Jesus of Nazareth: The Illustrated Edition

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Jesus of Nazareth: The Illustrated Edition (Jesus of Nazareth #1)

by Pope Benedict XVI, Mons. Gianfranco Ravasi (Preface)

4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 · rating details · 1,822 ratings · 174 reviews

This illustrated edition of the bold, momentous book written by Pope Benedict XVI is beautifully adorned with reproductions of classic works by a veritable pantheon of classic painters—from Tiepolo to Chagall. Begun before his election to the papacy, the book contains masterfully cogent and accessible essays on the life of Jesus, including his baptism, his temptation in th...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published October 27th 2009 by Rizzoli (first published April 2007)

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Jun 17, 2008 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Matt by: Intellectual Christians, Catholics

Shelves: christianity, non-fiction

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 strike...more

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Sep 29, 2008 booklady rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone serious about the spiritual life

Recommended to booklady by: my good friend, Laine

Shelves: religion, scripture, theology, 2008, history, church-documents, hagiography, spiritual, worth-reading-over-and-over

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-...more

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May 16, 2013 Julie Davis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this when it came out and have always meant to reread it. Scott Danielson selected it for our next Catholic book discussion at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast (in May). So that is the perfect excuse. This book is one that requires slow, thoughtful reading so I began it fairly early to be sure I get it done.

Just as good as the first time around. Once I was about halfway through the book I did skip over a lot of the arguments against some of the faulty scholarship. I trusted it was rig...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arts-and-historical

In this bold, momentous work, the pope—in his first book written as Benedict XVI—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 incites us to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith.

From Jesus of Nazareth… “the great question th...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Fred Warren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

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, gen...more

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Jan 19, 2013 David Kudlinski rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is Pope Benedict’s first book as pope. The theme is his personal view on Jesus Christ. This is definitely not entertainment, and this book is extraordinarily difficult to read. Much of it is high-level theology. As a Catholic, I want to be more educated about my religion. There are a few interesting concepts brought out in the book that I hadn’t really thought of. Firstly, Jesus originated this revolutionary philosophy. He couldn’t have learned it from a teacher. The Jews had a ritual-based...more This is Pope Benedict’s first book as pope. The theme is his personal view on Jesus Christ. This is definitely not entertainment, and this book is extraordinarily difficult to read. Much of it is high-level theology. As a Catholic, I want to be more educated about my religion. There are a few interesting concepts brought out in the book that I hadn’t really thought of. Firstly, Jesus originated this revolutionary philosophy. He couldn’t have learned it from a teacher. The Jews had a ritual-based religion, when Jesus’ revelation erupted on the scene. Yes, it was the messianic fulfillment of Jewish prophesy, but with no precedence. And, as we all know, it wasn’t embraced too kindly by the Jewish religious leaders or Sanhedrin. Also interesting, is that Jesus was apolitical. The great Roman Empire was an advanced civilization and culture, yet it was brutal and morally bankrupt. Jesus had little to say about Tiberius, who was Caesar at the time (followed by Caligula, interestingly enough), or his Roman occupiers of Judea. While Caesar wielded mighty political power, Jesus was a simple teacher and healer, who didn’t even support the violent Judean freedom fighters, like Barabbas. As it turned out, the Roman Empire decayed from the inside out and imploded, and Christianity grew to the world’s most dominant religion. Politicians beware, because “liberal” or “conservative” are human terms that Jesus most certainly transcends. As far as the existence of God goes, a Catholic would ask an atheist, “Ok, then where is the man in you?” This is intriguing because an atheist cannot even isolate what he himself believes he is. For example, it is believed that a man is partly an electrochemical reaction in the brain or a collection of atoms, we but cannot “see” or recognize the essence of a man though the scientific process. The scientific atheist is left with only faith, which he denies, but what we, as Catholics, embrace. The pope says that grudges blacken our souls, and we must always forgive. We want God to forgive us, but we frequently forget to forgive others. It is clear that the pope is an authority on the Bible, no doubt about that; nonetheless, should he behave less ethereal and more managerial to straighten out scandals that have plagued the church? Also, if you were pope, would you focus less on controversial social issues like gay marriage and more on the deadly atrocities around the world? Is it time for the Vatican to undergo another reformation? (less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Bob Price rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Andrew Plasom-scott added it · review of another edition

This is quite simply a fantastic book. It starts with the Baptism of Our Lord, and ends with the Transfiguration, thus covering Our Lord's public ministry up to the start of His passion.

