Approaches to Christ

By Jean Daniélou, S.J. A whole host of theological disciplines converge upon Jesus of Nazareth: biblical, exegetical, historical, dogmatic, spiritual, systematic, and so forth. While they possess the common purpose of understanding Jesus, these disciplines nevertheless often end up achieving the opposite of this purpose, grasping the Whole only in terms of those parts which correspond to their sources and methods. In Approaches to Christ, Jean Daniélou aims to dissolve this theological compartmentalization by providing a quasi-Summa of the various modes of speculation concerning the unfathomable richness of the Incarnate Word of God. In studying these different paths trodden by historians and theologians, exegetes and mystics, nothing of value is lost which can lead to a better understanding of Jesus Christ. In fact, the complementary nature of their insights show forth the unity of the Word-Made-Flesh through the various states in which He is revealed in His life on earth, in His life in the Church, and in His return in glory at the end of history. The Jesus of history is already the Lord of faith, as the Lord of faith is still the Jesus of history. There is a strict continuity between the Word of God the Creator, the Wisdom that inspired the Prophets, the Child of Bethlehem, the crucified Jesus of Golgotha, the glorified Christ present in the Eucharist, the inward Master who teaches the saints. (Jean Daniélou, S.J.) Originally appearing in English as Christ and Us in 1961, Approaches to Christ com­bines theological synthesis and spiritual insight into an arresting and illuminating meditation on God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.   Jean Daniélou, S.J. (1905–1974) was one of the leading theologians of the twentieth century. Renowned for his scholarship in the field of Patristics, he was the author of num­erous works, including The Lord of History, Prayer as a Political Problem, and The Advent of Salvation (all available from Cluny). * * * Paperback: 216pp. ISBN: 978-1685954901