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Introduction to Christianity (Communio Books)

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10 years ago when I was considering whether to convert to my wife's faith, a Baptist minister friend singled out this book as one of his own, all-time favorites - the one that best lived up to its title, as an "Introduction to Christianity."

First drafted in the summer of 1967, this book is based on a series of lectures father Joseph Ratzinger gave to students at Germany's university at Tubingen. As if it were written just this morning, it centers on the timeless communications dilemma faced by any Christian, trying to speak about God to young people in today's world.

Writing the "Introduction to Christianity" 16 years after his ordination, the un-heralded priest from the land of Luther (who would one day have his arm twisted to remain in Rome for 24 years, by his predecessor as Pope) cited a famous story by Kierkegaard, about "the clown and the burning village" - to best sum up the difficulty faced by any Christian attempting to communicate theology to young people.

"According to the story," he wrote, "a travelling circus in Denmark had caught fire. The manager sent the clown, who was already dressed and made-up for the performance, into the neighboring village to fetch help, especially as there was a danger that the fire would spread across the fields of dry stubble and engulf the village itself. So, the clown hurried into the village and requested the inhabitants `come as quickly as possible' and help put the fire out.

"But the villagers took the clown's shouts simply for an excellent piece of advertising, meant to attract as many people as possible to the performance; they applauded the clown and laughed till they cried. The clown felt more like weeping than laughing; he tried in vain to get people to be serious, to make clear to them he was speaking in bitter earnest, that there really WAS a fire! His supplications only increased the laughter; people thought he was playing his part splendidly -- until finally the fire DID engulf the village, and both circus and village were burned to the ground."

And that, said Father Ratzinger, almost 40 years ago, is the "theologian's position today . . . the appearance of a clown trying in vain to make people listen to his message!

"In his medieval, or at any rate old-fashioned clown's costume he is simply not taken seriously. Whatever he says, he is ticketed and classified, so to speak by his role. Whatever he does in his attempts to demonstrate his (seriousness) people always know in advance that he is in fact just --- a clown. They are already familiar with what he is talking about, and know he is just giving a performance which has little or nothing to do with reality.

"So, they can listen to him quite happily without having to worry too seriously about what he is saying."

The German priest of 40 years ago, (who would no doubt express the same views on this day of his election as "Peter's successor") - will now face the same dilemma on a global scale -- when he reaches out to non-Catholics. The villagers in his story, by analogy, he says, are those OUTSIDE the church.

And to communicate with those who comprise the five sixths of humanity who are NOT a part of his 2,000 year old Church, the young German priest states in this book it would not be enough to "take off our make-up and don the mufti of a secular vocabulary or a demythologized Christianity in order to make everything right" (in communicating 2,000 year old theology). That, he said, would be "rather naive."

"Anyone today," he said then, "who makes an honest effort to give an account of the Christian faith to himself and to others must learn to see that he is not just someone in fancy dress who needs only to change his clothes in order to be able to impart his teaching successfully."

The man who would this day be named Pope Benedict Sixteen cites "that lovable saint Therese of Lisieux, who looked so naive (as a nun who would die of tuberculosis, age 24) . . . this very saint . . . apparently cocooned in complete security, left behind her in the final weeks of her passion, shattering admissions which her horrified sisters toned down in her literary remains. (She wrote of her dark night of the soul) `I am assailed by the worst temptations of atheism. Everything has become questionable, everything is dark.' . . . what is at stake (for believers) is the whole (theological) structure; it is a question of all or nothing."

As reason for optimism about the ultimate triumph of Truth, the future pope then cited "a Jewish story, recounted by Martin Buber which presents in concrete form the above-mentioned dilemma (of being human):

"An adherent of the Enlightenment, a very learned man, who had heard of the Rabbi of Berditchev, paid a visit in order to argue, as was his custom, and to shatter his old-fashioned proofs of the truth of his faith . . . but Rabbi Levi Jizchak (said) `My son, the great scholars of the Torah with whom you have argued, wasted their words on you; as you departed you laughed at them. They were unable to lay God and his Kingdom on the table before you, and nor can I. But think my son - Perhaps it's true.' The exponent of the Enlightenment opposed him with all his strength; but this terrible `Perhaps' which echoed back at him time after time, broke his resistance."

