The former archbishop of Milan Martini (the former rector of the famous Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem) in his most diplomatic way inferred that Benedict’s book on Jesus was not to be taken too seriously. In his cryptic way Martini said that it is a nice work but then “Ratzinger is not a trained exegete.” That’s about as far as any Cardinal would ever go in dissing the present pope’s book.
Ratzinger of course is sanguine about all of this, saying that people are free to disagree with him.
Now I have not read the Pope’s book but have always considered him a vastly overrated theologian. Few serious scholars cite any work of his outside of his 1966 book Introduction to Christianity.
I was staggered however to read some of his statements in the book as quoted by Fr. Joe O’ Leary of Sophia University in Tokyo. His review ran in the NCR. O’Leary is even better at irony than Cardinal Martini.His comment is classic:
“If Benedict is right, a whole century of New Testament scholarship will have to be radically corrected and largely jettisoned. For most readers of Benedict’s book this will be received as an immense liberation, a recovery of the fullness of Christ in every page of scripture, but for critical exegetes and theologians it is more likely to induce gnashing of teeth and the sense of doors being locked.”
O’Leary writes that Ratzinger claims that the famous “Ego eimi” ( I am the Way,the Truth, the Vine etc.) statements of the 4th Gospel are historical utterances of Jesus. Few scholars would claim this. Also that Jesus was proclaiming God not the Reign of God, the kingdom of justice and peace which was inbreaking in him and in his activity—the deaf hearing, the lame walking etc –signs of the Reign or Commonwealth (a good non-sexist word). Further that the “Basileia” God’s holy commonwealth was strictly “not of this world.”
Most scholars reject the idea that Jesus proclaimed himself. But apparently Ratzinger who has always been way too esoteric and otherworldly for me claims this.
Maybe next we’ll hear that Jesus initiated the Roman Catholic Church.
