Jesus of Nazareth
by Pope Benedict XVI
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Book Reviews of Jesus of Nazareth
Book Review: Rediscover Jesus of Nazareth
Summary: 5 Stars
A few months ago someone asked me what book I would recommend that they give to their adult children who no longer practiced the faith, without hesitation I named this book as the one. At the time I had only read some excerpts available online from Germany and Italy. It was an act of faith then, now that I have the book I know that my recommendation was justified.
This is a great book, magisterial (even though the pope doesn't want it thought of in that way). It is not just another book about Jesus, it a revolutionary book about Jesus...in that it recaptures why people have had their lives changed by their belief in Jesus for over 2,000 years.
What makes this book so special? It is like a modern Summa (those who know St. Thomas Aquinas will understand me here) in that it answers modern questions of doubt, skepticism and even inquiry on not only who Jesus is, but why Jesus is the most important person anyone has ever or can ever know.
The pope's methodology is to take a scene from the Bible, like the Lord's baptism and then to draw on that scene from the entire Bible, to show what modern scholarship has done to help us to understand the historical context of the scene, tell us how the early Church fathers interpreted the scene, how would it have been viewed in Judaism (he uses the reflections of a Rabbi when discussing the Sermon on the Mount) and then to give the reader the meaning of this event for them. Along the way he answers questions to the many objections modern people bring to their encounter with Jesus.
As someone who has studied theology for a number of years and been exposed to every screwball theology out there, I found this book to be a corrective lens to refocus and correct my vision of who Jesus is and what following him means. What impresses me (and I'm not easily impressed) is that the Pope takes on the "screwball (my term, not his)" theologies in such a way as to making them seem silly (although he is incredibly charitable in his approach).
This book will have a great effect on renewing the Church and centering it on an image of Christ that is Biblical and credible, erasing years of poor and faulty preaching and teaching.
If you are not Catholic, but a Christian you will love this book too. In fact I predict you will be come a big fan of Joseph Ratzinger and will want to read his many published works to encounter someone rooted in Scripture and conversant with modern attacks on it. If you are a non Christian I think you will find in the book an excellent introduction to what Christians believe about the God-man from Nazareth. To all you parents out there who sent your kids to Catholic schools and now wish they would practice their faith, give them this book and reintroduce them to Jesus of Nazareth.
Once you've read this, you'll want to check out the Pope's take on the Apostles, in an excellent follow-up to this book:
The Apostles: The Origin of the Church and Their Co-Workers
I am the author of The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
Book Review: To See His Face
Summary: 4 Stars
The author humbly submits his treatise with a plea for kindess in consideration of his work, which is not surprisingly scholarly. Yet his earnest desires, expressed throughout, encourage a deeper response than a simple review of his effort.
To seek the face of God is remarkable. That God would seek each of us is sublime.
The "...imminent end of the world..." is spoken of on page 52, line 29. Although the exact time is unknown, many events precede the end.
Definition of 'imminent' suggests that which is '...about to occur, impending...' (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.)
The only imminent prophecy in all of Scripture is the Rapture. (This reviewer, as noted in the close of the review, has authored a book on the Rapture, and is hopeful to begin a second expanded work soon, which sadly, is not as close as imminent.)
So, there is yet some time before the end, but a mere twinkling of the eye before the Rapture.
And one cannot become a Christian through Baptism any more than one might increase one's stature by standing in the rain. {Page 23, line 26.} {See Ephesians 2:8-9 below.}
A return to the Word of God is always the right step.
"...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." { I Peter 1:23, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers. }
Paul encourages believers in Titus 3:5-6, "...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,..." {ibid.}
Again, this Apostle affirms in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." {Ibid.}
Now seeing through a glass darkly, as this prolific Apostle clarifies in I Corinthians 13:12, we shall one day then see face to face. Oh, the joy that floods our soul !
Writing from such a position, the author is notably subject to scrutiny. Yet he is aware of an examination far greater that every person shall experience. Only the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha Maschiach, shall ford that challenge.
Opening his studies to the world at large is commendable.