And that, said the German priest of almost 40 years ago, "in however strange a guise (is) a very precise description of the situation of man confronted with the question of God. No one can lay God and his kingdom `on the table' for another; even the believer cannot do it for himself. But however strongly unbelief may feel itself thereby justified, it cannot forget the eerie feeling induced by the words, `Yet perhaps it is true.' "

(My copy of this terrific treatise is the out-of-print "Herder & Herder" edition of 1968, `translated by J.R. Foster.' I now shall order the latest version of a book I was "recommending highly" years ago, a recommendation that feels `vindicated' given this day's events in Rome!)

Mark Blackburn
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

This is my my second review on one of the Pope's books. I read "Salt of the Earth" first and that should really be your starting point as it is very readable, the tone is conversational. BTW, this is the first edition, pick up the 2nd edition at the Ignatius website, the new preface is worth it.

This is a book for thinkers. It is not for people who have a simple faith (no less authentic, of course) but rather for people who spend a lot of time in their own minds analyzing and questioning. Former Prefect Ratzinger approaches Christianity unapologetically, as you would expect. He is very well read in psychology, world religions, philosophy, history, and probably everything else. He makes his points eloquently as one who is convicted about Truth.

I am still a little shocked. I expected the man to be a hard line conservative and hold to a very rigid and traditional point of view. He actually doesn't, instead he upholds the role of tradition in the face of modernism. He does not want to go back in time, but wants to move the Church forward using the time-tested truths of Christ in the Gospels. He brings to light the timeless voice of God for this and every generation.

I loved JPII, but I fear this man will be greater. Even though many are already aluding to his soon-to-be short pontificate, he was already well-known and instrumental many years before. He only needs to be here long enough for people to understand what he has already said, and to put a capstone on JP's theology which he heavily influenced. JPII denied his resignation three times, I think he knew the role that this man needed to play in the Church. It was providence and grace at work.

Perhaps given the situation with Cardinal Ratzinger becoming the newly-elected Pope Benedict XVI, no better book could be read as an insight into the general directions of the man than this - a text intended for use as a introductory textbook on Christian theology.

Ratzinger takes the approach for a framework generally from the construction of the ancient Apostles Creed - his first section begins with the 'I believe...' and continues to look at the implications of what faith and belief are in terms of philosophy and biblical witness. Ratzinger is educated in the dominant traditions of philosophy from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Germany was the centre of such scholarship. Echoes of or reactions to thinkers such as Heidegger, Nietzsche, Husserl and others will be found here, as well as later thinkers in the post-modern area of critical analysis.

However, Ratzinger returns to the creedal foundation of doctrine, and the biblical underpinnings of the creeds as being more important than these philosophical developments (but never abandons the conversation with them). He proposes tentative defintions of faith and belief (one might hear the echo of Paul Tillich here, at least in general form if not in content), and looks at the foundations of dogma in the creeds.

His sections are on Doctrine of God, Christology, and Ecclesiology and Pneumatology; it is significant that he does not use these theological terms, but rather the more accessible God, Jesus Christ, The Church and the Spirit. The faith is meant to be accessible and comprehensible.

Ratzinger then goes line by line through the creeds as his headings, and proceeds to theologically analyse each assertion made. These are done in what might be termed a conservative fashion, and certainly some of Ratzinger's conclusions are on the conservative side, but once again there is an idea that conversation continues, and that there is room for interpretation in the creeds in substance and in application.

Ratzinger uses a story derivative of Kierkegaard and 'The Secular City' by Harvey Cox to warn against the idea of placing too restrictive a classification on someone, theologians included, that might make it difficult to continue to be open to what is happening in the development of the relationship. Ratzinger speaks of the natural occurence of uncertainty, and how this kind of doubt and searching is in fact an aid to the theological enterprise.

Ratzinger's erudition is evident here, with stories from the history of philosophy and literature, current events and recent artistic creations, stories from Jewish and Christian sources as well as inspirations from outside these religious traditions. This book can give a good insight into the general framework in which Ratzinger, as the new pope, tends to think and write about Christianity. It is probably essential reading for any who want a greater insight in the mind of the man now Pope Benedict XVI.

