Trailer: Jesus of Nazareth II

Just in Time for Lent

"Jesus of Nazareth II" is Coming!

Since many of the discussions on this blog have been focusing on the upcoming NABRE release, I almost forgot that Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection is coming out next week. There has been a lot of news recently surrounding the various excerpts which have been released. Ignatius Press, the publisher of this book, has put together a website with information about the book, which you can view here. If there is interest, unlike my previous attempt at Volume 1, I would like to have a weekly discussion on the book. If you are interested, and would be able to get the book pretty soon after the release date, just RSVP in the comments.

Jesus of Nazareth Part II Cover Art

So there it is! Ignatius Press will publish Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth Part 2: Holy Week from the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection on March 15, 2011. The cover art has a similar look to the first volume in this three part series. Part II will number 315 pages, about a hundred pages shorter than Part I. I am sure there will be more news and features from Ignatius Press once we get a little closer to the publication date.

Jesus of Nazareth II Due March 13

Ignatius Press to Publish Jesus of Nazareth II

Ignatius Press has announced that "Pope Benedict XVI's second volume of Jesus of Nazareth: From His Transfiguration to His Death and Resurrection will be published in English by Ignatius Press, according to an agreement between Ignatius Press and the Vatican's Publishing House, Libreria Editrice Vaticana." The publication date is set for Spring 2011. For more info on this announcement go here.

Jesus of Nazareth II due Lent 2011?

According to CNS Blog, Pope Benedict's book is being carefully translated and will probably not be published until 2011. For more info, check out the news at CNS. It was also suggested that volume II would cover only the passion and resurrection, with a possible third volume on the infancy narratives.

Jesus of Nazareth: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Jesus of Nazareth focuses on the temptations of Jesus, which occur immediately after his baptism in the Jordan. As Pope Benedict points out: "At the heart of all temptations, as we see here, is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary, if not actually superfluous and annoying, in comparison with all the apparently far more urgent matters that fill out lives ( 28)." Am I the only one who thinks he is right on here? I know in my own journey that there have been plenty of times when I push God off as secondary, rather being occupied by other matters. Often these other matters, which I perceive to be important at the time, are simply not all that urgent after all. Ultimately, no matter what the temptation is, the question is whether or not we believe God is real? God is the issue (29).

The first temptation, which concerns bread, challenges Jesus to justify his claim of being the "Son of God." This is a constant theme in the Gospels, where Jesus is always having to "prove himself" to others. In a world where hunger remains an ever-present horror for many, does the Messiah have to feed everyone to prove who he is (31)? It is a legitimate question, right? The Pope agrees that it is a legitimate question, however, following the Gospels he points out that everything needs to be done in "the proper context and the proper order (32)." In the Gospels Christ feeds the people primarily in two ways, both in the multiplication of the loaves and in the Eucharist. These two are essential, in their proper order. Quoting from Jesuit Alfred Delp, executed under the Nazi regime, who wrote: "Bread is important, freedom is important, but most important of all is unbroken fidelity and faithful adoration (33)." Any attempt, then, to divorce the spiritual and material is bound to fail. Once again, this is very Incarnational. The Pope uses the example of the aid offered to developing countries from the West, which has been "purely technical and materially based, and not only has left God out of the picture, but has driven men away from God (33)." This version of "aid" by the West has not really given bread, but rather "stones in place of bread (33)." Even if the West denies it, the issue remains God. Thus any goodness of the human heart can "ultimately come only from the One who is goodness, who is the Good itself (34)." One can see connections to his encyclical Deus Caritas Est.

Looking very briefly at the second temptation, the Devil proves to be a great Scripture scholar and theologian! Satan sites Scripture in order "to lure Jesus into his trap (34)." Benedict sites the Russian writer Vladimir Soloviev, who in his short story "The Antichrist", has the Antichrist receive an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Tubingen. The point Benedict tries to make is not to reject Biblical scholarship, remember what he said about the historical-critical method in the foreword, but rather to remind Biblical scholars of their great responsibility in what they do. In the end, "the fact is that scriptural exegesis can become a tool of the Antichrist (35)." Yet, Jesus is not persuaded by the devil's exegetical prowess, but rather trusts in the Father. Jesus did not tempt His Father, he trusted Him. Again, I can think of the many instances in my own life where God was not asking me to do something I couldn't, but rather to simply trust in his providence.

