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Catholic Studies Bundle, XL (300 vols.)

by 109 authors Thomas à Kempis, John Henry Newman, P. E. Pusey, Cyril of Alexandria, E. B. Pusey, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Desiderius Erasmus, Gilbert K. Chesterton, Bede, Edward Marshall, Robert Roberts, Nicolas Udall, Thomas G. Weinandy, Daniel A. Keating, John Yocum, David Lewis, Benedict Zimmerman, John of the Cross, John Damascene, Bernard of Clairvaux, Joseph Ratzinger, Manlio Simonetti, Raymond Edward Brown, Louise Ropes Loomis, Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine's Abbey, Boethius, Bonaventure, Alban Butler, Theodore Alois Buckley, Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, Thomas Arnold, William E. Addis, James J. McGovern, John Paul II, Joseph Pohle, Arthur Preuss, Watkin W. Williams, Cornelius à Lapide, J. M. Neale, Richard Frederick Littledale, Thomas Olden, Saint Patrick, Irene Grassl, Vincent McNabb, Catherine of Siena, P. Trudel, Hugh of Saint Victor, Nicholas Patrick Wiseman, John Thein, Ernest Brehaut, Ernest F. H. Capey, Marcus Dods, Robert H. Murray, Jacques de Vitry, John F. Sullivan, Richard Rolle, Ludwig Ott, Francis Ernest Gigot, Hans Urs von Balthasar, George Leo Haydock, Karl Joseph von Hefele, John O'Brien, Benedict of Nursia, John Dalton, Teresa of Ávila, Francis de Sales, Scott Hahn, W. H. Hutchings, John Healy, F. E. Brightman, C. E. Hammond, David Torevell, Peter Abelard, Heloise, John MacEvilly, Edward H. Landon, Anthony of Padua, Gregory the Great, Sylvester Joseph Hunter, Claudia Carlen, Peter S. Williamson, George Lewis, Origen, John Gilmary Shea, Frederick Justus Knecht, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, Robert Bland, Owen Chadwick, Thomas O'Loughlin, Elder Mullan, Ignatius of Loyola, Roy J. Deferrari, Henry Denzinger, Karl Rahner, Anselm of Canterbury, H. J. Lawlor, Coventry Patmore, Marianne Caroline Patmore, T. N. Taylor, Thérèse of Lisieux, Augusta Theodosia Drane, Albert the Great, John Parker, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, J. A. Giles, Paschal Robinson, Francis of Assisi

95 publishers Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft,Logos Bible Software,Basil Montagu Pickering,James Parker & Co.,Rivingtons,Church Press Company,Merrymount,John Lane,Robert Roberts,D. Appleton and Company,T&T Clark,J. G. & F. Rivington,Thomas Baker,Macmillan Co.,William Heinemann,Browne and Nolan,Benziger Brothers,R. & T. Washbourne,Ignatius,Yale University Press,Columbia University Press,A & C Black,Harvard University Press,Burns and Oates,St. Anthony Guild Press,P. J. Kenedy,George Routledge & Co.,Libreria Editrice Vaticana,John Henry Parker,United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,The Catholic Publication Society Co.,Extension Press,Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.,B. Herder,Teachers College,SPCK,Gibbings & Co.,John Hodges,John Grant,Joseph Masters,Pott and Amery,Open Court,J. Nisbet & Co.,James McGlashan,James Toovey,Patrick Donahoe,Society of SS. Peter & Paul,Longman,Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.,Burns, Lambert, and Oates,Methuen & Co.,Columbia University,P. S. King & Son,Hodder and Stoughton,Burns, Oates, & Co.,Cassell and Company,David Nutt,Sands & Co.,P. J. Kenedy & Sons,Crossroad,W. E. Blake & Son,Edward Dunigan and Brother,Thomas Richardson and Son,Sweet and Maxwell,T. Jones,M. H. Gill & Son,Doubleday,Walter Smith,Burns & Lambert,J. M. Dent & Company,Sealy, Bryers & Walker,Clarendon Press,Oxford University Press,Geo. F. McKiernan & Co.,Gill & Son,J. & C. Mozley,J. Masters & Co.,Dodd, Mead and Company,J. T. Hayes,J. G. F. & J. Rivington,Francis & John Rivington,George H. Doran Company,St. John's Boston Ecclesiastical Seminary,Pierian Press,Pontifical Biblical Institute,Peter Eckler,T. Egerton,Westminster,Suttaby and Co.,Baker Academic,M. Billing, Son, and Co.,Chatto & Windus,Boni and Liveright,James Bohn,Dolphin Press 1814–2011

