I have read a couple stories lately which claim that Pope Benedict’s second volume on Jesus of Nazareth has some surprises.
It does.
I may not post as much today. I have an advance copy (strictly embargoed, which I respect), and I want to get through it before the black helicopter returns with its EM array.
I have permission to mention a few things, however. When I have a moment I will post them.
Pre-order the book HERE.
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Father, you are a tease! [I am honor-bound to respect the embargo on revealing the content of the book. I can’t, for example, give you quotes. Sorry.]
I pre-ordered a copy…
Good surprises? Bad? Indifferent?
Just pre-ordered a copy as well. Even now I still refer back to the first volume, so I happily anticipate this next one.
I’m afraid it will be too deep for me…. disabuse of this notion Father…. [I can assure you that it is going to be a good read for most people. It is not too hard. There are not long, convoluted paragraphs with footnotes, etc. It’ll be fine.]
teomatto,
Fear not. The first volume is written in clear, plain English. The translator did an excellent job.
Ordinarily the words “German” and “theologian” in close proximity do cause alarm . . . but not in this case.
C.S. Lewis said that if an “expert” can’t put his thoughts into plain English he probably doesn’t understand his topic and is hiding in a thicket of jargon. Pope Benedict is one of those rare intellects who understands his subject so well that he can put it into clear language.
“Pope Benedict is one of those rare intellects who understands his subject so well that he can put it into clear language.” — Thanks to his late sister Maria, by whom he ran all his homilies and books for normal people, as a young priest, until he learned to put things simply.
Folks should be advised that the Pope’s book-writing style sometimes takes a while to rev up, and that he usually starts with a review. (Which often is full of pointed comments for the academic reader and/or interesting info for the totally ignorant, but seems just like a bland review to the rest of us.) Sometimes people lose patience at this stage (“but I know all this!”), but right after that, he starts putting stuff together for you and showing you new things. You can always skim forward and then come back later, though patient reading rewards you too.
I have enjoyed the Holy Father’s writing. In the first volume, his introduction where he masterfully dissects the errors of the modern (read extreme) historical critical school is a great corrective to anyone who has ever taken a college level scripture class and wondered “what does Q and the J source mean” plus all of the other things that turn the VERBUM DOMINI into word soup. His Holiness puts the historical critical method in proper perspective and shows the errors of seeing historical critical method as the end of the story. Or to put it another way Exegesis is not supposed to be Exit Jesus… (I was lucky, most of my profs and teachers were believers and were/are good Priests and Sisters and laymen).
I have my copy on order and it’ll be my Lenten reading, along with the Spiritual Combat and Christ in His Mysteries by Bl. Marmion.