Jesus of Nazareth. The childhood stories

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Pope Benedict XVI with crucifix stick at a church service in Munich (2006)
The holy family
Benedict XVI. at the Mariensäule - statue of the Mother of God and the baby Jesus - in Munich, 2006

Jesus of Nazareth. Prologue - The Childhood Stories is the last volume to be published in the Jesus trilogy Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI. about the figure and message of Jesus Christ . According to the author's intention, the volume should be viewed thematically and chronologically as a prologue to the two main volumes previously published on the public work of Jesus. The German-language handwritten manuscript of the prologue volume was written in Castel Gandolfo in 2012 , the author's foreword is dated August 15, 2012. The book was published shortly before Advent 2012, in the year of faith . At the same time as the original German edition by Herder Verlag , editions appeared in 7 other languages ​​in 50 countries with a total circulation of over a million copies. The volume is expected to be available in 20 additional languages ​​in 72 countries in 2013.

exegesis

With the volume on the childhood stories of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke , Pope Benedict XVI. To give the readers an introductory theological guide to the figure and message of Jesus of Nazareth "on their way to Jesus and with Jesus" , which he analyzes and interprets in many layers in the first and second volumes with his new interpretation of the Bible from baptism - the first public appearance - of Jesus .

In the prologue, too, the Ratzinger exegesis interweaves the historical component of the interpretation - question of the former intentions of the Bible authors - with the question of a universal and individual meaning of the truth content of biblical texts, which remains for the present and the future, "whose last and deepest author our faith is God himself ”. (Preface)

Through his exegesis, Pope Benedict XVI. the hermeneutic core of early Christian historiography as two interpretations running in opposite directions simultaneously: a.) as an interpretation of history from the word of God, b.) interpretation of the word of God from history; thus the old words in the Bible and the new earthly events about Jesus receive their respective full meaning from each other. The author deeply analyzes the mutual relationship of these parallel interpretations in the childhood stories of Matthew and Luke, in which the story of Jesus is interpreted as the realization of the history of salvation , which was previously hidden in Scripture as "still masterless" (2nd chapter):

"From this connection between the waiting word and the recognition of its owner who has now appeared, the typical Christian exegesis has emerged, which is new and yet remains completely true to the original scripture."

The Ratzinger exegesis develops a sensitive approach to its programmatic question, "what the holy author wanted to say in his writing" ( Dei Verbum , III, 12, document of the Second Vatican Council ), precisely because its post-critical canonical interpretation - on like the Gospels - linking faith and history across the biblical scriptures.

For detailed information, see the Wikipedia article on Volume 1 of the book:

content

Chapter 1 - Where are you from? (Joh 19,9)

The Pilate question of the Gospel of John, which gives the chapter title, belongs only indirectly to the childhood stories of Jesus. But it forms a central point of all four canonical Gospels , which are about answering the inseparable questions “Who is Jesus?” And “Where does he come from?” - that is why they were written. Because the question of the inner origin of Jesus, of his true nature, must also be viewed as a question of being and mission. The people of Nazareth know Jesus like the other inhabitants, paradoxically, the "where" of his power and wisdom, his interpretation of Scripture with divine authority and statement about his heavenly origin (Mk 6: 2-3; Jn 8:23) remain a riddle to them .

The evangelists Matthew and Luke want to use the family tree of Christ to represent the “place of Jesus in history”. Because of the centrality of Abraham and David , Matthew's focus is both on the universality of the mission of Jesus, which is given in his where from, but also on the fulfillment of the promise of David (God gives him the throne of his father David, and his kingdom does not come about more end, 2 Sam 7: 13-16), since Joseph of Nazareth is the legal father of Jesus. However, the promised new king - Jesus - appears "very different from what one might have thought from the David model," his kingdom is based solely on faith and love. Universality is also important for Luke, but he leads the family tree even further back to Adam , the first created man , so the new creation of man in Jesus is emphasized, who as a “son” comes even more radically “from God” than Adam.

The symbolic structure of both family trees combines the historical and the new in Jesus: his “being interwoven in the historical paths of promise” on the one hand and the new beginning of being human on the other. Paradoxically, the new beginning also means a continuation, the “continuity of God's historical action”. The differently handed down male lineages of both family trees each end with Mary of Nazareth , in whom this new beginning occurs and who thus "relativizes the whole family tree".

The Gospel of John sums up "the deepest meaning of the trees" without ancestral lines. In his prologue (Jn 1,1-14) he gives an “emphatic and grandiose” answer to the “where from” and at the same time expands it to a definition of Christian existence. The beginning, the eternal divine Logos, the Word of God, wins human existence in Jesus. “It comes from God. He is God ”. Jesus - "as the beginning" - opens a new way of being human through faith in him, the entry into the divine origin of Jesus Christ:

“Just as family trees break off at the end because Jesus was not conceived by Joseph, but was really born out of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, so now also applies to us: Our true 'family tree' is faith in Jesus, the gives us a new origin, gives birth to us 'from God'. "

Chapter 2 - The announcement of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus

In the proclamation of the virgin birth of Jesus by the angel (in Matthew to Joseph, in Luke to Mary) the Pope recognizes similar accentuation of the evangelists as in the family trees. Joseph accepts "with a sensitivity for God and his ways" the message of the angel who appeared to him, who expressly addresses him as "son of David". The angel's preaching to Mary is presented as the realization of the promise of David, but also as an act of the divine new creation of man, which is only possible through Mary's three-part answer - thoughtfulness, "how", obedient "yes". God's omnipotence, which “nevertheless binds itself to the free yes of the human being Mary”, is also part of the Christian understanding of freedom that has helped shape the Ratzinger exegesis. Through Mary's obedience, the creative word, God's spirit, can bring about the conception of Jesus in her, the trinity of God is already visible - without teaching yet to be formulated.