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Catholic Studies Bundle, XL (300 vols.)
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Overview

Pack your library with this complete Catholic add-on! Get classic Catholic insights on Scripture throughout the ages, core Catholic philosophy from Chesterton, theology from Hans Urs von Balthasar, biographies and writings of the saints, a collection of Catholic dictionaries and encyclopedias, catechisms, and council documents from Trent, Vatican I and II, and more.

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Titles
Catechism of the Catholic Church        
Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae        
Vatican II Documents        
The Catechism of the Council of Trent        
The Canons and Decrees of The Council of Trent        
The Sources of Catholic Dogma        
The Decrees of the Vatican Council (Vatican I, English)        
Biblia Sacra Vulgata        
The Confessions of Saint Augustine        
The Book of the Popes        
Pictorial Lives of the Saints        
Saint Anselm’s Book of Meditations and Prayers        
A History of the Mass and Its Ceremonies in the Eastern and Western Church        
The Dark Night of the Soul        
The Ascent of Mount Carmel        
The Imitation of Christ        
Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi        
The Practice of the Presence of God        
The Spiritual Exercises        
A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church (2 vols.)        
The Interior Castle        
The Story of a Soul, with Letters        
Saint Bernard on Consideration        
Saint Bernard on the Love of God        
The Holy Rule        
Redemptor Hominis        
Dives in Misericordia        
Laborem Exercens        
Slavorum Apostoli        
Dominum et Vivificantem        
Redemptoris Mater        
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis        
Redemptoris Missio        
Centesimus Annus        
Veritatis Splendor        
Evangelium Vitae        
Ut Unum Sint        
Fides et Ratio        
Ecclesia de Eucharistia        
Deus Caritas Est        
Spe Salvi        
Caritas in Veritate        
Nova Vulgata: Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio        
A Dictionary of Canon Law        
The Book of Saints        
A Catholic Dictionary        
Ecclesiastical Dictionary        
The Externals of the Catholic Church        
Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia        
A History of the Councils of the Church, vols. 1–5        
Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture        
The Didache: A Window on the Earliest Christians        
The Introduction to the Devout Life        
Lives of the Saints        
Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ        
The Founders of the New Devotion: Being the Lives of Gerard Groote, Florentius Radewin, and Their Followers        
The Chronicle of the Canons Regular of Mount St. Agnes        
A Meditation on the Incarnation of Christ, Sermons on the Life and Passion of Our Lord, and Of Hearing and Speaking Good Words        
Sermons to the Novices Regular        
The Soliloquy of the Soul        
The Little Garden of Roses and Valley of Lilies        
Outlines of Dogmatic Theology        
The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide (8 vols.)        
Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers (4 vols.)        
Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God’s Saving Promises        
Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis        
Summa Contra Gentiles        
Orthodoxy        
Heretics        
What I Saw in America        
The New Jerusalem        
All Things Considered        
What’s Wrong with the World        
A Miscellany of Men        
Divorce vs. Democracy        
Utopia of Usurers        
The Superstition of Divorce        
Eugenics and Other Evils        
God: His Knowability, Essence, and Attributes        
The Divine Trinity: A Dogmatic Treatise        
God: The Author of Nature and the Supernatural        
Christology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Incarnation        
Soteriology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Redemption        
Mariology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Blessed Virgin Mary        
Grace, Actual and Habitual: A Dogmatic Treatise        
The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 1        
The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 2        
The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 3        
The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 4        
Eschatology, or the Catholic Doctrine of the Last Things: A Dogmatic Treatise        
The Confession of St. Patrick        
The Life and Writings of St. Patrick        
The Philocalia of Origen        
A Commentary upon the Gospel According to S. Luke, vol. 1        
Commentary on the Gospel According to S. John, vols. 1–2        
Five Tomes against Nestorius; Scholia on the Incarnation; Christ is One; Fragments against Diore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, the Synousiasts        
The Three Epistles of S. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (3 vols.)        
Aquinas on Doctrine: A Critical Introduction        
Losing the Sacred: Ritual, Modernity and Liturgical Reform        
The Papal Encyclicals (5 vols.)        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 1: Seeing the Form        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 2: Clerical Styles        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 3: Lay Styles        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 4: The Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 5: The Realm of Metaphysics in the Modern Age        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 6: Theology: The Old Covenant        
The Glory of the Lord, vol. 7: Theology: The New Covenant        
Theo–Drama, vol. 1: Prolegomena        
Theo–Drama, vol. 2: Dramatis Personae        
Theo–Drama, vol. 3: Dramatis Personae        
