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