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Jesus Christ Liberator: A Critical Christology for Our Time

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Jesus came preaching radical and universal peace and justice and love, and got killed by the earthly and religious powers. The message to love only grew stronger, and wider, and longer.

This book brings us tools to know Jesus, and Christ, and to live Christ's love in our present reality of hatred and dearly beloved divisions.

First published thirty years ago from a Portuguese text first published in Brazil five years earlier, this book might finally be safe for us to read, comprehensible, consumable. We might finally be free to allow this book to guide our feet upon the path of God's peace.

Friar Boff was long respected as a primary theological scholar working in LAtin America, with a large work of writings, including academic and heartfelt meditations of the history, meaning and the breathing of our most basic prayers, including Lord Is My Shepherd: Divine Consolation in Times of Abandonment, Praying With Jesus And Mary: Our Father, Hail Mary, Way of the Cross--Way of Justice, etc. He has examined carefully the basic mysteries of our Faith, including Holy Trinity, Perfect Community, Trinity and Society (Theology and Liberation Series), etc. He has written profound hagiographies, including of the founder of his order in Francis of Assisi: A Model for Human Liberation and the wonderful The Prayer of Saint Francis: A Message of Peace for the World Today. He has served as theology professor, having studied systematic theology in Paris and in Munich, Germany as a young man. He is a valued and solid source, referred to by several other theologians, inclduing Mother Timothy Prokes in her Mutuality: The Human Image of Trinitarian Love.

Here then we gratefully receive his Christological study, which begins not only with an overview of the topic but also provides us the careful and precise analytical tools by which the professional scholars do theology, specifically, Christology.

As usual with Friar Boff's academic theological works, it is well constructed and comprehensive. We begin in Part one with a sweeping review of "The History of the History of Jesus" which examines various Christological methodologies and approaches through the history of Christianity. Part two examines "The Hermeneutic Problem" asking by what means and in what way may we come to know and begin to understand Jesus Christ today, introducing therein the concept of Christology in Latin America from its unique historic, cultural, economic, etc., perspectives.

Part three asks "What did Jesus really want?" reminding us first that to comprehend the answers we must understand the questions, and concluding that He took on our deepest longings.

Part Four describes Jesus Christ as Liberator of the Human Condition and oppressed conscience, revealing how the Kingdom of God implies a revolution of the human world. Part Five exposes Jesus as a "person of extraordinary good sense, creative imagination, and originality." Her is the heart of this message. Friar Boff reveals Jesus as
"authentically human" with "anger and joy, goodness and toughness, friendship, sorrow and temptation." "Jesus never used the word 'obedience;'" "Jesus wants us to understand; He appeals to sound reason."

Later sections examine the meaning of the death of Jesus, condemned as a "guerrilla," and the meaning of the Resurrection. Section eight asks who was Jesus of Nazareth from several historical perspectives. Section nine examines the continuing Christological process through the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke, an informative section which stands on its own as essential study for all who would follow Jesus Christ with understanding and strength. Section ten, entitled "Only a God could be so Human! Jesus the man who is God!" examines carefully the history and meaning of the divine and the human natures of Jesus: "a difficult tension."

Section eleven answers where we find the resurrected Christ today. "Christianity does not live in nostalgia, but celebrates a presence."

Section twelve asks what name we may call Jesus Christ today to cross the bridge between Christ and us. What terminology understand today may bring us to understand Jesus Christ?

Section thirteen examines the essence of Christianity and Christ's relation to the Church. A closing yet lengthy Epilogue draws all of these threads together in powerful concluding statements written from the good Friar's heart and learned mind.

As the author explains in the Preface, when first written terms used in this study were under active political repression in his native Brazil. The Epilogue was written in an atmosphere of greater freedom of expression. The intention of the author is as follows:

"It is my hope that the reaidng of this book will help more privileged Christians to join in fellowship with those who are more oppressed, to commit themselves to the messianic task of liberating human beings completely from everything that diminishes them and offends God." In this statement of purpose we find as well statements from the concluding sections in the Apostolic Exhortation written by Friar Boff's former seminary professor entitled Sacramentum Caritatis: el Sacramento de la Caridad: una Exhortacion Apostolica Postsinodal.