Theo–Drama, vol. 4: The Action        
Theo–Drama, vol. 5: The Last Act        
Theo–Logic, vol. 1: The Truth of the World        
Theo–Logic, vol. 2: Truth of God        
Theo–Logic, vol. 3: The Spirit of the Truth        
Epilogue        
Behold the Pierced One: An Approach to a Spiritual Christology        
Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today        
Church, Ecumenism and Politics: New Endeavors in Ecclesiology        
Co–Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year        
Credo for Today: What Christians Believe        
God is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life        
Introduction to Christianity (rev. ed.)        
Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection        
Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology        
The God of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God        
The Nature and Mission of Theology        
The Spirit of the Liturgy        
Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief and World Religions        
What It Means to Be a Christian        
The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite (2 vols.)        
Against War        
Ciceronianus or A Dialogue on the Best Style of Speaking        
The Colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus (3 vols.)        
The Complaint of Peace        
Enchiridion Militis Christiani or The Manual of the Christian Knight        
Epistles of Erasmus (3 vols.)        
In Praise of Folly        
Proverbs Chiefly Taken from the Adagia of Erasmus        
The Apophthegmes of Erasmus        
Institutio Principis Christiani: Chapters III–XI        
Erasmus        
Erasmus and other Essays        
Erasmus and Luther: Their Attitude to Toleration        
The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke        
The Death of the Messiah, from Gethsemane to the Grave, vols. 1–2        
An Introduction to the Gospel of John        
An Introduction to the New Testament        
The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation        
The Historical Works of Venerable Bede        
Explanation of the Apocalypse        
An Exposition of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark        
An Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke        
An Exposition of the Gospel of St. John        
An Exposition of the Epistles of St. Paul and of the Catholic Epistles (2 vols.)        
Outlines of Jewish History        
Outlines of the Life of Our Lord        
Outlines of New Testament History        
General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures        
Arians of the Fourth Century        
Two Essays on Scripture Miracles and on Ecclesiastical        
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine        
Essays: Critical and Historical (2 vols.)        
An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent        
The Via Media of the Anglican Church (2 vols.)        
Apologia Pro Vita Sua        
Stray Essays on Various Controversial Points        
Lectures on Justification        
Lectures on Certain Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Submitting to the Catholic Church        
Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England        
The Idea of a University: Defined and Illustrated        
Historical Sketches (3 vols.)        
Tracts: Theological and Ecclesiastical        
The Dream of Gerontius        
Parochial and Plain Sermons (8 vols.)        
Sermons Bearing on Subjects of the Day        
Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford        
Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations        
Sermons Preached on Various Occasions        
Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary        
A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture        
Liturgies Eastern and Western        
Liturgies Eastern and Western: Eastern Liturgies        
The Theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria        
The Sayings of the Fathers        
Boethius: The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy        
Morals on the Book of Job (3 vols.)        
An Encyclopedist of the Dark Ages: Isidore of Seville        
On Holy Images        
Barlaam and Ioasaph (English and Greek Texts)        
Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine        
The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor        
The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise        
St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s Life of St. Malachy of Armagh        
Concerning Grace and Free Will        
Life and Works of Saint Bernard, vol. 1        
Life and Works of Saint Bernard, vol. 2        
St. Bernard’s Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles (2 vols.)        
Sermons of St. Bernard on Advent and Christmas        
The Moral Concordances of Saint Anthony of Padua        
The Exempla or Illustrative Stories from the Sermones Vulgares of Jacques de Vitry        
Ninety–Nine Homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the Epistles and Gospels for Forty–Nine Sundays of the Christian Year        
The Religious State, the Episcopate and the Priestly Office        
The Bread of Life, or, St. Thomas Aquinas on the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar        
The Life of Christ        
The Virtues of a Religious Superior        
The Life of Saint Francis        
Mystical Opuscula        
Breviloquium        
On Union with God        
The Form of Perfect Living and Other Prose Treatises        
Treatise on Consummate Perfection        
The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin Catherine of Siena        
Medieval Preachers and Medieval Preaching        
A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 1: Psalm 1 to Psalm 38        
A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 2: Psalm 39 to Psalm 80        
A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 3: Psalm 81 to Psalm 118        
A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 4: Psalm 119 to Psalm 150        

