Jesus of Nazareth: From His Transfiguration Through His Death and Resurrection

by Pope Benedict XVI

  Vigilance means first of all openness to the good, to the truth, to God, in the midst of an often meaningless world and in the midst of the power of evil. It means that man tries with all his strength and with great sobriety to do what is right; it means that he lives, not according to his own wishes, but according to the signpost of faith. All this is presented in Jesus’ eschatological parables, especially in the parable of the vigilant servant (Lk 12:42-48) and, in a different way, in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Mt 25:1-13).

  But what is the position now in the Christian life regarding expectation of the Lord’s return? Are we to expect him, or do we prefer not to? Even in his day, Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) had to warn his readers not to neglect to pray for Christ’s second coming through fear of great calamities or fear of death. Should this passing world be dearer to us than the Lord for whom we are actually waiting?

  The Book of Revelation concludes with the promise of the Lord’s return and with a prayer for it: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20). It is the prayer of one who loves, one who is surrounded in the besieged city by all the dangers and terrors of destruction and can only wait for the arrival of the beloved who has the power to end the siege and to bring salvation. It is the hope-filled cry for Jesus to draw near in a situation of danger where he alone can help.

  At the end of the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul quotes the same prayer in an Aramaic version, which as it happens can be divided differently and is therefore open to different interpretations: Marana tha (Lord, come!), or Maran atha (the Lord has come). This twofold reading brings out clearly the peculiar nature of the Christian expectation of Jesus’ coming. It is the invocation “Come!” and at the same time the grateful certainty that “he has come”.

  From the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didache, ca. 100), we know that this invocation formed part of the liturgical prayers of the eucharistic celebrations of the earliest Christian communities, and here too we find a concrete illustration of the unity of the two readings. Christians pray for Jesus’ definitive coming, and at the same time they experience with joy and thankfulness that he has already anticipated this coming and has entered into our midst here and now.

  Christian prayer for the Lord’s return always includes the experience of his presence. It is never purely focused on the future. The words of the risen Lord make the point: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). He is with us now, and in his eucharistic presence he is especially close. Yet, conversely, the Christian experience of the Lord’s presence does include a certain tension toward the future, toward the moment when that presence will be definitively fulfilled: the presence is not yet complete. It pushes beyond itself. It sets us in motion toward the definitive.

  This inherent tension in Christian expectation of the Lord’s return, which must leave its mark on Christian life and prayer, may be helpfully clarified by two contrasting theological approaches. On the First Sunday of Advent, the Roman breviary presents us with a catechesis by Cyril of Jerusalem (Cat. XV, 1-3; PG 33, 870-874), which begins with the words: “We preach not one coming only of Christ, but a second also . . . Generally speaking, everything that concerns our Lord Jesus Christ is twofold. His birth is twofold: one, of God before time began; the other, of the Virgin in the fullness of time. His descent is twofold: one, unperceived . . . the other, before the eyes of all, is yet to happen.” This language of the twofold coming of Christ has left its mark on Christianity, and it is an essential element of the Advent proclamation. It is correct, but incomplete.

  A few days later, on Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, the breviary offers a reflection from the Advent sermons of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, which fills out the picture somewhat. There we read: “We have come to know a threefold coming of the Lord. The third coming takes place between the other two [adventus medius] . . . his first coming was in the flesh and in weakness, this intermediary coming is in the spirit and in power, the last coming will be in glory and majesty” (In Adventu Domini, serm. III, 4; V, 1; PL 183, 45 A; 50 C-D). Bernard bases his thesis on John 14:23: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

  Specific reference is made to a “coming” of the Father and the Son: it is an eschatology of the present that John has developed. It does not abandon the expectation of a definitive coming that will change the world, but it shows that the interim time is not empty: it is marked by the adventus medius, the middle coming, of which Bernard speaks. This anticipatory presence is an essential element in Christian eschatology, in Christian life.

  Even if the term adventus medius was unknown before Bernard, the idea has nevertheless been present in different forms throughout the whole of Christian tradition from the outset. Let us recall, for example, that Saint Augustine sees the clouds on which the Judge of the world is to arrive as the word of proclamation. The words of the message, handed on by the witnesses, are the cloud that brings Christ into the world—here and now. And in this way the world is prepared for his definitive coming. The “middle coming” takes place in a great variety of ways. The Lord comes through his word; he comes in the sacraments, especially in the most Holy Eucharist; he comes into my life through words or events.