The third temptation focuses on "what sort of action is expected of a Savior of the world (42)." What is true power? Is it the power of the world or the power of the cross? The Church must always be aware of that important distinction, for there have been times when she has perhaps sought after the worldly sort of power. Pope Benedict alludes to this temptation when he remarks that "the Christian empire or the secular power of the papacy is no longer a temptation today (42)." For Pope Benedict, true power is accepting our daily cross. The power of this world is an illusion, which fades. Those who trust in earthly power or "claim to be able to establish the perfect world is the willing dupe of Satan and plays the world right into his hands (44)."

Finally, the chapter ends with the question: "What did Jesus actually bring?" From a quick glance at the world today, it is clear that he did not end hunger or bring about world peace. So, what was the point? The answer is that Jesus brought God (44). God who we can now see face to face. "Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope, and love. It is only because of our hardness of heart that we think this is too little (44)."

Jesus of Nazareth: Chapter 1

Let's now continue our discussion of Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth with a look at chapter 1: The Baptism of Jesus. (Please keep in mind that I do not intend these posts to be exhaustive, analytical reviews of each chapter, but rather my refections on particular points and themes that Pope Benedict writes about in each.)

Early on in chapter 1, Pope Benedict focuses on the baptism account found in Luke. He reminds us that Luke's emphasis on the historical backdrop of Jesus' baptism, no less his entire ministry, is an essential character of the Gospel account. As we recall one of the main points of the book's foreword, Pope Benedict reminds us that Christianity is a religion based in history. Therefore, it is important that when we read about Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, we see it as occurring during the height of the Roman Empire. As the Pope states: "The wider history of the world, represented by the Roman Empire, forms the backdrop (11)." Jesus begins his ministry at a particular place, in a particular period of history. As he says: "We are not meant to regard Jesus' activity as taking place in some sort of 'anytime,' which can mean always or never. It is a precisely datable historical event having the full weight that real historical happenings have; like them, too, it happens only once; it is contemporary with all times, but not in the way that a timeless myth would be (11)." Because of this, we can see the Divine irony that when the Son of God was born in lowly Bethlehem, the first and greatest of Rome's emperors, Augustus was seated upon his palatial throne in Rome. So, too, is the case 33 years later when Jesus is baptized by John in the muddy waters of the Jordan, Tiberius reigns as emperor of the known world (west of Mesopotamia) along the River Tiber. As the Pope points out: "The emperor and Jesus represent two different orders of reality (11)." And while these two different orders do not necessarily have to meet in direct conflict, it would not be too far away in history that the emperors would claim divinity as a title, which would force the issue with believing Christians.

A little later in the chapter, the Pope turns to John the Baptist, whose message announces that "Great things are about to unfold (15)." Finally, a prophet has arisen in Israel and many went out to meet and be baptised by him. The Pope goes on to emphasise the character of John's baptism, which is a call to "leave behind the sinful life one has led until now (15)." Jesus arrives on the scene, and in the words of Pope Benedict: "He blends into the gray mass of sinners waiting on the banks of the Jordan (16)." How often have I not reflected on that reality? Sometimes I am tempted to read the Bible through the lens of the Jesus movies I have seen in the past. In my poorly formed mind, Jesus approaches John for baptism almost as if he is parting the crowd gathered around just to get to John. Basically, this points to the reality that Jesus doesn't try to skip ahead in line! Instead, Jesus remains in the crowd and waits his turn, so to speak. So it isn't simply that Jesus shows his solidarity with humanity only when the actual baptism occurs, but the fact that he waits with them! Hmmm...... This brings to mind occasions when I have stood in line to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Being in the community of believers, who are at the time preparing to confess their sins, is a visible sign of that solidarity which binds us as the Body of Christ.