And the wonder of this is reading about events one knows so well, and repeatedly finding new insights and understandings. Some are a blinding flash of the obvious - 'how had I not seen that before?' - but others are wholly new knowledge - 'well, I never knew that!'

One of the most memorable sections is the Holy F...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Bojan Tunguz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been an avid reader of many books by Cardinal Ratzinger, now pope Benedict. His approach to theological, social, and cultural issues of today is very closely aligned with my own, and in his works I find a very insightful foundation for the intellectual exploration of those issues. However, compared to most other books that he authored, this one comes across very differently. This is a much more personal and accessible account of the person and life of Jesus of Nazareth. Scholarly understa...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Seminary students and armchair thelogians

Shelves: kindle-books, spirituality

I'm not Catholic but it does take a little nerve to critique a book by the Pope. Here goes, however. Some of this book I really liked. It is part of a planned multi-volume work on the life of Jesus. Benedict takes several episodes from Christ's life (the Sermon on the Mount, the Transfiguration, several parables, etc.) and uses those to discuss the nature of Jesus and his mission. There are no particularly novel interpretations here. He focuses on Christ as both fully God and fully man. This is,...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Michael Cremin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion

I read a lot of books about Jesus. I am utterly fascinated, as are many other billions of people. With that said, I tend to read a lot of very unorthodox books about Jesus: books by Shane Clairborne and Brian McClaren and Marcus Borg and Rob Bell, for instance. I don't read much 'conservative' theology because I simply don't believe in it. As my UCC friends say, "Never put a period where God put a comma." In other words, conservative theologians--including, in some sense, Pope Benedict--think th...more I read a lot of books about Jesus. I am utterly fascinated, as are many other billions of people. With that said, I tend to read a lot of very unorthodox books about Jesus: books by Shane Clairborne and Brian McClaren and Marcus Borg and Rob Bell, for instance. I don't read much 'conservative' theology because I simply don't believe in it. As my UCC friends say, "Never put a period where God put a comma." In other words, conservative theologians--including, in some sense, Pope Benedict--think that God spake, definitively, 2,000 years ago, and we need to all get with the program. Others, like those I've mentioned above, think that God is still speaking, and that what He is telling us may be the same recipe, but uses some different flavors in the mix. I'm totally fine with that.

In the name of intellectual honesty, though, I have been meaning to read a bit more traditional theology, and Pope Benedict the XVI seemed like a logical place to go (I admit that I have found reading other orthodox theologians, like N.T. Wright, almost impossible to manage. He is so, so dry, as is C.S. Lewis). Pope Benedict's book is a pleasant read; he is a much better writer than his predecessor. Also, as I've noticed in some of Benedict's encyclicals, he is a tremendously kindhearted man: so much of what he writes about is love, and the needs of the weak, and Jesus' tremendous power of healing and reconciliation. For a guy who was called "the Panzer Cardinal," he certainly has a soft touch.

I must admit that I did a bit of skipping and skimming in this book, since there are just some parts of the Jesus story that don't interest me all that much. What I did read, though, was very good. Pope Benedict's exposition of what is meant by the Kingdom of God was interesting, as was his discussion of three of the most famous parables (The Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and Lazarus and Dives). His great teaching, though, came in the discussion of the Beatitudes. I found much to think about as the Pope went through the 'blessed/cursed' parallels. Very good stuff, and very helpful.