  Yet he also comes in ways that change the world. The ministry of the two great figures Francis and Dominic in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was one way in which Christ entered anew into history, communicating his word and his love with fresh vigor. It was one way in which he renewed his Church and drew history toward himself. We could say much the same of the saints of the sixteenth century. Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, and Francis Xavier all opened up new ways for the Lord to enter into the confused history of their century as it was pulling away from him. His mystery, his figure enters anew—and most importantly, his power to transform men’s lives and to refashion history becomes present in a new way.

  Can we pray, therefore, for the coming of Jesus? Can we sincerely say: “Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!”? Yes, we can. And not only that: we must! We pray for anticipations of his world-changing presence. We pray to him in moments of personal tribulation: Come, Lord Jesus, and draw my life into the presence of your kindly power. We ask him to be close to those we love or for whom we are anxious. We ask him to be present and effective in his Church.

  Why not ask him to send us new witnesses of his presence today, in whom he himself will come to us? And this prayer, while it is not directly focused on the end of the world, is nevertheless a real prayer for his coming; it contains the full breadth of the prayer that he himself taught us: “Your kingdom come!” Come, Lord Jesus!

  Let us return once more to the ending of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus led his followers into the vicinity of Bethany, we are told. “Lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven” (24:50-51). Jesus departs in the act of blessing. He goes while blessing, and he remains in that gesture of blessing. His hands remain stretched out over this world. The blessing hands of Christ are like a roof that protects us. But at the same time, they are a gesture of opening up, tearing the world open so that heaven may enter in, may become “present” within it.

  The gesture of hands outstretched in blessing expresses Jesus’ continuing relationship to his disciples, to the world. In departing, he comes to us, in order to raise us up above ourselves and to open up the world to God. That is why the disciples could return home from Bethany rejoicing. In faith we know that Jesus holds his hands stretched out in blessing over us. That is the lasting motive of Christian joy.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  General Bibliography for Part One (cf. Part One, pp. 365-66)

  As explained in the foreword to Part One, this book presupposes historical-critical exegesis and makes use of its findings, but it seeks to transcend this method and to arrive at a genuinely theolo
gical interpretation of the scriptural texts. It is not the aim here to enter into the debates of historical-critical research. I have therefore made no attempt to compile a comprehensive bibliography, which would in any case be impossible. The titles of works cited in the book are briefly indicated in the text in parentheses; full bibliographical details are given below.

  First of all, the following texts figure among the more important recent books on Jesus.

  Joachim Gnilka. Jesus of Nazareth: Message and History. Translated by Siegfried S. Schatzmann. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.

  Klaus Berger. Jesus. Munich: Pattloch, 2004. On the basis of thorough exegetical knowledge, the author presents the figure and the message of Jesus in dialogue with the questions of the present time.

  Heinz Schürmann. Jesus: Gestalt und Geheimnis. Edited by Klaus Scholtissek. Paderborn: Bonifatius, 1994. A collection of essays.

  John P. Meier. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. New York: Doubleday, 1991-2009. This four-volume work by an American priest is in many respects a model of historical-critical exegesis, in which the significance and the limits of the method emerge clearly. It is worth reading the review by Jacob Neusner of volume 1, Who Needs the Historical Jesus? in Chronicles, July 1993, pp. 32-34.

  Thomas Söding. Der Gottessohn aus Nazareth: Das Menschsein Jesu im Neuen Testament. Freiburg: Herder, 2006. The book does not attempt to reconstruct the historical Jesus, but it presents the faith testimony of the various New Testament writings.

  Rudolf Schnackenburg. Jesus in the Gospels: A Biblical Christology. Translated by O. C. Dean, Jr. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995. Schnackenburg followed this work, which is quoted in the foreword of Part One of the present book, with a final, small, and very personal publication: The Friend We Have in Jesus, trans. Mark A. Christian (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997), in which he “places the subjective (for instance, the effects that Jesus produces in the hearts and souls of men) before intellectual considerations” (p. vii).

