tria munera is a phrase or rubric used retrospectively by theologians to refer to the priestly, prophetic and kingly offices of the post-resurrection Jesus. This trilogy constitutes the overarching framework of the conciliar documents, particularly Lumen Gentium. This rubric is also one of the most influential structural principles underlying the ecclesiology and theology of the Code, even if it is applied somewhat inadequately in a certain sense.