Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration

by Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI's iconic life of Jesus, a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of the central figure of the Christian faith.

"This book is . . . my personal search 'for the face of the Lord.'"--Benedict XVI

In this bold, momentous work, the Pope seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from today's "popular" depictions and to restore his true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the Pope incites us to encounter Jesus face to face.

From Jesus of Nazareth ". . . the great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: But what has Jesus really brought, then, if he has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God! He has brought the God who once gradually unveiled his countenance first to Abraham, then to Moses and the prophets, and then in the wisdom literature-the God who showed his face only in Israel, even though he was also honored among the pagans in various shadowy guises. It is this God, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the true God, whom he has brought to the peoples of the earth. He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about where we are going and where we come from: faith, hope, and love."

Genres: Religion, Theology, Catholic, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Originally Joseph Ratzinger , a noted conservative theologian before his election in 2005, Benedict XVI strove against the influence of secularism during his papacy to defend traditional Catholic teachings but since medieval times first resigned in 2013.

After Joseph Ratzinger served a long career as an academic and a professor at the University of Regensburg, Pope Paul VI appointed him as archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome as prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, one most important office of the Roman curia. He also served as dean of the college of cardinals.

Benedict XVI reigned 265th in virtue of his office of bishop of Rome, the sovereign of the state of Vatican City and the head of the Church. A conclave named him on 19 April 2005; he celebrated his inaugural Mass on 24 April 2005 and took possession of his Lateran cathedral basilica of Saint John on 7 May 2005.

Benedict XVI succeeded Saint John Paul II, predecessor and his prolific writings on doctrine and values. Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increase of many developed countries. Relativism denied objective truth and moral truths in particular; he viewed this central problem of the 21st century. With the importance of the Church, he understood redemptive love of God. He reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism" "of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Benedict also revived a number and elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.

Benedict founded and patronized of the Ratzinger foundation, a charitable organization, which from the sale of books and essays makes money to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.

Due to advanced age on 11 February 2013, Benedict announced in a speech in Latin and cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" before the cardinals. He effectively left on 28 February 2013.As emeritus, Benedict retained the style of His Holiness, and the title and continued to dress in the color of white. He moved into the newly renovated monastery of Mater Ecclesiae for his retirement. Pope Francis succeeded him on 13 March 2013.

(more info on Ratzinger Foundation: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology...)

Reviews

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this trilogy not in order (doesn't make it confusing), so this is my last one of the three, and I think it's not a bad way to end. Whatever I may think of the author now, it's true that he can write, calmly, clearly and bringing new things up for us to realise. He also brings up other writer's points of view about certain subjects.

This book focuses on Jesus' active preaching part of life, from the Baptism to the Transfiguration, with the Passion left for another book, and the childhood times likewise. At the end is glossary and small bibliography; the main text is in 10 chapters. I made a load of notes on this one, which I guess shows the book's quality :) I talk below of some of the bits in each chapter, not everything but some of what I noticed.

I think the first chapter made the most impression on me, partly at least because I could see a film of the Baptism running in my head, at various speeds so that the scene lasted quite long *lol* A point of saying 'yes' to God's path, of first time of Jesus going down to depths, then up again - the Passion's first sign (though of course many things that happened, including this, can be seen the best way afterwards - doesn't make it lesser either).

Then the desert temptations, some things that people think and say about and to Jesus already here: demand for food (see miracles of the loaves and last supper) - wrong charity asked; asking proof through "grant us now your protection"; using power to secure faith, Barabbas the resistance leader 'doing it now', Jesus is no bringer of worldly better-world. Earthly kingdoms fade, Jesus "has brought God" to all nations.

Third chapter talks about the Kingdom of God. It's not empty talk of an emperor, but a good, saving message. The Kingdom is in person (Jesus) or located in man's inner self (mystic), or with the Church (closeness). OT text moving towards Jesus' existence, then things go beyond. God acting through Jesus. Images of the mustard seed, leaven, field-treasure and pearl of great price.

Sermon of the Mount (being like a new Mount Sinai): beautitudes and a new version of Torah. Blessed are not what the world wount want, joy already before the glorious future. The sermon is a map for disciples. Poverty, humility, openness towards God, to be given outwards, compassion for others, knowing persecution is ahead, purity of heart. The woes: what not to do, the path of ruin, Earthly joys and 'independence'. Law of Christ, preaching as one with authority which causes alarm since it goes beyond safety and boundaries of Jewish faith (but doesn't really destroy the law).

Lord's prayer, line by line. Not showy, no 'chatter'. Formulaic prayers are needed sometimes. A picture of Jesus' inner attitude for us to imitate. "Our" not "I". To not be stretched beyong our strength, to never lose God and be able to endure in affliction.

About the disciples, the 12. Jesus gave them inner knowledge, skills (to heal, exorcise etc.) and preparation talks. God gives of freedom from the demons we saw before in nature and such. There is also a bigger circle of 70/72 disciples, with similar mission, plus the women followers, mentioned by Luke (who in general is quite women-positive in my opinion).

The parables, especially Luke's examples: the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, rich man and Lazarus, the heart of Jesus' preaching. They point towards the Cross and are part of it. Non-apostle people can fail to find the angle to get 'inside' these saying, or refuse to leave reality, preferring proofs. The good Samaritan: charity outside one's community, risking it to be charity like Jesus, also image of Adam being rescued by Christ and brough to Church. In prodigal son: the faraway land as earthly 'freedom', father giving back the 'first robe' of innocence and the feast as Eucharist. Older son's reaction as envy of what younger has been able to do, yet should come and share the joy which is better. The Lazarus story: the real good is the future good and present charity; Lazarus as Jesus; rich man asking for sending of proof.

Eight: principal images in John's gospel (water, vine and wine, bread and the shepherd). John is more Jerusalem-centric and visual. Shows signs of knowing Jesus' world and Hellenistic Jewishness. Lots of things happen during Jewish festivals. New idea (for me) about the writer: first a lesser disciple of Jesus who let Peter where Jesus was taken from the garden, then a disciple of John the Apostle. The images are talked of thoroughly, but I'm leaving them out of this review.

Peter's confession and Transfiguration: having them happen close to each other deepens both and connects them to the Passion. On the way to Jerusalem comes the confession: outsider have used prophet names, past-figures. The scandal about Jesus is his equality with jesus (but to Pilate the accusation is given as political one). Transfiguration happens 6-8 days afterwards and is like Moses' ascent to Sinai. We see Moses (law) and Elijah (prophets). Jesus going all bright-white is a connection to God, and the mountain bit conncets to the 'mountain' of Passion.

