Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration » (Bargain)

On April 19, 2005, CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER was elected POPE BENEDICT XVI and became the 264th successor to Peter as the "Vicar of Jesus Christ." He may well be the most accomplished theologian to be elected Pope in modern times. Beginning in 1981 he spent over 20 years as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a role often depicted as the “defender of the faith.” Cardinal Ratzinger was also President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the Preparatory Commission that codified the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1994.

"This book is... my personal search for the face of the Lord."
---Benedict XVI

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.

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."

Abbreviations     viii
Publisher's Note     x
Foreword     xi
Introduction: An Initial Reflection on the Mystery of Jesus     1
The Baptism of Jesus     9
The Temptations of Jesus     25
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God     46
The Sermon on the Mount     64
The Beatitudes     70
The Torah of the Messiah     99
"You Have Heard That It Was Said... But I Say to You..."     99
The Dispute Concerning the Sabbath     106
The Fourth Commandment: The Family, the People, and the Community of Jesus' Disciples     112
Compromise and Prophetic Radicalism     122
The Lord's Prayer     128
Our Father Who Art in Heaven     135
Hallowed Be Thy Name     142
Thy Kingdom Come     145
Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven     147
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread     150
And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us     157
And Lead Us Not into Temptation     160
But Deliver Us from Evil     164
The Disciples     169
The Message of the Parables     183
The Nature and Purpose of theParables     183
Three Major Parables from the Gospel of Luke     194
The Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37)     194
The Parable of the Two Brothers (the Prodigal Son and the Son Who Remained at Home) and the Good Father (Lk 15:11-32)     202
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)     211
The Principal Images of John's Gospel     218
Introduction: The Johannine Question     218
The Principal Johannine Images     238
Water     238
Vine and Wine     248
Bread     263
The Shepherd     272
Two Milestones on Jesus' Way: Peter's Confession and the Transfiguration     287
Peter's Confession     287
The Transfiguration     305
Jesus Declares His Identity     319
The Son of Man     321
The Son     335
"I Am"     345
Glossary     357
Bibliography     365
Index     375