Introduction to Christianity (Paperback)

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.