More Information on Josef Ratzinger's Complete Writings

Herder Verlag is the publisher for Josef Ratzinger's Complete Writings. (You will find the description on Herder's web site.) The first volume costs fifty euros (45 if bought as part of a subscription to the whole series.) At current exchange rates that is a pretty penny.

The sixteen volumes will each contain Benedict's complete writing on a particular topic prior to his papacy. Herder plans to publish 2-3 volumes a year and complete the project in about six years. Herder says that the individual volumes will be about 500-700 pages.

Volume XI, the first volume published, is about the liturgy (see the next posting, "Josef Ratzinger's Complete Writings Starts with the Liturgy.") The liturgy is central to his theological thinking. The volumes will be:

Der Editionsplan

1. Volk und Haus Gottes in Augustins Lehre von der Kirche. Die Dissertation und weitere Studien zu Augustinus von Hippo.
2. Offenbarungsverständnis und Geschichtstheologie Bonaventuras. Die ungekürzte Habilitationsschrift und weitere Bonaventura-Studien
3. Der Gott des Glaubens und der Gott der Philosophen Die wechselseitige Verwiesenheit von fides und ratio
4. Einführung in das Christentum Bekenntnis – Taufe – Nachfolge
5. Herkunft und Bestimmung Schöpfung – Anthropologie – Mariologie
6. Jesus von Nazareth Spirituelle Christologie
7. Zur Theologie des Konzils Texte zum II. Vatikanum
8. Zeichen unter den Völkern Schriften zur Ekklesiologie und Ökumene
9. Offenbarung – Schrift – Tradition. Hermeneutik und Theologische Prinzipienlehre
10. Auferstehung und Ewiges Leben Beiträge zur Eschatologie
11. Theologie der Liturgie Die sakramentale Begründung christlicher Existenz
    [erscheint als erster Band]
12. Künder des Wortes und Diener eurer Freude. Zur Theologie und Spiritualität des Ordo
13. Im Gespräch mit der Zeit Interviews – Stellungnahmen – Einsprüche
14. Predigten zum Kirchenjahr sowie Meditationen, Gebete, Betrachtungen
15. Aus meinem Leben Autobiographische Texte
16. Bibliographie und Gesamt-Register

Josef Ratzinger's Complete Writings Starts with the Liturgy

Herder Verlag has begone publishing Josef Ratzinger's Complete Writings. Zenit reports (in German; in English N.B.: the two articles have different information) that the first volume published treats the liturgy. Oddly enough the first volume published is Volume XI . The liturgy is central to our relationship to God so it is fitting that it be revealed first to the public (dignum et justum est.)

The bulk of the first is Ratzinger's book The Spirit of the Liturgy: An Introduction. (Der Geist Der Litugie: ein Einfuehrung.) The title comes from Romano Guardini's little classic, Vom Geist Der Liturgie.

Shawn Tribe has an excellent discusssion of the issue of liturgical orientation (Should the priest face east?) in Benedict's thought and practice. He writes in the New Liturgical Movement.

James Bond Flix: Immoral Trash or High Camp?

The Times of London has a marvey timeline of James Bond. Great fun!

Are the movies simply high camp or immoral trash?

Some members would vote for the latter. That casts aspersions on their parents' probity. Personally I am ambivalent: it is hard to take these babes and gadgets formula films seriously. Maybe I am just a big hypocrite.

Now, when is the next one out?

Reicipe for Pumpkin Soup

From Bob Boewe's The Spice Merchant:

Maggie's Autumn Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 - 14 oz. cans pumpkin purée
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaf

black pepper and salt to taste
sour cream
crushed amaretti cookies or candied ginger for garnish


In a large saucepan, melt butter, then sauté onion until translucent. Sprinkle sugar over onion, continue to sauté until they caramelize. Stir in pumpkin and stock, bring to a boil. Add allspice, coriander, and thyme, stir. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thick - about 30 minutes. Add pepper &/or salt to taste. Serve into bowls, then add a dollop of sour cream in the center of each. Garnish with crushed amaretti cookies or candied ginger.

Brideshead Revisited: Forget the Movie!

Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited is one of those overwhelming novels that has a point but does not hit you over the head with it. We are indeed sinners and yet God's grace can pierce our armor and cature our falty will.

It is a powerful novel and the language is beautiful. The BBC's miniseris adaptation of it for "the telley" drew widespread praise. Two of my favorite reviewers condemned the new movie version.

Barbara Nicolosi makes it sound like the San Francisco version of the book:

"How dare they.

"No, I mean really, how DARE they?! Imagine if someone did a new adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird and it ended up savagely racist? That's what they've done here. A profoundly Catholic novel, in this'adaptation', Brideshead Revisited is viciously anti-Catholic. They turned a movie about God and the soul, into a lurid love triangle between a homosexual, his sister and a hapless hunk. It's lame. It's bad."


Steven D. Greydanus writes a long and thoughtful review (originally for the National Catholic Register.) He ends his analysis: "Waugh wrote that Brideshead 'deals with what is theologically termed "the operation of Grace", that is to say, the unmerited and unilateral act of love by which God continually calls souls to Himself.' Grace may not be totally missing from the film version — the ending isn’t wholly betrayed — but however real it may be for the characters, there’s no sense that it feels real to the filmmakers, or the audience. It’s as if Waugh’s story has been filtered through the spiritual blindness of young Charles. The movie sees, but it doesn’t understand."