Jesus of Nazareth
by Pope Benedict XVI
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Book Reviews of Jesus of Nazareth
Book Review: A luminous book, elegant in its simplicity
Summary: 5 Stars
Folks, I finally finished reading Jesus of Nazareth, by Pope Benedict XVI. I am not qualified to judge the substance of it because I recognized the mastery that Ratzinger the Theologian had over the subject matter. As a theology student myself, who likes to challenge my teachers to see things in new ways, would have found it very difficult to do so had the Pope been my teacher.
Ratzinger the Teacher and Theologian come through in this book. His style is very conversational and his method elegant in its simplicity. First, the Pope talked about three or four parallel ideas and he developed them at length to the point I had to ask "where is he going with this"? Then, suddenly, he would bring a new thought that unified all parallel tracks and in the process, brought new light to the subject matter.
Pope Benedict didn't discriminate against any scholar who had something to contribute, whether Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish, liberal or conservative. If that scholar had achieved a unique insight that the Pope thought was true and valuable, he brought it to bear. The final product was not obfuscated, but clarity itself.
Jesus of Nazareth is a thoroughly biblical book. It breathes and lives the Holy Scriptures. The Pope took the Bible seriously as the principal source of Christology - of information about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth and the appraisal given to him by his disciples, his contemporaries, and other scholars. From the Pope's analysis arises afresh the historical figure of Jesus as Son of God, Son of Man and mighty "I am," in all its originality.
The Pope's work proves that theologians can avail themselves of every tool provided by modern biblical criticism, as well as all the insights provided by the Church Fathers, and still yield a Christology that is orthodox, concrete, unique, saving and life-giving.
Jesus of Nazareth is a work that actualizes the apostolic kerygma or proclamation regarding the words and deeds of the Savior. The Pope succeeded in telling us that Jesus' message and example are intelligible for us living in this day and age.
I think you should seriously consider adding this work to your personal library. With it, you will learn to theologize with the Pope as your teacher.
Book Review: A Letter to the Holy Father
Summary: 4 Stars
Holy Father,
I just finished your fine book, "Jesus of Nazareth". It was most detailed, enlightening, educational, well written, and inspiring. However, I do have a question or two. The questions came up due to some confusion on my part and I was wondering if you could unconfuse me?
You state on page 345, "The two most important expressions of this sort occur in Jesus' dispute with the Jews..." Who are the Jews? Since Jesus is Jewish, his mother is Jewish, his earthly father is Jewish, his neighbors are Jewish, his friends are Jewish, this brothers and sisters are Jewish, his working associates are all Jewish, his immediate followers are Jewish, and for the most part all that come to listen to the "word" are all Jewish. So who are these Jews that you speak of?
On page 349 you state, "...three thousand people are baptized and join the communion of the Apostles." You do not say three thousand Jews were baptized or that a majority were Jews that were baptized into the new faith, you only say people. Why? Can one not argue that since "Acts" was written between 60 A.D. and 70 A.D. when those that followed Christ were nearly all exclusively Jewish, and that the movement was a Jewish movement within Judaism, that the great majority that made up the new movement were Jewish? Why this omission.
Furthermore, you say on page 352, "The Jesus who walks upon the waters is not simply the familiar Jesus; in this new Jesus they suddenly recognize the presence of God himself." Now I know "they" are the disciples and you know "they" are the disciples, and that all the disciples are Jewish, and regardless of the number, why not refer to "they" as "the Jews"?
Why as a Church must we always separate ourselves from our Jewish brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters I might add with all humility gave us the faith we enjoy today; the Church we have today; the religion we celebrate today?
Please Holy Father help me to understand and as I said, unconfuse me.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Yours truly and in faith,
Michael Bussio
Book Review: Very original and well written
Summary: 4 Stars
As a previous reviewer wrote, I was unable to put this book down.
In this book, Joseph Ratzinger articulates that the 'historical Jesus' and the 'scriptural Jesus' are one and the same.
Ratzinger masterfully shows that the Jesus in the Gospels was not just a gifted teacher, or a social reformer, or a religious progressive - instead, Jesus revealed that he himself was God. Ratzinger demonstrates that Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - which moderns think to be a mere ethical discourse - is instead so radical and disturbing, that it could only come from God himself. Moreover, Ratzinger describes how the Cross and Resurrection were prefigured and integral to Jesus' teaching ministry, rather than an unfortunate addendum.
