Introduction to Christianity
by Joseph Ratzinger
Tübingen, 1967. A forty-year-old German theologian lectures to students from every faculty about what Christians actually believe. The theologian was Joseph Ratzinger. The lectures became this book. Decades later, its author became Pope Benedict XVI.
Ratzinger starts with the hardest question: what does it mean to say “I believe” in a world that trusts only what it can measure? Then he walks the Apostles' Creed: God, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the resurrection. His writing is philosophical and searching, yet strikingly personal. He takes doubt seriously, even the believer's own. And he keeps hammering one point home. Faith is not about holding opinions. It is about trusting a Person.
It suits thoughtful inquirers, readers with some philosophy or theology behind them, and catechists who want depth. It is demanding, so read it slowly, ideally with a group. The revised edition adds a later preface in which Ratzinger looks back on the book.
Key Takeaways
- What it really means to say “I believe.”
- The Apostles' Creed, article by article.
- Faith as trust in a Person, not a set of opinions.
- An honest treatment of doubt.
It is a future pope's reflection on the Apostles' Creed, line by line.
