Abstract:
In this contribution, it is argued that Joseph Ratzinger had a profound influence on the
Christology and specifically resurrection belief of the Catholic Church. This is evident in the
way Ratzinger approached the challenge and relevance of Jesus’ question, ‘But who do you
say that I am?’ For Ratzinger, the reality of the incarnatory event means that the Christian faith
is about a person, and thus, it is historical as well. In this sense, history for Ratzinger becomes
more than just a succession of human events. It also includes God’s act in history. Jesus Christ
manifested God concretely. In the same light, for Ratzinger, the Church concretely manifested
Jesus Christ. Hence, for Ratzinger, thinking with the Church is essential for a proper exegesis
or hermeneutics. Because of that, tradition and Scripture are essential to Ratzinger’s
Christological thought. In the teachings of the Church fathers and the lives of the saints, he
finds a concrete manifestation of Jesus’ teaching as contained in the New Testament. Thus, his
spiritual Christology results from his meditation on the fathers, saints and some contemporary
theologians that makes Ratzinger’s Christological thought to be both ancient and new. This
contribution highlights a Christological approach that values the historical and brings it into
conversation with the theological.
INTRADISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS : This research represents
intradisciplinary work within the field of Christian Theology, connecting aspects of Catholic
Theology to hermeneutical methodology and what is known as a Christology ‘from above’. It
connects a historical and theological perspective within systematic theology to highlight the
ways in which the Pope and theologian Joseph Ratzinger influenced resurrection belief within
the Catholic Church.
