The Professor Pope

That title, as it pertains to Benedict XVI, is somewhat glib but also very accurate. Since his election, B16 has been compared to his successor, JP2, in many different ways. Usually, in the case of various pieces in the MSM, the focus is on personalities, with the tired lament that there were high hopes Cardinal Ratzinger, once Pope, would become more mellow and less rigid. In other words, perhaps he'd become a card-carrying liberal Democrat and join progressive, openminded folks in their celebration of abortion, contraception, sexual deviancy, and everything else held so dear within the culture of death. Of course, that was about as likely as me (if I might be trite in my analogy) tossing out my Sinatra collection and listening to death metal and gangsta rap. All of that to say that there are good and helpful comparisons to be made between B16 and JP2, including this one by Father Raymond J. de Souza in his most recent column for National Post:

Pope John Paul II published one interview book and three partial memoirs while pope, but, as rich as they were, none were major theological works. And he only got around to book-writing after 15 years as pope, having already filled a long shelf with formal teaching documents. Benedict made this book the first priority of his pontificate.

Sources who were with Benedict on his first papal vacation in July, 2005, confirm that he spent almost the whole day, save for an afternoon excursion, at his desk writing. Most assumed that he was working on his first encyclical, but when asked to confirm that, the Holy Father replied that the encyclical could wait; he was striving mightily to finish this book, which he had begun in 2003.

In the foreword to Jesus of Nazareth, Benedict states that after his election as pope, he devoted all his “free moments” to the project. But popes do not really have free moments; the burden of the office is so great that the pope simply must decide what he will spend his time on. That Benedict decided to devote so much time to this book is therefore a deliberate pastoral decision. Why?

There is a simple enough answer: The Holy Father enjoys writing theological works and is the best there is at it. Just as John Paul realized early in his papacy that there was no one better than he at staging evangelical spectacles — whether his epic apostolic voyages or the World Youth Days — perhaps Benedict knows that he writes accessible theology, particularly of a scriptural kind, better than anyone else in the Christian world. And if God has seen fit to make him pope, perhaps that is what God wants the Pope to do.

One of the many strengths of the just published Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age (A Theological Portrait) (Ignatius Press), by Father D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D., is that provides a vibrant, personal, and scholarly portrait of Joseph Ratzinger the priest, theologian, professor, pastor, prefect, and, now, pope. He explains very clearly (and with plenty of documentation) the theological vision and methodology of B16, while also providing personal anecdotes that reveal a man who is both brilliant and humble. Father Twomey, who studied under Ratzinger at Regensburg, writes in the Introduction:

While at Tubingen, one student asked another to identify the difference between Professor Ratzinger and another equally famous theologian. The reply was: Ratzinger also finds time to play the piano. He is as open to beauty as he is to truth. He lives outside himself. He is not preoccupied with his own self. Put simply, he does not take himself too seriously.
 
The other anecdote is personal. Once he asked me gently about the progress of my thesis. It was about time, as I had been working on it for some seven years. I told him that I thought there was still some work to be done. He turned to me with those piercing but kindly eyes, saying with a smile: "Nur Mut zur Lücke" (Have the courage to leave some gaps). In other words, be courageous enough to be imperfect.

There are two other works about the theological work and writing of Ratzinge/B16 that I have benefited from. One is a book that I purchased, by chance (or not?), about three weeks before Benedict was elected; it is The Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, by Aidan Nichols, O.P., which does an excellent job of commenting on the life and work of Ratzinger up to 1988, when the book was first published (it has been republished but not, I think, updated). Read an excerpt here.

The other is a lengthy (43 pages) and detailed (164 footnotes) essay titled "The Authority of Mystery: The Biblical Theology of Benedict XVI," by Dr. Scott Hahn, published in volume 2 (2006) of Letter and Spirit. Hahn writes:

Close study of this body of [Ratzinger's] writings suggests that, had Professor Ratzinger been left alone to pursue his scholarly interests and ambitions, his achievements would have rivaled or surpassed those of the greatest Catholic theologians of the last century—figures such as Hans Urs von Balthasar and Karl Rahner. That said, I believe this paper will help us to appreciate that there has been no other Catholic theologian in the last century, if ever, whose theology is as highly developed and integrated in explicitly biblical terms. We would be hard pressed to find another thinker who has so allowed sacred Scripture to shape and direct his theologizing.

Hahn's assessment seems even more on the mark in light of the Holy Father's new book, Jesus of Nazareth, which is a unique work for a pope. We are fortunate—blessed—to have such a Vicar of Christ. In the words of Father de Souza:

Who should read Benedict’s new book? No doubt the scripture scholars will read this work, as it is evident that he has read their work. But it would be a shame if it remained within the guild. It is hardly a breezy beach paperback, but it is worth the effort. Even having read Ratzinger’s books for years now, I learned something new every few pages.

Had Joseph Ratzinger never been made a bishop, never been called to Rome, never been elected pope, he would have remained at his first love: teaching the fruit of his scholarship. With this book, the first of two planned volumes, Benedict has decided that he will do just that. His classroom is just bigger now.
 

Comments

[Jackson]

It looks like an updated version of the Nichols book you cite will be released at the end of this year:

http://tinyurl.com/3xh4y3

[Bernard]

Let's all pray that God will grant the Pope strength and many years and that we may continue to profit from his work.

[Dan]

I am looking forward to the day when Ignatius publishes at least a selection of Pope Benedict's homilies and general audiences. Even though these are available on the Internet, it would be very nice to have them in a bound volume.

[Christopher Milton]

I love my German Shepherd!