The first half is said to have been written by Benedict in German, his first language, in the summer of 2005; the second half is derived from uncompleted writings left by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Paruhan pertamanya konon ditulis oleh Paus Benediktus dalam bahasa Jerman pada musim panas 2005, dan paruhan keduanya diambil dari tulisan-tulisan yang tak terselesaikan dari pendahulunya, Paus Yohanes Paulus II.