The angel speaks to Mary in a striking way instead of the usual Hebrew greeting shalom ("Peace be with you") with the Greek greeting chaĭre ("Rejoice, gifted!", Also " Greetings you "), this can be used as a sign for the Universality of the Christian good news can be seen and at the same time as a reference to the Zefaniah prophecy ("Rejoice, daughter of Zion. [...] The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst", Zef 3: 14-17): there "Appears to Mary as the living tent of God, in which he wants to dwell among men in a new way". In the common root of the Greek words joy and grace ( chará and cháris ), the Pope also sees something worth considering: "Joy and grace belong together". The author also investigates the source-critical questions of the Lukan childhood stories, so he sees in the repeated mention that Mary kept words and events in her heart (visit of the shepherds, Lk 2,19, or twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, Lk 2,51) , a reference to concrete events that were passed down through tradition of the family of Jesus and then formed theologically. Mary, who encounters the whole of God's message with heart and mind, "thus becomes the image of the Church, which considers the word of God, tries to understand its wholeness and preserves what is given in her memory".

Some exegetes tried to derive the history of the birth of Jesus from the ancient world view in terms of religious history. The Pope sees the archetypal hopes appearing in it as “silent and confused dreams of mankind of a new beginning”, which only became reality through the birth of Jesus, as Matthew puts it with the promise of Isaiah through “a great basic christological text”: “All of this happened so that what the Lord said through the prophet might come true: Look, the virgin will conceive, she will bear a son, and he will be given the name Immanuel [God with us] ”(Mt 1,22f ; Isa 7:14), plus the rhetorical question of the Pope: “Didn't Christians have to hear this word as their word? […] The word that always stood there so peculiarly and waited to be deciphered, has it now become reality? ". Jesus is not called Immanuel, but he is Immanuel, he "is himself in person God's being with man".

The Lukan story of the Annunciation and the birth of John the Baptist forms a characteristically different, but literarily closely related narrative group to that of Jesus as Messiah. The announcement of the birth of John , who is shown in all four Gospels as the forerunner of Jesus, is marked in Luke by prophetic texts from Malachi (sending Elijah ) and Daniel (promise of eternal justice). In the Lucanian connection of the opposing scenarios of both birth announcements by the angel - in the Jerusalem temple in the midst of the liturgy to the priest father of John or in a simple house to an unknown young woman - the Pope sees two elements that belong together: “The deep continuity in the History of God's action and the novelty of the hidden mustard seed “, who is Jesus who brings eternal life , whose new covenant is also characterized by humility.

Benedict XVI. affirms the historicity of the virgin birth and the resurrection as - in an expression by Karl Barth - two points in the story of Jesus at which God intervenes directly in the material world. Because “God is God” (“Nothing is impossible for God” - Lk 1.37), who owns not only ideas but also matter, his creative power embraces all being.

“In that sense, these two points - virgin birth and real resurrection from the grave - are touchstones of faith. [...] So he [God] as Creator is also our Redeemer. That is why the conception and birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary is a fundamental element of our faith and a luminous sign of hope. "

Chapter 3 - The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
Benedict XVI., Angelus Sermon in Freiburg (2011)

With the mention of the census of the Roman emperor Augustus , which takes Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem , Lukas deliberately gives his birth report a historical and theological framework at the same time. The Pope outlines the corresponding political theology of the emperor, who appeared as the peace-maker ( Pax Augusti ) of a universal kingdom and claimed the title of savior and savior, which is, however, reserved for God in Scripture. The historical context, which is important for the evangelist, shows the "abundance of time" for the promised birth of a universal savior in Bethlehem ( Micah 5,1-3  EU ), to which the census unintentionally contributes. At the arrival of Jesus, the history of the Roman Empire and the history of salvation expanded for all peoples penetrate one another . “The universal and the concrete touch one another” - this is also made clear by the careful Lukan dating of the birth and appearance of Jesus: God's incarnation “includes the context of place and time. Faith is bound to this concrete reality ”.

The prologue deals with the dating dispute over the census and the birth of Jesus. Despite the difficulties of historical research (time distance, complexity of the Roman Empire), but also on the basis of historical-critical analysis - evaluation of the sources, traditional strands, editing and theological views - for the Pope "the essential contents of the events reported by Luke [...] historically credible ”.

