Breaking news: Instant New York Times Bestseller! [PDF]

Panel of Scholars Reacts to Pope's New Book

On March 10, an unprecedented press conference featured a renowned interfaith group of biblical scholars and theologians discussing the Pope, the book, and its impact.

The panel includes Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, founder and publisher of Ignatius Press and a former student of then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI); Dr. Jacob Neusener of Bard College, author of A Rabbi Talks With Jesus; Dr. Craig A. Evans of Acadia University's (Canada) Acadia Divinity College and co-author of Jesus, The Last Days; Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFMCap, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Doctrine; Dr. Brant Pitre of Notre Dame Seminary (Louisiana) and author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper; Dr. Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky) and author of The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth; and Mark Brumley, president and CEO of Ignatius Press and author of the study guides for both of Benedict XVI's volumes on Christ's life.

Share this video

  • Facebook Click here to share..
  • Twitter Share this short URL:
  • Embed Put this HTML code in your blog or web page:

What happened during the final week of Jesus of Nazareth's earthly life? How did the man whom many hailed as the Messiah on Palm Sunday come to be rejected by the leaders of his own people just a few days later? Was he a political revolutionary? Who was respon­sible for his death — the Romans or the Jewish authorities ... or both? How did Jesus view his suffering and death? How should we? And most importantly, did Jesus really rise from the dead? In Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week – From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, Pope Benedict XVI takes up these and other crucial questions. He dares readers to grapple with the meaning of Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection. Read more or order

Browse the Table of Contents

Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, was born at Marktl am Inn, Diocese of Passau (Germany), on Holy Saturday, April 16, 1927. He was baptized on the same day. He received his priestly ordination on June 29, 1951. He became Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977, and Pope Paul VI made him a cardinal in June of that same year. The Venerable Pope John Paul II approved Cardinal Ratzinger's election as Dean of the College of Cardinals in 2002. As such, he presided over John Paul II's funeral ceremonies in 2005, and convened the conclave to elect his successor 10 days later. The College of Cardinals elected him the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005. Read more