In this bold, momentous work, Joseph Ratzinger--in his first book written since he became 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.
From Jesus of Nazareth: 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! He has brought the God who formerly unveiled his countenance gradually first to Abraham, then to Moses and the Prophets, and then in the Wisdom Literature--the God who revealed 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, Isaac, and 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.
Worthy of the Price Tag
This book invites people of faith to view the historical Jesus without fear. If you haven't noticed the field of history isn't a great place to make money, unless you decide to write a book that goes against the grain. As a result it has become much more profitable to scandalize the traditional view of Christ than to uphold it. It is a common refrain from so-called historians that, "There were many different figures named Jesus that were melded into the Jesus we know now." One could find enough evidence to make the same claim about George Washington and use it to deny his existence. The issue is that you must ignore as much, or more, evidence as you use.
On to the book. The Holy Father opens the book with a sharp rebuttal against many "historical" books about Jesus, pointing out that the Jesus depicted in these books is remarkably similar to the authors who have penned them. He goes on to bring to life the earthly mission of Christ through reading scripture as a whole. I have referred numerous people to the chapter on the temptations of Christ. In my opinion, that chapter alone makes the book worth the price tag. There is no doubt something in this book for all believers, Catholic and nonCatholic alike.
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