Finally, we ask ourselves before all work on Jesus of Nazareth by Benedict XVI. The second part will illuminate how the first and vice versa. A work is always a unitary whole and not a simple assembly since it is always giving light to all parties. On 10 March, then we will go to the library and then rebuild the whole picture. While waiting, however, we read the parties that the publisher - the Libreria Editrice Vaticana - anticipated, as well as we read the first interpretations of the newspapers. We have not been able to so do not make up for the question: why Benedict XVI has decided to write this book? The answer is now the same as then: to show that Jesus is the Messiah and that this truth of faith and reason at a time is now, as always, the path to the truth and then to safety. Nothing less than this? Nothing less.
Benedict pursues this goal in every line of his book, Introduction to the exposure of the passion, death and resurrection. To be able to follow, though, so in order to understand and enjoy the brilliance of his observations and the genius of its reconstruction must take its point of view, which is never just history, but always presupposes the truth of faith. The great claim of this book is to show how the light of faith let fully understand the facts of history and even that is not so much to show Jesus the Messiah, but to show Jesus the Messiah The facts remain incomprehensible without the light of faith. Ratzinger had already expressed in the Introduction of the first volume and then I was stuck in the first part of the work. In this second part confirms this perspective.
Let the case of his reflections on the history of the story of Easter. The Synoptic Gospels suggest a chronology events other than the Gospel of John. For the latter the death of Jesus came at the ninth hour on Friday, the eve of Passover, in conjunction with the sacrifice of lambs in the Temple of Jerusalem. In the Synoptics, however, took place on the day of Passover. From the perspective of the truth of faith, John's version is more full of meaning: the Passover of Jesus is the Passover of Israel, is a "new Easter" because now he is the Lamb. The fact that his sacrifice is made at the same time when the temple is one of the lambs is therefore very significant theologically. And this also gives aid the historical reconstruction as the thesis of the Synoptics, seemingly more plausible, with reasonable arguments can be challenged in favor of John's version. Theological history also illuminates the historical chronology.
It also follows that the whole book is a close comparison with the Old Testament and the Jewish religion. Ratzinger takes care to show how Jesus Christ is not understood without the Old Testament, and how he overcomes it, proposing himself as the "New Israel". You can not delete the old law: it remains, indeed is exceeded, the New Law, which is Jesus himself. The social dimension of the rules on Saturday is not denied by the prohibition of putting man on Saturday, but taken up and confirmed in a New Covenant, which demonstrate that God, Jesus stands as the same happens in the story of the trial of Jesus led to Pilate that Benedict describes in this second part. According to Ratzinger, the attribution of blame for the death of the Messiah to "Jews" as "whole people" is wrong. The "deicide" is not to fall on the Jews and their descendants. The reason for these statements is historical or theological? Blessed by the light part of the theological vision: the blood of Jesus is not of conviction but of reconciliation. Sold but does not require unconditional love. From this light, then he also drops to historical analysis, linguistics, philology to detect, even on such land as it were secular, scientific confirmation. This scientific analysis shows that the charge of the Gospels would be addressed "to the priests of the temple" and not to the Jews as a people. As can be seen, the theological vision and faith is not added after the historical-critical method has run its course and put together your data, but the previews and are driven by a circular dialogue.
Grandiose, in this sense, the reflections on the Truth about the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, who asks just what is the truth. Jesus' response He is, Christ himself is the truth and that his kingdom is not of this world. Ratzinger advantage here is to ask why Pilate had condemned him, is to set the relationship between the Truth of God and human society. Pilate condemned Jesus could not have considering it a political danger: he had made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world. More likely - and realistically - Pilate must have been influenced by a superstitious fear of finding something Jesus in the strange and the danger of losing its position in the event of any disastrous event. As for the human society, says Benedict, she sees in front of Jesus - who says he is the Truth - You need them, not to remain at the mercy of the stronger. Again, therefore, the proclamation of the truth of faith becomes a light for revelation - in a circular relationship - even the historical realities and human resources. This book
Benedict XVI is so very important. He said several times that he wrote it not as a theologian and Pope, but then can also be contradicted by scholars. Yet, despite this diminutive, the book plays a very important not only to give an address to the theologians and exegetes, but also for our understanding of the Pope and even the nature of his pontificate.
Source: International Observatory Cardinal Van Thuan
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