2012-11-22 14:28:02

Readers delve into "Jesus of Nazareth"


(Vatican Radio) The third volume of Pope Benedict’s “Jesus of Nazareth” series, published this week, is dedicated to the Infancy Narratives – the Gospel accounts of the early life of Jesus. Divided into a forward, four chapters and an epilogue, it traces and analyses the Gospel narratives from the birth of Jesus to His presentation in the temple at the age of 12.

The previous two volumes dealt with the adult life of Jesus and his public ministry.

The latest volume arrives just in time for Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year, when Christians prepare for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus at Christmas.

Already millions of people – and not only Christians – have found plenty of food for thought in the Pope’s reflections on the Biblical accounts of the life of Jesus. Among them is Anthony Valle, a professor of theology for the master's degree program run by the Diocese of Venice and Barry University. Professor Valle is one of the young scholars invited to be a part of the Neuer Schülerkreis Joseph Ratzinger/Papst Benedikt XVI, a study group dedicated to investigating and promoting the works of Pope Benedict. He spoke with Christopher Wells about “Jesus of Nazareth.”

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“The pope’s purpose in the Jesus of Nazareth series, I think, is to set the record straight on Jesus, to try to reverse what I called this seismic, Copernican damage done to the Jesus that we know and encounter in the Gospels, in the New Testament, and that the Church has transmitted down to us for centuries. It’s no easy task, but I think that if anyone is capable of doing it, the Pope is the man.”

Professor Valle contrasts Pope Benedict’s approach with that of certain modern Biblical scholars. The Pope, he says, “approaches the Gospels with a hermeneutic of trust, rather than one of suspicion. For him, the real or historical Jesus is precisely the Jesus of the Gospels, and the Jesus of the Church’s Faith.”

Although the Pope rejects the scepticism that marks some modern interpretations, Valle insists he does not reject scientific inquiry into Jesus’ life. “The Pope is not against the historical critical method at all, in fact he uses it, he appreciates it. Christianity, he says, is based on the factum historicum, on the Incarnation, on the Word made flesh. So Christianity affirms history.” Pope Benedict’s method when approaching Sacred Scripture “is basically combining the best of insights of the historical-critical method and combining that with theological interpretation . . . And that, in the end, really brings us closer to the real Jesus, more so than a zealous and ideologically driven adherence to one method over another.”

In the end, Valle says, “the pope employs both faith and reason. He exercises both fides and ratio in what he calls his personal search for the Lord, which is what this Jesus of Nazareth series is all about . . . He’s simply bringing before the reader his personal search for the Lord.”








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