The Pope then proce eds in a new chapter, to study the two great milestones on Jesus’ Way: Peter’s confession and the Transfiguration. Peter’s confession of Christ as the Messiah, is found in all three synoptic gospels and they link this with the Transfiguration which follows immediately (p.305). Both are seen by the author as two milestones on Jesus’ Way. The confession takes place in Caesarea Philippi, a sanctuary of Pan established by Herod the Great, who later made it the capital of his rule and named it after Caesar Augustus and himself. The period of preaching in Galilee is at the end and we are at a decisive milestone: Jesus is setting out on the journey to the Cross and issuing a call to a decision that will clearly distinguish the group of disciples from the people who merely listen. It is time of decision that clearly shapes them into the beginning of Jesus’ new family, the future Church. The deeper knowledge coming from discipleship is crucial to tarry with Jesus. Standing in marked contrast to popular opinion is the "recognition" of the disciples, which expresses itself in acknowledgement and in confession.

The Pope then goes to compare and contrast the confessional formulas as found in Mark (You are the Messiah ie. Christ), Matthew (You are the Christ ie. Messiah, the Son of the Living God) and Luke (the Christ of God, meaning the Anointed one). In John however, it is "You are the Holy One of God". Mk contains trappings of the popular idea of a political messiah. Mathew’s formula reflects a theologically mature version and is therefore post-resurrectional and followed by the conferring of primacy. The authorconclusion is that the full depths of these titles and the essential Christian faith, come to view only in the light of the Cross (see eg. the questions raised by the high priest) and his teaching of the disciples. The miraculous draught of fish gives an important insight into the faith of the disciples. There Simon Peter is overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring grandeur of God. He declares Jesus to the "Lord": the designation for God in the Old Testament as substitute for the unutterable name revealed from the burning bush! When Peter is rescued from sinking and the storm ceases, all exclaim: "You are the Son of God’. The synoptics therefore show how the disciples through repeated experiences sense in Jesus the presence of the living God himself. Of course, what Peter told Jesus after the teaching on the Bread of life is connected both with the Cross and the Eucharist (Jn. 6:68). After this long elaboration the Pope concludes serenely: "The first thing to say is that the attempt to arrive at a historical reconstruction of Peter’s original words and then to attribute everything else to posterior developments, and possibly to post-Easter faith, is very much on the wrong track. Where is post-Easter faith supposed to have come from if Jesus laid no foundation for it before Easter? Scholarship overplays its hand with such reconstructions." (p.303). The Pope states that only in the encounter of Thomas and his declaration: "My Lord and My God" do those key titles arrive at its complete form. The pilgrim Church has been exploring these titles more deeply. Only by touching the glorified wounds of the Resurrection can we grasp them and then they become our very mission.

In the next important event of the Transfiguration, the issue is the divinity of Jesus as the Son and the appearance of Christ’s glory is connected with the Passion motif and is linked with the 8-day long feast of the Tabernacles, a great liturgy that remembers God’s creation and actions, celebrates their memory and becomes feasts of hope looking forward to the fulfillment of creation and history. It is the sign that the messianic age has irrupted and inaugurated. We are once again in the mountain symbolism, the place of outward and inward ascent. Here we see how Jesus’ being in the light of God, his own being-light as Son. He is in conversation with Moses and Elijah, symbolizing the Law and Prophets, the whole content of Revelation in Old Testament. The Pope makes a beautiful comment here: "Their topic of conversation is the Cross, but understood in an inclusive sense as Jesus’ Exodus, which had to take place in Jerusalem. Jesus’ Cross is an Exodus: a departure from this life, a passage through the ‘Red Sea’of the Passion, and a transition into glory – a glory, however, that forever bears the mark of Jesus’ wounds" (p.311) The apostles are struck with fear. The ecstatic reply of Peter struck with the manifestation of Jesus’ glory proposing the erection of three tents, the Pope agrees with the theologian Jean Daniélou, "appears to Peter to be the sign that the times of the Messiah have arrived. And one of the qualities of these messianic times was to be the dwelling of the just in the tents signified by the huts of the Feast of the Tabernacles" (p.315). Peter however has to learn that the messianic age is the age of the Cross. God’s cloud overshadowing the scene and the voice declaring Jesus as the Son and the need to listen to him are a clear indication that Jesus is himself the "Torah" (New Law). He is the word of Revelation. But this revelation is the wisdom of which Paul speaks to disciples of all ages: "Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God" ( I Cor 1:23 ff). This power appears in the transfigured Jesus. It is an anticipation of the coming of God’s kingdom in full bloom, the so-called "Parousia", the second glorious coming Christ at the end of the world.