Last chapter: Jesus declaring his identity, the titles he mentions about himself (the son, son of man, and use of "I Am"). "Son Of Man" is in NT used by Jesus only (quoted by Stephen once), in OT it appears in Daniel's 'four beasts' vision. "Son": kings have used it as being sons of divinity (Egypt, Babylon, Rome); image of Israel as firstborn nation of God with eternal king promised, who actually rules by faith and love. And then the "I Am" - in Exodus from the burning bush (also can be seen later as Jesus' cross) - God just "IS". Jesus saying "I am He", meaning I am YHWH. And many recognise what he means, especially during his interrogation, no wonder the troubles after.

But the book ends in bright, hopeful manner... the next book would be the one about the Passion. This book is a surprising, comforting and uplifting kind of book about active-Jesus, and very much worth reading (no matter what order you choose to read the series).

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly the most profound book I’ve read in 2008 and the best book on Jesus – outside of the Gospels – I’ve ever encountered. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI claims, “this book is . . . my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’” It can be yours too. It is alternately poetical, mystical, scholarly, exegetical and meditative. It is always erudite, challenging, thoughtful and catholic, i.e., universal. It is never preachy or pedantic.

Jesus of Nazareth is not for the faint-hearted, nor casual reader. I read every chapter except the last a minimum of three times, often more and mostly because it was necessary. On my first read throughs I found it impossible to take in the depth of his theology while keeping up with him. Paragraphs are packed with references. In order to do this book justice, you need to sit with a good bible translation beside you at all times. I only wish I’d had access to more of the books and authors the Pope quoted. He drew heavily from Holy Scripture, Scripture scholars (from different denominations), Church Fathers—east and west, saints and their writings and biographies, historical figures, philosophers, atheists, and numerous modern exegetes. In fact, it was the depth and breadth of the Holy Father’s sources which first surprised, then amazed and finally thrilled me; here was a true Shepherd for all of humanity. Any one human being who could command such a vast storehouse of the world’s knowledge is nothing short of a genius. And yet, it wasn’t his brilliance in the end that mattered, but his humility and simplicity.

Over and over again in Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI shows himself to be the world’s true Christian shepherd. He speaks of Jesus with such love, born of long years of relationship, which can never emerge from books, no matter how many, nor how well they are written. Joseph Ratzinger, the man, knows Jesus of Nazareth, Our Lord. It is He that this book is about. As an Evangelical Protestant pastor observes in this blog post, ‘whatever your image may be of Joseph Ratzinger, this book will change it. In it you see deeply into his own heart, and what is there is a humble and gentle spirit, and a deep godliness. He deals gently with those who object to the traditional view of Jesus, and his interaction with the arguments in Jewish scholar Jacob Neusner’s “A Rabbi Talks with Jesus” is worth the price of the book. It should be archetypal for how Christians should interact with their Jewish neighbors, and their Jewish critics.’ Read, Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI by Joel Gillespie, Tuesday, June 12, 2007

The book’s dust jacket claims that PBXVI is seeking to salvage the person of Jesus from recent “popular” depictions and restore Jesus’ true identity as discovered in the Gospels.’ As if Our Lord needs “salvaging” or “restoration”! If in fact that was his intention when he began the book, he surpassed that simple objective and left it far behind in what he ultimately created. However, since PBXVI does address recent ‘scholarship’ which seeks to quantify every aspect of faith, even this issue is dealt with in a straightforward and factual manner.

Each chapter in JoN is a scholarly, yet spiritual, treatment of one aspect of Jesus and/or His ministry. The book is ten chapters, begins with Our Lord’s Baptism and covers a number of significant events/issues relevant to the God-man Jesus Christ, concluding with the revelation of His identity. Tantalizingly – if you glean as much from the book as I did – the Holy Father promises a sequel, or rather, the second half of this book.

An important thing this book did for me was remind me how much there still is to learn about Jesus of Nazareth, and I don’t just mean facts, although there were plenty of those, but in terms of one’s personal relationship with Him—and how much spiritual ‘growing up’ I still have to do, or do I mean ‘growing down’? PBXVI gave me new perspectives on parables I thought I knew inside out. He connected symbols and figures from the Old and New Testaments – many of which I’d seen and heard before – but in ways stunningly innovative. He introduced me to numerous authors and scripture scholars completely unknown to me before. In the middle of a piece of text, there would be a sentence which would reach out and literally grab my attention like a hand jumping out at me from the page. My faith life has been re-energized by this book in ways I could never have dreamed possible. But mostly, I have come to see Him, Jesus, through the eyes of his servant, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. I am in awe.



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On Chapter 8 now. Not sure but I think that may end up being my favorite chapter. Up until two days ago, it was Chapter 2, The Temptations of Jesus. Then I stayed up until 3 in the morning reading Chapter 7, The Message of the Parables. Absolutely AWESOME! It only covers three Parables, sadly but then it is only a chapter. PBXVI would need a whole book to do justice to all the parables. (Pray he writes one!) Prior to reading Chapter 7, I thought Henri Nowen's book, "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" the very last word on that parable, but I should have known that when it comes to Our Lord's parables there will never be a "last word"! Thanks be to God! Anyway...the Holy Father has plenty more to say on three more parables and it makes fascinating reading, not too mention great material for reflection!

However, as John's Gospel is my personal favorite, Chapter 8 is looking like it may complete with a good night's sleep very soon!

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Can't believe I hadn't updated my entry to reflect that I'm currently reading this! It is excellent by the way. Why have I waited so long to read his writing?

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Laine says this is excellent. It's both historical and a personal journey to know Jesus. She's read it twice and will read it again for a class she's taking.

[Fred Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across Joseph Ratzinger’s first volume of Jesus of Nazareth in a local public library a couple of years ago, and thumbed through it, at first, in idle curiosity. Hmm, I wonder what the Pope has to say about Jesus?

I read a few paragraphs. Hey, this is good. This is really good…

What struck me immediately was the book’s tone. This didn’t read like some ponderous declaration of ancient dogma from the Papal Throne. It was like reading something my late father-in-law might have written, gentle and welcoming, as if to say, “Do you have a moment? This is my friend. Let me tell you about him.”

I put it back on the shelf, making a mental note to return soon, check it out, and read the whole thing, a mental note I promptly misplaced. As I was stocking my new Nook with books I’ve been meaning to read, this one came to mind again, and I’m glad it did.

Scholars on both sides of the Protestant/Catholic divide acknowledge that Joseph Ratzinger is one of the most gifted theologians of his generation. It might make a book such as this seem a bit intimidating on its face, something that promises pages and pages of arid exegesis of obscure Scripture passages. It’s nothing of the sort.

This is a work simultaneously ambitious and humble, scholarly and accessible, broad in scope and intimate in detail. Here is a summation of the life of Jesus in the words of a man who has made the study of Jesus his own life’s work. Ratzinger takes pains to inform the reader that this text is not an exercise of the Catholic Church’s teaching authority but rather an expression of his “personal search for the face of the Lord.”