This is a some what forgotten classic . It is almost forty years old and yet it is as relevant today as it was when it was first published.
The Pope John Paull II is a tough act to follow. We first met him as a strong middle aged man who reached out to the young and built bridges between Catholicism and other faiths. There may be therefore some trepidation now that the Catholic church suddenly has a 78 year old German Pope. To make matters worse the Catholic haters have filled the Internet with rumors and half truths of Ratzinger's membership in the Hitler Youth.
Anyone who reads this book will find it a comfort as we see in Ratzinger a man very much like the late John Paul II who like the recently deceased Pope is a scholar, mystic and humanitarian. And like John Paul II he is a principled man with backbone. And by that I mean not an unbending man but a man of conviction.
This book works on many levels as it is both scholarly and approachable.
Ratzinger uses the Apostle's creed as a jumping off point. He dusts it off and has us look at it in various ways. This approach is help not only to the Catholic but to all Christians and to any non-Christian who wants to gain insight into Christianity. It is an approach where he refers to and elucidates on both the mystical and the practical nature of man.
Rather than being the stodgy figure some of the media has been painting him to be Ratzinger has his moments of cleverness and humor in this book which makes it all the more appealing.Yet as I said it has its scholarly side for Ratzinger not only refers to Catholic theologian but numerous philosophers from various periods and cultures to draw his points home. Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, shows in this book that he has the tools and the desire to continue the work of John Paul II to build bridges while keeping the doctrine of the Catholic Church intact.

I strongly recommend this book to all.

I bought this because I thought it was about time I read something `orthodox'. I'd been reading quite a bit that challenged the traditional teaching of the Church. I'd also never read anything by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI.

Having read the book, I don't know if I'm any more comfortable with traditional teaching about the nativity, resurrection, descent into hell, ascension etc, but I am most impressed by Benedict XVI's presentation of the philosophy and spirituality that underpins the Apostle's Creed. The book is, after all, not so much a general `introduction' to Christianity, but an unpacking of the earliest of the creeds we still use.

I was aware that Benedict is a highly regarded man, even by those who have come to the disciplinary interest of his former office, and that he is recognized as a fine teacher, but I didn't have any idea when I began the book of the impact his thinking would have on me. His is truly a mind that soars above and beyond the mental categories and sequences I usually encounter.

Benedict has invited us to think beyond the standard categories, to escape the `dictatorship of the milieu' (p.250: 2000 edition) and to open ourselves to truths that lie beyond conventional interpretation.

I was interested in his frequent reference to Teilhard de Chardin and application of his ideas in developing his own theses. Although he criticizes Teilhard for excessive biologism, he clearly approves of and uses his general thesis regarding the unfolding purpose of the cosmos. He has been severely criticized for this by the `ultra-orthodox', who regard Teilhard as an apostate and a pantheist. So much for the view of Ratzinger as closed to non-conventional thought. I suppose that, Teilhard's thinking being speculative and not necessarily in conflict with Magisterial teaching, there's no reason why the younger Ratzinger should not incorporate it. I wonder if his views are still the same?

I'm not sure how much it would help to have a good background in philosophy or Christian theology before picking up this book. I thought I had a reasonable layman's background, but found that the ideas are so fresh and so logically presented I was carried along without feeling much need to refer to what I already knew. I would think a reader with an interest but not a lot of background would still find the explication clear and the ideas illuminating.

This book takes the creed as it's launching point. Taking each segment apart phrase by phrase, and analyzing what it means in Christian belief. The insights that Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) arrived at are dense and profound. When you have a 360 page book that spends 90 pages in laying an introductory foundation, you know that there is immesurable wealth of wisdom to come. I was not to be disappointed; I drew much insight and spiritual nourishment from it, but I'm sure that if I pick it up again in a few years after taking theology classes I'll be able to draw entirely new insights from it. The writing style is engaging and challenging, it is richly laced with scriptural references as well as pointing to many philosophers, some in agreement, and some which he uses to refute popular misconceptions. Through this work, Pope Benedict paints a beautiful picture of just who God is as He has revealed Himself to us. With this he then also elucidates who man is in relation to God and to each other. "The distinguishing mark of man, seen from above, is his being addressed by God, the fact that he is God's partner in a dialogue, the being called by God." I highly recommend it.

