The definitive record of the life of Joseph Ratzinger。 Peter Seewald’s first volume is brimming with theological intrigue， historical fact， and Catholic anecdote。 It’s written with a flair to satisfy the faithful， but in no way panders to a dialectic of the church versus the world， or any such plight of enemies and foe。 It’s an objective study of the years 1927–1965 and a stark reminder of just how eventful and transformative the 20th century was in the lives of many， not just Ratzinger and his The definitive record of the life of Joseph Ratzinger。 Peter Seewald’s first volume is brimming with theological intrigue， historical fact， and Catholic anecdote。 It’s written with a flair to satisfy the faithful， but in no way panders to a dialectic of the church versus the world， or any such plight of enemies and foe。 It’s an objective study of the years 1927–1965 and a stark reminder of just how eventful and transformative the 20th century was in the lives of many， not just Ratzinger and his family。The future Pope grew up with Catholic parents in Bavaria。 They partook in religious festivals and he was clearly zealous and curious for the ‘spirit’ at an early age。 However， these hopes for priesthood were dashed by the horrors of Nazi Germany and its ongoing turmoil with the church。 Brace yourself for a history lesson here on shocking Nazi Christian state ideology and deathly persecutions of the martyrs and many thousands of other religious denominations， including the infamous “July plot” to assassinate Hitler with the evangelical Dietrich Bonhoeffer。 Ratzinger emerges into a post-war continent lost in faith， but he overcomes the odds by engaging in intellectual learning at a seminary and is soon influential in a large network of theologians across Europe。Here the book casts in-depth knowledge of， namely， the priesthood， the beauty of divine liturgy （according to Ratzinger）， and the adventure of a dialogue with God。 A striking comment by Ratzinger is that a priest must above all be able to support people in pain。 The “ability to accept and stand suffering is a fundamental condition for successful human living。 If that is not learned， then failure is inevitable。” Benedict was well known for his serious commitment and concern towards pastoral care。 And Seewald’s extensive inclusion of tapes with Ratzinger make for authoratative reading of the theology。The last third of the book moves into Ratzinger’s role in the Second Vatican Council， in particular the ‘November crisis’ controversy。 It ultimately highlights how he’s always tried to unite traditions rather than act as either a conservative or progressive。 The Council’s intent and legacy has never been so clear to a lay-reader， and one is baffled at how spiritual clarity can turn into such a Herculean task for the church。 But that’s the crux of tradition; it’s apparently worth fighting tooth and nail for。 It would take a separate volume entirely to actually understand what really went on there…It’s fair to say， though， in this first volume we see why Ratzinger was arguably the greatest theologian ever to sit on the chair of St。 Peter。 And I expect the second volume， the road to becoming Pope Benedict XVI and his pontificate， will make for even more compelling reading。 But how Seewald will fit it all into a single volume is dramatic enough in and of itself。 Whatever the outcome， the satisfaction of a thorough and lengthy biography can certainly be expected。 。。。more