Jesus of Nazareth
Gerhard Lohfink
Jesus of Nazareth
What He Wanted,
Who He Was
Translated by
Linda M. Maloney
LITURGICAL PRESS
Collegeville, Minnesota
www.litpress.org
A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press
Cover design by Ann Blattner. Illustrations by Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana. Used with permission.
Scripture texts in this work are based on the New Revised Standard Version Bible © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This volume was originally published in German as Jesus von Nazaret. Was er wollte, wer er war (Freiburg i.B.: Herder, 2011).
© 2012 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lohfink, Gerhard, 1934–
[Jesus von Nazaret. English]
Jesus of Nazareth : what He wanted, who He was / Gerhard Lohfink; translated by Linda M. Maloney.
p. cm.
“A Michael Glazier book.”
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8146-8058-2 — ISBN 978-0-8146-8059-9 (ebook)
1. Jesus Christ—Historicity. 2. Jesus Christ—Person and offices.
I. Maloney, Linda M. II. Title.
BT303.2.L6413 2012
232—dc23
2012020860
To the memory of
Father Heinrich Bacht, SJ
…ponder daily over death and life,
if thou mightest find it,
and let thy bearing be joyous
and go not out of the world
without first having publicly testified
thy love and reverence
for the Author of Christianity.
—Matthias Claudius, Letter “To my son Johannes,” 1799
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1
The So-Called Historical Jesus
Chapter 2
The Proclamation of the Reign of God
Chapter 3
The Reign of God and the People of God
Chapter 4
The Gathering of Israel
Chapter 5
The Call to Discipleship
Chapter 6
The Many Faces of Being Called
Chapter 7
Jesus’ Parables
Chapter 8
Jesus and the World of Signs
Chapter 9
Jesus’ Miracles
Chapter 10
Warning about Judgment
Chapter 11
Jesus and the Old Testament
Chapter 12
Jesus and the Torah
Chapter 13
The Life of Jesus: Living Unconditionally
Chapter 14
The Fascination of the Reign of God
Chapter 15
Decision in Jerusalem
Chapter 16
Dying for Israel
Chapter 17
His Last Day
Chapter 18
The Easter Events
Chapter 19
Jesus’ Sovereign Claim
Chapter 20
The Church’s Response
Chapter 21
The Reign of God: Utopia?
Notes
Preface
There are innumerable books about Jesus. The reason is obvious: we can never finish with him, and every age must encounter him anew. Some of the many Jesus books are very good. Some are very bad. The bad ones are bad because they are far from understanding that the real “historical Jesus” cannot be grasped independently of faith in him. Which faith? That of the first witnesses and those who handed on the story, those who had to describe “accurately” or, better, “faithfully to the person” what had encountered them in Jesus.
Historical criticism is indispensable to research on Jesus. It illuminates the world in which Jesus lived, and still more, it works out the relationships among the sources of the gospels, illuminates the various layers of tradition, and thus sharpens our perception of what the evangelists wanted to say about Jesus in their “final text.” Historical criticism inquires persistently about what happened, and thus it demonstrates that Christianity is about real history and not about myths or ideologies. But when biblical critics measure Jesus only by their own prior understanding, deciding ahead of time what is “historically possible” and what is “historically impossible,” they exceed their own limitations.
Nowadays Jesus is far too often made to be merely a prophet, a gifted charismatic, a radical social revolutionary, a successful healer, a benevolent social worker, or even only a pious rabbi. The real claim of what is shown and expressed in Jesus is set aside, and the inevitable consequence is the assertion that the early Christian communities “deified” him.
The present book refuses to join in such reductionism, which goes contrary to the perceptions of the first witnesses and those who handed on the tradition. Its method is altogether historical and critical—historical research must always be critical—but at the same time it agrees with Karl Barth’s statement in his commentary on Romans: “For me, historical criticism has to be more critical!”
This book intends to be serious about the fact that Jesus was a Jew and lived entirely in and out of Israel’s faith experiences, but at the same time he brought those experiences to their goal and fulfillment. Those who want to really understand Jesus and what he was cannot avoid allowing themselves to be drawn into this faith.
I desire nothing more than that this book will help many people today to approach the real Jesus by making critical distinctions and yet at the same time remaining open and full of trust.
Gerhard Lohfink
Bad Tölz
September 2011
Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to the memory of Father Heinrich Bacht, SJ (1910–1986), in gratitude. He was professor of fundamental theology at the St. Georgen College of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, and it was he who showed me the path to priesthood.