 previous article in this issue | next article in this issue  |
|
Document Details : Title: Bevrijd leven Subtitle: De Thora van de Messias als het hart van de christologie Author(s): VAN WILGENBURG, Arwin Journal: Tijdschrift voor Theologie Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Date: 2008 Pages: 341-355 DOI: 10.2143/TVT.48.4.3203504 Abstract : This articles shows how J. Ratzinger understands christology as answer to the question of God. The decision is implicit in Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This confession calls for imitation. However, Jesus’ closest disciples are the ones who came to this confession. They appear to have had exclusive knowledge that received universal application when they were assigned their mission. By positing that Jesus brought God, Ratzinger seems to favour a high Logos christology with equally strong exclusive features. This article argues that J. Ratzinger’s book on Jesus is inspiring and definitely worth reading, but that his exclusive perspective makes it more a repetition of the old adage that there is no salvation outside the church than a trail blazer opening new paths in modern christological thinking. This article attempts to use various modern authors to broaden Ratzinger’s perspective; in the authors opinion, this will allow the Messiah’s Torah to be truly liberating for all people. Starting from an experience of life as a free gift, the article embeds christology in faith in God as the Creator and Source of all life. Jesus, as God’s gift in our history, does indeed call for imitation making every claim to absolutism superfluous. He enriched the view that Jews and pagans had of God by living in absolute surrender to God and humanity trusting fully that God would not abandon what He had started. Jesus lived in the absolute freedom of God’s sonship and gave his life as sacrifice and gift for ‘many’. The Messiah’s Torah fulfils the Torah of Moses, which gives God’s salvation a definitive and universal character. The Spirit of truth joined together disciples from among all peoples, Jewish and pagan, into one communion of love. This offer of liberated life cannot be imposed by force on anyone. Jesus shows that life lies enclosed in kenosis. Jesus’ disciples cannot raise themselves above their Lord and should therefore serve the world and live lives devoted to the greater honour and glory of God the Father who will be all in all. |
|
