Benedict XVIs Jesus of Nazareth represents an attempt to reveal the face and nature of Jesus Christ in the midst of a period of history when many biblical scholars claim that we can know little to nothing with certainty about the true Jesus. While respectful of the historical-critical method and the insights it reveals, Benedict XVI underlines its limits and argues that its dominance of contemporary scriptural exegesis has damaged Christian faith and distorted many Christians understanding of the practical demands of Christian faith, including issues of a political and economic nature. This essay situates Jesus of Nazareth in the context of developments in biblical exegesis over the past four hundred years, while simultaneously sketching some of its implications for Christian thought about the temporal order.
Marcelo Schez Sorondo, "The Importance and Contemporary Relevance of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth," Journal of Markets & Morality 11, no. 1 (Spring 2008): 7-25