Key Features

  • Details of the doctrine, dogma, and basic tenets of the Catholic Church
  • Discourses the fundamentals of the Catholic faith
  • Essential works of Catholic theology and dogma in the English language
  • Exegetical overview of key points in the life of Christ

Individual Titles

Catechism of the Catholic Church

  • Publisher: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Publication Date: 2000
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Any study of Catholicism must begin with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Officially promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1997, it is the first “universal” Catholic catechism since the Reformation and only the second in history. It is an epochal work that expresses the tenets of the Catholic faith consistent with their articulation at the Second Vatican Council, while remaining in organic unity with the tradition of the Church, drawing in abundance on the sources of Sacred Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and magisterial authority. If one wants to know what the Catholic Church teaches, the Catechism, as John Paul II stated, is the “sure norm.”

The beauty and profundity of the text is such that while it was intended as a reference work, it is often read as devotional literature, permeated as it is with a subtle theology of love and communion. It is nevertheless comprehensive in its treatment, covering everything from contraception to the doctrine of the Trinity, from Purgatory to papal infallibility.

The Catechism is organized around the most shared aspects of the Christian faith—for example, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Our Father—and so is a welcome tool for facilitating dialogue between all Christians. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, oversaw the drafting of the text, and he has repeatedly pointed to the Catechism as a significant step toward an authoritative interpretation of the “Spirit of Vatican II,” toward a cessation of conflicts which have often rent the Church in the aftermath of the council, and toward a rapprochement with those Christians whom the council termed “Separated Brethren.”

Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a work that deserves a place in every Christian’s library.

Vatican II Documents

  • Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Nearly a century after the First Vatican Council, the Second Vatican Council, commonly known as Vatican II, was held between 1962–1965. This assembly, invoked by Pope John XXIII, met to discuss matters of faith and Church discipline. Over 2,000 Patriarchs, Cardinals, residing Bishops, Abbots, male heads of religious orders, and other nominated persons participated each autumn in the four year event. From this assembly four Constitutions, three Declarations, and nine Decrees were produced, creating major changes for Catholic life and worship worldwide. The Vatican II Documents are essential for understanding the spirited, and sometimes contentious, conversations within Catholicism for the last fifty years.

The Logos Bible Software edition of the Vatican II Documents is the English translation published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana. With the extensively linked Vatican II Documents, resources such as the Early Church Fathers Special Catholic Edition, the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Catholic Theology and Dogma Collection become even more powerful as you explore them together.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

  • Author: Sylvester Joseph Hunter
  • Publisher: George Routledge and Co.
  • Publication Date: 1852
  • Pages: 591
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Previously called the Roman Catechism, The Catechism of the Council of Trent is considered by many to be the most important Catholic catechism. Although originally designed as a resource for parish priests to provide instruction, it is now used extensively by laypeople as a source of core Catholic theology. It contains the basic tenets of the Catholic faith, providing clear explanations of what is necessary for salvation. It also includes material on the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, the Sacraments, and more.

The Council of Trent commissioned the first Church-wide catechism, finished in 1564. The Council dealt with the growing concern in the Church over the Protestant Reformation, and recognized the need for a document to teach the basics of the Catholic faith. The first English translation of the catechism was completed in 1839.