Benedict XVI. interprets the details of the birth of Jesus in a nuanced manner. God's Son is born in a manger because there is no room for him in the inn - an indication of that inversion of values ​​that lies in the figure and message of Jesus: this powerless man, for whom there is no room, turns out to be truly powerful. His place of birth was probably a grotto (not a stable), as church patriarchal tradition and Bethlehemite local tradition, but also historical contexts confirm this. In the Gospel of Luke there is no mention of a stable or ox and donkey, which since early times have been used in Christian iconography for Jews and Gentiles who have come to Christian knowledge through the Child Jesus. In the manger, Augustine already saw a reference to the table of God, to which man is invited to receive the Eucharistic bread and thus Jesus as true nourishment giving eternal life .

Chapter 4 - The Wise Men from the Orient and the Flight into Egypt
Epilogue - The twelve year old Jesus in the temple
Bibliography by the author

Reviews

  • Book presentation (PDF file; 26 kB) by Archbishop Robert Zollitsch , at the German Bishops' Conference , Würzburg, November 20, 2012.
  • Benedict XVI: Jesus of Nazareth, Volume III. An overview . Münchner Kirchenradio - Sankt Michaelsbund : "A very spiritual dialogue between the 85-year-old and the biblical texts has emerged [...] Time and again, after more detailed analysis of the biblical text, the author finds simple, catchy sentences:" This is a real reason for joy: There is truth, there is good, there is beauty. It is there - in God - indestructible. "Here we have the typical Ratzinger-Benedict tone."
  • Pope publishes third book on Jesus , Berliner Zeitung, November 20, 2012: "Ratzinger's interpretations are sensitive and witty."
  • Sympathetic “scandal for the modern spirit” , book review at religionsreport.de: “The“ Childhood Stories ”are by no means only suitable for readers interested in theology, but also address - if only because Ratzinger uses a language that is comparatively simple for his circumstances - those who have so far avoided theological non-fiction books. "
  • Jesus is world history - In Dialogue with the Bible , Focus Online, November 27, 2012: «“ Finally, ”this is how the brilliant theologian and eloquent author Joseph Ratzinger opens his latest dialogue with the Bible about the childhood of Jesus. [...] At last, that means: With the “long promised little book about the childhood stories of Jesus” the Pope sets the keystone of a project in his pontificate that was particularly close to his heart. He worked hard on it, especially in the summer residence Castel Gandolfo. The result is a fascinating work on the "story interpreted in faith". »
  • Pope fights for the magic of the Christmas story , Nibelungen-Kurier, November 20, 2012; «Regardless of whether the“ census ”ordered by the emperor, the shepherds of Bethlehem, the wise men from the Orient or the bright star: Benedict works through the essential elements of the Christmas story, makes arguments for their historical credibility, but also analyzes them theologically. […] However, the Pope does not stop at historical retrospect, but also builds a bridge to the present based on the Gospels. For the correct interpretation of the Bible also includes asking yourself: "Is it my business? And if so, how?"
  • Christmas story like from the Koran school , Heinz-Werner Kubitza, hpd.de, December 18, 2012; “What Ratzinger […] delivers has nothing to do with taking scientific research seriously. Ratzinger only argues with results of research where they fit into his dogmatic concept. Where this is not the case, he ignores them and brings pious flowery. [...] Such books as the Pope's Jesus books drag down the normally serious New Testament research to the level of Bible or Koran schools. "
  • Pope Benedict defends the Bible story about the development of Jesus , on the website www.treffpunkt-regional.com, December 20, 2012: «For his book, Pope Benedict deals with the essential elements of the Christmas story - lists the pros and cons of historical credibility, considers them theological aspects of the stories. In accordance with his task as a priest, Pope Benedict builds a bridge to the here and now from these stories - similar to a sermon - in order to make the meaning of Jesus' birth understandable and comprehensible for us too. "
  • The first pope to do programmatic historical-critical exegesis , Professor Reiser presented the third volume of the Jesus book by Pope Benedict XVI. before, on the website of the Diocese of Mainz , December 18, 2012: «The Pope can answer for himself and his work before the historical-critical method. No Pope conducted and defended this business as well as Benedict XVI. The scientists, especially the Germans, should thank him for that. "

Bibliographical information

Title information
Other volumes in the trilogy

literature

  • Joseph Ratzinger: Introduction to Christianity , Kösel-Verlag, Munich, 1968, Chapter Two The Development of the Confession of Christ in the Christological Articles of Faith , Item I. "Received by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary the Virgin".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Third Jesus book will be published in November . buchjournal , accessed on October 27, 2012
  2. ↑ The crowning glory of the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , on Zenit's website, November 21, 2012@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.zenit.org  
  3. ↑ cf. Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity , Chapter Christ "The Last Man," pp. 189–196.
  4. ↑ cf. Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity , Chapter Confession to God Today , pp. 120–121.
  5. ↑ cf. Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity , Chapter Confession to God Today , 115–121.
  6. ↑ cf. Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity , Chapter I Believe in Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son our Lord , 154–156.
  7. ^ Christmas mass sermon by Pope Benedict XVI. , St. Peter's Basilica, December 24, 2012: “Let us ask the Lord that we may be awake to His presence. That we hear how he knocks softly and yet urgently on the door of our being and our will. Let us ask him that there will be room for him in us. "