"...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." {Philippians 2:10-11, ibid.}
TL Farley,
author,
When Now Becomes Too Late
&
Distant Reaches
When Now Becomes Too Late Kindle connect -- Jesus is going to elope with His Bride, but when ?
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Book Review: Fruit of the narrow path faithfully followed
Summary: 5 Stars
In Jesus Of Nazareth, Benedict XVI shares a lifetime of scholarship. He clears a bewildering variety of conflicting paths.
His "personal search for the Face of the Lord" is a determined effort to answer the Lord's question, "And who do you say that I am?"...not only for himself but for his readers too. In other words, folks, the Shepherd desires to lead his flock into rich pasture, . . . providing REAL "Grass" !
And, having found It, through an unrelenting labor of love, Benedict thereby presents the person of Jesus to the reader as believable and encounterable.
Employing his immense scholarship, Benedict's language, phrasing, subject organization is economical, at once complete yet brief. It moves. At least, for those of us who do not read German, the translater has offered good concise English. Three hundered odd pages is a "booklet" within which to present so much scholarship, and yet present the truth clearly.
In his heart, Benedict desires for each reader the option of a deep and EVER-lasting relationship with the Lord, born of "recognition" and of Love, THAT IS TO SAY: with the inescapable focus of THE GOSPELS, inescapable and, therefore, ..uh, scary? ..we're meeting up with He who IS: "the Vine" .."the Bread from Heaven" .. BOTH "the good shepherd" AND "the Gate to the sheepfold" .. "the way, the truth, the life".
Benedict will not let us be fooled into believing that we need go no further than comfortable concepts, that "Jesus" is merely a matter of conceptual knowledge. Right thinking is, of course, a WAY to the truth.
That truth Benedict pretty well sums up on page 305: "...the appearance of HIS GLORY ( during the Transfiguration )is connected with THE PASSION motif. Jesus' DIVINITY belongs with THE CROSS -ONLY WHEN WE PUT THE TWO TOGETHER do we recognize Jesus correctly..." (Emphasis mine)
By "Love" is meant "Love UNTO THE END", Benedict's repeated qualifier... i.e. "even unto death on a Cross"... it is Jesus' Love born of His UNBROKEN communion with the Father throughout His earthly sojourn ...including His final "Father, forgive them, for they know not ...", and "Into your hands I commend my spirit ... it is finished"...affirmed, confirmed, given authenticity by Jesus' subsequent, promised Resurrection from THE DEAD.
From a secular humanist's point of view "the Cross" can amount to no more than a varied form of masochism .. or mental fiction. From the point of view of Faith -pure GIFT through Baptism- the Cross becomes, and is, one's RETURN-LOVE lived out "through Him and with Him and in Him."
Admittedly, this hasn't been a SCHOLARLY assesment; I'm not a scholar. But then all scholarship -knowledge- evporates when "face to face" with the Face of the Lord. I'm a "bleater" who has and does recognize the Voice of the true Shepherd, relieved, and jumping for joy at the sound, clearly knowing it in the welter of false voices.
In Jesus of Nazareth, Benedict begins with the Gospel accounts of Jesus' adult years -in ministry, hoping to address the Infancy Narratives, the early years, in a second volume.
Book Review: Commendable yet Problematic Discourse on Jesus
Summary: 3 Stars
Certainly a Lutheran enters into such a work with heightened spiritual discretion, since our historical and public confessions about Jesus and His work differ.
Thus, as a Lutheran I will review this book by providing some general comments about the work, rather than a fine critique of its arguments which I will leave to others who most certainly will do a fine job.
Preliminarily, his audience seems to be the more educated exegetically of his confessional persuasion, given his quoting primarily from academic German RC exegetes. A perusal of his bibliography convinces one of this: Gnilka, Berger, et al. These are names unfamiliar to most, even of a trained theological nature. Thus, the question remains what value most of this will be for the laity.