  In the exegesis of the Gospels, I rely principally on the individual volumes of Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, which unfortunately remains incomplete.

  Extensive material on the Jesus story can be found in the six-volume work La storia di Gesù. Milan: Rizzoli, 1983-1985.

  General Bibliography for Part Two

  The general bibliography for Part One, which also applies to Part Two, may now be supplemented by some further titles that relate to the entire work.

  The six-volume Theologie des Neuen Testaments (I/1-4; II/1-2) by Ulrich Wilckens is now complete (Neukirchener Verlag, 2002-2009). Of particular importance for Part Two of the present work is vol. 1/2: Jesu Tod und Auferstehung und die Entstehung der Kirche aus Juden und Heiden (2003).

  A second edition is now available of: Ferdinand Hahn, Theologie des Neuen Testaments, vol. 1, Die Vielfalt des Neuen Testaments, and vol. 2, Die Einheit des Neuen Testaments. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2002; 2nd ed., 2005.

  In 2007, Martin Hengel published jointly with Anna Maria Schwemer a volume of some importance for the present book, namely: Jesus und das Judentum (Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck). It is the first of a projected four-volume work: Geschichte des frühen Christentums.

  Of the numerous studies by Franz Mussner that are relevant for the present book, I should here like to mention especially: Jesus von Nazareth im Umfeld Israels und der Urkirche: Gesammelte Aufsätze. Edited by Michael Theobald. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999.

  I should like to make particular mention of the work by Joachim Ringleben to which I referred in the foreword to Part Two: Jesus: Ein Versuch zu begreifen. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008.

  In the foreword to Part Two, I also referred to a book that is essential for the question of methodology, namely: Marius Reiser. Bibelkritik und Auslegung der Heiligen Schrift: Beiträge zur Geschichte der biblischen Exegese und Hermeneutik. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007.

  Another helpful work on the same topic is: Geist im Buchstaben? Neue Ansätze in der Exegese. Edited by Thomas Söding. Quaestiones disputatae, vol. 225. Freiburg: Herder, 2007.

  Also informative is: François Dreyfus. Exégèse en Sorbonne, exégèse en Église: Esquisse d’une théologie de la Parole de Dieu. Les-Plans-sur-Bex: Parole et Silence, 2006.

  In the area of systematic theology, to the great Christologies of Wolfhart Pannenberg, Walter Kasper, and Christoph Schönborn may now be added: Karl-Heinz Menke. Jesus ist Gott der Sohn: Denkformen und Brennpunkte der Christologie. Regensburg: Pustet, 2008.

  Angelo Amato. Gesù, identità del cristianesimo: Conoscenza ed esperienza. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008.

  Chapter One: The Entrance into Jerusalem and the Cleansing of the Temple

  Issue 1/2009 of the Internationale katholische Zeitschrift Communio (vol. 38, pp. 1-43) is dedicated to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. I refer especially to the article by Harald Buchinger,“ ‘Hosanna dem Sohne Davids!’ Zur Liturgie des Palmsonntags”, pp. 35-43. Chapter 1 of the present book was written before the article was published.

  Rudolf Pesch. Das Markusevangelium: Zweiter Teil. Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament II/2. Freiburg: Herder, 1977.

  Eduard Lohse, article “hosanna”, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Vol. 9. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974 (pp. 682ff.).

  Concerning the cleansing of the Temple, in addition to the commentaries:

  Vittorio Messori. Patì sotto Ponzio Pilato. Turin: SEI, 1992 (pp. 190-99).

  Martin Hengel. The Zealots: Investigations into the Jewish Freedom Movement in the Period from Herod I until 70 A.D. Translated by David Smith. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1989.

  _____. Was Jesus a Revolutionist? Translated by William Klassen. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971. Further bibliography is indicated there.

  Ulrich Wilckens. Theologie des Neuen Testaments. 6 vols. Neukirchener Verlag, 2002-2009 (vol. 1/2, pp. 59-65).

