Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Pope Benedict XVI (PDF)

Description

“This book is . . . my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord.’” –Benedict XVIIn this bold, momentous work, the Pope––in his first book written as Benedict XVI––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 incites 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: But what has Jesus really brought, then, if he has not brought 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 once gradually unveiled his countenance first to Abraham, then to Moses and the prophets, and then in the wisdom literature–the God who showed 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, of Isaac, and of 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.”

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐What a pleasure it is to read a book written by a world class theologian that is accessible to the lay reader who is not a professional in theology. I remember when Pope Benedict XVI was elected and I wondered what would be in store for the Church, and I wasn’t hopeful. Was I ever wrong. I’ve come to recognize Benedict as a thoughtful, humble man who loves Christ and the Church and teaches from that center. That is what you will find in this book. At least I did.We read this book for our Catholic parish book club and I think the overwhelming opinion was surprise and pleasure at what we found here. What truth is released when the focus is Trinitarian and Christ-centered. When reading this book, I sensed that Benedict uses the biblical text to share the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. In that, he invites us to encounter Christ. It was a pleasure to experience the freedom that comes from centering on Christ and the Trinitarian God. The Truth truly does set you free (John 8:32).

⭐Thoroughly readable, but also deep. Highly recommended reading for the time between Epiphany and the Easter Triduum (that begins with Holy Thursday). At times, it reads like a textbook (so have a dictionary nearby), but it’s because he is doing a critical study of all the other studies about Christ – before he presents his personal understanding of his King.All throughout, though, there are so many awesome nuggets of new understanding about Jesus and Scripture.A few examples: – The mission of John the Baptist (and all Jewish prophets), not as mere magicians who predict the future. – Barabbas as “bar-abbas” – the false “son of the father” – Jesus as the new Jacob (who was ministered to by angels, rather than fighting them, as he climbed Jacob’s ladder)… all amazing insights in just the first two chapters!Then he gets into the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes: – the various (flawed) interpretations of “The Kingdom of God”, culminating in the only remaining (and therefore, correct) one: Jesus *is* the Kingdom (i.e., “active lordship”) of God – totally new understanding of “blessed are those who mourn…” Incredible! It is what they are mourning that matters. (This is the significance of the 8th Station of the Cross: Jesus speaks to the Weeping Women.) – discussion about the importance of the Sabbath as a renewal and reinforcement of the family (and, thereby, society) and Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath.This book ends with The Transfiguration, but foreshadows it about a third of the way through with the line: “…the dialogue between The Law and The Prophets…” This explains who Jesus is in figurative terms, but also foretells the literal discussion between Jesus, Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets).After establishing who Jesus is, Benedict then establishes who His Bride (the Church) is now, and has been through history. Some more examples: – We learn prayers (from Jesus, the Church, and the Saints) because we do not know how to pray – we are babbling like babies, but Mother Church teaches us how we are to pray. – Also, the Our Father, recited backwards, traces the journey of Jesus and the Israelites (from temptation, through the desert, relying on God for bread, to the coming of the Kingdom to Heaven and Our Father). He also gives a line-by-line breakdown of the Our Father that is very enlightening.He also presents some interesting theories about St. John the Evangelist. He pays particular attention to recent scholarship and theories about “the upper room” (of the Last Supper) – that it was possibly owned by John’s father, Zebedee. (This explains: why it was already set-up for the Passover; why Jesus and the Apostles could simply walk in like they owned the place; why servants were already prepared to wait on them; and why John was resting his head on Jesus’ chest during the meal.)You’ll want to read this faster, but you also won’t want to miss anything for having read too quickly.

⭐From his “personal search for the face of the Lord,’” Benedict takes a lifetime of study, teaching and preaching to compile his series of three books about the life of Jesus, the focus of this book being the ministry of Jesus. The great paradox of Benedict’s work in Christology is his purification of the superfluous and unfaithful teachings about Jesus while retaining the incredibly complex, yet coherent, beliefs about Him that have been handed down since the Apostles and discovered and developed by the great minds of the Church’s history. Using the three synoptic Gospels as a cohesive unit, Benedict integrates both theological insight and spiritual reflection on the words and actions of Jesus. While the majority of this book’s references come from Matthew, Mark and Luke, it devotes a chapter to significant points in John, focusing in its beautiful imagery. An aspect both intellectually and spiritually enriching is his investigation of the titles of Jesus used throughout the Gospel. Always the teacher, Benedict also includes a glossary and bibliography, enabling the reader to both build a solid foundation to his theological writing and search further for more and wider reading in the study of Christ. Assuredly stemming from his lifelong emphasis on continuity, Benedict pulls from a wide range of sources that span across the Church’s 2,000 year history, creating a bridge, or pontifex, that is sure to continue long after the great work of this holy man is finished, but will surely act as another piece that will lead one, in conjunction with God’s written Word, to the “way, the truth and the life”.Some memorable quotes from Jesus of Nazareth:“To ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’ – that is the path that lies open to everyone; that is the way that finds its destination in Jesus Christ.”“When man begins to see and to live from God’s perspective, when he is a companion on Jesus’ way, then he lives by new standards…Jesus brings joy into the midst of affliction.”“Only by touching Jesus’ wounds and encountering his Resurrection are we able to grasp them, and then they become our mission.”Original publication year: 2007Pages: approx. 374I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

