Gerhard Lohfink (1934-2024) was professor of New Testament exegesis at the University of Tübingen. His many award-winning books include Why I Believe in God, All My Springs Are in You,The Most Important Words of Jesus, Between Heaven and Earth, The Forty Parables of Jesus, No Irrelevant Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Is This All There Is?, The Our Father, and Prayer Takes Us Home, all from Liturgical Press.

• ContentsPreface ixAbbreviations xi1.  Is the Church Required to Undergo Enlightenment?   12.  The World Emptied of Its Gods   333.  Are the Ancient Gods Returning?   544.  Freedom to Believe   705.  Social Project and Knowledge of God   926.  Trinitarian Faith and Imperial Monotheism   1117.  Did the First Christians Understand Jesus?   1308.  Murder in the Name of God?   1509.  Did Easter Change History?   16710.  Easter and the Enlightenment   18411.  How Paul Talks to His Communities   19612.  Was Paul Anti-Jewish?   22413.  How Does the Church Gather?   25614.  How Does the Church Resolve Its Conflicts?   26915.  How Does the Church Do Mission?   28016.  The New Testament Basis for the Priestly Office   29117.  Marian Devotion: Superfluous or Essential?   33518.  Foreign, Hunted, and Shunned   348Acknowledgments   363Index of Biblical Passages   364

“In a world of constant challenge of Christianity’s intellectual integrity, Lohfink highlights that the Christian faith is not outdated or just a leftover after the European Enlightenment. In his broad scope of topics, he demonstrates not only his expertise as a biblical scholar. In a highly personal voice, he also presents his own spirituality in deep attachment to his academic profession. Following Lohfink’s thoughts, we can recognize that there is no stalemate between Christian faith and reason. Even further, by joining Lohfink’s adventure of faith, we can see this undertaking as deeply fulfilling.”Florian Klug is a lecturer at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany and the University of Vienna, Austria