Jesus, Interpreted: Benedict XVI, Bart Ehrman, and the Historical Truth of the Gospels

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In this sequel volume to his Dark Passages of the Bible (CUA Press, 2013), author Matthew Ramage turns his attention from the Old to the New Testament, now tackling truth claims bearing directly on the heart of the Christian faith cast into doubt by contemporary New Testament scholarship: Did God become man in Jesus, or did the first Christians make Jesus into God? Was Jesus' resurrection a historical event, or rather a myth fabricated by the early Church? Will Jesus indeed return to earth on the last day, or was this merely the naïve expectation of ancient believers that reasonable people today ought to abandon? In addition to examining the exegetical merits of rival answers to these questions, Ramage considers also the philosophical first principles of the exegetes who set out to answer them. This, according to Joseph Ratzinger, is the debate behind the debate in exegesis: whose presuppositions best position us for an accurate understanding of the nature of things in general and of the person of Jesus in particular? Insisting upon the exegetical vision of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI as a privileged avenue by which to address the thorniest issues in contemporary biblical exegesis, Ramage puts the emeritus pontiff's hermeneutic of faith into dialogue with contemporary exponents of the historical-critical school. Carrying forth the "critique of the critique" called for by Joseph Ratzinger, Ramage offers the emeritus pontiff's exegesis of the gospels as a plausible and attractive alternative to the mainstream agnostic approach exemplified in the work of Bart Ehrman. As in the case of Benedict's Jesus trilogy upon which he draws extensively, Ramage's quest in this book is not merely academic but also existential in nature. Benedict's scholarship represents the fruit of his personal quest for the face of Christ, a quest which involves the commitment to engage, critique, and learn from the most serious challenges posed by modern biblical criticism while remaining true to the foundations of the Christian faith. Review This book, building on his previous work, secures Matthew Ramage's place among the most important theologians of our day. Through his balanced and brilliant readings of Ehrman and Ratzinger/Benedict, Ramage boldly addresses precisely the exegetical questions that are causing many laypeople, influenced by Ehrman and others, to lose their faith in Christ. Ramage's solutions, rooted in Benedict's but ably supplementing them, deserve the widest attention. I simply cannot praise this book highly enough. - Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary Dr. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary. Two of the best-selling authors on Jesus that are alive today are the agnostic New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman and the emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. In this thought-provoking new study, Matthew Ramage puts these two seemingly diametrically opposed figures--Ehrman and Benedict--into extensive conversation with one another. The result is an in-depth exploration that should be required reading for any scholar interested in the historical Jesus and the truth of the Gospels. - Brant Pitre, Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans. "A timely and important book. For those tapped into religious discoursein popular culture today, Bart Ehrman is a household name, and his workhas caused much confusion. Catholics very much need an approach toScripture that is both faithful to the magisterium of the Church and atthe same time honest about the difficulties found in the Bible. Ramage's work does a great service." - Issac Morales, OP, Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC. Read more About the Author Matthew J. Ramage is associate professor of theology at Benedictine College, Kansas Preface ix 1. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” Bart Ehrman, 1 Benedict XVI, and the Plan of This Book 2. Benedict XVI and Modern Biblical Criticism: 16 A Magisterial About-Face? 3. Benedict XVI’s “Method C” Exegetical Vision 56 4. The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ: 101 Bart Ehrman 5. The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ: 145 Benedict XVI 6. The Problem of an Imminent Parousia 194 7. “To Whom Shall We Go?” Toward an Apologia 232 for the Christian Approach to Jesus Bibliography 265 Scripture Index 279 General Index281