⭐Ten years ago I attended a talk by a very distinguished academic who had once been a Roman Catholic priest. He was critical of his (former) Church in that the top men at the Vatican seemed to be concentrating on matters sexual to the detriment of faith. So he was pleasantly surprised to read this book, “a very good book”: which it is.When I read Naomi Alderman’s “The Liar’s Gospel”, I did a bit of research, and Pope Benedict’s books featured amongst other scholarly tomes. So I thought I’d read this one. I have to start by saying that I’m an Anglican layman, and that whilst I have great respect for Pope Francis and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Pope Benedict comes across in a less favourable light. So I was prepared to be critical.The first thing that I realised was that this book is indeed scholarly and the work of a very learned man. It is not an easy read, even though Isuppose I’m relatively well educated/informed. But it very perceptive and makes some valid and helpful points which would not have occurred to me.Also he explores the links between the Old and New Testaments with care and precision. The pieces on St John’s Gospel are particularlyinteresting. Also, as a great scholar, Benedict is able to illustrate symbolism and allegory in a meaningful way. What he says about The Lord’s Prayer is also most interesting. In addition it was reassuring that even His Holiness is “familiar with the danger of reciting habitual formulas while our mind is somewhere else entirely”.Nowhere does the book dwell on contraception, divorce (except once in passing), abortion or the (supposed) invalidity of Anglican orders, topics which Benedict was prone to dwell on during his Papacy.. Instead it is about Jesus Christ, and it is much the better for that. Also Inotice that unlike Cristina Odone’s worthy “No God Zone”, the criticisms of this book don’t seem to have attracted the incursions of the hapless “new atheists”. I imagine that they would have been floored by this worthy book.It might be tempting on occasion to portray Pope Benedict as blinkered. But certainly in this book he is not, as is evidenced by his discussions of the works of Jewish and Protestant theologians, most of whom he seems to respect. Indeed, I can’t see any mainstream Anglican being anything else but inspired by this book.

⭐This book by the Pope was enjoyable and did contain some great insights.It begins by outlining the Pope’s hermeneutic, which is historical-critical. He explains why this is important and how this will influence his readings of the Gospels. He highlights that this book is the sum of his knowledge gained over his years of academic study for the true face of Jesus. Chp 1: Begins with the Baptism and how historically this interacts with the symbols of the Jordan River and the forgiveness of sins as narrated in the Davidic literature. Chp 2: The Temptations of Jesus. This section was thoroughly enjoyable and offered ideas such as the temptation being an allegorical play on Jesus’ internal conflict on whether to become a loving lord or a war lord. Chp 3: The Kingdom of God. Was about just that, the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven. The Pope has agreed with many contemporary scholars when he writes that the Kingdom of God is what happens when one allows God into their heart. Chp 4: The Sermon on the Mount. This basically included the ethical teachings of Jesus as detailed in Chp 5 of Matthew’s Gospel. Chp 5: The Lord’s Prayer. This chapter broke down the prayer and detailed each line and offered suggestions of what each could have meant. Chp 6: This chapter was basically about discipleship and it means to be a disciple. Chp 7: The Parables. The ones picked were basically about how they portray Jesus as the Son of God, and also the God who would be rejected and yet still offer forgiveness to his abusers. Chp 8: John’s Gospel. This chapter offered a detailed breakdown of the allegorical symbolism used within John’s narrative and why this was significant. Chp 9: Peter’s Confession and Transfiguration. This is basically about how the Gospels do contain many allegorical passages which specifically show that Jesus was thought of as the Son of God. Chp 10: Is about the language Jesus used to declare his identity and why/how he also considered himself to be the Son of God.On the whole the chapters I found the most beneficial were 2, 9 and 10. The ideas contained on the temptations of Jesus were unique and insightful. Also those taken aback by books such as Phillip Pullman’s new book on Jesus would gain a lot by reading chapters 9 and 10 which clearly show how the Gospel is full of references which suggest the divinity of Jesus. This shows that this doctrine was a very early belief and not something that was simply invented by the Catholic Church in later centuries.I didn’t find chapter 4 and 5 particularly brilliant. I gained greater insights into both teachings from Kenneth Bailey’s book – ‘Jesus through middle Eastern Eyes’. Again I didn’t find chapters 3 and 6 helpful, and once again gained greater insights into this area from Richard Burridge’s book – ‘Imitating Jesus’. Regarding chapter 8, I found Richard Burridge’s book – ‘Four Gospels, one Jesus?’ more enjoyable and enlightening on this area.Overall the book was a decent read. I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did being a massive fan of the Pope. Unfortunately I did find the writing style difficult to get on with at points and found it putting me to sleep more than captivating me. The size of the book is once again the same size as the Pope’s other books – e.g. St Paul, the Fathers and the Apostles. Funnily it is also the same size as my Bible (NIV Hardback), so it looks nice and neat on the bookshelf.Whilst enjoyable I would not recommend it to anyone after an easy read. This is not to say that I am unlettered, instead I am quite well read. I just found that the book did take a lot of concentration, not because of the complexity of the content but rather because of the writing style used.

⭐This book was so good, and with so many new insights that I loaned my copy to somebody [and got it back!]a good, clear exposition of a period of life of Jesus [this was followed by a further work on the leading up to His death and resurrection – also purchased on Amazon]Both of these books were bought to present as a leaving gift for a friend.

⭐I am not sure that this book is supposed to have the reader glued despite my title. On the contrary, I have a vast amount of respect for Pope Benedict/Ratzinger and believe him to be an intelligent, philosophical and a well learned man. His theology is written far clearer than others, but for me, despite being a practicing Catholic and studying religion for a degree, I think I find other things like the history of Christianity more interesting. If there are any theology students or people with an interest in the subject, I would highly suggest reading this as who better to learn from than a former Pope?

⭐I cannot recommend this book too highly. it should be read slowly and meditated upon, a work of impressive scholarship, wisdom and inspiration

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