A final thought I would like to bring up is Pope Benedict's third aspect of the baptism scene which he describes on page 23. Here, for the first time, we read about the encounter of all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity forms, in a sense, the bookends to the Gospels, particularly that of Matthew. In chapter 3 of the Gospel according to Matthew we find the baptism of John and in chapter 28 there is the great commission of Jesus, where the Apostles are called to "go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The first one prefigures the next, which brings about the indwelling of the Trinity into the person's soul. I remember a class I took at the seminary which dealt with the Trinity. One of the books we read was Rahner's The Trinity. In it, he proposed the question as to whether a proper understanding of the Trinity mattered anymore to contemporary society. His answer was yes. Clearly for Matthew, as well as Pope Benedict, the answer is also a resounding Yes!

Of course there is a whole lot I left out of this post, but feel free to comment on anything found in chapter 1.

Jesus of Nazareth: Foreword

Pope Benedict begins his book Jesus of Nazareth with some thoughts on the historical-critical method. The past century has produced numerous reconstructions of the figure of Jesus, however, they have ultimately only achieved an "obscured and blurred" image of him (xii). This has been the result of an increased skepticism by the exegete, combined with an ever-continuing attempt to 'discover' layer after layer of traditions in the Gospel. The Pope quotes from the German Catholic exegete Rudolf Schnackenburg, who ends his last great work by saying: "'the effort of scientific exegesis to examine these traditions and trace them back to what is historically credible' draws us 'into a continual discussion of tradition and redaction history that never comes to rest (xiii).'" This tendency, Pope Benedict will try to avoid in this book. As he lays out his method for the book, he anchors his understanding of Jesus "in light of his communion with the Father, which is the true center of his personality; without it, we cannot understand him at all (xiv)." That is his basis for this work, from which the use of all important exegetical tools flow from.

For the Pope, the tools of the exegetical trade, like the historical-critical method, must be guided by that understanding of the relationship between Father and Son. Yet, it would be a mistake to accuse the Pope of dismissing the important advancements in Biblical scholarship over the past century. He clearly accepts and encourages the use of modern exegetical methods. As the Pope says twice: "The historical-critical method, let me repeat, is an indispensable tool (xvi)." It is important to remember that Pope Benedict is an academic at heart, who embraces the Church's teachings in such documents as Divino Afflante Spiritu, Dei Verbum, and obviously The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. The historical method, thus, is an essential help in discovering the foundations on which Biblical faith stands. For Christianity is not a faith based on symbolic "suprahistorical truths", but rather is centered in history. Christian faith is Incarnational, because God himself has become flesh and dwelt among us.

Yet, there are limits to the historical-critical method. While it attempts to understand the past, it cannot, by its very nature, bring the Biblical world to the present. It can only treat the words found in the Sacred Text as merely a human word, and not as an Eternal Word (xvi-xvii). It, therefore, cannot see the unity of the Scriptures as a whole. For Pope Benedict, the key is then to utilize the historical-critical method where it is most useful, but to recognize that to come to the fullest meaning of the Scripture, other ways of reading the text must be included.

The Pope says: "The aim of this exegesis is to read the individual texts within the totality of the one Scripture, which then sheds light on all the individual texts (xviii)." This means reading the Scriptures in the spirit in which it was written, and recognizing the content and unity of the Scriptures as a whole (canonical exegesis). Of course, this methodology is in union with what is set forth in Dei Verbum, so that should not be a surprise. Going forth, then, the Pope will use both the historical-critical method in cooperation with canonical exegesis. In this way, one can recognize that while the Gospels present a many-layered approach to answering the question of who Jesus is, there still remains a deep harmony which unites them (xxiii).

One of the more charming moments in this short foreword to the book comes near end. He concludes his foreword by stating: "It goes without saying that this book is in no way an exercise of the magesterium, but solely an expression of my personal search 'for the face of the Lord'. Everyone is free, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial goodwill without which there can be no understanding (xviii-xviv)." As he has clearly set forth his modus operandi for this work, perhaps we too can agree with this request from the Pope as we proceed.

I think that is enough to start us off. While there are a few other things I could cover, I don't want to do a complete review of each section, in hopes that discussion can be encouraged on both the issues I have covered, as well as those which remain uncovered in each section.