"Jesus of Nazareth" by Pope Benedict XVI
Book review by Rev.Dcn. Joseph Pasquella
In 21st Century mentality, upon hearing the
name, Jesus, the certainty of who He is and
What he is, lacks the clarity that for
centuries was taken for granted. Western
Civilization has gone into a new dark age, a
dark age of spiritual disbelief, hedonism,
materialism, paganism, a dark age of heart.
In this atmosphere, Pope Benedict XVI pens
this superb theological reflection and makes
it very personal. He recaptures the true
Jesus without ambiguity. In this book, the
Holy Father articulates that the 'historical
Jesus' and the 'scriptural Jesus' are one
and the same person. His Holiness shows that
the Jesus in the Gospels was not just a
gifted teacher, or a social reformer, or a
religious progressive, or just a prophet -
instead, Jesus revealed that he himself was
God. The Pope demonstrates that Jesus'
Sermon on the Mount - which moderns think to
be a mere ethical discourse - is instead so
radical (upsetting the apple cart so to
speak) that it could only come from God
himself. Moreover, the Pope describes how
the Cross and the Resurrection were
prefigured and essential to Jesus' teaching
ministry, instead of events that transpired
by chance.
Some important aspects of the book were:
Jesus Son of God, God the Son, eternally
Begotten of the Father. How important this
relationship between Jesus and the Father is
for us and for our Salvation, and why we
must only refer to God in the terms that the
Scriptures tell us, and not as we feel or
choose.
Jesus as the new Moses, saving God's People
the new Israel.
Jesus himself as the Kingdom of God.
Jesus as the new Torah, of the New Covenant.
If one were to read this book with a seeking
heart, its effect on such a soul would be
profound. Upon reading Jesus of Nazareth,
my life has been changed. I would state
without a doubt that this book will cause
the reader to come to an unveiled and
intimate relationship with the one and only,
true and eternal, Jesus of Nazareth. The
reader will arrive at 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, fall to our knees, and
confess that 'JESUS IS LORD.'
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