SPIRITUAL

When Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005, he became the most accomplished theologian to ascend to the Papacy in several hundred years. Over the previous fifty years of his life he had written scores of theological works; even his critics have acknowledged his erudition and intellect. Accessible and illuminating, ''Jesus of Nazareth'' is an antidote to the academic search for the 'historical' Jesus. Written by an author who is not only the head of the Catholic Church but also a respected theologian in his own right, this book is full of insight, humility and honesty. The Pope has called ''Jesus of Nazareth'', 'solely an expression of my personal search ''for the face of the Lord''. Everyone is free, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial willingness to sympathise, without which there can be no understanding.' The author's fundamental purpose in this book is to restore and renew 'the interior friendship with Jesus a figure that makes sense and feels right in historical terms.' An informative and insightful portrait of the figure that emerges in the Gospels, it is a deeply spiritual work that contends with the dramatic and provocative questions of faith. Important and valuable to those disillusioned by troubled times and in the wake of recent scepticism, ''Jesus of Nazareth'' will engage and provoke thought in anyone who seeks a relationship with God.