This book is specifically about Jesus from the baptism in the Jordan river to his transfiguration on the mountain. I think the most important thing to say about this book is that it is both scholarly and Catholic. For those who deal with the New Testament as a mere text rather than the revealed Word this book is going to miss the mark because the Holy Father writes with the basic assumption of Catholic truth.
For the Catholic though, the tone of the book may feel a bit dry and scholarly. It's not a feel-good work filled with vague platitudes, instead it's an insight into the mind of Joseph Ratzinger who is at his core an academic. I think the best part of the book was his engagement with a Rabbi on why he couldn't follow Jesus. It highlights what Jesus said and did from a Jewish perspective, which of course was what Christ was living within. Things that we take for granted shine newly when you see how Jewish thought perceives them, tensions that you don't see from a Christian perspective.
I enjoyed this book, and it's something I will come back to an re-read in bits and pieces at a later time, but it isn't for everyone.
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