Summary: First of a trilogy of books about Jesus written by Pope Benedict XVI written after he became Pope.
I have heard repeatedly and from various people how good the Pope’s trilogy on Jesus is. Since he was stepping down, I figured I should try reading one of his books. I did not finish it before he stepped down, but I did finish it before the next Pope had been chosen (barely).
This is clearly a book worth reading for people looking for theological content about Jesus. Benedict is focused on teaching about Jesus as God and Savior. While he acknowledges the importance of research into historical Jesus and the culture of the 1st Century and other methods of exploring Jesus, primarily, this is an exploration of Jesus as a theological teaching tool. Primarily he is using the Gospels as his starting point.
Part of what is impressive to me is that it is clear that he has academic chops, but this is a very readable book. A lot of academics have important things to say. But we need others to interpret and popularize their content so that the average person can understand.