Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration (Volume 1)

Un libro para leerlo lentamente y meditando, ciertamente no de los que uno compra como lectura para antes de dormir. La exactitud, la brillantez y el conocimiento del tema lo hacen una joya, un libro de consulta para tener siempre a mano. Una visión profundísima desde la mente de uno de los más grandes Teólogos de nuestro tiempo, muy recomendable para los amantes de la filosofía también.

This book is really marvelous for meditating. Its actually Pope Benedict XVI giving the meditation himself. Slow and meditating reading and rereading is recommended. I have really enjoyed it and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Excelente libro para conocer más a fondo la vida de Jesús. Aunque está escrito en un lenguaje accesible, requiere un cierto esfuerzo por parte del lector. Sin duda dejará una profunda huella en quien lo lea.

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.