He begins in his foreword with a critique of the historical-critical method of Biblical scholarship—a method he finds useful but limited because its search for the “historical Jesus” can yield a picture only as complete and precise as the historical knowledge and assumptions that form its lens. It has context, but lacks content. Instead, Ratzinger proposes we start from a simple statement of faith: Jesus Christ is as the Gospels present him—fully man and fully God, communicating his divinity “veiled in parables, yet with increasing clarity.” Starting from this benchmark reveals, he says, “a way and a figure that are worthy of belief,” a person whose undeniable impact on the world makes perfect sense, rather than posing the conundrum of an obscure Jewish carpenter possessed of extraordinary influence, far beyond anything the collection of historical facts about his life could predict.

Ratzinger’s journey through the early ministry of Jesus begins in the Book of Deuteronomy, at first glance an odd place to start, but he ties the advent of Jesus together with God’s promise to Israel of another prophet like Moses, “whom the Lord knew face to face.” Moses had led his people into the Promised Land, but not into complete liberation or salvation. They were still in need of “an even more radical kind of exodus,” one that required a new Moses, someone who possessed an intimacy with God that exceeded Moses.

This idea sets the stage for the rest of the book, and it frames the examination of every episode in the life of Jesus from the beginning of his ministry at the Jordan River to the revealing of his divine glory at the Transfiguration. Jesus’ intimate unity with God the Father, constantly beholding the face of God, enables him to reveal that face to us in a way mankind could never before imagine. His communion with God models the relationship God wants to reestablish with us. And more than this, Jesus becomes the embodiment of the Kingdom of God, God present with us, acting “concretely in the world and in history.”

This is just scratching the surface. In the course of his journey alongside Jesus, Ratzinger shows how Jesus’ life reveals the essential harmony of Scripture as a whole, from Genesis to Revelation, and among the four Gospel accounts in particular. While very readable, it’s dense with Scriptural cross-references and perspectives drawn from an array of Biblical scholars from the beginning of Christian history to the present day. He concludes with a dialogue on the identity of Jesus, focusing on three titles Jesus applied to himself—”Son,” “Son of Man,” and “I am he”:

"We have found three terms in which Jesus at once conceals and reveals the mystery of his person…All three of these terms demonstrate how deeply rooted he is in the Word of God, Israel’s Bible, the Old Testament. And yet all these terms receive their full meaning only in him; it is as if they had been waiting for him."

This is a book best read slowly and with care, perhaps a chapter at a time, with ample time for reflection between readings. If you’re unacquainted with Jesus, if you want to understand him a little better, or even if you think you know everything about Jesus you need to know, this book’s for you. Give it a read.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third time through. It is really so wonderful. I remember bits but only bits because Benedict's thoughts are rich and layered enough that I encounter them as new each time — or maybe it is because I've read and learned enough in between readings that I'm able to appreciate it better. Either way, this is a real treat.

We discussed this on the podcast years ago - see below for the link.

===========

Julie and Scott take a quick swim to the deep end of the pool (where all the cool kids hang out) to talk theology: our discussion is Good Story #59.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth I had previously written that in reviewing such a book "I am not worthy." Exactly how do you go about reviewing a book by a scripture scholar and theologian of the magnitude of the Holy Father? Well the task is easier than I thought it would be. For one this isn't a book addressed to a limited audience of scripture scholars and exegetes, but one that everybody can benefit from. I have read several of his books and I found this one the easiest to read. I am tempted to say something as cliche as "If you only read one book this year ..." if I didn't find this phrase personally quite scary and I suspect the Holy Father would have the same view on this.

"Jesus of Nazareth" is not a life of Jesus in the style of Romano Guardini's "The Lord", Frank Sheed's "To know Christ Jesus", or Archbishop Sheen's "Life of Christ." The Pope does not set to piece together the Gospels and present the story of Christ in specific chronological order. After the foreword and introduction the first of ten chapters deals with the Baptism of the Lord and ends with the Transfiguration and discussion of Son of Man, Son of God and Jesus' I Am statements. After reading the introduction and getting to the last chapter I was surprised to find that it is obvious that the Holy Father will be continuing the subject in a subsequent book. He mentions a part two in the introduction and I had originally thought that this was a delineation in his current book.

The main part of the book runs 358 pages and over the four days I read it I stayed up late into the night because I did not want to stop reading it. The foreword and introduction covers information such as his approach in writing this book and how problematic many previous works attempting to get at the "real Jesus" have been in the past. Throughout the book he comments on approaches like what the Jesus Seminar took and there is even one rather humorous short quip towards the end of the book on this that made me laugh when I read it. In the foreword he says "they are much more like photographs of the authors and the ideals they hold." No doubt you will not be surprised to learn that the Pope believes the "Jesus of History" and the "Jesus of the Gospels" are not two separate things.

"...The main implication of this form my portrayal of Jesus is that I trust the Gospel. Of modern exegesis tells us about literary genres, about authorial intention, and about the fact that the Gospels were written in the context, and speak within the living milieu, of communities. I have tried, to the best of my ability, to incorporate all of this, and yet I wanted to portray the Jesus of the Gospels as the real, "historical" in the strict sense of the word. ..."

My own humble opinion is that is has achieved this in spades. At another point he writes "This book is my personal search 'for the face of the Lord.'" and he certainly has illuminated the face of Jesus in his writing. One of the common themes in this book and really in his whole life is "listening" to the scriptures. Those who know him have reported that he is a good listener in that he allows others to make a case. His listening of scripture is not just to a specific verse, but all of scripture and throughout the book he shows this capability in showing specific scriptures as being in harmony with the whole. He has criticism of some theories that fail to pass this test where exegetes try to pass off a theory that just doesn't fit the whole of scripture. At the Transfiguration God the Father instructed the three Apostles, and really all of us, to listen to his Beloved Son. Pope Benedict takes this seriously as he fleshes out Jesus of Nazareth.

This book is packed with information and his insights into scripture. He is also quite willing to use modern biblical scholarship and tools such as the historical-critical method when it is properly guided and not used as an end to themselves to justify a exegetes original pretext. He is also quite willing to take the insights of some he identifies as liberal scholars and he take the good of what they have to offer and in many cases to tease the truth of their idea and to more fully develop it. In the chapter on the Sermon of the Mount he talks about the book A Rabbi Talks with Jesus by Jewish scholar Jacob Neusner which he says he was greatly helped by and he also tries to answer some of the questions raised. Over and over again it is quite evident he is quite aware of the modern currents of biblical studies and accepts some hypothesis where he thinks they are plausible and also to critique those ideas which are false.

The chapter on the Our Father prayer is worth the price of the book alone. This is not just an academic exegesis of the Our Father prayer line-by-line, but a deep meditation into this prayer. Often we can repeat a prayer so often that it looses its freshness and his meditation on this prayer can shock us back into reality of what the prayer that Jesus gave us really means and indicates. The chapter on the message of the parables starts out by working through the definition of a parable and what it is and then he focuses on meditations on three specific parables. Also fascinating is the chapter on the principle messages of John's Gospel. Up to this point he had been mostly working with the texts of the synoptic Gospels and he principally explores the use of water in John's Gospel and then then explores other elements.