So I'm glad that I read this, but I continue to be a liberal Protestant in a Catholic's body. The practices of the Catholic faith are wonderful, as is the unwavering focus on 'the least of these,' on peace, and on justice. The theology of the Catholic Church...not my thing. With that said, I've come to believe that what we do is a hell of a lot more important than what we believe, so I will keep on trying to do what I think is right, and leave the worrying about orthodoxy to others. (less)

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Feb 12, 2013 Robert Federline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the first part of a trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth. It is an honest and scholarly attempt to uncover the historical Jesus. Unlike the several popular works written by atheists and pseudo-scientists, who purport to recreate the time in which Jesus took flesh, this book examines the customs of the time, as well as the reports of the Gospels.

Whenever possible potential conflicts are reconciled and a deeper picture of Jesus is presented, helping us to understand (to the extent it is poss...more

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May 04, 2011 Robert Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really appreciate this work. Pope Benedict presents a sort of updated Christian theology. He references Old Testament and New Testament scripture, the data from the Qumran community, the dead sea scrolls, and the synthesis of the lives of the saints of the Church to present a very complete theology. For me, the most profound parts of his analysis pertain to the Chapters on the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes and the Chapter on Christian Prayer. In the information pertaining to the Serm...more

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Aug 18, 2008 Abe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Theologians and intellectual Christians

You may hear about Jesus every Sunday and think you already know all there is to know about Him. But when you love someone, you can never spend too much time getting to know him better.

Benedict discusses familiar Gospel stories in a new light, and makes them relevant to modern theological discussions that are going on both within Christianity and with other world religions. It is deep material, so it takes a while to read, but it is worth it.

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Jun 30, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Benedict offers a number of helpful insights into the person of Jesus, with the chapters on the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord's Prayer among the most incisive. And this is the best element of the book: it tackles the question of the identity of Jesus, pure and simple. Benedict displays a willingness to interact with modern research and findings, but even more so draws upon the deep and ancient tradition of Christian interpretation and on the Scriptures themselves for his primary insights. In...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Juliette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-criticism, religion

It's more of a 3.5 star-book, than a 4 star-book. There were parts that I really enjoyed, and there were parts that were a slog. Overall, I enjoyed it enough that seeing a 3-star rating didn't look right.
Going into it, you have to know that this isn't a JESUS 101 study. It's not basic. I've been Catholic all my life, I've read the Bible cover-to-cover, I read the Bible daily, and I still had to flip back to my NABRE translation to reference the verses he cites. In order to understand his analysi...more It's more of a 3.5 star-book, than a 4 star-book. There were parts that I really enjoyed, and there were parts that were a slog. Overall, I enjoyed it enough that seeing a 3-star rating didn't look right.
Going into it, you have to know that this isn't a JESUS 101 study. It's not basic. I've been Catholic all my life, I've read the Bible cover-to-cover, I read the Bible daily, and I still had to flip back to my NABRE translation to reference the verses he cites. In order to understand his analysis, even if I had a remembrance of a story, I had to go back and read the Bible passages slowly. (Thank God for kindle.) This is a very scholarly study of the Gospels (mostly the Synoptics).
It's also important to know, also, that he didn't write this book from the Chair of St. Peter (with infallibility). He started this book before he was pope, and he is a scholarly man, so he wrote from a scholar's perspective. Think of it as Ratzinger's personal discovery of Jesus.

Above all, what I left the book with is the timelessness of God: "The Lord always speaks in the present and with an eye to the future" (p. 257). From a Christian believer's perspective, you see the unfolding of the redemption story: from the promise that God gave to Moses, to Ezekiel and the prophets, to Jesus and his disciples, to Paul, to the Church fathers, to the end of time and the coming of the Kingdom. Ratzinger took the Bible as one book, with God's ink running through all the chapters.
I liked that Jesus of Nazareth was not just a man rhapsodizing about his God. Ratzinger cited to Biblical passages, sure, but he also cited to Jewish scholars, Christian scholars, agnostic scholars, atheist scholars, philosophers, historians . . . different sources and different ways of looking at the text. Further, he doesn't approach Jesus from a modern perspective alone. He looks at what a phrase meant when it was used. ("Son of God" was contemporaneously used as a political title.)
Ratzinger analyzed individual words, words that we use so often that they don't have the same color that they had when they were first used to describe God. I was struck by the analysis of compassion and mercy. When we ask God to show us compassion, what do we mean? Be good to us? Ratzinger writes that God's mercy originally evoked the image of an expectant mother: her child is wholly dependent on her. That's how we are to God. We are wholly dependent on God, and we ask God to show us, at all times, the same love and mercy a mother shows her unborn child.