This book requires of its reader a more intensive application than beach blanket reading; in order to understand and to appreciate fully this major work of Catholic Christology, careful study with the support of a practiced and compassionate theology professor at an approved Catholic seminary or other theological institution may well be advised. Nevertheless, as with each of Friar Boff's many works, careful reading is well rewarded with a more ample and profound Faith. Theology is described as "Faith seeking understanding." Works such as this one open widely for us the portals of our Faith, straighten the rugged path and level the steep mountains we must pass. Read this book.

The Epilogue in Boff's book, Jesus Chris Liberator, provides an overview of his Christological model.

For Boff, living out one's faith requires an engagement with the socio-historical forces of our time, recognizing that systemic oppression is the norm for millions of people living in the Third World. Boff's praxis seeks to remind us that it is imperative for those doing theology, to first incorporate into their methods, social and political critiques of domination for the sake of transforming systemic oppression. For those who labor under the yoke of oppression and egregious political systems our first concern ought to identify for forces and mechanisms which diminish human dignity.

Boff sees Jesus of Nazareth as liberator from oppressive social conditions and his Christology is built upon this overriding norm.

The overarching theme or thesis of the author's book lays claim that any Christology is necessarily partisan by its allegiance to social factors, and determined to a large extent by its social location. It cannot be otherwise for Boff, and I agree with his analysis.

As Boff succinctly notes that everything begins from a social context, and will ultimately be colored by the particular theologian's social location. As the author so forcefully notes:

"Every Christology is partisan and committed. Willingly or unwillingly christological discourse in a given social setting with all the conflicting interests that pervade it. That holds true for theological discourse that claims to be "purely" theological, historical, traditional, ecclesial, and apolitical."

Two aspects stand out in Boff's construction. The first is socio-liberation theology and the second is "the social setting that is a departure for this Christological reflection." In this view, Jesus the Liberator cannot be separate or distinct and apart from the historical moment that one finds oneself. Faith in this sense is always a process of engagement with the historical moment one finds oneself embedded; and thus, it seeks to develop strategies and implement action to overturn the forces of oppression for the downtrodden.

Furthermore, Boff argues that the role of the theologian who has taken himself or herself out of the socio-historical moment is dishonest and false. Boff is clearly an advocate for a process orientated Christological view that changes or adapts as history is lived in the moment under the weight of its ever-changing circumstances.

Obviously, this is problematic for those who cling rigidly to their orthodoxies, dogma, and monolithic Christology wedded to the status quo.

Conversely, Boff's Christology is dynamic and alive, thus pitting itself or pressing against the monolithic patriarchal forces, which contribute to oppressive and narrow conditions asserting the status quo at all costs. As Boff tells us - and this runs as a foundational claim throughout his book - every Christology,

"Is relevant to its own way depending on its functional relationship to the socio-historical situation; in that sense it is a committed Christology. So let us set down the basic affirmation: As an ordered and elaborated knowledge of the faith, Christology takes shape within the context of a particular moment in history; it is produced under specific modes of material, ideal, cultural, and ecclesial production, and it is articulated in terms of certain concrete interests that are not always consciously adverted to. Hence the real question is who or what cause is served by a given Christology."

Boff then goes on to demonstrate what a liberating Christology adverts to when he tells us that, "A Christology that proclaims Jesus Christ as the Liberator seeks to be committed to the economic, social, and political liberation of those groups that are oppressed and dominated." This statement clearly reflects Boff's entire Christological construction throughout his book in its various and insightful nuances. Without the liberating voice of Jesus the Christ directly working to overturn systemic and economic oppression, Jesus' earthly life is rendered illegitimate and invalid since any Christology not so engaged is dishonest and false to Jesus' own life and praxis.

Cleary, Boff is attempting to include political discourse as primary goal of his Christology asserting that any apolitical Christology is dishonest to the life of Jesus. If, as Boff suggests, that Jesus is liberator, he most certainly comes to liberate the poor from oppression and domination. But the freedom Jesus' seeks to invoke is the freedom from the absence of love that the downtrodden were subject to endure in their daily lives in the ancient world.

