The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood
by Joseph Ratzinger
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joseph RatzingerForeword: Scott Hahn
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1993-04
ISBN: 0898704464
Number of pages: 93
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Book Reviews of The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood
Book Review: Is Christian brotherhood exclusive or universal?
Summary: 5 Stars
Although this book was written almost fifty years ago, it still speaks quite forcefully today--perhaps it is even more relevant to our global village with its global conflicts.
Ratzinger begins by examining understandings of brotherhood from Ancient Greece to modern Marxist and Liberal traditions and highlights the tendency towards understanding brotherhood as either something closed in on itself, yet full of meaning and ethical ramifications, or something so open and nebulous that it becomes a synonym for "humanity"--though these impulses have often been held together in a sort of dualism. He then proceeds to argue that the Christian idea of brotherhood, based on God's fatherhood of Jesus Christ, has the potential to be universal while remaining concrete. Using Karl Barth's doctrine of election, Ratzinger argues that Christian brotherhood is not automatically universal, because we are not naturally in Christ and thereby children of God. Christian brotherhood is therefore not simply a synonym for "humanity", but describes the faithful. Yet, as Jesus Christ was elect for the others, Christians have been brought into Jesus Christ, allowed to say "Our Father," for the sake of those still outside him. Thus, though there is a boundary to Christian brotherhood, the Christian ethic knows of no rigid distinction between the "in" and the "out" because service to the other, whether that one is a brother or not, is the Christian ethic.
Those who are not Christians will certainly find much with which to disagree, in particular the assertion that Jesus Christ is the making known of both true God and true humanity, but those who are interested in the meaning of Christian brotherhood, both as an idea and as an ethic, will find much in this little book. Most promising to this reviewer is the way Ratzinger connects baptism and the Eucharist to the meaning of Christian brotherhood. In light of Ratzinger's current office as Bishop of Rome, the "Postscript" on the exact nature of brotherhood between Roman Catholics and Protestants is particularly interesting.
Overall, a good introduction to Ratzinger's theological method (notice the footnotes: classicists, biblical scholars, Church Fathers, theologians both Roman Catholic and Protestant, and liturgical studies) and to the topic of Christian brotherhood.
Summary of The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood
Written over three decades ago, Cardinal Ratzinger's profound treatise on the true meaning of Christian brotherhood is perhaps even more timely and important now as a clear statement on the biblical grounds for cooperation among believing Christians. In treating Christian brotherhood from the perspective of salvation history, Ratzinger opens up the meaning of both the Old and New Testament in this most essential area. After establishing the distinctively Christian sense of brotherhood (vis-?-vis Judaism, Hellenism, Stoicism, the Enlightenment, and Marxism), he shows how fraternal charity can only be perfected through God's fatherhood, Christ's divine sonship, and our brotherhood in Christ.General Books
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