Having read all the Gospel data from which we can see the face of Jesus in the light of his teachings, actions and other imposing events, the Pope takes up in the final chapter Ten, to look at the way Jesus directly declares his identity. Faithful to his approach, He says: "The exalted Christological titles contained in the New Testament are the subject of an extensive literature. The debate surrounding them falls outside the scope of this book, which seeks to understand Jesus’ earthly path and his preaching not their theological elaboration in the faith and reflection of the early Church. What we need to do instead is to attend somewhat more closely to the titles that Jesus applies to himself, according to the evidence of the Gospels" (p.320-321). He takes up two such titles: frequently "Son of Man" and the "Son". Then he turns to the solemn "I" sayings that are absolute and those that are qualified. The "Son of Man" title is found only on the lips of Jesus. In the preaching of the Apostle this was not used. But its contents were transferred to other titles, such as Messiah, Lord and Son of God. The Pope mentions in passing that in modern exegesis, a huge debate has appeared with its plethora of hypothesis around this point. There are three sets of "Son of Man" sayings: 1) One who is to come 2) One whose earthly activity is referred to. 3) one whose suffering and Resurrection is referred to. The question is what can be safely attributed to Jesus in the context of the circumstance of his life and his cultural world. The Pope feels that this term with which Jesus both concealed and gradually made accessible his mystery, is indeed new and surprising (p.324). It can mean simply man as for example "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord also of the Sabbath". Notice the overlapping of man and Son of Man! Though not a title at the time of Jesus, it is hinted in Prophet Daniel’s book (chap.7). It paints a grim picture of world history in a vision of 4 animals representing the secular wicked kingdoms. But to thwart them comes a certain Son of Man who puts an end to this horror and his kingdom will have no end. Jesus could build on this vision connecting it with his person and work. Though critical scholarship may not regard the Son of Man sayings as genuine words of Jesus (p.328), but there is identity between Jesus and the Son of Man as future judge e.g. those who acknowledge Jesus before men, will be acknowledged by the Son of Man before the angels of God. Further the inner unity between the lived "Self-emptying" of Jesus and his coming glory is the constant motif of his worlds and actions…it is the epitome of his figure and his worlds. The very person of future glory who now speaks in fact is on his way to suffering. Further, as Son of man he claims to himself the power to forgive sins as in the case of the paralytic (Mark 2:10-11). The Pope appreciates earlier exegesis which accepts that blending the Glorious Son of Man in Daniel and the Suffering servant in Isaiah is specific to Jesus and portrays his self-understanding. Jesus had really made it more inclusive for example: he is messiah who sits at the right hand of the Father (Daniel 7 combined with Psalm 110:1), or rejection of the Son of Man and the stone rejected by the builders ( Mark 8:31 with Psalm 118:22), then the link with the "beloved Son" killed ( Mark 12:1-12) etc. The Pope concludes his analyis: "The enigmatic term ‘Son of Man’ presents in concentrated form with all that is most original and distinctive about the figure of Jesus, his mission, and his being. He comes from God and he is God. But that is precisely what makes him --- having assumed human nature ---the bringer of true humanity." (p.333-334). Letting ourselves to be drawn to into his new humanity makes all of us his disciples.

The "Son": First of all a clear distinction is to be made between the "Son of God" and "Son". The former has a political history in the sense that pagan kings acceding to the throne were looked upon as sons of God. But Israelites considered themselves to be chosen people and as God’s first-born son. Later David was thought of as God’s son (2 Samuel 7:12ff). This became the basis of the ritual installation as found in Psalm 2:7 "You are my Son, I have begotten you this day…" So here we see three things: Israel’s privileged status, the discarding of ancient royal ideology and the promises of dominion over nations can only be a future hope linked to a future king. The early Christians, the Pope observes, quickly adopted this word of hope and came to see the Resurrection of Jesus as its actual fulfillment as is evident in the missionary preaching of St. Paul (Acts 13:32 ff). In this process the political sense in lost. Jesus reigns from the Cross ruling by faith and love. Let us remember that the Roman emperor also called himself the Son of the Divine Caesar. So the Christian idea of kingship clashes with the total claim made by imperial politic power. At this point, our author makes a poignant comment: "Indeed it will always come into conflict with totalitarian political regimes and will be driven into the situation of martyrdom --- into communion with the Crucified, who reigns solely from the wood of the Cross" (p.339). The reference "Son" is found only on the lips of Jesus. The decisive testimony, the Pope finds, in St. John where it is found eighteen times and the messianic prayer of joy found in Mt. 11:25-27 and Lk 10:21-22: "I thank Thee Father …For such was They gracious will….All things have been delivered to me by my Father…No one knows the Son except the Father etc.." Here we see also the unity of will; also the Son’s unicity. The term "Son" with its co-relate "Father (Abba)", give us a true glimpse into the inner being of Jesus. The Pope emphasizes that Jesus’

prayer is the true origin of the term "Son". It has no pre-history, just as the Son himself is "new" even though Moses and the Prophets prefigure him. A pre-Christian Gnostic history of this term is simply not acceptable.

