Divinity United

This Friday, 18 May 2012, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto will be hosting the spring colloquium of the Wycliffe Centre for Scripture and Theology. The discussion and papers will be on Pope Benedict XVI's two volume work on Jesus. More details can be found here . "Engaging and Evaluating Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth" Pope Benedict XIV’s two-part volume on Jesus, which traces his life “historically” even as it describes him theologically and in a way that is congruent with traditional Catholic dogma, has proven both an extraordinarily popular work and one that has challenged biblical scholars in various critical ways. Several Protestant scholars here work with Benedict’s second volume (“Holy Week”) and discuss it with a Catholic theologian. Presentations by: David Trobisch (Nussloch/Springfield, MI ) Terence L. Donaldson (Wycliffe College, Toronto ) Joseph Mangina (Wycliffe College, Toronto )...

The October edition of First Things , which I have just had a chance to look through, has a review of Pope Benedict XVI's second volume of Jesus of Nazareth ( "Reading the Gospels with Benedict XVI" , pp. 35-40).   The review by Bruce Marshall is a good read, especially given that I do want to read Ratzinger's work on Jesus. There are a number of things about the review that could be mentioned, but I do want to note a discussion that comes toward the end of the review about the relationship between Biblical Studies and Theology. What sparks these comments by Marshall is the "frosty reception" that the he says the pope's book has been given by biblical scholars. He states that among other things: "...the book was dismissed as a misbegotten hybrid of critical scholarship and Catholic devotion..." (p. 39). And yes, that would cause some problems for the more historical-critically minded biblical scholar. Marshall continues, "Undeterred by...