Jean-Pierre Sonnet | Pontifical Gregorian University (original) (raw)
Books by Jean-Pierre Sonnet
Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Mose... more Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Moses - or can the opposite be demonstrated? In this volume, this controversial question is addressed from multiple perspectives. Experts in Pentateuchal criticism from diverse international backgrounds present a rich panorama of relevant themes, including biblical historiography, contacts with Mesopotamian culture before and during the Babylonian exile, and the issue of cultic discontinuity caused by the destruction and restoration of Jerusalem's temple.
La Bibbia si apre davvero a Pasqua, perché è nella celebrazione della morte e risurrezione del Si... more La Bibbia si apre davvero a Pasqua, perché è nella celebrazione della morte e risurrezione del Signore che si dispiega il libro della Bibbia, in tutte le sue dimensioni. Mai come in queste ore notturne si fa esperienza dell'unità della Scrittura e della sua ispirazione, fra Antico e Nuovo Testamento. Il presente saggio nasce da un dialogo fra esegeti e liturgisti. L'indagine sulla storia della veglia pasquale lungo i secoli – fra memoria e amnesia – mette in risalto la magnificenza della proposta liturgica contemporanea. Percorrendo le nove tappe del lezionario, sette biblisti associano all'indagine esegetica classica un'attenzione originale alla Parola in quanto proclamata, chiedendosi: Come risuonano i testi antichi nel presente simbolico dell'azione liturgica? Come l'assemblea collega la successione delle letture, dai racconti fondatori al discorso profetico e sapienziale, e a quello di Paolo, prima di sentire di nuovo un racconto, quello dell'Evangelo pasquale? Che ruolo giocano le orazioni che concludono ogni tappa della liturgia della Parola? Ascoltata ogni anno, la sequenza del lezionario di Pasqua è il luogo di approfondimenti progressivi. La Bibbia cresce non solo con chi la legge, ma anche con chi la ascolta e la celebra.
Papers by Jean-Pierre Sonnet
Networks of Metaphors in the Hebrew Bible, 2020
Estudios Eclesiásticos. Revista de investigación e información teológica y canónica, 2018
Para los defensores del evolucionismo, aludir hoy día a las enseñanzas del Génesis supone regresa... more Para los defensores del evolucionismo, aludir hoy día a las enseñanzas del Génesis supone regresar a una forma de oscurantismo incompatible con la racionalidad de la edad moderna. Estas páginas muestran que sucede todo lo contrario: los capítulos iniciales del Génesis proclaman la inteligibilidad del mundo, que ha nacido de la palabra divina y está destinado a la palabra del hombre, especialmente a través de su quehacer científico. Estos viejos textos están traspasados de una luminosa racionalidad, y son capaces de hablar a cualquier hombre que piense, especialmente al hombre de ciencia contemporáneo.
L’exegese n’est pas seulement une activite post-biblique ; elle a aussi une dimension intra-bibli... more L’exegese n’est pas seulement une activite post-biblique ; elle a aussi une dimension intra-biblique. Sous la forme de relectures et de reecritures, elle sous-tend le developpement de ce qui est devenu notre Ecriture canonique. Ces reecritures, ont montre des chercheurs juifs a la suite de M. Fishbane, anticipent l’imagination du midrash. Il s’agissait pour les scribes bibliques d’inscrire le nouveau dans l’ancien, afin que l’antique Parole de Dieu soutienne encore et toujours la vie du peuple. Cette « hermeneutique de l’innovation », dont l’esprit et les techniques sont ici presentes, ne peut qu’interesser l’exegese du Nouveau Testament.
In Matthew's gospel, Matthew's name harmonizes the Hebrew (the mat- element, from the root nātan,... more In Matthew's gospel, Matthew's name harmonizes the Hebrew (the mat- element, from the root nātan, "to give") and the Greek (math- from the noun mathētēs, "disciple"). The "math" syllable reverberates throughout the Matthean narrative, between reference to Matthan in the genealogy and the final commission by the Risen One to "make disciples" (mathēteusate), through intermediate narrative crystallizations (Matthew’s vocation in 9:9-13; the “scribe made-disciple” in 13:52) where the Hebrew-Greek alliteration achieves its full potential.