What is wonderful about the Pope Benedict's book is the way he combines scripture scholarship, meditation, and insights. Often he laments the problems of poor translation of the original texts and then explores the actual meaning giving a greater depth to verses that you might normally pass by. The book is soaked with scripture references as you would expect and I often resorted to my Logos Bible Software to be able to note these references and his translation of some of the words.

The text of the book is the most important part, but I was also quite happy with the physical printing of this book. The paper is very high quality as is the binding and cover of the book. In short this is a great book that will be fruitful for anybody. In the meantime please pray for the Pope and for him to have sufficient time to write its follow up.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a facinating deeply personal insight into the mind of this Pope. The Pope writes with both fitting erudition and the deep earnest conviction one would hope to find in an office so many people look to for spiritual leadership.

The book is however quite dry and is of no use to anyone but an already committed believer. His exploration of the personhood of Jesus and his mission is very well grounded, but so deeply grounded that it bores with its repetition and constant preemptive strikes against possible lines of argument against it. His fundamental thesis, that the Kingdom which Jesus was ushering into being was He himself, is not something I think will surprise any believer even if he never thought to articulate anything so basic. I did however particularly like this Pope's discussion of the Sermon on the Mount.

The real depth of longing for and anguish the Pope feels on behalf of the lost of Europe, really comes through in the subtext of this book. After reading the book, I truly feel that he is the right Pope in the right time. However, the Pope definately comes across as European, with European biases, and either through his own conviction or else out of an eagerness not to offend his (I think) primarily European target audience, he throws out quite a few unquestioned political claims which I wish he'd either have left out or taken time to explain in a more nuanced way.

[Bob Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Pope seriously knows his Bible.

That may be a 'no-duh' statement for many people, but I have been raised with a stereotype that has haunted my adult life. Fortunately, this book has shattered that illusion.

Jesus of Nazareth is nothing short of amazing. Sure, I don't agree with all of Pope Benedict's conclusions or his exegesis, but no one can deny the breadth of his scholarship or the level of his devotion.

Pope Benedict gives an overview of the majority of the life of Jesus (Part 2 deals with the last week, death and resurrection). He interacts with the Old Testament, modern Jewish scholarship, and modern liberal scholarship. In this path, he shows how Jesus was the Messiah that was promised, how Jesus fits into the larger Biblical theology and how essential and understanding of Jesus is for the Christian's life.

This book is either the best (or second best) book about Jesus (it competes with N.T. Wright's Jesus and the Victory of God . This is a must read for all students of the New Testaments and anybody who wants to increase their faith.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book during Lent this year. Though it has many scholarly components to it, this book felt, to me, like curling up with my professor grandfather. Pope Benedict uses imagery that’s accessible and even, in places, unexpected. I’ll be digesting and referring back to this book for quite some time to come.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review from 2007:

"Jesus of Nazareth" is not a life of Jesus in the style of Romano Guardini’s "The Lord", Frank Sheed’s "To know Christ Jesus", or Archbishop Sheen’s "Life of Christ." The Pope does not set to piece together the Gospels and present the story of Christ in specific chronological order. After the foreword and introduction the first of ten chapters deals with the Baptism of the Lord and ends with the Transfiguration and discussion of Son of Man, Son of God and Jesus’ I Am statements. After reading the introduction and getting to the last chapter I was surprised to find that it is obvious that the Holy Father will be continuing the subject in a subsequent book. He mentions a part two in the introduction and I had originally thought that this was a delineation in his current book.

The main part of the book runs 358 pages and over the four days I read it I stayed up late into the night because I did not want to stop reading it. The foreword and introduction covers information such as his approach in writing this book and how problematic many previous works attempting to get at the "real Jesus" have been in the past. Throughout the book he comments on approaches like what the Jesus Seminar took and there is even one rather humorous short quip towards the end of the book on this that made me laugh when I read it. In the foreword he says "they are much more like photographs of the authors and the ideals they hold." No doubt you will not be surprised to learn that the Pope believes the "Jesus of History" and the "Jesus of the Gospels" are not two separate things.

"…The main implication of this form my portrayal of Jesus is that I trust the Gospel. Of modern exegesis tells us about literary genres, about authorial intention, and about the fact that the Gospels were written in the context, and speak within the living milieu, of communities. I have tried, to the best of my ability, to incorporate all of this, and yet I wanted to portray the Jesus of the Gospels as the real, "historical" in the strict sense of the word. …"

My own humble opinion is that is has achieved this in spades. At another point he writes "This book is my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’" and he certainly has illuminated the face of Jesus in his writing. One of the common themes in this book and really in his whole life is "listening" to the scriptures. Those who know him have reported that he is a good listener in that he allows others to make a case. His listening of scripture is not just to a specific verse, but all of scripture and throughout the book he shows this capability in showing specific scriptures as being in harmony with the whole. He has criticism of some theories that fail to pass this test where exegetes try to pass off a theory that just doesn’t fit the whole of scripture. At the Transfiguration God the Father instructed the three Apostles, and really all of us, to listen to his Beloved Son. Pope Benedict takes this seriously as he fleshes out Jesus of Nazareth.

This book is packed with information and his insights into scripture. He is also quite willing to use modern biblical scholarship and tools such as the historical-critical method when it is properly guided and not used as an end to themselves to justify a exegetes original pretext. He is also quite willing to take the insights of some he identifies as liberal scholars and he take the good of what they have to offer and in many cases to tease the truth of their idea and to more fully develop it. In the chapter on the Sermon of the Mount he talks about the book A Rabbi Talks with Jesus by Jewish scholar Jacob Neusner which he says he was greatly helped by and he also tries to answer some of the questions raised. Over and over again it is quite evident he is quite aware of the modern currents of biblical studies and accepts some hypothesis where he thinks they are plausible and also to critique those ideas which are false.

The chapter on the Our Father prayer is worth the price of the book alone. This is not just an academic exegesis of the Our Father prayer line-by-line, but a deep meditation into this prayer. Often we can repeat a prayer so often that it looses its freshness and his meditation on this prayer can shock us back into reality of what the prayer that Jesus gave us really means and indicates. The chapter on the message of the parables starts out by working through the definition of a parable and what it is and then he focuses on meditations on three specific parables. Also fascinating is the chapter on the principle messages of John’s Gospel. Up to this point he had been mostly working with the texts of the synoptic Gospels and he principally explores the use of water in John’s Gospel and then then explores other elements.

What is wonderful about the Pope Benedict’s book is the way he combines scripture scholarship, meditation, and insights. Often he laments the problems of poor translation of the original texts and then explores the actual meaning giving a greater depth to verses that you might normally pass by. The book is soaked with scripture references as you would expect and I often resorted to my Logos Bible Software to be able to note these references and his translation of some of the words.