"I" sayings are of two kinds: either in the form of "I am" or figuratively, expressing in more detail its content, such as "I am the Light, Good Shepherd" etc. The Pope studies three passages from John’s gospel on the absolute "I am" sayings:- 1) Jn. 8:14ff "You do not know where I come from…I am from above …You will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he". These have a direct bearing on the revelation to Moses at the Burning bush "I am who I am" (Exod. 3:14) and corroborated by the Isaiah text drawn from the end of the Babylonian exile (Is. 43:10 ff: "That you may know and believe me and understand that I am he"). Jesus is taking up this story therefore referring it to himself. He is indicating his oneness. In him, the mystery of the one God is personally present. Further he had said: "I and the Father are one". Because he is the Son, he has every right to utter with his own lips the Father’s designation. So, Jesus is relational and his whole being is nothing other than this relation. This is the key to understand the above references. 2) But, it is more dramatic when he is lifted up on the cross: "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he (Jn. 8:28). 3) The Pope concludes observing that the burning bush and the Cross is inseparably one. To this the Pope adds two other texts: "Before Abraham was, I am" (Jn. 8:58): a totally unique mode of being which transcends human categories. Then comes the synoptic reference that the Pope studies: the calming of the sea (Mark 6:45-52// J. 6:16-21). To the confused disciples Jesus coming over the waters says: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear". He enters the boat and the wind ceases. According to Job 9:8, walking on the waters is divine prerogative. The Pope stresses this incident to be a theophany, an encounter with the mystery of Jesus’ divinity.

"I am" sayings such as "I am bread of life" etc.. are all images that are variations on the single theme, that Jesus has come to bestow fullness of life (Jn. 10:10), he one thing we need and long for: "perfect joy (Jn 16:24). More precisely, it is the Kingdom of God which is life in abundance, with the world attaining its rightful form, the unity of God and the world. The Pope concludes: " (Man) must first delve beyond his superficial wishes and longings in order to learn to recognize what it is that he truly needs and truly wants. He needs God…Jesus gives us life because he gives us God. He can give God because he himself is one with God, because he is the Son. He himself is the gift --- he is ‘life.’ For precisely this reason, his whole being consists in communicating,in ‘pro-existence’. This is exactly what we see in the Cross, which is his true exaltation" (p.354). The Church in the Council of Nicea (325 AD) adopted the word "consubstantial" to join Peter in confessing anew: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt. 16:16)

This rather long article was an attempt to capture the thought of Pope Benedict XVI in his recent study on Jesus of Nazareth who is the core of the Christian Faith: his mystery as seen in his words, teachings, actions and events. The four gospels as we have today and accepted as "canonical" by the Church continues to remain the fundamental source for discovering the face of Jesus, who was not only bearing God, but was God. This divine and human Jesus is the source of Christian faith, life, liturgical worship and spirituality. The Pope has to be thanked for looking afresh at the Gospels and for bringing to the reader a magnificent synthesis of exegetical data combined with profound theological insights and placing his reflections in their due pastoral perspective vis-à-vis the challenges coming from a modern world that tends to be secular in outlook and relativistic in thought. Jesus is seen as a new Moses giving us the new law of the Beatitudes as a path to becoming disciples in the Kingdom of God. Jesus-in-person is that Kingdom where the Rule of God is perfectly accomplished. Even on this earth a Christian can have a foretaste of this Kingdom by leading an intense life of faith, thereby transcending sin and death and entering the way of Christ that leads to life everlasting in unending communion with God. The earth of humans will just remain earthly, if its form is not transformed into the God’s Kingdom.

It is a book that will be of immense intellectual and spiritual benefit to all those who have a modicum knowledge of theology and of course familiarity with the Bible. It may not be easy reading for an ordinary believer who may not have accessed such knowledge. We look forward with enthusiasm to Part 2 of the same title soon, which promises to deal with the stories of the Infancy of Jesus, highly interpretative in character and all those other events from the Transfiguration to those associated with the event of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is the Redeemer, the one who was crucified and died, but now very much alive in the midst of his disciples, the Church of today and in our on-going history. (Concluded)