Some particular insights that I learned:
1) Jesus as the new Moses
2) Jesus himself as the Kingdom
3) Jesus as the new Torah
The book has some possible weaknesses. First, it is somewhere between an academic work and a popular account - and one wonders whether it assumes too much background knowledge of Jesus and the Bible to be accessible to much of the post-Christian West. Second, the author very briefly states that Old Testament 'righteousness' refers to fidelity to the Torah, the written Word of God; and that New Testament 'faith' refers to fidelity to the new Torah, Jesus Christ, the living Word of God - including fidelity to his preaching ministry. This statement provides a unique synthesis of St. Paul's 'justification by faith' and Jesus' preaching in the Gospels. However, Ratzinger does not further explore this synthesis when discussing the Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount, etc.
Regardless, after reading this book, one comes to a deeper understanding of the scandal of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus overwhelms every man-made religion and philosophy, he tears down all our walls and vanities, he humbles every human heart. After encountering Jesus, we are forced to either run away, back to our comfortable myths; or else, to fall to our knees, and confess that 'JESUS IS LORD'.
Book Review: One of the greatest books on Jesus ever written . An absolute masterpiece by a great theologian.
Summary: 5 Stars
First, I am not a Catholic, but a Protestant. Second, I have read a vast array of Jesus books, over the last three years, by countless, great, respected: scholars, theologians, commentators, pastors, bishops, etc. I am doing research for a project, and therefore I have read quite a broad spectrum of material about Christ.
"Jesus of Nazareth", by Pope Benedict XVI, is the greatest book on Christ that I have ever read, or at least have yet read. The depth and spiritual insight in this book is hard to describe except to say, it's incredible what you can get from just reading one page. The impressive spread of Ratzinger's knowledge of the scriptures, literature, the writings of the Church fathers, sermons, academic works, etc, will blow you away. It's staggering how much knowledge this man has, and how well and artfully he wields it. He draws beautiful and insightful connections between the scriptures and many outside sources.
The most impressive thing in the book is just how deeply spiritual it is, and how much spiritual insight one obtains from reading it. Benedict reveals the intricate spiritual truths that connect major events in Jesus' life, as described in the gospels. The chapters on Jesus Baptism, the Tempations, etc, are packed so tight that it will take you hours to read just a chapter and reflect on it.
Keep in mind, this book is not written in lofty, theological language. It is written for a layperson to read, quite easily - it is only the concepts and the spiritual truths, connections, and revelations that Benedict makes that force one to read slowly, to absorb and contemplate what Benedict is writing.
I highly recommend this book to all Christians, non-Catholic, Catholic and everyone in between. This book is full of beauty and truth and you will truly feel close to Jesus, as if you are reading a book written about him by one of his close, personal friends who truly knows him.
Book Review: A Protestant's Skewed View
Summary: 5 Stars
The Pope, by his very position, tends to be a polarizing agent. From a young age, I caught whispers of Antichrist conspiracy theories in throwaway Christian tracts. Later, I read Morris West's unsurpassed "Shoes of the Fisherman," and discovered a wholly honorable and thought-provoking aspect of the Pope's position. With these warring extremes in mind, I simply had to read "Jesus of Nazareth" for myself, to discover if Benedict XVI was bringing anything new or worthwhile to the table of spiritual discussion.
To my pleasant surprise, I found this statement in the book's foreward: "it struck me as the most urgent priority to present the figure and the message of Jesus...and so to help foster the growth of a living relationship with him." Indeed, the rest of this tome does revolve around the divinity of Jesus and how that applies in our present times, both personally and publicly. While referring often to Church fathers and tradition, Benedict XVI addresses liberal theology's questions, as well as some of Nietzsche's dilemmas. He goes even further, addressing the real issues of the human heart in our modern age.
In a erudite manner, "Jesus of Nazareth" provides a text full of deep thinking and honest wrestling, while remaining accessible and immensely readable. It circles the central issues of Jesus' identity and message, puts out the fires with patient confidence, then hones in on biblical truth. He builds New Testament passages on Old Testament understanding, shows immense respect for Judaism, and offers a worldwide view of Christ's redemptive message. Although I still have issues with some of Catholicism's structural tenets (unwed priests, for example), I can find nothing but solid Christian doctrine in this book. If it's true that things trickle down from the top, then this is a good sign for a large portion of Christ's figurative Bride on earth.