  Chapter Two: Jesus’ Eschatological Discourse

  In these thoughts on Jesus’ eschatological discourse, I attempt to continue, to explore in greater depth, and where necessary to correct the analysis that I originally put forward in my 1977 book: Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life, trans. Michael Waldstein, 2nd ed. (Washington, D.C.: CUA Press, 2007).

  Flavius Josephus. The Jewish War. Translated by G. A. Williamson. Revised edition by E. Mary Smallwood. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1981; the passage quoted corresponds to VI, 299-300, of the original text, and the reference to the death toll of 1,100,000 is found at VI, 420 of the original (Bellum Judaicum).

  Alexander Mittelstaedt. Lukas als Historiker: Zur Datierung des lukanischen Doppelwerkes. Tübingen: Francke, 2006 (pp. 49-164).

  Joachim Gnilka. Die Nazarener und der Koran: Eine Spurensuche. Freiburg: Herder, 2007.

  Faith Gives Fullness to Reasoning: The Five Theological Orations of Gregory Nazianzen. Introduction and commentary by Frederick W. Norris. Translated by Lionel Wickham and Frederick Williams. Leiden: Brill, 1991. The passage quoted appears on p. 293.

  On Romans 3:23: Ulrich Wilckens. Theologie des Neuen Testaments. 6 vols. Neukirchener Verlag, 2002-2009. Vols. I/3 and II/1.

  Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Five Books on Consideration: Advice to a Pope. Translated by John D. Anderson and Elizabeth T. Kennan. Cistercian Fathers Series no. 37. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1976. (Original title: De Consideratione ad Eugenium Papam Tertiam libri quinque).

  Hildegard Brem’s comments on the above text that are quoted in the present chapter are found in: Bernhard von Clairvaux. Sämtliche Werke. Latin / German. Edited by Gerhard B. Winkler. Innsbruck: Tyrolia, 1990-99 (vol. 1 [1990], pp. 829-41).

  For the significance of post-biblical Judaism, see: Franz Mußner. Dieses Geschlecht wird nicht vergehen: Judentum und Kirche. Freiburg: Herder, 1991.

  Chapter Three: The Washing of the Feet

  For the theme of purity and purification,
I refer the reader to the important article “Reinheit / Reinigung”, in Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie, ed. Joachim Ritter and Karlfried Gründer, vol. 8 (Basel: Schwabe, 1992), cols. 531-53, esp. II/1 Griechische Antike (Martin Arndt), II/2 Judentum (Maren Niehoff), III/1 Neues Testament (Martin Arndt), III/2 Patristik (Rita Sturlese).

  For Plotinus, I refer the reader to Giovanni Reale. Storia della filosofia greca e romana. Vol. 8, Plotino e il neoplatonismo pagano. Milan: Bompiani, 2004 (pp. 19-186).

  Rudolf Schnackenburg. The Gospel according to St. John. Vol. 3. Translated by David Smith and G. A. Kon. New York: Crossroad, 1982.

  Charles K. Barrett. The Gospel according to St. John. 2nd ed. London: SPCK, 1978.

  Franz Mußner. Der Jakobusbrief Freiburg: Herder, 1964 (pp. 225-30).

  Chapter Four: Jesus’ High-Priestly Prayer

  André Feuillet. The Priesthood of Christ and His Ministers. Translated by Matthew J. O’Connell. New York: Doubleday, 1975.

  Der Hebräerbrief. Übersetzt und erklärt von Knut Backhaus. Regensburger Neues Testament. Regensburg: Pustet, 2009. This commentary was unfortunately not available when this chapter was written.

  Rudolf Bultmann. The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Translated by G. R. Beasley-Murray. Oxford: Blackwell, 1971.

  Rudolf Schnackenburg. The Gospel according to St. John. Vol. 3. Translated by David Smith and G. A. Kon. New York: Crossroad, 1982.

  For the topic “name” in the Old Testament, see the article “šem” by Friedrich V. Reiterer and Heinz-Josef Fabry, trans. David Green, in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. Heinz-Josef Fabry and Helmer Ringgren, vol. 15 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), pp. 128-76; also article “ónoma” by Hans Bietenhard, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Friedrich, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967), pp. 242-83.

  Basil Studer, Gott und unsere Erlösung im Glauben der Alten Kirche. Patmos: Düsseldorf 1985.