Introduction to Christianity
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 Book cover | |
| Author | Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) |
|---|---|
| Original title | Einführung in das Christentum |
| Translator | J. R. Foster |
| Cover artist | Riz Boncan Marsella |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Christology Theology |
| Publisher | Ignatius Press |
Publication date | 1968 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 300 |
| ISBN | 978-1-58617-029-5 |
| LCCN 2004-103523 | |
| Part of a series on the |
| Theology of Pope Benedict XVI |
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Introduction to Christianity (German: Einführung in das Christentum) is a 1968 book written by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Considered one of his most important and widely read books, it presents a "narrative Christology" that demonstrates the place for faith is in the Church. The book offers a "remarkable elucidation of the Apostle's Creed" and gives an "excellent, modern interpretation of the foundations of Christianity".[1]
Originally published in German in 1968 under the title Einführung in das Christentum, Ratzinger restates the Apostles' Creed and the meaning of this foundational text in language that has a greater contemporary resonance than the Creed itself.[N 1] Like the Apostles' Creed, the book presents the doctrines pertaining to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit in sequence.[2]
The book lays the foundations for a new kind of theological exegesis of the Bible, based on the document Dei verbum of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), co-authored by Joseph Ratzinger, which combines two quite different ways of hermeneutics, the interpretation of faith and historical-critical interpretation. This exegesis of the Bible is fully developed in his book Jesus of Nazareth, published in two volumes as Pope in 2007 and 2011, some of whose ideas are rooted in Introduction to Christianity.
Editions
The English edition of Introduction to Christianity was revised in 2000 by Ignatius Press with a new preface by Joseph Ratzinger. A second revised edition was released in 2004 by Ignatius Press.
