Pope Benedict XVI, "The Gospel of the Kingdom of God"

1. According to Pope Benedict, what are the origins of the word evangelion?

2. What, according to Pope Benedict, is the "core content of the Gospel"?

3. Starting on p. 49, Pope Benedict begins a brief survey of the how the word "kingdom" has been understood in the history of the Church.  He identifies three dimensions in the Church Fathers' interpretation of this key term.  Please describe each.

4. Pope Benedict points out that the word we translate as "kingdom" is really an "action word."  (Perhaps a better translation for capturing this connotation would be, not "kingdom of God," but "reign of God" or "dominion of God.") What significance does Pope Benedict find in this fact?

5. On p. 56, Pope Benedict says, "We must try now, though, to delineate the content of Jesus' ‘message of the Kingdom' somewhat more precisely in light of its historical context."  What light is shed on Jesus' message of the Kingdom by looking at it in light of its historical context?

6. What is the significance of the fact that many of the parables describing the Kingdom use the image of a "seed"?

7. What is Pope Benedict's interpretation of Jesus' comment in Lk 17.20-21 that "behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you"?