Jesus of Nazareth In the Us

In his first book written as pope, offers a portrait of Jesus based on the Gospels and encourages Christians to better understand the central figure of their faith. In his first book written as pope, offers a portrait of Jesus based on the Gospels and encourages Christians to better understand the central figure of their faith.

"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	(8)
The Baptism of Jesus		9	(16)
The Temptations of Jesus		25	(21)
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God		46	(18)
The Sermon on the Mount		64	(64)
The Beatitudes		70	(29)
The Torah of the Messiah		99	(29)
``You Have Heard That It Was Said . . . But I Say to You . . .''		99	(7)
The Dispute Concerning the Sabbath		106	(6)
The Fourth Commandment: The Family, the People, and the Community of Jesus' Disciples		112	(10)
Compromise and Prophetic Radicalism		122	(6)
The Lord's Prayer		128	(41)
Our Father Who Art in Heaven		135	(7)
Hallowed Be Thy Name		142	(3)
Thy Kingdom Come		145	(2)
Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven		147	(3)
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread		150	(7)
And Forgive Us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us		157	(3)
And Lead Us Not into Temptation		160	(4)
But Deliver Us from Evil		164	(5)
The Disciples		169	(14)
The Message of the Parables		183	(35)
The Nature and Purpose of the Parables		183	(11)
Three Major Parables from the Gospel of Luke		194	(24)
The Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25--37)		194	(8)
The Parable of the Two Brothers (the Prodigal Son and the Son Who Remained at Home) and the Good Father (Luke 15:11--32)		202	(9)
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16,19--31)		211	(7)
The Principal Images of John's Gospel		218	(69)
Introduction: The Johannine Question		218	(20)
The Principal Johannine Images		238	(49)
Water		238	(10)
Vine and Wine		248	(15)
Bread		263	(9)
The Shepherd		272	(15)
Two Milestones on Jesus' Way: Peter's Confession and the Transfiguration		287	(32)
Peter's Confession		287	(18)
The Transfiguration		305	(14)
Jesus Declares His Identity		319	(38)
The Son of Man		321	(14)
The Son		335	(10)
``I Am''		345	(12)
Glossary		357	(8)
Bibliography		365