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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865138.Jesus_of_Nazareth?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Jesus of Nazareth" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179007447m/865138.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865138.Jesus_of_Nazareth?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Jesus of Nazareth</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47085.Pope_Benedict_XVI">Pope Benedict-XVI</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9945591?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>My bishop sent me a copy of this book, and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place.  It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also tMy bishop sent me a copy of this book and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place.  It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also to reach beyond the insights of contemporary biblical criticism, insights which have in the past been used to clear away the supposed accretions of tradition that have obscured the foundational figure of Christianity: Jesus of Nazareth.  I'll be honest ... it was a hard book to finish.  The sheer breadth of Benedict's learning renders his work a rocky and unfamiliar place, requiring careful steps and a good sense of direction.  Yet he never brandishes his erudition as a weapon with which to awe the reader, but serenely directs the massive force of his mind back to the face of the Lord and invites the reader to imitate him.  If nothing else, this work is a clear example of the ease with which Benedict has made the transition from theologian and guardian of the traditions of the Church to spiritual father (though the two aren’t really exclusive, are they?).  Without the least reluctance he engages the many conflicting voices that clamor to claim Jesus as their own, each with varying degrees of insight which he acknowledges without becoming entrapped within their categories.  He leads all into a greater attentiveness to the Lord without imposing his own presuppositions upon the Gospel texts, allowing them to speak for themselves with all the original and idiosyncratic power they possess.  
<br/>As a seminarian engaged in appropriating the massive heritage of interpretation that has been penned in regard to the Scriptures, Benedict gives me hope that my time is well spent in this endeavor as long as I hold fast to Christ, allowing myself to be caught up in his face-to-face conversation with the Father—for it is on account of this that he came.  “’He who sees Jesus sees the Father.’ The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God.  And that is what redemption means:  this stepping  beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God’s image and likeness, since the moment of creation.”  (from the Introduction)  When it seems as if the Way is no longer clear, our Holy Father speaks with confidence to beckon us onward.
<br/>Nevertheless, it is a long, hard book, and not all will be interested in the finer points Benedict makes.  My suggestion is to read the Introduction (to be distinguished from the Foreword) and to continue reading as long al the subject holds one’s interest—and then a bit further.  Then lay it aside and wait to take it up again when there is a new inspiration to do so.
<br/>
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/654572?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Nick's review
rating:

status: Read in March, 2007

My bishop sent me a copy of this book, and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place. It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also tMy bishop sent me a copy of this book and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place. It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also to reach beyond the insights of contemporary biblical criticism, insights which have in the past been used to clear away the supposed accretions of tradition that have obscured the foundational figure of Christianity: Jesus of Nazareth. I'll be honest ... it was a hard book to finish. The sheer breadth of Benedict's learning renders his work a rocky and unfamiliar place, requiring careful steps and a good sense of direction. Yet he never brandishes his erudition as a weapon with which to awe the reader, but serenely directs the massive force of his mind back to...more My bishop sent me a copy of this book, and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place. It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also tMy bishop sent me a copy of this book and so I felt obliged to read it, though I didn't need much encouragement in the first place. It is a hefty piece of theological reflection that seeks to incorporate but also to reach beyond the insights of contemporary biblical criticism, insights which have in the past been used to clear away the supposed accretions of tradition that have obscured the foundational figure of Christianity: Jesus of Nazareth. I'll be honest ... it was a hard book to finish. The sheer breadth of Benedict's learning renders his work a rocky and unfamiliar place, requiring careful steps and a good sense of direction. Yet he never brandishes his erudition as a weapon with which to awe the reader, but serenely directs the massive force of his mind back to the face of the Lord and invites the reader to imitate him. If nothing else, this work is a clear example of the ease with which Benedict has made the transition from theologian and guardian of the traditions of the Church to spiritual father (though the two aren’t really exclusive, are they?). Without the least reluctance he engages the many conflicting voices that clamor to claim Jesus as their own, each with varying degrees of insight which he acknowledges without becoming entrapped within their categories. He leads all into a greater attentiveness to the Lord without imposing his own presuppositions upon the Gospel texts, allowing them to speak for themselves with all the original and idiosyncratic power they possess.
As a seminarian engaged in appropriating the massive heritage of interpretation that has been penned in regard to the Scriptures, Benedict gives me hope that my time is well spent in this endeavor as long as I hold fast to Christ, allowing myself to be caught up in his face-to-face conversation with the Father—for it is on account of this that he came. “’He who sees Jesus sees the Father.’ The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God. And that is what redemption means: this stepping beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God’s image and likeness, since the moment of creation.” (from the Introduction) When it seems as if the Way is no longer clear, our Holy Father speaks with confidence to beckon us onward.
Nevertheless, it is a long, hard book, and not all will be interested in the finer points Benedict makes. My suggestion is to read the Introduction (to be distinguished from the Foreword) and to continue reading as long al the subject holds one’s interest—and then a bit further. Then lay it aside and wait to take it up again when there is a new inspiration to do so.
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