          |
|
 |
||||
|
|
IN PRINT: BOOK REVIEW JESUS––a Portait JESUS—Word Made Flesh
In his essay, “Chalcedon, an End or a Beginning?” written in 1951, Karl Rahner pointed out that the doctrinal formulation of the two natures of Christ, as affirmed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, definitively defined the doctrine of Christ’s human and divine natures, but it did so in a way that also allowed for the exploration of the meaning of that doctrine for each successive age of Christian faith. It represented the beginning of an ongoing, dynamic, and self-transcending process. And as Cardinal Walter Kasper has observed about Chalcedon in his Jesus the Christ, “the truths of Chalcedon must constantly be rethought, not because they are false, but because they are true.” Not only does each successive age of Christian faith need to express for itself the timeless truth of Christ as the Word made flesh, but indeed each believer must regularly engage anew the question of Jesus to Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” It is on both of these levels that the books by O’Collins and Sloyan make an important contribution. They are significant not only as theological studies, but also beautifully written personal testimonies representing lifetime companionship with Christ. For this reason, as should be true of all good theology, these texts could be used for personal prayer as well as for study. They could serve as companions for a course or a retreat. Each of these books offers a reasoned refutation of reasoned attempts to minimize the historical facts about the life of Christ that are available from the New Testament, for example, the efforts of representatives of the most recent quest for the historical Jesus who question the historical reliability of much of what the gospels attribute to Jesus. Likewise, there are those who argue that certain Gnostic texts such as “The Gospel of Judas” and “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” ought to be considered as valued sources of what we can know about Christ. Both of these views are challenged by Sloyan and O’Collins, who are convinced that our most reliable sources for knowing about Jesus are the actual writings of the New Testament, which are reliable because they represent the testimony of eyewitnesses.
Even though we arguably have more information about Christ than about any other figure from the ancient world, Sloyan reminds us “that the mystery of Christ is so far above comprehension that erroneous conceptions of him lurk behind all attempts to capture him in thought and word.” While the definition of Chalcedon represents the parameters of orthodoxy for all attempts to capture Jesus in thought and word, often his divine nature has eclipsed his human nature. “Theologians can be censured for not speaking of the divine in Jesus every time they mention him, but not for failing to feature his humanity with equal emphasis.” Also convinced of the essential mystery of Christ, O’Collins reminds us that there is always an elusiveness about the other whom we seek to know; yet the gospels are helpful and reliable in conveying to us the beauty of God in the person of Jesus. Thus, his first chapter has the title, “The Beauty of Jesus,” and O’Collins builds his insights into Jesus around the words of St. Augustine in a Sermon on Psalm 45: “he (Christ) is beautiful in heaven; beautiful on earth; beautiful in the womb; beautiful in his parent’s arms; beautiful in his miracles; beautiful under the scourge; beautiful when inviting to life…beautiful when laying down his life; beautiful in taking it up again; beautiful on the cross; beautiful in the sepulcher; beautiful in heaven.” If you can’t read the whole book, read this chapter—it will make you want to read the rest of the book, and in so doing discover for yourself the beauty that is Christ. While no study of Christ can ever possibly include all that needs to be or could be said about the mystery of Christ, there were some themes that were noticeably absent from both books. For example, neither book addressed substantively the role of women in the life and ministry of Jesus, nor the contribution of women theologians to our understanding of Jesus. Likewise, there was little time devoted to a discussion of the uniqueness of Jesus vis a vis other religions, a discussion that is crucial for our times. Also missing was any discussion of Jesus and human liberation and the consequences of reading the gospels from the perspective the poor. While both books are scholarly, the intended audience is not scholars so much as seekers. Either book could serve as a companion text for an undergraduate course in the New Testament or Christology or as an aid for those involved in ministries of education. Both books are to be recommended to those who preach the Word and all who hunger for the Word. The authors are to be thanked for sharing with us the fruit of their lifetimes of study and friendship with Christ. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes of those “who become an aroma of Christ for God” (2Cor 2:14). Paul’s metaphor of the aroma of Christ is a fitting one for two recent publications in Christology, Gerald O’Collins’s Jesus—a Portrait and Gerard Sloyan’s Jesus—Word Made Flesh. Paul’s metaphor provides a fitting description for both these books because they both are the result of two authors’ lifetime of not only studying Christ, but also of coming to know him as disciples and friends. One can not help but get that feeling after reading these books. To read these books is to experience the privilege of benefiting from the lifetimes of friendship that two eminent theologians have shared with Christ. Thus to read them is to inhale the aroma of Christ.
Gerald Sloyan’s Jesus—Word Made Flesh is part of a recent series by Liturgical Press called, “Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives.” In this volume, Sloyan offers us the benefit of a long and auspicious career dedicated to the study of Christ from both a biblical and systematic perspective. He begins this study reminding the reader that the heart and center of Christianity, while widely supposed to be Jesus, is in fact God, the one who is infinite, eternal and indescribable. In an age of inter-religious dialogue, particularly among the three religions of Abraham, this is no small point and an important corrective to a widely held perception that Christians worship a man as God. Having made this important point, Sloyan draws with skill and mastery from the witness of the entire New Testament a compelling portrait of Jesus as the Word of God made flesh among us.