A side note, and another thing I enjoyed personally: Ratzinger links Paul's epistles to Jesus' words. I always had a problem with Paul. People quote him as though he's the real messiah, and so often I am disconnected from Paul. Why would I listen to a man in his cell, when I hear God on the mountain? But, more than any other letter, Ratzinger references the letters of the man in the cell. He helped me to understand why Paul matters to the Church.
I also liked the time he spent talking about Peter. A lot of people I've spoken to tend to dismiss Peter as a bumbling idiot, who didn't understand God fully. (These are the same people who over-praise Paul, so that might have more to do with them than my new buddy, Peter.) Ratzinger forces us to ask ourselves, when we are confronted with God in the flesh, will we be any better than Peter? And Peter really isn't so bad. It is Peter who confesses, for the first time, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It is Peter who falls to his knees in awe when confronted with God's power and mercy and abundant gifts. We really cannot do any better than Peter.
(I love Thomas, too. But Thomas doesn't have a role in this first book. I hope he's big in the next one.)(less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got something out of this book for sure although I really can't recommend it to anyone (not even Catholics) unless they want and are interested by scholarly/academic Christian writing. It's not for everyone. The Pope does do a fairly extensive job as an appologist which I enjoyed quoting vast amounts of Christian, Jewish, and purely scholarly studies of Jesus. Some of this is a bit tedious even for me, but it seemed to get better as the book went along.

Pope Benedict only covers The Baptisim in...more

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Jul 26, 2008 Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who is searching scripture for answers

Recommended to Frank by: Frankie

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.

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Apr 05, 2013 Justine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not sure what I expected of this book. It's a nice summary of a lot of literature and analysis of the gospels, but I didn't leave with an overwhelming or compelling message that I learned from reading this. It's a biography I guess, and I biographies aren't necessarily supposed to have a "point", but it felt a bit wandery at times.

That said, there are some very interesting tidbits and discussions in here, and the book is a very nice insight in to the mind of Pope Benedict and his anaylsis of...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Mar 30, 2010 Aubrey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another book I listened to during the drive to and from work. I think because every sentence was so jam packed with meaning, I would have better absorbed its spiritual nuggets via traditional reading. There were times where I was wowed by the Pope's insights, but there were other times where I just drifted in and out of attentiveness... I think it warrants another listen at some point. Ha! I just noticed the option to warn readers that "this review contains spoilers"... I thought about c...more

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Sep 11, 2009 Emilia P rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: churrrch, real-books

Hey Mr. Pope Man,

I like what you've got to say. I like the structure of your book - roughly chronological to the events of the adult Jesus' life. I like that you talked about connections both to Pre-Christian earth religions and Judaism in ways I hadn't thought of, and about how cool it is that Jesus transcends earthly political and social power, so important! You give a lot of surprising shout-outs to non-Catholic philosophical and religious stuff (Marx comes to mind)...and an apocryphal Gospel...more

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May 15, 2008 Julie is currently reading it · review of another edition

Actually this one I have on audiobook. It is so dense that I find this is the best way to work through it.

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Jul 23, 2011 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent..I am reading this very slowly - especially the 3 temptations and how they tempt each of us. Some of the writing is very um, theological, but its clarity shines a light on how to find the face of Jesus in the modern world. Ok, surprise! the Pope's a catholic. I'm a confused one most of the time, but for the first time I saw Jesus in the light of the Torah, and what a beautiful light that is to see the Word of the Lord.

