Hi, I was poking around looking to learn about Judaism and why Jews do not accept Jesus as savior. In that process I cam across a website and article listed below. Basically is implies that efforts to get explanations from the church have been deflected, and even says it appears that one pope even questioned the historicity of the resurrection. I know the author has their own agenda but I was wondering if some folks could read it and tell me what they think of it. I am not a scholar. Just a catholic trying to learn and understand.
Thanks,
Pete
simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christian_Credibility.htm
First, while Fr. Raymond Brown was an excellent scholar, he does NOT speak for the Church. Much of what is quoted in the excerpts from Brown are not news to bible scholars and Church historians. These are topics that have been discussed and debated with a variety of opinions by various scholars. But they remain just that: opinions.
Second, the article is making a stretch regarding the resurrection. What Brown says only means that the Pope did not claim the resurrection was historical, although it is certainly inferred by what is written. But the Pope also doesn’t claim that the resurrection was NOT historical. It is as if the author of this article and/or Brown is trying to create an issue that doesn’t exist, or are reading more into something than what is actually there.
Third, they are being either obtuse or disingenuous in their understanding of the Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat. The books they scanned indicate that “
no implication is contained therein that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the the contents, opinions or statements expressed”. They apparently didn’t read that part.
I doubt whether anyone was purposely trying to “deflect” the questions or the efforts of the person asking the questions. They are fairly common questions, which have been discussed on forums such as this. In addition, there are many books and articles by theologians, scholars and historians that discuss these. Rather than writing letters to the Vatican and elsewhere, they could have just as easily gone to a library. Exactly what was suggested by two of the respondents, who also gave detailed references to where they could find the info they sought.
Obviously, the agenda was not to obtain answers but to try to put the Church (and some of its representatives) “on the spot”. Nothing new there.
