In His Book, Pope Presents Jesus as Reconciler, not Political Revolutionary

(March 10, 2011) In his new volume on "Jesus of Nazareth," Pope Benedict XVI presents the passion and resurrection of Christ as history-changing events that answer humanity's unceasing need to be reconciled with God. The 384-page book, titled "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week -- From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection," was officially released March 10. The book has nine chapters and an epilogue. Already, 1.2 million copies of Part II have been printed in seven languages, and reprints of 100,000 more are planned for the Italian editions and 50,000 in German. In a foreword, the pope said he did not set out to write another chronological "Life of Jesus," but instead to present the figure and message of "the real Jesus" -- not a political revolutionary and not a mere moralist, but the son of God who inaugurated a new path of salvation based on the power of love. The book analyzes the key events of Jesus' final days, including the cleansing of the temple, the Last Supper, his betrayal, his interrogations before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate, his crucifixion and his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. The pope said it was important to understand that the events recounted in the Scriptures are historically grounded and actually occurred and is not simply stories or ideas. At the same time, he acknowledged that the historical record about Jesus is not always complete and said that "if the certainty of faith were dependent upon scientific-historical verification alone, it would always remain open to revision." In his book the Pope emphasized that Jesus' condemnation and death cannot be blamed on the Jewish people as a whole. During his trial before the Roman authorities raised the question whether politics can accept "truth" as anything but a subjective reality. The book's final chapter examines the resurrection from the dead as "the crucial point" of Jesus' life. Without the resurrection, the pope said, Jesus would be merely "a failed religious leader." In a brief epilogue, the pope looked at the ascension of Christ into heaven, a concept that may be difficult for people to understand, he said. With the ascension, Jesus' presence with God is not "spatial" but divine. In joining God his father, Jesus "has not gone away but remains close to us," accessible throughout history and in every place, the pope said.