The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI : The Christocentric Shift

Many refer to Pope Benedict XVI as "the Mozart of Theology." Who are the personalities and thinkers who have informed his theology? What events, and which religious devotions, have shaped his personality? What are the central themes of his complex scholarship encompassing more than 1500 titles? This study attempts to shed light on the unifying melody of the policies and positions of a pontificate charged with spiritual and theological depth. Especially in the 1970s an anthropocentric shift had occurred. Emery de Gàl argues that, amid a general lack of original, secular ideas stirring public opinion, Benedict XVI inaugurates an epochal Christocentric shift; by rekindling the Patristic genius, he provides Christianity with both intellectual legitimacy and the scholarship needed to propel it into the twenty-first century Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction: The Christocentric Shift....Pages 1-6 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Highlights of a Lifelong Ministry....Pages 9-11 Personality and Temperament....Pages 13-20 Formative Early Encounters as a Seminarian: Personal Existentialism Grounded in Jesus Christ....Pages 21-31 Graduate Studies in Munich....Pages 33-44 His Language and Style....Pages 45-47 Academic Teacher: Truth as Person....Pages 49-51 Pastor to “Radical Christians”: The Catholic Integrated Community....Pages 53-57 Front Matter....Pages 59-59 The Beginnings of His Theology....Pages 61-72 The Inaugural Lecture in 1959....Pages 73-77 Jesus Christ, the Sovereign, Unsurpassable Revealer of Revelation....Pages 79-106 The Question of Faith in the World....Pages 107-109 The Unity of the Old and New Testaments....Pages 111-117 The Biblical Basis of Christology....Pages 119-127 A Twentieth-Century Classic: Introduction to Christianity....Pages 129-143 Christ and the Pursuit of Happiness: Safeguarding the Nondisponibility of Christ....Pages 145-161 Front Matter....Pages 163-163 Christ and the Church....Pages 165-174 Christ and Ecumenical Dialogue....Pages 175-187 An Ecclesiological Dispute at the Turn of the Millennium....Pages 189-197 Front Matter....Pages 199-208 Jesus Christ as the Unifying Ecclesial Reality....Pages 163-163 Front Matter....Pages 209-214 Christ and Freedom: Evangelization....Pages 215-215 Christian Brotherhood: Entering into Jesus Christ’s Earthly Ineffability....Pages 217-230 Front Matter....Pages 231-235 The Transparency of Christ and Christians: The Liturgy....Pages 237-237 Regensburg: Provocation or Jesus Christ as the Basis for Civilized Discourse? Jesus Christ as the Reconciler of Faith and Reason....Pages 239-267 Jesus Christ, the Definer and Personification of the Eschaton....Pages 269-273 Mary: In Christ, the First Free Human Being....Pages 275-285 Epilogue: Jesus Christ Offering the World Identity and Meaning....Pages 287-296 Back Matter....Pages 297-301 ....Pages 303-370 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 3 Copyright 4 Contents 7 Foreword 9 Acknowledgments 16 Abbreviations 18 Introduction: The Christocentric Shift 19 Part I Establishing the Christocentric Vision 25 1 Highlights of a Lifelong Ministry 26 2 Personality and Temperament 29 3 Formative Early Encounters as a Seminarian: Personal Existentialism Grounded in Jesus Christ 37 4 Graduate Studies in Munich 48 5 His Language and Style 60 6 Academic Teacher: Truth as Person 63 7 Pastor to “Radical Christians”: The Catholic Integrated Community 66 Part II Jesus Christ: God’s Self-Disclosure 71 8 The Beginnings of His Theology 72 9 The Inaugural Lecture in 1959 84 10 Jesus Christ, the Sovereign, Unsurpassable Revealer of Revelation 89 11 The Question of Faith in the World 117 12 The Unity of the Old and New Testaments 120 13 The Biblical Basis of Christology 127 14 A Twentieth-Century Classic: Introduction to Christianity 136 15 Christ and the Pursuit of Happiness: Safeguarding the Nondisponibility of Christ 151 Part III The Church: The Christ-Filled Realm 168 16 Communio: Christian Brotherhood and the Church as One Reality 169 17 Christ and the Church 179 18 Christ and Ecumenical Dialogue 196 19 An Ecclesiological Dispute at the Turn of the Millennium 205 20 Jesus Christ as the Unifying Ecclesial Reality 215 Part IV Being Christ to Others 221 21 Christ and Freedom: Evangelization 222 22 Christian Brotherhood: Entering into Jesus Christ’s Earthly Ineffability 236 Part V The Liturgy: Christ-Filled Worship 241 23 The Transparency of Christ and Christians: The Liturgy 242 24 Regensburg: Provocation or Jesus Christ as the Basis for Civilized Discourse? Jesus Christ as the Reconciler of Faith and Reason 271 25 Jesus Christ, the Definer and Personification of the Eschaton 276 26 Mary: In Christ, the First Free Human Being 287 Epilogue: Jesus Christ Offering the World Identity and Meaning 297 Notes 302 Bibliography 343 Index 354 Many refer to Pope Benedict XVI as "the Mozart of Theology." Who are the personalities and thinkers who have informed his theology? What events, and which religious devotions, have shaped his personality? What are the central themes of his complex scholarship encompassing more than 1500 titles? This study attempts to shed light on the unifying melody of the policies and positions of a pontificate charged with spiritual and theological depth. Especially in the 1970s an anthropocentric shift had occurred. Emery de Gaal argues that, amid a general lack of original, secular ideas stirring public opinion, Benedict XVI inaugurates an epochal Christocentric shift; by rekindling the Patristic genius, he provides Christianity with both intellectual legitimacy and the scholarship needed to propel it into the twenty-first century Many refer to Pope Benedict XVI as "the Mozart of Theology." Who are the personalities and thinkers who have informed his theology? What events, and which religious devotions, have shaped his personality? What are the central themes of his complex scholarship encompassing more than 1500 titles? This study attempts to shed light on the unifying melody of the policies and positions of a pontificate charged with spiritual and theological depth. Especially in the 1970s an anthropocentric shift had occurred. Emery de Gàl argues that, amid a general lack of original, secular ideas stirring public opinion, Benedict XVI inaugurates an epochal Christocentric shift; by rekindling the Patristic genius, he provides Christianity with both intellectual legitimacy and the scholarship needed to propel it into the twenty-first century