The text of the book is the most important part, but I was also quite happy with the physical printing of this book. The paper is very high quality as is the binding and cover of the book. In short this is a great book that will be fruitful for anybody. In the meantime please pray for the Pope and for him to have sufficient time to write its follow up.

[Jesús · Rating 4 out of 5]

En Mayo del 2000, el Prefecto de la Doctrina de la Fe – Cardenal Joseph Ratzinger – leía ante el mundo el misterioso Tercer Secreto de Fátima . El texto – confuso y repleto de imágenes oníricas – fue sometido al implacable criterio de Ratzinger. Sólo entonces cobraba sentido y resultaba coherente con la doctrina. En aquel momento supe que leería a este hombre. Observar la figura de Cristo bajo el prisma de esta mente privilegiada, era tentador. Así llegué a esta obra.

El libro es un bello y profundo análisis de la vida pública de Jesús. Es el segundo tomo perteneciente a la trilogía sobre la vida de Cristo:
El primer tomo Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives
El segundo Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration
El tercero Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.
400 páginas divididas en 10 capítulos. He podido recoger más de 40 citas en Goodreads. Se describen los hechos históricos relevantes de la vida pública de Jesús, así como el núcleo de su mensaje.

Como un buen ajedrecista, Ratzinger abre la partida posicionando de forma clara y firme sus piezas, su criterio exegético. Su interpretación del Jesús histórico está basada en la confianza en los Evangelios. Permite el despliegue de toda la potencialidad de la palabra. No la aprisiona en el momento histórico. De este modo, la biblia brilla como un cuerpo homogéneo, cobra auténtico sentido y desemboca en una única imagen coherente de Jesucristo.

Ratzinger es capaz de revelar amplios registros evangélicos. Desde una teología elevada – casi metafísica – hasta los comportamientos más humanos de los discípulos. Por ejemplo, la descripción de las experiencias teofánicas de los Apóstoles es maravillosa. También puedes encontrar detalles sorprendentes de la figura de Cristo, como a un Jesús aventurero y amante de la naturaleza que lleva a sus discípulos de viaje – a lo que hoy es la Reserva Natural de Hermón – en el episodio de la Confesión de Pedro.

¿Quieres conocer a Cristo? Este libro es para ti. ¿Necesitas esperanza en tu vida? Ratzinger te aclarará el mensaje de Cristo para que florezca tu fe en ti y en los demás. ¿Te gusta el misterio? Encontrarás fascinantes episodios de la vida pública de Jesús, dignos de una película de ciencia ficción: la Transfiguración, la Pesca Milagrosa y Caminando sobre las Aguas. ¿Eres fan de la Biblia? El libro está plagado de referencias y relaciones bíblicas que clarificarán tu entendimiento. ¿Eres fan de la literatura? Encontrarás buenas referencias de libros aquí. ¿Te gusta la oración? Encontrarás un completo estudio de las principales plegarias cristianas. ¿Eres un enamorado del lenguaje alegórico y parábolas? Se hace un amplio análisis de ellas. Además hay un capítulo entero dedicado al Evangelio de Juan y sus imágenes características.

Además de acontecimientos históricos, el libro guarda otras sorpresas. Ratzinger destapa una teología que desde Cristo, entronca con nuestra realidad cotidiana. Es decir, el libro puede servirte también como auto ayuda espiritual. En este sentido, el capítulo 3 “El Evangelio del Reino” es muy instructivo. Uno puede identificar sus miserias en la explicación de la Parábola del Fariseo y el Publicano.

Es el misterio de la figura de Jesús. Su mensaje sigue siendo cercano, conmovedor y universal. Ha sobrevivido al poder de emperadores y reyes, con algo tan aparentemente débil como la fe y el amor. Responde a las preguntas del hombre de hoy. Ha superado mitos, maestros y sabios. Ratzinger explica las novedades introducidas por el cristianismo. Y lo protege de la teología liberal, que trata de adaptar el mensaje de Cristo a sus propias necesidades.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second reading of this book. Pope Benedict writes very clearly and explains the context of the words of Jesus from the Old Testament. I particularly liked the chapters on his Baptism, the Sermon of the Mountain (and the explanation of how a Jewish rabbi understands the words of Jesus), the Transfiguration, and the titles of Jesus.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ESPAÑOL: La capacidad de Joseph Ratzinger como teólogo es impresionante. Al mismo tiempo, a pesar de su profundidad, este libro es ameno y se lee con gran facilidad. Este conjunto de tres volúmenes es inapreciable.

En la introducción de este libro, primero en ser publicado de los tres volúmenes de Benedicto XVI sobre Jesús de Nazaret, Joseph Ratzinger menciona otros libros anteriores escritos con el mismo objetivo, como El Señor de Romano Guardini y História de Cristo de Giovanni Papini. Esta es mi crítica del primero de dichos libros en Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

ENGLISH: The ability of Joseph Ratzinger as a theologian is impressive. At the same time, despite its depth, this book is entertaining and easy to read. This set of three volumes is priceless.

In the introduction of this book, first to be published of the three volumes by Benedict XVI about Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger mentions other previous books written with the same goal, such as The Lord by Romano Guardini and Life of Christ by Giovanni Papini. This is my review of the first of those two books in Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably a 4 or 5 star book, but I have a 3 star brain. The Pope is a much smarter man than I.

