Jesus of Nazareth was written by Pope Benedict XVI and was published by Doubleday in 2007. It was not one of the books assigned for the ILM program but was something I read during the summer of 2010. I really enjoyed this book because I closely identified with the Pope's portrait and understanding of Jesus, which is based on the Gospels and other Biblical references. Unlike many of the encyclicals that I've read, this book is easy to read and easy to understand. I recommend this book because it clearly presents what we know about Jesus in an orderly fashion and brings the Love of Jesus to life in a way that I found inspiring.
The jacket says, "In 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.
The great question that will be with the reader throughout this book is "What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world?" What has he brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought the God who formerly unveiled his countenance gradually, first to Abraham, then to Moses and the Prophets, and then in the Wisdom Literature, the God who revealed 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, Isaac, and Jacob, the true God, whom he has brought to the nations 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 must take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope and love.
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