Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI
As His Holiness has written in the forward, this book has two aims: “I am convinced that good exegesis involves two stages. Firstly one has to ask what the perspective authors intended to convey through their text in their own day… The second question… is what I read true? Does it concern me? If so, how?”
Since I am from the Holy Land, I decided to read, contemplate and reflect on this work in the places of Jesus’ events in Nazareth and in Bethlehem. This is one of the best books I have read. Jesus of Nazareth sheds light on the events of salvation, bringing up pearls from the depths of the Old Testament. The prophets and the Psalms shadow the events realized in the synoptic gospels. Through the Holy Father’s exploration of the richness of the Gospel of John, his emphasis on the epistles, and his extrapolation of the meaning of these events from Revelation, I felt that I was looking at one unit which is called Salvation History. By combing all of these aspects, the Holy Father gives us a vision of rich and beautiful scenes. He offers not only a two-dimensional picture, but also a hologram, a full three-dimensional picture. Each paragraph adds a new level to the issues he is discussing. Thus, the book becomes a window to eternity, leading us from glory to glory. Really, the book, with its simplicity and depth, is a new patristic classic, a book that gives life and a new catechesis. This is a book of 4 Rs: Read it from the beginning to the end, with its alluring style, one can hardly stop reading it. Reread it, because of its depth there is a need to contemplate each sentence and reflect on it. Remember what you read, because it is a book of vision. Renew your life in Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Fire. By: Naser Shakour, Haifa, Israel, Member of Pontifical Counsil for the Family