[Friar Stebin John Capuchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book of the trilogy written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI made a speculative study on the life of Jesus Christ. This book is an answer to the skepticism of the recent scholars who deviated from the real person of Jesus. In the recent decades the scholarship of the study of Jesus Christ had gone away from the real meaning of Jesus. All those books came after 1950s had separated the historical Jesus from the Christ of faith. At this juncture the book Jesus of Nazareth by Benedict XVI became more relevant. He made a deep study on the Jesus and put forward in ten chapters. This is the first book of the series where he dealt with the Baptism of Jesus to the Transfiguration and Profession of Faith by Peter. The importance Benedict XVI has given to the public life of Jesus is visible in the separations of the books. The infancy narratives and the passion narratives had published later. Pope Emeritus declared in this book that this is a result of his private studies as a defender of faith. This book is not part of the magisterial teaching.
Jesus Baptism in the river Jordan and temptation in the wilderness had a significant role in the life of Jesus. The Baptism resembles the new Exodus. By going down to the water of Jordan and enter into the Promised Land. This had also another meaning of crucifixion and death of Jesus. In the Baptism event when Jesus tells to John the Baptist, “let this be done to fulfill all the righteousness,” He is saying yes to the God’s will. He is becoming the suffering servant of Yahweh, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The temptation event continues from the baptism Jesus proved as the messiah, the anointed one. He overcomes the every temptation to prove He is really the son of God and He came to the world to show the face of God. Through the conquering of these temptations Jesus reveals the importance of the Ten Commandments and need to keep it for the unconditional love towards God and human beings.
The proclamation of the Kingdom of God by Jesus has significance in the light of the message He communicated that of conversion and faith. He critically analyzed the recent scholars who made the study on the kingdom of God. Rudolf Bulttman takes away the Historical Jesus from the New Testament studies. Alfred Noisy who said “Jesus preached the kingdom of God and what came was the church.” The answer given by Benedict XVI was based on the early church fathers. He mainly taken two teaching given by Origien, primarily he said, Jesus himself is the kingdom, then the Kingdom of God is in the heart of the Holy persons, through their acts kingdom of God will be fruitful. The third view is that Kingdom of God is in the Church. He speaks against the liberal theology which Harnack introduced where he reduced kingdom of God into mere individualistic and the eschatological presentation by Albert Schwetzer and several others. The secular interpretation of the Kingdom of God made havoc in this area. They interpreted it in two different ways, in pre – Vatican era it was an Ecclesio–centric and post Vatican it became Christo-centric, then it turned into Theo-centric and at present it reached as Reguo-centric. Reguo-centrism presented Kingdom as coming together of all humanity in spite of religious disparity; the God has no role in this aspect of Kingdom. The real meaning of Kingdom of God presented by Jesus is that God became the centre of humanity. Taking out the kingdom of God from the teachings of Jesus will produce a wrong effect. The kingdom theme is further developed in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus becomes the new Moses who gave the Torah to Israel and the disciple of Jesus became the representative of 12 tribes of Israel. The prayer which Jesus taught his disciples gave a sure foundation to the prayers of every faithful. The seven petitions in this prayer are theologically rich and spiritually enriching. The kingdom teaching continues in this prayer also. The prime importance to the God’s kingdom is reflected in the first petitions. Asking God for food has a special significance when we look in the context of the Eucharist. The other petitions give relevance in the life of Jesus when he forgave the sins of his murderers and conquered the temptation. The last petition reduces the power of evil in the world and strengthens the life of believers. The exposition on the parables offers a profound meaning to the parables of Jesus. The Good Samaritan shows how to be charitable outside the community. The parable of the prodigal son gives a call to come back from the faraway places where the son went in search of earthly freedom. Father gave back to the son the first robe of innocence and celebrating the feast of Eucharist. The reaction from the elder son can be seen as envious. The Lazarus story gives the meaning that the real good is future good and present charity. The imageries in the Johannine gospels are water, vine, wine, bread and shepherd gives more meaning when these imageries are relating to the Old Testament. Jesus becomes these images and changing the old images. Jesus becomes the life giving water, the vine and the disciple becomes the branches, he gives the real wine which is his blood, the manna has been replaced by the bread of heaven which is his body and the shepherd which we see in the Ezekiel had been transformed by Jesus who became the good shepherd. The last two chapters the identity of Jesus and the transfiguration connect Jesus with the Moses. The transfiguration shows us Jesus dialogue between the law and the prophets. Jesus identification proceeds from this event prove that Peter’s confession which comes from the Father in heaven. The book presents a typological way where Jesus represents all the Old Testament types and proved he is more than that. The last chapter about the identity of Jesus completes through the seven figurative expression of I AM sayings, I AM the bread of life, I AM the light of the world, I AM the door, I AM the good shepherd, I AM the resurrection and the life, I AM the way, the truth and the life and I AM the true vine. To know more about Jesus we need a child like faith who listens to him always. The book invites all the believers to nurture such kind of faith in Jesus.

[Gustavo Perez Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es uno de los mejores libros, sino es que el mejor, que he leído en mi vida.

También, este es el libro que más me he tardado en leer (tres meses y medio, según el historial de Amazon), bien por su complejidad y por el impacto que generó en mí al leerlo. En ciertos momentos tuve que releer algunas partes y razonar por días su contenido. A veces tuve que hacer consultas que un católico entregado o algún apasionado de la teología podría prescindir.

Fue un reto intelectual, y al principio fue una conmoción el leer algo escrito por un creyente mucho más inteligente que yo, algo que por mi arrogancia de ateo me resultaba imposible aceptar. Ahora estoy convencido de que ponerte al servicio de la fé no es sinónimo de ignorancia.

[Ben De Bono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking and wonderfully written, this is a great book for Catholics and non Catholics (me) alike

[Sigmund Aarvik-Hansen]

Jeg har hatt et nokså langt opphold fra å ta i bruk denne appen, men langfredag - en dag for spekelse, refleksjon og faste - slo meg som en nokså passende anledning til å atter benytte meg av GoodReads som et medium til å forkynne, om enn ikke akkurat det gode budskap, så en form for lidelse også til de av mine venner som er såpass uheldige å føle et behov for å lese det jeg har å skrive - skjønt det nok ikke i vesentlig grad vil ha å gjøre med bøker jeg har lest (selv om jeg vil legge til at akkurat denne var nokså god), ettersom denne bok-appen heller har blitt et talerør hvilket jeg frimodig benytter meg av for å meddele til en nokså engere krets mennesker hva jeg føler til enhver tid.

Så, vil man kanskje spørre, hva føler jeg i dag?

Jo, jeg er nokså sliten, men ellers fornøyd.

Ratzinger er, som vanlig, vanskelig - men dersom man gir ham den tid og oppmerksomhet et teologisk studium av nokså åpenlyse grunner faktisk behøver, så vil man snart se at han er en uovertruffen mester i faget, med en helt egen evne til å argumentere for selv noenlunde ukyndige dilettanter som meg selv.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich in scripture and full of beautiful insights into who Jesus is. Now I want to read more from PB XVl.

[Jacob Benne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed praying with this especially the chapter on the Our Father. Very much a look at who is Christ and who does he say he is. At times good to pray with at others more of a study into different viewpoints and which is best on certain passages. I look forward to reading the others in the series at some point!