Nova et Vetera, 2020
Taking the Flood narrative (Gen 6–9) as proof text, the paper shows that God’s “repentance” parad... more Taking the Flood narrative (Gen 6–9) as proof text, the paper shows that God’s “repentance” paradoxically represents the linchpin of God’s character. Amid a subtle interplay of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, the narrative sets God’s dramatic changes against a background of human changes. Yet, in so doing, the Bible pays extreme attention to the divine difference. Far from being lost in human consequentiality, God is God, more than ever, in his way of changing. Responding to human ethical inconstancy, God vindicates, from reversal to reversal, a paradoxical faithfulness to himself and to his overall design for creation and humankind.
If the Bible is "the Great Code" of Western literature (N. Frye), what is the relationship with i... more If the Bible is "the Great Code" of Western literature (N. Frye), what is the relationship with its literary progeny? The article discusses two aspects of this genealogy. On the one hand, the Bible is a matrix of Western literature which has tried, among other aspects, to fill in the gaps of the Scripture narrative. On the other hand, the Bible has played a paternal role for this generation. Literature has to measure up to the Book of books in the same way as one is confronted with paternal directives. The recent literary outcomes of the Scriptures are giving the Bible an unexpected echo, which believers should listen to.
La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition
La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition
Recherches de Science Religieuse
Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2012
This article considers the book of Deuteronomy in its narrative integrity and dynamic, from begin... more This article considers the book of Deuteronomy in its narrative integrity and dynamic, from beginning to end. It focuses on six main threads and themes of Deuteronomy’s overall construction, paying attention to their (interconnected) sequential unfolding: the relationship between Moses, speaker and narrator within the narrated world, and the narrator of the framing book (section 2); Deuteronomy’s overall plot, which surfaces only when the final disclosure about the obedience of the sons of Israel (34:9) is taken into consideration (section 3); Moses’ switch from oral to written communication (section 4); the motif of Moses’ death, from his dissimulation to God’s ultimate education of his prophet (section 5); the narrative centrality of the law code within Deuteronomy’s system of if-plots (section 6); the identity of Joshua as “prophet like Moses,” and epitome of the system of mediations set up by Moses, the prophet whom God knew face-to-face (section 7).
Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Mose... more Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Moses - or can the opposite be demonstrated? In this volume, this controversial question is addressed from multiple perspectives. Experts in Pentateuchal criticism from diverse international backgrounds present a rich panorama of relevant themes, including biblical historiography, contacts with Mesopotamian culture before and during the Babylonian exile, and the issue of cultic discontinuity caused by the destruction and restoration of Jerusalem's temple.
La Bibbia si apre davvero a Pasqua, perché è nella celebrazione della morte e risurrezione del Si... more La Bibbia si apre davvero a Pasqua, perché è nella celebrazione della morte e risurrezione del Signore che si dispiega il libro della Bibbia, in tutte le sue dimensioni. Mai come in queste ore notturne si fa esperienza dell'unità della Scrittura e della sua ispirazione, fra Antico e Nuovo Testamento. Il presente saggio nasce da un dialogo fra esegeti e liturgisti. L'indagine sulla storia della veglia pasquale lungo i secoli – fra memoria e amnesia – mette in risalto la magnificenza della proposta liturgica contemporanea. Percorrendo le nove tappe del lezionario, sette biblisti associano all'indagine esegetica classica un'attenzione originale alla Parola in quanto proclamata, chiedendosi: Come risuonano i testi antichi nel presente simbolico dell'azione liturgica? Come l'assemblea collega la successione delle letture, dai racconti fondatori al discorso profetico e sapienziale, e a quello di Paolo, prima di sentire di nuovo un racconto, quello dell'Evangelo pasquale? Che ruolo giocano le orazioni che concludono ogni tappa della liturgia della Parola? Ascoltata ogni anno, la sequenza del lezionario di Pasqua è il luogo di approfondimenti progressivi. La Bibbia cresce non solo con chi la legge, ma anche con chi la ascolta e la celebra.