Having studied much of the former Cardinal's works, I thought those who are beginning to approach his thought should know a couple of things.

First, even those who have not studied theology will get something out of this elementary work. It will take some work, but that is possible

Second, it really helps to have studied ancient, mideval and most importantly modern philosophy. Descartes, Hegel, Kant and others are thrown around but not really explained in any substantive way. Ratzinger assumes the reader has some basic education in this area.

Third, the text here is progressive, that is it builds ideas on top of other ideas. Reading the middle will not gain the reader a full understanding of what he is saying.

Fourth, Ratzinger is dialoging with a modern and post modern mind set. This is why he begins with the nature of belief today, and then goes into what sense the faith can have. It is in short apologetic and world building. Introduction to Chr. is an attempt to create what the tradition preserves, the very context of faith as an opennes to the fullness of reality. Only therein can the facts make sense.

Lastly, it is the work of a first rate mind. It takes intellectual work and wrestling with the meaning therein to really get to the meat of what he is saying. Beware the faint hearted. He is not really a conservative the way conservaives think he is and not liberal the way liberals think he is. In short he is actually a Catholic theologian.

It is one of his few consolidated works. Most of his 23 odd books in english are collections of essays. If you want something a bit less theological, try his books that are dialogues and interviews. Therein he synthesizes his theology in a way that is more easily assimilated. I highly recommend it in any case.

Good luck.

The pious, erudition of Joseph Ratzinger gives us this gem of a book which addresses the problem of Christian faith in the world today. Do not be dissuaded by the title of this text, thinking that it is a light, non-reflective, topical reader on generalities of Christianity. Instead, the future Pope addresses the core of Christianity by deeply reflecting upon the dialogue of faith in the Apostles' Creed.

Perhaps the greatest strength of this text is that it utilizes more than historical reflection to elucidate the text of the Apostles' Creed. He defines the Creed is a dialogue of the new believer and the community (and God). Ratzinger speaks directly with modern man, addressing those issues most poignantly reflected upon in modernity making this dialogue possible anew. However, he does not abandon the traditions of the Church in addressing these modern concerns. Instead, he shows the necessity of such understandings and how they point toward the truth without being abrogated by modern reflection.

The entire key to this work is the theme of dialogue of being. Because it is intrinsically tied to the community, the Creed necessitates the unity of the Church on Earth, among men through their unity with God. This is possible because God is relational in his very being and is related to his creation. Ratzinger reflects upon the articles of the Creed by always remembering the dialogical character of man and God. This dialogue is ultimately love, the love which unites man to God and hence man to man.

Ratzinger argues his point by always addressing the issues raised by modernity in response to the possibility of faith. One has a remembrance of St. Thomas Aquinas' style of engaging opposition in the Summa Theologica. This desire to show the Faith fully to the modern mind makes this text a great read for all who wish to understand Christianity. I recommend it to all, believers and non-believers in mind. If you come to it with an open mind, you will not be able to leave it without having a refreshed outlook on what the Christian faith is.

This is the first Ratzinger book I have read. I wanted to see what this perportedly 'great thoelogian' was about.

I think I expected some dogmatic sales pitch for Catholicism. Instead, I was pleased to find an extremely well informed and erudite journey through the Creed engaging many of the most difficult questions about Catholic faith, Christianity and the very nature of belief in God. This book is challenging and engaging. In it, Ratzinger demonstrates amazing empathy with all of humanity. It's heavy, but for all it's theology it is attainable for us normal mortals!

I was once told that for those students in the field of academic theology in the late 60s and into 70s, that this book was seen as THE comprehensive summary of introductory Christian theology. I can see why.

Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict) does an outstanding job at synthesizing the key components of Christian faith into a useful dogmatic survey. What is also beneficial about this collection of essays is that it provides a significant synopsis of the thought of Joseph Ratzinger. Much has been said about his theology and this is a great book to read in order to begin to discover his thought.

Anyone who is in the field or interested in the field of Christian theology needs to own this book!