In this bold, momentous work, Joseph Ratzinger-in his first book written since he became Pope-seeks to salvage the person of Jesus from recent popular depictions and to restore Jesus' true identity as discovered in the Gospels. Through his brilliance as a theologian and his personal conviction as a believer, the Pope shares a rich, compelling, flesh-and-blood portrait of Jesus and invites us to encounter, face-to-face, the central figure of the Christian faith.