Networks of Metaphors in the Hebrew Bible, 2020
Estudios Eclesiásticos. Revista de investigación e información teológica y canónica, 2018
Para los defensores del evolucionismo, aludir hoy día a las enseñanzas del Génesis supone regresa... more Para los defensores del evolucionismo, aludir hoy día a las enseñanzas del Génesis supone regresar a una forma de oscurantismo incompatible con la racionalidad de la edad moderna. Estas páginas muestran que sucede todo lo contrario: los capítulos iniciales del Génesis proclaman la inteligibilidad del mundo, que ha nacido de la palabra divina y está destinado a la palabra del hombre, especialmente a través de su quehacer científico. Estos viejos textos están traspasados de una luminosa racionalidad, y son capaces de hablar a cualquier hombre que piense, especialmente al hombre de ciencia contemporáneo.
L’exegese n’est pas seulement une activite post-biblique ; elle a aussi une dimension intra-bibli... more L’exegese n’est pas seulement une activite post-biblique ; elle a aussi une dimension intra-biblique. Sous la forme de relectures et de reecritures, elle sous-tend le developpement de ce qui est devenu notre Ecriture canonique. Ces reecritures, ont montre des chercheurs juifs a la suite de M. Fishbane, anticipent l’imagination du midrash. Il s’agissait pour les scribes bibliques d’inscrire le nouveau dans l’ancien, afin que l’antique Parole de Dieu soutienne encore et toujours la vie du peuple. Cette « hermeneutique de l’innovation », dont l’esprit et les techniques sont ici presentes, ne peut qu’interesser l’exegese du Nouveau Testament.
In Matthew's gospel, Matthew's name harmonizes the Hebrew (the mat- element, from the root nātan,... more In Matthew's gospel, Matthew's name harmonizes the Hebrew (the mat- element, from the root nātan, "to give") and the Greek (math- from the noun mathētēs, "disciple"). The "math" syllable reverberates throughout the Matthean narrative, between reference to Matthan in the genealogy and the final commission by the Risen One to "make disciples" (mathēteusate), through intermediate narrative crystallizations (Matthew’s vocation in 9:9-13; the “scribe made-disciple” in 13:52) where the Hebrew-Greek alliteration achieves its full potential.
Nova et Vetera, 2020
Taking the Flood narrative (Gen 6–9) as proof text, the paper shows that God’s “repentance” parad... more Taking the Flood narrative (Gen 6–9) as proof text, the paper shows that God’s “repentance” paradoxically represents the linchpin of God’s character. Amid a subtle interplay of suspense, curiosity, and surprise, the narrative sets God’s dramatic changes against a background of human changes. Yet, in so doing, the Bible pays extreme attention to the divine difference. Far from being lost in human consequentiality, God is God, more than ever, in his way of changing. Responding to human ethical inconstancy, God vindicates, from reversal to reversal, a paradoxical faithfulness to himself and to his overall design for creation and humankind.
If the Bible is "the Great Code" of Western literature (N. Frye), what is the relationship with i... more If the Bible is "the Great Code" of Western literature (N. Frye), what is the relationship with its literary progeny? The article discusses two aspects of this genealogy. On the one hand, the Bible is a matrix of Western literature which has tried, among other aspects, to fill in the gaps of the Scripture narrative. On the other hand, the Bible has played a paternal role for this generation. Literature has to measure up to the Book of books in the same way as one is confronted with paternal directives. The recent literary outcomes of the Scriptures are giving the Bible an unexpected echo, which believers should listen to.