First, Pope Benedict wants to remove the doubts that modern exegetical scholarship has entered into the world's view of Jesus. Reading this first of two volumes certainly maintains and accomplishes this theme to a degree. However, he seems to for the time being at least ride a somewhat middle ground, not totally discouraging and countering historical criticism, e.g. such statements as "The first point is that the historical-critical method--specifically because of the intrinsic nature of theology and faith--is and remains an indispensable dimension of exegetical work." (pg.xv) However, as one example, he contends with them regarding the "Son of man" sayings as the genuine words of Jesus. He disagrees with them on this vital account which is most commendable. However, it remains to be seen what his goal is in being pro historical-critical method when he seems to be for the "historical" yet against the "critical." This would seem to render the hc movement nill and void, yet he wants to be for it in some dimension. Confusing and unclear and wavering.
This leads me to the overall critique I have with this work. He never seems to come clear with the center of Scripture for me: that Jesus is about the forgiveness of sins and faith alone in this gives one eternal life. He comes close at times, e.g. a magnificent commentary on the Transfiguration with special allusion to Luke's statement of what Elijah, Moses and Jesus were talking about: His exodus! Here he starts to touch on this center with talk of hope and liberation, yet falls short in clearly attaching this to faith alone. His tendency earlier in the book of emphasizing 'service to God' makes the whole "faith alone" doctrinal dispute central and vital again.
While there is much of his Biblical discussion on our Lord to commend, yet his tendency not to come clearly clean on the central Scriptural truth of faith alone in the Gospel, makes this a three for this reviewer. I was teetering between two and three, and want to be charitable as much as possible. The above stated positives of his approach make me lean towards three.
Certainly one bestowed with title "Vicar of Christ" on earth should be held to the standard of speaking all the truth for Jesus. He falls short in vital areas mentioned to this Lutheran.
Encourage reading with discretion of Scripture.
Book Review: JESUS OF NAZARETH by Pope Benedict XVI
Summary: 5 Stars
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) and I did not get off on the right foot. He was in my doghouse immediately with his "Rock music is so completely antithetical to the Christian concept of redemption and freedom, indeed its exact opposite. Hence music of this type must be excluded from the Church on principle."
From there he started to work his way back a little with his iron-fisted unwillingness to pander to other religions and to the spiritually relativistic. I kind of liked the last pope (the friendly one), and I'm warming up to this pope (the mean one).
JESUS OF NAZARETH is, in his own words, Benedict's "personal search for the face of the Lord." This is part one, and covers Jesus' life from his Baptism to the Transfiguration; part two will cover the infancy narratives and post-Transfiguration. Benedict wanted to get this out in case he died in the meantime, and says as much in his foreword.
The book, seventy years in the making, is part commentary, part exegesis. While it is not ponderous or dry, it does assume a certain degree of scholarship and familiarity with the Gospels on the part of the reader. Something I particularly appreciate is how Benedict picks out certain nuances from different Evangelists, focusing on their unique themes. Benedict is, as one might expect, a fairly conservative theologian; there is not a whiff of liberal scholarship here. Nor is there more than token Catholic theology to which a Protestant such as I might take offense, and it does not detract at all.
The book covers Jesus' baptism, the temptations of Jesus, the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer, the disciples, parables, the principal images of John's gospel, Peter's confession and the Transfiguration, and the identity of Jesus.
In the chapter on the Sermon on the Mount, Benedict discusses the Beatitudes, the Torah of the Messiah ("You have heard that it was said...but I say to you..., the dispute concerning the Sabbath, the Fourth Commandment, and compromise and prophetic radicalism). Interesting insight here on Jesus as the new Moses. The Lord's Prayer he breaks down line by line. In his discussion of parables, he discusses their nature and purpose, and covers the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son (which he re-terms "The parable of the two brothers (the prodigal son and the son who remained at home) and the good father"), and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In his chapter on John, he focuses on the imagery of water, vine/wine, bread, and the shepherd. In his chapter on Jesus' identity, Benedict covers "Son of Man", "Son", and "I Am".
I did not get far into this book before I started to get excited about it. There is interesting, insightful commentary on every page. It should go without saying, I suppose, since he's the pope, but the expertise here is refreshing, as are the solid hermeneutics and the utter lack of anything stupid. The reader gets the sense that this is personal for Benedict, not just for scholarship's sake, but because he is as deeply interested as we in what he finds.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED