The Vatican threw a launch party yesterday for the pope formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger's first book as the heir to St. Peter. Jesus of Nazareth will be on European bookshelves Monday, Benedict XVI's 80th birthday; an English version is scheduled for release in May. From the LA Times:

In the 448-page tome, Benedict takes on half a century of revisionist scholars who he believes threaten the Roman Catholic faith by distorting the true nature of Christ as both man and God. He calls on readers to reacquaint themselves with "the real Jesus," the Jesus presented in the Gospels.

None of this postmodern nonsense, he writes, that regards Jesus as something less than divine. Introducing doubts undercuts the essence of Christianity, the pope says.

"Intimate friendship with Jesus, on which everything depends, is at risk of floundering in a void," the pope writes.