Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
May 22, 2002
Bible expert to present Mile High Scripture Conference
Father Benedict Viviano, O.P., of Switzerland to address July event
By Alwen Bledsoe
This year's Mile High Scripture Institute headlines Father Benedict Thomas Viviano, O.P., an aficionado of inter-religious dialogue and a professor and author of keen wit and humor. The July 15-17 conference is sponsored by Our Lady of the New Advent Theological Institute in the Archdiocese of Denver.
Father Viviano, currently professor of New Testament at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, comes to Colorado, famous for its towering Rockies, with an appropriate topic. In his series "The Seven Mountains of Matthew," Father Viviano will discuss the many important teachings of Matthew that emerged from Jesus' mountaintop sermons and miracles, he said.
The best known of Matthew's mountaintop stories is perhaps the Sermon on the Mount, the priest said. His talk on the sermon will address selected topics on the "ethics of Jesus," or "a Christian way of life," including "Christianity and the use of violence," prayer, and a "Christian attitude towards wealth and poverty," he added.
The famous story of the multiplying fish and loaves will also figure into Father Viviano's talks as he discusses the Eucharist. Other topics will include Christ's transfiguration and the great commission, he added.
Father Viviano is author of a commentary on Matthew in the "New Jerome Biblical Commentary" and completed his dissertation on the similarities between early Jewish Rabbinical texts and Jesus' teachings in Matthew. Though he jokes about the challenge of fitting semesters worth of material into a few scant sessions, he seems to delight in the chance to teach some of his favorite material to a new audience.
Former student Father Andreas Hoeck still remembers the priest's talent for teaching. Now professor of New Testament at St. John Vianney Seminary, Father Hoeck took a course in 1994 from Father Viviano, then teaching at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem.
"I really enjoyed him very much," he said, "He has a very vivid way of speaking and teaching. He has a good humor, you know."
Father Viviano puts it a bit more bluntly.
With typical passion and joviality, Father Viviano roared, "I'm in a perpetual war against stupidity in the Church." Putting it more gently, he added, "I have a charism of caring for and feeding the Christian intellect."
And though the self-proclaimed "absent-minded-professor" may frequently roam the most remote chasms of the intellect, he effortlessly glides from the finer points of eschatology into easy conversation and humor.
"He is very good at presenting his stuff in a very gentle, a very kind way," Father Hoeck said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him when he comes."
According to Father Viviano, Matthew is an apt venue for fostering Christian learning.
"The Gospels sometimes seem weird or out of date, but if you scratch the surface, they are rich in wisdom," he said.
A strong strain of social justice also runs through Matthew and is expressed in the book's preoccupation with the kingdom of God, he added.
"In Romans 14:17 you have the best ethical definition of the kingdom of God: `The kingdom of God does not consist in kosher eating and drinking, but in justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,' which is a fancy way of saying love," he added, explaining that the central hope for social justice lies in the establishment of the full and perfect kingdom of God on earth when Christ returns at the end of time.
"We pray for (it) everyday," he said. "`Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'"
Along with his penchant for studying the kingdom of God and Rabbinic influences on Matthew, the St. Louis born priest also has quite the flair for world travel. He has taught in universities from Iowa to Jerusalem to Switzerland.
The priest's intellect has also enjoyed worldwide exploration. Father Viviano began his studies in Dubuque, Iowa, before joining the Dominican order in 1959 and being ordained to the priesthood in 1966 in Chicago. He then studied at the Catholic University, Harvard, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Duke University and the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francaises de Jerusalem, earning his doctorate in Biblical Studies from Duke University in 1976 and his pontifical license in biblical studies from Rome in 1977.
Father Viviano is also deeply devoted to interfaith and ecumenical dialogue. Currently he is a member of the commission of the Swiss Bishops Conference and for dialogue with the Reformed Church of Switzerland as well as participating on the Vatican team for dialogue with the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. He has also been involved in dialogue with the Orthodox Church of Greece and in interfaith Jewish-Christian dialogue.
That international background deepens the quality of Father Viviano's teaching, Father Hoeck said, adding that he expects the priest's presentations to deepen participants' understanding of the Gospel. The Mile High Scripture Institute is aimed at everyone from religious to laity, Father Hoeck added.
The conference's purpose "is to help people grow in their understanding of Scripture and to love Scripture on a higher level of understanding," he explained.
The Mile High Scripture Institute will be held July 15-17 at the DIA Marriott. The conference includes sessions with Father Viviano as well as liturgies and evening prayer. An optional evening session "Synagogues and Spirituality: The Case of Beth Alfa" will be held 7 p.m. July 16 at Bonfils Hall in the John Paul II Center. Cost is $150. For more information, call 303-282-3427.
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