Opening Up the Scriptures was written by a group of eminent Catholics, including Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI. In these erudite essays the authors contend that historical-critical interpretation of Scripture has long since run its course in both Protestant and Catholic exegesis. Instead, they argue, the future of interpretation lies in accepting that the Bible is not just a collection of historical documents but a record of revelation conceived in faith. By this token, true exegesis involves the faith and humility of the exegete. Book jacket.

Abbreviations	p. xi
Preface to the American Edition	p. xiv
On the Horizon of Hope	p. xix
Biblical Interpretation in Conflict: On the Foundations and the Itinerary of Exegesis Today	p. 1
Preliminary Consideration: Where We Are and What We Must Do	p. 1
The State of the Problem	p. 1
The Task	p. 7
Two Examples of Self-Criticism of the Historical-Critical Method: The Methodologies of Martin Dibelius and Rudolf Bultmann	p. 10
The Main Elements of the Method and Their Presuppositions	p. 10
The Philosophical Origin of the Method	p. 17
Basic Elements of a New Synthesis	p. 20
Biblical Exegesis: A Science of Faith	p. 30
The Bible: Human Word and Word of God	p. 35
The Bible as Human Word	p. 35
The Bible and the Word of God	p. 38
The Relation between the Two Aspects	p. 39
What Does Scripture Have to Say about This?	p. 46
The Unity of the Whole of Scripture	p. 48
The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture: A Science of Faith	p. 51
The Problem	p. 51
The "Science of Faith" according to R. Guardini	p. 53
Michael Theobald's Critical Reaction	p. 56
Attempt at a Synthesis	p. 59
Conclusion	p. 63
Is a Biblical Theology Possible?	p. 65
The Reality and the Wish	p. 65
A Theology of the Two Testaments Is Necessary Today	p. 68
Christian-Jewish Relations	p. 68
The Gospel and Cultures	p. 69
Biblical Law and the Violence of the World	p. 70
Jesus Christ and the Two Testaments	p. 72
The Challenge	p. 72
The Commitment of the Subject-Reader	p. 74
The Course of the Research	p. 75
Ethics and Aesthetics	p. 75
Obstacles	p. 77
Conclusion	p. 78
Exegesis: Reading the Scriptures in Faith	p. 79
Christ in Contemporary Exegesis: Where We Are and Where We Are Going	p. 87
Outline of the Situation Today	p. 87
The Gap between the Pre-Paschal Jesus and the Post-Paschal Christ Has Shrunk Somewhat	p. 87
The Search for the "Historical Jesus" Continues	p. 89
There Is a Growing Distance from Historical-Critical Exegesis from Many Sides	p. 89
There Are Efforts to Reclaim the Jewishness of Jesus	p. 91
New Approaches Are Also Affecting How We See Christ	p. 91
Possible Directions for Exegetical Work on Christ	p. 95
Less Violence with the Sources	p. 95
More Trust in the Unique Form of the Sources	p. 96
Painstaking Historical Work	p. 99
The Whole as the Reference-Point	p. 100
Christ in John and Mark	p. 100
All of God's Relations to Men Are Mediated to Them through Jesus	p. 101
Mark Is Concentrated on the Christological Question	p. 101
Mark Preserves the Christological Question	p. 102
The Reception in the Church of the Dogmatic Constitution "Dei Verbum"	p. 104
Scripture and Word of God	p. 105
Scripture and Tradition	p. 107
Revelation and Communion	p. 112
Inspiration and Believing Community	p. 115
Biblical Studies and Theology	p. 119
Conclusion	p. 125
Exegesis and the Magisterium of the Church	p. 126
Original Publications	p. 137
Index of Holy Scripture	p. 139
Index of Magisterial and Ecclesial Documents	p. 141
Index of Authors	p. 143
Index of Subjects	p. 146
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