La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition
La Civiltà Cattolica, English Edition
Recherches de Science Religieuse
Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2012
This article considers the book of Deuteronomy in its narrative integrity and dynamic, from begin... more This article considers the book of Deuteronomy in its narrative integrity and dynamic, from beginning to end. It focuses on six main threads and themes of Deuteronomy’s overall construction, paying attention to their (interconnected) sequential unfolding: the relationship between Moses, speaker and narrator within the narrated world, and the narrator of the framing book (section 2); Deuteronomy’s overall plot, which surfaces only when the final disclosure about the obedience of the sons of Israel (34:9) is taken into consideration (section 3); Moses’ switch from oral to written communication (section 4); the motif of Moses’ death, from his dissimulation to God’s ultimate education of his prophet (section 5); the narrative centrality of the law code within Deuteronomy’s system of if-plots (section 6); the identity of Joshua as “prophet like Moses,” and epitome of the system of mediations set up by Moses, the prophet whom God knew face-to-face (section 7).
Vetus Testamentum, 2013
In its overall literary construction, Deuteronomy has turned a syntactic form—the “if/when . . .”... more In its overall literary construction, Deuteronomy has turned a syntactic form—the “if/when . . .” form of casuistic laws and vassal treaties—into its main narrative dynamics. It has combined the mini-plots of the case-laws (“if a man . . .” / “when you . . .”) with the overarching plot of the people’s loyalty (“if you listen to the commandments . . .”) and with the macro-plot of the divine promise (“when Yhwh your God brings you into the land . . .”) in order to create a general suspenseful momentum that leads to the memorable dénouement of Deut 34:9: “The sons of Israel listened . . . and did just as Yhwh had commanded Moses”.
Anthropotes, 2020
The essay responds to the question, Why generate?, from a Biblical perspective. The study explore... more The essay responds to the question, Why generate?, from a Biblical perspective. The study explores the double meaning-diachronic and synchronic-of the term "generation" in the Bible, and particularly through Genesis and Exodus. The God of Israel is the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob": he is, from the beginning, woven into human generations. To be a son of Israel is to be born of a people, who are born in crossing the sea. In this context, the filiation of Jesus gives meaning to all human filiations, right up to the "generation that is to come", and so to the Lord who comes (again).
A Hidden Life | Une vie cachée (2019), le film de Terrence Malick récemment sorti sur les écrans,... more A Hidden Life | Une vie cachée (2019), le film de Terrence Malick récemment sorti sur les écrans, raconte les dernières années de la vie de Franz Jägerstätter (1907-1943), objecteur de conscience autrichien pendant l’occupation nazie. C’est une ode à la liberté, enracinée dans une profonde spiritualité. La relation entre Franz et Fani Jägerstätter y manifeste combien les choix les plus singuliers peuvent être vécus en dialogue. La beauté du film est de révéler cette vie cachée tout en en protégeant le mystère.
L’esortazione di papa Francesco Querida Amazonia crea un precedente nel discorso del magistero, r... more L’esortazione di papa Francesco Querida Amazonia crea un precedente nel discorso del magistero, riservandovi un posto – e che posto! – alla narrazione commemorativa e alla poesia. L’esortazione si presenta come un sogno condiviso – una visione che mobilita l’immaginazione –, ed è in questo che trova nella poesia il suo primo alleato. La poesia mette in presenza della realtà naturale e umana dell’immensa Amazzonia; arricchita di altrettante metafore, la contemplazione ci coinvolge nel dramma della foresta e di quelli che la abitano, e nelle promesse della loro salvezza.
La crisi del Covid-19 è stata annunciata da scienziati lungimiranti. Molto prima di loro, la Bibb... more La crisi del Covid-19 è stata annunciata da scienziati lungimiranti. Molto prima di loro, la Bibbia ha dato un avvertimento che deve essere ascoltato di nuovo. In Gen 1,28, il Dio creatore stabilisce Adamo come custode delle specie animali e lo rende garante della loro distinzione. Lungi dall’essere un’antologia di oscurantismi, la Bibbia è il precipitato di una saggezza al tempo stesso immemorabile e profetica; sa che il rapporto tra l’uomo e le specie animali è un luogo temibile, dove è in gioco qualcosa di divino.
