Christ, The Pivot of History

. . .was B16's theme at the papal audience today. Original here. English summary here. Zenit no doubt will have its translation up by this evening. Like these short, sweet little commentaries he give us.

Cristo è, poi, proclamato «primogenito (generato prima) di ogni creatura» (v. 15). Cristo precede tutta la creazione (cfr v. 17), essendo generato fin dall’eternità: per questo «tutte le cose sono state create per mezzo di lui e in vista di lui» (v. 16). Anche nell’antica tradizione ebraica si affermava che «tutto il mondo è stato creato in vista del Messia» (Sanhedrin 98b).

Loosely: Christ therefore is proclaimed "the firstborn of all creation" (v. 15). Christ preceded all creation, existing from all eternity: that's why "all things are created in him and in light of him" (v. 16). [This is the line that fascinates me coming up]. Even the ancient Jewish tradition affirms that "the entire world was created in light of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98b).