This is book One - From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfigura...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I gleaned many good insights from this book, even though I am Protestant. Benedict has a good exegetical methodology, drawing chiefly upon canonical critcism through the eyes of faith (defending the unified integrity of the canon) and only drawing upon historical criticism where it does not do violence to that canon.

He cites the limits of historical criticism, saying that the historical method forces us to keep the Biblical word in the past.

Benedict has done some excellent exegetical work, parti...more

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Feb 23, 2013 James Rhodes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly, this is a very well written piece of academia that shows shows Benedict 16th to be an intelligent and accomplished scholar. However, the austere academic feel to the book which attempts to show the "true Jesus" through scripture is marred by an attention to minutia that Ratzenberg uses to manipulate the overall philosophical message of the New Testament into something other than Christianity.

Benedict 16th argues against feeding the poor, strips the beautitudes of their human message (t...more

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Feb 27, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 t...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Steven Maimes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In my search for an authoritative book of the teachings of Jesus, I found Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) – Part One: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration (2007). This was exactly what I was looking for.

Being a Jewish mystic in true Sufi spirit, I know that one must experience teachings to know they are real; as Psalm 34 says: Taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Pope presents the LIFE of Jesus in this volume (volume 2 covers his death and resurrecti...more

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May 19, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jesus of Nazareth supplies readers with a truly insightful look into Jesus' depiction in the Gospels. I was initially inspired to read this because it was written by Joseph Ratzinger, who is not only the current Pope Benedict XVI but also an intelligent and well-versed theologian. In this text, the Pope explores modern issues surrounding the historical and spiritual Jesus. I especially admired the Pope's discourse on the importance of prayer. "Praying actualizes and deepens our communion with Go...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Jeff Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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.(less)

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About Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on 16 April 1927) is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave, celebrated his Papal Inauguration Mass on 24 Apr...more Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on 16 April 1927) is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave, celebrated his Papal Inauguration Mass on 24 April 2005, and took possession of his cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, on 7 May 2005. A native of Bavaria, Pope Benedict XVI has both German and Vatican citizenship.

On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age.[13] His resignation became effective on 28 February 2013. He is the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Pope Celestine V in 1294.[14][15][16] As pope emeritus, Benedict retains the style of His Holiness, and the title of Pope, and will continue to dress in the papal colour of white.[17] He is expected to move into the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae monastery for his retirement.[18][19] He was succeeded by Pope Francis on 13 March 2013.

After a long career as an academic, serving as a professor of theology at various German universities (he formally remains a professor at the University of Regensburg), he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome when he became Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important offices of the Roman Curia. At the time of his election as Pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals, and as such the primus inter pares among the cardinals.

Like his predecessor, Benedict XVI is theologically conservative and his teaching and prolific writings defend traditional Catholic doctrine and values. During his papacy, Benedict XVI has advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many developed countries. He views relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. He teaches the importance of both the Catholic Church and an understanding of God's redemptive love. He has reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Pope Benedict has also revived a number of traditions including elevating the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.

Pope Benedict is the founder and patron of the Ratzinger Foundation, a charitable organisation, which makes money from the sale of his books and essays in order to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.

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

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Books by Pope Benedict XVI

God Is Love--Deus Caritas Est: Encyclical Letter

Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection

Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Sign of the Times - A Conversation with Peter Seewald

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“Purity of heart is what enables us to see.” — 35 people liked it

“The great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought?

The answer is very simple: God.... 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 our origin and destiny: faith, hope and love. It is only because of our hardness of heart that we think this is too little. Yes indeed, God's power works quietly in this world, but it is the true and the lasting power. Again and again, God's cause seems to be in its death throes. Yet over and over again it proves to be the thing that truly endures and saves.” — 15 people liked it

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Jesus of Nazareth: The Illustrated Edition (Jesus of Nazareth #1)

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