Jesus was a teacher extraordinaire who sought to include into his loving embrace all those who were excluded from love by the religious authorities who held a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

For Boff, the aim of church authorities, and theologians in particular, ought to bring about the Empire of God by working diligently to overturn the dominating forces responsible for economic marginalization of the poor. In this sense, Boff's Christology liberates us from more than just sin (missing the mark), but seeks to liberate us all from social, economic, and abusive systemic forces of oppression to which we knowingly or unknowingly participate.

Without this dimension of liberation seeking to improve human dignity, no dignity is possible for anyone as long as some are left to endure and suffer without basic life necessities. Without this liberating praxis tied to social structures, all are diminished -- even those who benefit from the system. In other words, all have claim to dignity, oppressor and oppressed alike!

Any Christology that does not engage social praxis in the historic moment it finds itself, is nothing more than a sterilized shell lacking power or authority. The impotent Christology's found in most of our churches these days is quickly becoming ever more irrelevant to the historic mandate of Jesus of Nazareth. These diluted theologies which have become watered down and emasculated; often take on the look of a privatized spiritual hubris devoid of any meaningful connection to the downtrodden. When this happens the historic Jesus is rendered illegitimate since it no longer is recognized as a font for action or personal transformation.

Boff engages in the socio-historical analysis of the machinations of power by offering a critique of his own circumstances as a voice from the economic margins. In this regard, Boff offers two methods of analysis: the first is the functionalist which seeks to maintain social norms and balance along with continuity of the status quo perhaps working for incremental, but finding absolutely no solidarity with its left wing; and the second is the dialectical approach which stresses the notion of struggle and conflict, and sees society fraught with contradictions that need to be transformed. Arising out of the Marxist critique, the dialectical model is more engaged and activist in scope and praxis; seeking to rock the boat of entrenched elites grown too comfortable with their personal privilege, and dominance over others. In this regard Boff tells us:

"From this standpoint one can proceed to criticize the traditional images of Christ that do not foster liberation, that tend to instead prop up the whole process of colonization and domination...Similar criticisms can be made of the imperial and monarchical Christ's crowned with gold or of Christ the warrior king; these images hearken back to the glorious kings of Spain and Portugal."

Essentially Boff develops his Christology from the bottom up. It begins in solidarity of the ghettos and shantytowns that litter the landscape of the enfranchised and asks disturbing questions meant to unsettle the elites and evoke action through a stinging observation when he says:

"But its indignation is mediated through an analysis of reality; it attempts to detect the machinations that generate such scandalous poverty and to elaborate a praxis that is liberative and effective. It is liberative praxis that counts. It does not seek to make one or another improvement while maintaining the same structure of relations based on force (reformism). [Instead] striving to be truly revolutionary, it proposes to change the structure itself."

Getting back to the functionalist approach verses the dialectic approach, the advocates for functionalism see society as an organic whole made up of sub parts that are connected. In this sense stemming from the liberal tradition which still looks at society from the top down. Conversely, the dialectic emerging out of the Marxist critique roots itself directly in the class struggle from the bottom up. The bottom up confrontation will always involve struggle and confrontation since those excluded from the fruits of social wealth, well being, and the marginalized will perpetually struggle for their due human dignity against the forces seeking their oppression and diminshment. This idea is forcefully articulated by Boff when he notes the following:

"Underdevelopment is the reverse side of the same coin. It is the opposite of development and a consequence of it. It is a product of development conceived in capitalistic terms. If the developed nations of the center are to keep up their pace of development and their level of goods, they must keep the peripheral nations in a state of dependence in order to extract what they need for their own affluence."

The historical Jesus stands against the Christ of faith. It is first and foremost the historic Jesus that sheds light on a redemptive Christology, not the other way around. Historic redemption being of a different scope than a theology which surgically removes itself from the loss of human dignity; this norm, and others like it, denigrates human worth by its antiseptic ordering of human affairs devoid of action and engagement with a suffering humanity.

Herein, Liberation Theology does not disassociate itself with suffering, but seeks instead to enter deeply into it, and in this sense such engagement is both prophetic and visionary.

It demands the deepest commitment and engagement with suffering by taking on the very conditions it seeks to transform. "The historic Jesus signifies a crises and not a justification for the world." And if this is so, we too become signifiers by our social praxis in solidarity with the poor.