For the 1988 Erasmus Lecture, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger gave a speech entitled “Biblical Interpretation in Crisis,” in which he argued that “the exegete must realize that he does not stand in some neutral area, above or outside history and the Church.” Addressing the synod of bishops in Rome this week, Pope Benedict reiterated the connection between exegesis and theology:

Referring to “Dei Verbum,” the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, the pope spoke of the importance of the historical-critical method that finds its roots in John 1:14, the Word becoming flesh. The pope spoke to us as a father and teacher, reminding the assembly of the importance of Scripture studies that reflect the unity of all Scriptures; studies that are done with and flow from the living tradition of the Church. Our exegesis and analysis of the word of God must always have a theological dimension for we are not simply dealing with a history book of the past but with a Word that is alive in the community of the Church: a Word that is Jesus. When biblical exegesis is divorced from the living, breathing community of faith that is in the Church, exegesis is reduced to historiography and nothing more. The hermeneutic of faith disappears. We reduce everything to human sources and can simply explain everything away. Ultimately, we deny the One about whom the Scriptures speak, the one whose living presence lies underneath the words. When exegesis is divorced from theology, then Scripture will not be the soul of theology.

Speaking of our beloved former colleague, Ryan recently wrote a review of Christ Our Joy: The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI in Christianity Today. Here are a few paragraphs to whet your appetite:

Nietzsche’s attack on Christianity’s “slave morality” paved the way for modern rejection of objective standards of goodness, truth, and beauty. But by making ourselves the measure of everything, we have lost a shared measure of anything. Having shrugged off Christ’s yoke and with it our moorings to God’s truth and goodness, we know of no excellence for which to strive, only arbitrary tastes and their pointless pursuit: the “escapist pleasure of the consumer economy” and the “exploitation that increasingly marks human relationships.” What was to be our liberation has become our enslavement.

But we need not remain slaves forever. As Benedict sees it, we can regain joy by participating in love—both giving and receiving. Thus, Benedict invites modern man to rediscover his lofty vocation as a beloved child of God, for “one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved.” This divine love cannot be a noble fiction meant to keep us from despair; as Benedict writes, “Only when love and truth are in harmony can man know joy.” The question, then, is whether the gospel is true.

From here Benedict launches his fight against the “dictatorship of relativism.” While many commentators focus on relativism’s moral and political implications, Benedict probes its spiritual consequences. Modern scientific rationalism has so neutered reason that, though useful for solving technical questions, it is impotent to address major questions about life’s origins, meaning, or destiny. As Benedict puts it, “[K]nowledge of the functional aspect of the world … brings with it no understanding of the world and of being,” since what is immaterial “cannot be approached with methods appropriate to what is material.” The scientific method can never establish or discredit Christianity, he argues, “because the kind of experiment demanded—pledging one’s life for this—is of quite a different kind.”

The excellent team of scholars working under the auspices of The Witherspoon Institute has just launched an online publication called Public Discourse: Ethics, Law and the Common Good. Public Discourse is an interesting hybrid of the blog and journal formats. According to the introductory letter from the editor, Ryan T. Anderson (a contributor to and former assistant editor of First Things), they will publish

short essays by Witherspoon scholars reflecting on the burning issues of the day. We’ll also run short essay-length abstracts of their scholarly articles–making the key arguments of these papers available to expert and layman alike, and providing access to the full-length article for those who wish to wrestle with the argument in its entirety. From time to time, we will also highlight the research of outside scholars as it relates to the vision of Public Discourse and the Witherspoon Institute.

The first two essays are “Thinking About Greed,” economic historian Harold James’ reflection on the current financial crisis, and “Obama’s Abortion Extremism,” a detailed discussion of Sen. Obama’s record on abortion by First Things board member Robert P. George.

Public Discourse aims to post new material at least every Tuesday and Friday, so check back often. You are almost certain to find some of the most thoughtful and responsible commentary available on important social and political issues.