Pope Benedict XVI states in his new book about Jesus that the Jewish people are not collectively responsible for His death. While the Vatican has for five decades taught that Jews weren't collectively responsible, Jewish scholars said that the argument laid out by the German-born pontiff was significant and would help fight anti-Semitism today. Pope Benedict uses biblical and theological analyses to explain why there was no basis in Scripture that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus' death. The book is the second installment to Pope Benedict's 2007 "Jesus of Nazareth," his first book as pope, which offered a very personal meditation on the early years of Christ's life and teachings. This second installment, set to be released March 10, concerns the final part of Christ's life, his death and resurrection. The Pope also said it was a mistake to interpret the words reported in the Gospel, "His blood be on us and on our children," as a blood curse against the Jews. Those words, spoken by the mob that demanded Jesus' death, need to be read in the light of faith, the Pope wrote. They do not cry out for vengeance, but for reconciliation, he said. "It means that we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is his blood. These words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation," he said. The Pope said the trial and condemnation of Jesus was a classic conflict of truth versus power, posing questions that still reverberate in modern politics. When Jesus said that his kingship consisted of bearing witness to the truth, Pilate -- the representative of worldly power -- did not know how to react, and asked pragmatically: "What is truth? It is the question that is also asked by modern political theory: Can politics accept truth as a structural category? Or must truth, as something unattainable, be relegated to the subjective sphere?" the Pope said. He said that when "truth counts for nothing," justice is held hostage to the arbitrariness of "changing opinions and powerful lobbies." The history of great dictatorships fed by ideological lies demonstrates that only truth can bring freedom, he said. In essence, he said, bearing witness to truth means giving priority to God.
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...
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