Joseph Ratzinger was Professor of theology at Munich and Regensburg before becoming head of the Congreation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected Pope taking the name Benedict XVI in 2005. 

A fascinating and insightful volume collecting together the key writings of Joseph Ratzinger, some of them yet untranslated, from his youthful and more progressive writings, to his 'transition period' following his disillusionment with the aftermath of Vatican II, to his time as Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith down to 2005. The emphasis will be upon Joseph Ratzinger as 'private theologian', his many writings released in a personal capacity for such will chart the formation of and comment upon the official statements and texts released under his name in a more informative fashion than the simple inclusion of the formulaic 'official texts' themselves.

Following a section providing insight into the fundamental and systematic theological background and development of Joseph Ratzinger's thought, further thematic sections will also be included, for example, Joseph Ratzinger's writings on Ecclesiology, on Theology and the Role of Theologians, on the Eucharist, on Religious Pluralism, on Sacramental Theology, Ecumenism, on Truth, on the Contemporary Historical Era, on Magisterium and on Faith Morals etc.

The volume will open with an introductory essay charting the life and career, the achievements of and the controversies surrounding the new pope. Each reading will be prefaced by a brief introduction to its context and themes and will be followed by recommended further reading on its respective subject matter.

PREFACE: AIMS AND APPROACH
INTRODUCTION: Joseph Ratzinger - His Life, Thought And Work
1. THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (LB) Revelation, Scripture and Tradition Enduring Importance of Church Fathers for Theology Faith and Reason History, Doctrine and Hermeneutics Problems with Modern Theological Hermeneutics a. Introduction b. Theology and Exegesis c. The Limits of Theological Hermeneutics Theology Today
2. HUMANITY AND SALVATION: ANTHROPOLOGY & SOTERIOLOGY (LB) Christology Religious Anthropology Salvation Sacramentology Eschatology
3. UNDERSTANDING THE CHURCH: FUNDAMENTAL ECCLESIOLOGY (GM) The Essential Nature of the Church On the Scope and Tasks of Ecclesiology The Ecclesiology of Communion: a Project on the Way Church Local and Universal: Revisiting the Dilemma The Church of the Future
4. THE CHURCH IN RELATION TO THE WORLD: THE CHALLENGES OF THESE TIMES The Mailaises of Modernity: Liberalism, Atheism, Marxism The Problematic Reception of Gaudium et spes Europe Church, Faith and Politics
5. CHRISTIAN UNITY AND DIALOGUE: ON ECUMENISM AND OTHER FAITHS Extra Ecclesia Nulla Salus (Outside the Church There is No Salvation) Defining Churches and Ecclesial Communities: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism Ecumenical Realities Today The Uniqueness of Christian Salvation Against Pluralism and Relativism
6. TEACHING AND AUTHORITY: DIMENSIONS OF MAGISTERIUM The Relationship between the Bishops and the Papacy: a Reading of Lumen Gentium Free Expression and Obedience in the Church The Ecclesial Vocation of the Catholic Theologian The Structure and Task of the Synod of Bishops Magisterium and Morality Conscience, Truth and Dissent
7. LITURGY, MINISTRY AND CATECHESIS Ministry Today The Liturgy and the Life of the Church The Eucharist - Heart of Ecclesial Life The Task of Catechesis The Teaching Office of the Bishop
8. INTERPRETING THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL Interpreting the Documents of Vatican II: between the Spirit and the Letter of the Council Interpreting the Dogmatic Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilum) Interpreting the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in Our Times (Gaudium et spes) Who Has the Authority to Receive Vatican II? Renewal not Revolution