Every Catholic home should have this important catechism about the Holy Catholic Faith as it was reaffirmed by the present Holy Father, Benedict XVI, to be an important Catholic catechism.

—Online reviewer

Sylvester Joseph Hunter (1829-1896) was born in Bath, and his family moved to London shortly thereafter. He attended St. Paul’s School before enrolling at Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1852 and began practicing law, publishing two legal textbooks. In 1857, Hunter converted to Catholicism, following his two sisters into the church. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1861 and was ordained as a priest in 1870. Hunter quickly became a respected writer and scholar, earning a teaching post at Stonyhurst College. He also began training Jesuit priests in 1875, and was appointed as Rector of St. Beuno’s College. Sylvester Joseph Hunter died only two years after the first edition of his 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology was published.

The Canons and Decrees of The Council of Trent

  • Translator: Theodore Alois Buckly
  • Publisher: George Routledge and Co.
  • Publication Date: 1958
  • Pages: 544
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

The Council of Trent convened in response to the teaching and rapid spread of the Protestant Reformation. In fact, its primary intent was to condemn and refute every Reformed doctrine. The Council issued numerous decrees and formal statements of Catholic doctrine on topics of salvation, the sacraments, and the canon. This council met for twenty five sessions from 1545 to 1563. The decrees issued at Trent have never been overturned and many were reaffirmed again at the Second Vatican Council during the 1960s.

The Sources of Catholic Dogma

  • Author: Henry Denzinger
  • Publisher: B. Herder Book Co.
  • Publication Date: 1957
  • Pages: 715
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Denzinger’s collection of articles of faith and morality for the Catholic Church is widely used as a comprehensive reference book. Presented in a practical and accessible manner, it includes dogmatic definitions, creeds of the faith, and decrees of Church leadership. Since its first printing a century and a half ago, this book has received accolades and wide appeal among Catholic scholarly works. First published in 1854 as Enchiridion Symbolorum et Definitionum, Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma is among the most important works of dogmatic theology in print today.

This book should be on the shelves of every English-speaking Catholic, beside a copy of The Haydock Bible (The Douay-Rheims Old and New Testament) and Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. The Bible is the only perfect book but these books will provide a lifetime of contemplation of ‘those mysteries of faith which must be known and believed in order to be numbered among the elect’ (Pope Pius X, Acerbo Nimis, 2).

—Mark Michael Zima, author of Mother Teresa: The Case for The Cause

Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger (1819–1844) was a prominent Catholic theologian. He studied at Würzburg, where he received his PhD, and also studied in Rome. He was ordained in 1844 and became professor of dogmatic theology at Würzburg in 1848.

The Decrees of the Vatican Council (Vatican I, English)

  • Editor: Vincent McNabb
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Publication Date: 1907
  • Pages: 47
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

The First Vatican Council was the twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, which met three hundred years after the Council of Trent. It was convened in order to refute modern theological differences and to define Catholic doctrine in response to the rise of modernism. The First Vatican Council approved two constitutions: one on the Dogmatic Constitution of the Catholic Faith, and the other—famously—on papal infallibility. The council also clarified the role of the pope in the Roman Catholic Church.

Vincent McNabb (1868–1943) was a Dominican scholar who studied theology at St. Malachy’s College in Belfast and at the University of Louvain. McNabb was familar with Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and often discoursed on Scholastic writings such as Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. McNabb sought to unify the Angelican and Catholic doctrines, and heavily promoted that desire across his works.

Biblia Sacra Vulgata

  • Publisher: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
  • Publication Date: 1969
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Jerome’s translation of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures into the vulgar (common) tongue of his time: Latin. It was recognized as authoritative during the Council of Trent (1546) and became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. The widespread use of the Vulgate is also recognizable in its influence in early modern Bible translations, such as the Authorized, or King James, Version. Since Jerome lived in the fourth century AD, the original text “developed” much as the Greek autographs did, with geographical variant readings, etc., and the modern edition is a critical text from these variant manuscripts, much as is the case with modern Greek texts. The Vulgate continues to be of scholarly use today in the study of the textual transmission of the Bible and in the historical study of Christian theology.