[Czarny Pies · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" first volume on Benedict XVI's trilogy on our redeemer, the Son of Man. It is highly Christological and in no way Marian There is no mention of any of the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (i.e. The Annunciation, The Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation and the Finding in the Temple.) There is similarly no mention of the Magi, the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Massacre of the Innocents or the Flight into Egypt. Benedict XVI is interested only in Christ's proclamation and founding the Kingdom of God.
The book begins with the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan by John the Baptist which marks the beginning of Christ's mission to institute the Kingdom of God. Benedict XVI writes: "Jesus' Baptism anticipated his death on the Cross and the heavenly voice proclaimed an anticipation of the Resurrection. ... This proclamation [of God Father] interprets not what Jesus does but who he is: He is the beloved Son on whom God's pleasure rests. " (p. 30, p 34.)
The book ends with the Transfiguration in which it is revealed to Peter, James and John that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. The reader has the feeling that the narrative has been cut off in the middle of nowhere. Christ's mission has barely started. The passion and resurrection are a long way off. What Benedict XVI has succeeded in doing is showing that Jesus and the Kingdom of God are one and the same. One enters into the Kingdom by entering into communion with Christ.
Being an academic work "Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" does not seek to inspire. Its goal rather is to attack bad theology. Benedict being a rigorous Bavarian Catholics considers Lutherans and those German Catholic theologians who have allowed themselves to be influenced by the Lutherans to be the prime enemies. Thus Benedict vigorously attacks the theory proposed by the Lutheran theologian Rudolf Bultmann that the Gospel of St. John was influenced by Gnosticism. The idea is absurd but because Bultmann was a prominent theologian at a German university, Benedict XVI feels that he cannot ignore it and must energetically refute it.
Benedict XVI feels that the two great sins of the German Lutherans and their Catholic fellow travelers are Liberalism and the use the historical method of exegesis. Benedict XVI's prime gripe with Liberalism is that it presents Jesus as rejecting Rabbinic Judaism due to it being over-burdened by rules and rites when in fact Jesus had a profound respect for traditional Judaism. Benedict XVI's criticism of "historical" analysis was that it fragments Holy Scripture into a multitude of individual texts when it should be treated as a unified Divine Revelation .
What Benedict XVI then proceeds to do is show the profound unity of the three synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of St. John and the Pauline letters. The consistent message is that one achieves salvation through communion with Jesus who is the Kingdom of God. The Sermon on the Mount, the Parables and the letters of St. Paul on converge on this single idea. It is a significant challenge for a Catholic lay-person to read "Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" but the rewards justify the effort.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have a pen and highlighter with you when you read this book - the professor is in and class has started!

Thoroughly readable, but also deep. Highly recommended reading for the time between Epiphany and the Easter Triduum (that begins with Holy Thursday). At times, it reads like a textbook (so have a dictionary nearby), but it's because he is doing a critical study of all the other studies about Christ - before he presents his personal understanding of his King.

All throughout, though, there are so many awesome nuggets of new understanding about Jesus and Scripture.

A few examples:
- The mission of John the Baptist (and all Jewish prophets), not as mere magicians who predict the future.
- Barabbas as "bar-abbas" - the false "son of the father"
- Jesus as the new Jacob (who was ministered to by angels, rather than fighting them, as he climbed Jacob's ladder)
... all amazing insights in just the first two chapters!

Then he gets into the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes:
- the various (flawed) interpretations of "The Kingdom of God", culminating in the only remaining (and therefore, correct) one: Jesus *is* the Kingdom (i.e., "active lordship") of God
- totally new understanding of "blessed are those who mourn..." Incredible! It is what they are mourning that matters. (This is the significance of the 8th Station of the Cross: Jesus speaks to the Weeping Women.)
- discussion about the importance of the Sabbath as a renewal and reinforcement of the family (and, thereby, society) and Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath.

This book ends with The Transfiguration, but foreshadows it about a third of the way through with the line: "...the dialogue between The Law and The Prophets..." This explains who Jesus is in figurative terms, but also foretells the literal discussion between Jesus, Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets).

After establishing who Jesus is, Benedict then establishes who His Bride (the Church) is now, and has been through history. Some more examples:
- We learn prayers (from Jesus, the Church, and the Saints) because we do not know how to pray - we are babbling like babies, but Mother Church teaches us how we are to pray.
- Also, the Our Father, recited backwards, traces the journey of Jesus and the Israelites (from temptation, through the desert, relying on God for bread, to the coming of the Kingdom to Heaven and Our Father). He also gives a line-by-line breakdown of the Our Father that is very enlightening.

He also presents some interesting theories about St. John the Evangelist. He pays particular attention to recent scholarship and theories about "the upper room" (of the Last Supper) - that it was possibly owned by John's father, Zebedee. (This explains: why it was already set-up for the Passover; why Jesus and the Apostles could simply walk in like they owned the place; why servants were already prepared to wait on them; and why John was resting his head on Jesus' chest during the meal.)

You'll want to read this faster, but you also won't want to miss anything for having read too quickly.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me. It touches on biblical commentary with thoughts I have never heard before. I have been impressed with Ratsinger's writings but this one is really good. It explains things that I have never heard explained before and in a very easy to understand style. This is truly a good read and not just a text book approach.

[Zbigniew Zdziarski · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only everybody wrote as lucidly and beautifully as Benedict. What rare qualities for an academic. His style is simply sublime, whether you agree with him or not.

I, on my part, do agree with him.

As benedict writes, what he is presenting in this book is his "personal search 'for the face of the Lord'". There have been plenty of books written about this. The difference between his opinions, however, and other academics' is that he lives what he writes. He has a personal relationship with Christ and hence knows him more intimately than others. You can just tell he has this relationship by the depth of his utterances, despite their seeming simplicity. When he quotes or references others to disprove their points, you can see that they treat the topic on a purely scientific rather than also on a personal level - and hence their commonly wrong opinions. These opinions rely on conjectures and hypotheses and build their theories on the bases of them. Benedict in a way does the same, but because he knows Jesus so well, he can easily recognise where others have gone astray and can refute them. He refutes them by scientific means, too, of course, but when he speaks he truly speaks of somebody rather than of just an object of supposition and research. Hence the power of his argumentations through which his love of Christ shines.

To summarise, this is the best book on Jesus I have ever read. It should be deemed a classic beside the likes of "On the Incarnation" by St Athanasius, for example. For when Benedict writes he presents to us Christ as He is: as the infinite depth of love - a depth that you can delve into for eternity. Few authors do it the way he does. This is not just a "textbook", so to speak, but also a book to meditate on because it can elevate your soul and take it on an epic journey into theological infinity.

What a joy it was to read - a nourishment and escape from a world devoid of spirit and profundity.

[Rachael Shipard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - this book took me a while to get through, but i think that mainly due to my lack of theological intelligence than Pope Benedict’s writing. I would have appreciated a little bit more signposting/structure; the book is much denser than i thought it would be, having read the Infancy Narratives volume previously. Benedict makes some great points about the various discourses of Our Lord in his preaching, and what was especially striking to me was his explanation of the Our Father and some of the popular parables. The Transfiguration as an event that took place in the feast of Tabernacles and as an illumination of the Son’s divinity was something i loved reading about.

The last section on the different names Jesus and his followers use for Him in the Gospels was very interesting. Benedict mentions that such titles (Son of Man, Son, YHWH) all come to their complete newness (and not just fullness) in Christ, because of the historical Old Testament understandings and also the utter oneness that the Son has with the Father.

I am looking forward to reading the Holy Week volume, but maybe after a bit of a break to digest everything!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teológicamente interesante.

[Manolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una obra maestra, para leer y volver a leer.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm working on creating a maxim that goes something like this: the more hyperbole on the back cover, the less likely any of it is to be true. A simpler way of expressing this same sentiment is: Laud? Have mercy!

