Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Jesus of Nazareth
Book Review: A excellent reading of the Gospel message
Summary: 5 Stars
One expects the Pope to know the Gospels, the question becomes whether he can write about the Gospels in an involving way, making it seem intrigubning even though you know most of the stories by heart.
After reading this the skills of Benedict at writing(as well as the translator) is methodical, crisp, and efficient. There's little dallying with meaningless words, Benedict making his point clearly and succinctly. He goes over the primary concern of each of the gospels and gives the various interpretations involved with each of the passages. This is really where the book shines, in that he gives interpretations others gives and then states his own and how he came ot his conclusion. You never get the feeling he's attacking a straw man and always states a conflicting stance fairly. He's a lot like Aquinas in this regard, which is one of the highest compliments I can give.
There is some pretty heavy material in here to ponder, as another commendation is that it never feels he's talking down to you. This isn't a book you bring for light leisure reading.
Note that this is the first part of what Benedict hopes to write, so there's little about the end of Jesus's life. Here's hoping the aging pontiff can get that written also.
Book Review: A homily in a book
Summary: 5 Stars
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 understanding is still there, but it is somewhat pushed to the background and given way to the more immediate access to the founder of Christian faith. In the light of that, it is perhaps best to understand this book as an extended homily. One of the main themes of this homily is a reaffirmation of orthodox understanding of Jesus Christ. There is a whole cottage industry of books that try to undermine this view of Jesus, and the pope would have none of it.
This book was started before Benedict became the pope, and he continued the work on it during the first two years of his pontificate. It is inspiring and admirable to see such a sharpness of mind in an octogenarian. The book, however, has been without the inclusion of the passion and infancy narratives. The pope has expressed a hope to be able to finish those parts as the time permits. We can all hope that God gives him strength and good health in the years to come, so we can be enriched for yet another spiritual gem.
Book Review: A lesson from a master teacher
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, this is not a biography of Christ. If you are expecting something like Sheen's Life of Christ or Sheed's To Know Christ Jesus, think again. This is more of a meditation on events in the Lord's life. The Pope looks at the Baptism of the Lord, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer, the Transfiguration and Peter's profession of Faith and gives his thoughts on them.
This is a surprisingly personal book, the Holy Father makes it clear that this is not an encyclical. It does not add to the magisterium. This is his own personal search and meditations on the Lord and it's beautiful. Pope Benedict was and still is a teacher and he breaks everything down very simply so that even the dullest of theology students can get what he's saying.
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 nice Surprise and very readable Theology
Summary: 5 Stars
Not being Catholic, I approached this book with a biased attitude that it would be heavily slanted toward the Catholic faith and full of tradition and clutter. Not so. Ratzinger (the Pope) surprised me with a very nice presentation of the Life of Christ that was a blessing. His understanding of the symbolism from the Old Testament and its comparison to the Messiah was a breath of fresh air. In short, this book is one of the most excellent books on Christ I have ever read.