March 15, 2011. At the Vatican, presenting the
pope's new book
“Jesus of Nazareth,” were the Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet and
the Italian intellectual Claudio Magris. Cardinal Ouellet is one of the
closest collaborators of Benedict XVI, in
2008 he presided over the synod on the
Bible.
Card. Marc Ouellet
Prefect,
Congregation for Bishops“I am convinced that
this book will be
a classic of theological literature because it marks the beginning of
a new era of theological interpretation of the Bible. This is the
strength of the book, using a new method that combines the
perspective of faith with
the historical dimension.”According
to Cardinal Ouellet, the pope
has gathered all the
historical elements on
the life of Jesus and interpreted
them according to
the needs of today's society. An approach
that was fully appreciated by the writer
Claudio Magris.
Claudio
Magris
Writer“It's
a book that gets to the bottom
of key questions on the
figure of Jesus, and through them goes to
the heart on questions essential
to life, our own
lives, and
of humanity.”
In the book, Benedict XVI
offers a new theological reflection on the
Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, and demonstrates
how the Jesus that appears in the Gospel truly
existed and is in fact God. A
piece of work that was written for Catholics and non-Catholics
alike.
Claudio Magris
Writer“I think this
book can encourage dialogue, because there is nothing imposing about
it. It's a book made for dialogue.”
Card. Marc Ouellet
Prefect, Congregation
for Bishops “Although
the book addresses issues of great exegetical or theological levels,
it is done through a close and simple language that the pope always
uses. He speaks about subjects with deep meanings, but in a way
that's understandable for those who have no theological training.”
The book has already been
published in 1.2 million copies in seven languages and versions in 20
other languages are being prepared. The editors believe that in less
than a year they will have sold around 3 million copies.
The
pope has said that 50%
of the profits will go to
a foundation to promote the study of theology, and the other
50% towards charity.
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