September 14, 2009 // Uncategorized

Second volume of 'Jesus of Nazareth' expected next spring

Todays Catholic

By John Thavis 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI’s second volume on the life of Jesus is likely to be completed sometime next spring, a Vatican spokesman said.

The book is expected to cover Christ’s childhood, passion, death and resurrection. The first volume, the best-selling “Jesus of Nazareth,” was published in 2007.

The spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, told Catholic News Service Sept. 13 that next spring was a “realistic” target date for completion. He added that readying the manuscript for publication and translating it into other languages could add to the timeline, however.

The pope has been working on the volume over the last two years, especially during his summer vacations. When he broke his right wrist at the start of his vacation in July, he was said to have been particularly disappointed because it meant he couldn’t write for several weeks.

The 448-page first volume, “Jesus of Nazareth,” covered the life of Christ from the time of his baptism in the Jordan River to the transfiguration before his disciples. In it, Pope Benedict said Christ must be understood as the Son of God on a divine mission, not as a mere moralist or social reformer.

The book said that while Christ did not bring a blueprint for social progress, he did bring a new vision based on love that challenges the evils of today’s world — from the brutality of totalitarian regimes to the “cruelty of capitalism.”