The Confessions of Saint Augustine

  • Authors: S. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, and E. B. Pusey
  • Publisher: Logos Research Systems
  • Publication Date: 1996
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

The classical autobiographical work of a great saint. His theocentric testimonial of his conversion experience and his growing understanding of God. A moving depiction of the life and experiences of a believer from a different age. A must have for those who wish to move into a deeper relationship with God.

The Book of the Popes

  • Editor/Translator: Louise Ropes Loomis
  • Publisher: Columbia University Press
  • Publication Date: 1916
  • Pages: 169
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

The Book of the Popes is the English translation of Liber Pontificalis, a work thought to have originally been composed in the 5th or 6th century. It contains the biographies of popes from Saint Peter to Pelagius II. Along with the translation, Loomis provides commentary, illustrations, and extensive notes to add clarity and historical context for each entry.

Throughout the Middle Ages and until comparatively modern times, the Liber Pontificalis was accepted as not only the oldest but as also the most authentic existing history of the papacy. Extracts from it were incorporated into church liturgies. It was quoted as an authority by countless historians and ecclesiastical writers from the eighth century to the eighteenth, and continues to be indispensable for studying the history and policies of Rome and the Church in the Early Middle Ages.

With the Logos edition all Scripture passages in The Book of the Popes are tagged and appear on mouse-over. What’s more, Scripture references are linked to the wealth of language resources in your digital library. This makes these texts more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal Bible study. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “martyr” or “1 Corinthians 11:5.”

Louise Ropes Loomis was educated at Wellesley College and received her PhD from Columbia University. She was an instructor of Greek and History at Whitman College, and later taught languages and history at Bernard College and Cornell University. She is the author and translator of numerous works including Medieval Hellenism, The Council of Constance: The Unification of the Church, Five Great Dialogues, The See of Peter, and more.

Pictorial Lives of the Saints

  • Editor: John Gilmary Shea
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Publication Date: 1887
  • Pages: 545
  • Available in: S, M, L, XL

Pictorial Lives of the Saints is organized as a daily devotional. For each day the lives of that day’s saints are told and devotional images and reflections presented. The text for the lives is drawn primarily from the old edition of Butler’s lives.

Saint Anselm’s Book of Meditations and Prayers

  • Translator: M. R.
  • Publisher: Burns and Oates
  • Publication Date: 1872
  • Pages: 320
  • Available in: M, L, XL

For nearly one thousand years, theologians, philosophers, and Christian apologists have felt the effects of Anselm of Canterbury. Anselm’s theological method was rigorous and represented a seismic shift in medieval thought. He is widely considered the founder of scholastic theology. In Saint Anselm’s Book of Meditations and Prayers the reader is brought into the very heart of this great saint’s relationship with God and are asked to participate. The meditations are on such topics as “the dignity and the woe of man’s estate,” “the penitent’s address to God his Father,” and “hope for the future.”

A History of the Mass and Its Ceremonies in the Eastern and Western Church

  • Author: John O’Brien
  • Publisher: The Catholic Publication Society Co.
  • Publication Date: 1881
  • Pages: 414
  • Available in: M, L, XL

A History of the Mass and Its Ceremonies in the Eastern and Western Church begins with a brief dissertation of the principle liturgies in use in the East and the West at the turn of the last century. It then gives an account of the origin and meaning of the word “Mass” before providing a full account of the liturgy as it is performed in Catholic churches of the extraordinary rite. Starting with the preparations of the priest before the celebration, O’Brien takes the reader step-by-step through the ceremony, giving the literal and mystical meaning of everything that is done in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

There are many excellent works in the English language, both Catholic and Anglican, treating of liturgical history and cognate topics. Father O’Brien has compiled the one which for the practical use of Catholics, and also of non-Catholics who wish to understand our rites and ceremonies, is the best and the most interesting.

Catholic World

The work is a valuable one for Protestants, as well as for Roman Catholics. The present volume is well adapted to give an idea of the Roman Catholic ceremonial as it is explained by those who practice it.