Let me share with you the blurb appearing on the back cover so you can better understand where I'm coming from when I finally get to the review of the book. "In this bold, momentous work, the Pope seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from recent "popular" depictions and to restore Jesus' true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the Pope shares a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and invites us to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith."

I find it nearly impossible not to at least glance at the back cover blurb, but this practice has ruined books for me when I discover that the contents don't live up to the hype of the ecstatic copywriter waxing eloquently, fawning over the book. I bet those copywriters never even read the books, or if they do, have a hard time writing copy without smirking.

Before I get to the review, I'd like to make another comment to which I will circle around later and tie in with my review: it must be a difficult task to edit a book written by the Pope. How does one go about offering suggestions of corrections to "his holiness"? I appreciate the delicacy an editor must take when offering advice on anything written by a Pope.

After reading the blurb and having my interest piqued, I dove into this book with high expectations. My expectations, as the 3-star rating will attest, were soon dashed. It's not that this book is bad - not by a long shot. It's a pretty good book and quite interesting in places. But, bold and momentous it is not. How does the Pope make a book on Jesus bold? By denouncing Him as Messiah? That would be bold. Sticking to a middle-of-the-road view of Jesus is not bold when you are the Pope. Everyone expects the Pope to defend Jesus, just as a Muslim denying the supremacy of Christ is not bold in their utterance. And for momentous? I would expect vast quantities of new insights into the person and work of Jesus. Sure there were new insights, or at least insights I was unfamiliar with, and I appreciated reading those, but momentous? Not even close.

Essentially, this book is a rambling commentary by Mr. Ratzinger, bringing together years of study and personal reflection on the Gospels, written in a very gentle manner. I appreciated greatly the mild mannered, polite, humble approach Mr. Ratzinger brought into the book, but the bottom line is this: if Mr. Ratzinger never had climbed to the heights of the papal throne this book never would have seen publishing ink.

The first half of the book really dragged on and is in need of more consistent editing to make it more streamlined and focused on the main points. Tangents and rabbit trails lead to contradictions and boredom. The second half of the book reads much better, perhaps because I noted more insights that weren't just a repeat of what (mostly) German scholars have written about Jesus. The section on parables is worth reading, and the chapter on John comes close to Biblical theology and made me appreciate Mr. Ratzinger as a theologian. Still, there is not enough new or groundbreaking insight to consider this work bold or momentous. I came away with a new appreciation of Pope Benedict XVI as a warm gentle man who truly loved Jesus and didn't use his seat vaingloriously. Read this book to hear the thoughts of a man about the Son of Man, but don't expect to be overly wowed by them.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope Benedict described his book “Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration” as his “personal search for the face of the Lord.” The face that he found was Jesus of Nazareth. He writes, “But what has Jesus really brought, then, if he has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God!” Benedict’s book shows us how to read the Bible Christologically (“seeing Christ as the key to the whole”) to know the Father as he is revealed in the Son. It’s a remarkable book.

He addresses modern trends that claim that Christology evolved in the mind of the first believers until “Jesus” eventually became “Christ.” He points to the great Christology of Philippians 2, written less than 25 years after Jesus, and simply asks the question, “Where did this Christology come from?” For such a controversial and unlikely belief to be embraced so quickly by so many without significant internal dissent, the root of such belief must be found in what Jesus himself taught and lived.

The book draws a Christological line through the contents of the four Gospels between Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and his Transfiguration. Each chapter addresses what each event or teaching reveals about the person of Jesus Christ. What is of utmost importance, what the Gospel writers emphasized, and what Jesus himself was slowly revealing, concerned his identity. Throughout the book, Benedict links the identity of Jesus with the Church and personal discipleship. Jesus is trusted and obeyed because of who He is.

Even such scriptures as the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer are interpreted Christologically (for what they reveal about Jesus as Christ). The Beatitudes, he writes, are “a veiled biography of Jesus.” Regarding the Lord’s Prayer, he says, “Jesus involves us in his own prayer; he leads us into the internal dialogue of triune love; he draws our human hardships deep into God’s love. It aims to form our being, to train us in the inner attitude of Jesus (Philippians 2:5).”

Each chapter takes a section of the Gospels and unpacks it Christologically: How we see God in Jesus.

1. The Baptism of Jesus
2. The Temptation of Jesus
3. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
4. The Sermon on the Mount
5. The Lord’s Prayer
6. The Disciples
7. The Message of the Parables
8. The Principle Images of John’s Gospel
9. Peter’s Confession and the Transfiguration
10. Jesus Declares His Identity (The Son of Man, The Son, I Am)

Though there are a few instances when this book is clearly Roman Catholic (the suggestion that “our daily bread” may refer to the Eucharist), non-Catholics will find their faith and vision of Jesus deeply enriched. If anyone could convert me to Roman Catholicism, it would be Pope Benedict.
Benedict is a theologian and this book is a work of theology. However, it’s not overbearing and is connected to both obedient discipleship and spiritual formation. Finishing this book will likely leave you more spiritually mature – more devoted to Christ – than when you began.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 10 stars I would. Even though it took me almost a month to read, this is one of the best books I've ever read. This book was written by a man who is clearly a disciple of Jesus and has spent his life traveling along side the Lord.

It is at once academic enough that it should be included in any course on Christology and at the same time spiritual enough that you should read it in front of the Monstrance during Eucharistic adoration.

Jesus is depicted as a figure deeply rooted in the Old Testament. He is the God of the Old Testament and for Christians to truly know him they need to be steeped in scripture. Pope Benedict shows in so many ways that the man Jesus really is the same God who espoused Israel and planned for her salvation from the beginning.

Additionally, this book is THE answer to a century of biblical scholarship which leaves us not knowing who Jesus is. Scholarship that tries to separate the Jesus of the Bible from the true historical man. Pope Benedict shows how these efforts have done more to reveal who the scholars are than who Jesus is. Benedict reveals that the man of the Bible truly is the real Jesus and he is the one who gives life and gives it in abundance!

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It has treasures for those who are highly educated and for those simply looking to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. Can we name Pope Benedict a Doctor of the Church before his death?

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really deep book and takes a while to get through, but it is worth the effort. My knowledge of Jesus was deepened, especially as Benedict wove together themes from the Gospels and the Old Testament. The uniqueness of Jesus and what he brings (more specifically who he brings--God)is brilliantly expounded.

I have read the Pope before in a much shorter work, "Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures" and knew he is a good writer. A lot of Protestants wouldn't consider reading a book from the Pope. This is a mistake. This is no thinly veiled Catholic prep rally. It is a book directed at all who want to delve deeper into their admiration of Jesus.

It is not popular reading though, so prepare to go to school if you crack this book. It is not pedantic, but it does engage the scholarly conversation regarding Jesus and the Gospels in every chapter. His point, however, is to illuminate and lift the real Jesus, as portrayed in the Gospels, out of the cynical scholarly outlook.