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90 of 92 people found the following review helpful: A Great Follow-up to Jesus of Nazareth, August 6, 2007 By  Michael Dubruiel "annunciations.wordpress.com" (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews       In some way this book was being written at the same time as Jesus of Nazareth as Pope Benedict gave his weekly teaching on the Apostles that Jesus chose and that the Church chose after Jesus' resurrection. The pope had insisted that in Jesus of Nazareth he was writing as Joseph Ratizinger, not as the Pope--but in this book we have the clear teaching of Pope Benedict with some of the same conclusions as he reaches in Jesus of Nazareth, but also a lot more that touches on some issues that were found wanting in the later work by some scholars. One of Pope Benedict's loudest critics of Jesus of Nazareth was the former Catholic (now Jewish) scholar Geza Vermes who wrote in his review of the book in The Times of London saying "Another recurrent theme in Ratzinger's perception of Christ is that Jesus intended the Gospel to be preached to all the nations. If so, did he just forget Jesus' sayings that contradict the universality of the apostolic mission, namely, that both Jesus and his disciples were sent only to the "lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew x, 5-6; xv, 24)." In this book The Apostles, the Pope answers this criticism, showing how the accounts that we have in the Bible show that Jesus clearly intended to create a Church that would reach out beyond the limited scope of Israel. He also provides an excellent overview of what can be known from the Bible and the early church about the first followers of Jesus--as well as what lessons we can derive from their example. This is an excellent follow-up to Jesus of Nazareth and like everything that Joseph Ratzinger writes is clear and precise--while at the same time incredibly inspirational. The publisher has also created Study Guide for the Apostles by Pope Benedict XVI which will make this book a great small group study item for churches wishing to delve deeper into the Biblical accounts of those Jesus chose to follow Him. I am the author of The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: Solid history and catechesis, January 16, 2008 By  Stratiotes Doxha Theon "Στρ ... (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews With brevity and flair, Pope Benedict XVI takes us on a journey through the lives of each Apostle and their immediate followers such as Stephen, Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, Apollos, and more. Legend takes a backseat to the more historically-founded evidence yet the men and women who knew Jesus still loom large in the imagination and provide valuable lessons as human beings. The chapters are short, made up of a collection of homilies given through 2006 and early 2007. For the most part, the lessons provided are simple yet profound. A solid work as historical study or catecheses and well worth the study.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)

54 of 62 people found the following review helpful: Catching up on so much I don't know, July 30, 2007 By  Nature Aunt (Westfield, IN USA) - See all my reviews Wow, what an opportunity..to hear about Church history--first hand--from the Holy Father. I learned so much about my church, my faith and found the stories of the saints so inspiring. I'm also amazed that the head of the Church can write in a way that the average Catholic actually enjoys reading..it's not some academic sounding textbook.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)