Bibliotheca Sacra

John O’Brien (1841–1879) was a Roman Catholic clergyman and educator. He was a professor of liturgy, ecclesiastical history, and sacred theology at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The Dark Night of the Soul

  • Author: St. John of the Cross
  • Translator: Gabriela Cunninghame Graham
  • Publisher: John M. Watkins
  • Publication Date: 1905
  • Pages: 265
  • Available in: M, L, XL

With this poem and commentary, the pre-eminent Catholic spiritualist, St. John of the Cross, maps his long and often dark spiritual journey. The contemplations of this Carmelite monk have encouraged generations of Christians to pursue Jesus Christ regardless of the immediate spiritual experience.

St. John of the Cross was born in 1542 in Spain and was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation. He died in 1591.

The Ascent of Mount Carmel

  • Author: Author: St. John of the Cross
  • Translator: David Lewis
  • Publisher: John M. Watkins
  • Publication Date: 1905
  • Pages: 265
  • Available in: M, L, XL

St. John of the Cross portrays Mount Carmel as the mystical height of Christian spirituality and union with God. In Ascent of Mount Carmel, St. John of the Cross dissects each phase of Christian spiritual growth—both triumphs and defeats—in order to produce a manual for Christian asceticism. The spiritual considerations of St. John of the Cross have encouraged the spiritual growth of Christians for over four centuries—including the academic and spiritual development of Pope John Paul II.

St. John of the Cross was born in 1542 in Spain and was a major figure of the Counter-Reformation. He died in 1591.

The Imitation of Christ

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Publisher: Logos Research Systems
  • Publication Date: 1996
  • Pages: 284
  • Available in: M, L, XL

What does it mean to be a Christian? According to Thomas à Kempis, the Christian must completely imitate the life and example of Jesus Christ. In this classic treasure of Christian instruction, Thomas à Kempis challenges the believer to look intently upon the life of Christ and live in the pattern He established. This spiritual manual begins with the proper outward expressions of faith, moving quickly to the instruction of the reader’s spiritual formation. All the while insisting that true imitation of Christ can only occur when the heart and mind are united to Christ.

Thomas à Kempis was born in Germany in 1380. He was a Catholic monk and is best known for his book The Imitation of Christ.

Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi

  • Author: St. Francis Assisi
  • Translator: Fr. Paschal Robinson
  • Publisher: Dolphin Press
  • Publication Date: 1906
  • Pages: 208
  • Available in: M, L, XL

Saint Francis of Assisi has remained a beloved saint among all the great Christian traditions. His example of simple devotion and humble service has provided a timeless example of genuine Christian faith. Through his poverty he proved the richness of the Gospel and embodied the reality of Jesus Christ among men. This collection of writings shares some of Saint Francis’ classic contemplations on the devout life, the disciplines of asceticism and glories of God’s creation.

St. Francis Assisi was the founder of the Franciscans and was a Catholic deacon and preacher.

The Practice of the Presence of God

  • Author: Brother Lawrence
  • Publisher: H. R. Allenson
  • Publication Date: 1906
  • Pages: 60
  • Available in: M, L, XL

This classic series of letters penned by the seventeenth century Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, describes the challenge of daily walking in the presence of God. Brother Lawrence shares his own spiritual struggles with the recipient and encourages the reader with practical ways to draw closer to God and remain in his presence regardless of surrounding distractions or the busyness of life. The Practice of the Presence of God is a challenge to daily walk in communion with God, step by step and moment by moment.

Brother Lawrence was best known for his book The Practice of the Presence of God as he discussed in great detail how essential a relationship is with God. Brother Lawrence also spent time in Paris a Carmelite monastery as a layperson. He died in 1691.

The Spiritual Exercises

  • Author: St. Ignatius of Loyola
  • Translator: Elder Mullan
  • Publisher: P. J. Kenedy
  • Publication Date: 1914
  • Pages: 205
  • Available in: M, L, XL

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola is a short spiritual journey designed to direct the participant towards the discernment of God’s will and a renewed vigor to faithfully pursue him. St. Ignatius originally intended the manual to be used over the course of one month and under the supervision of a spiritual advisor. His meditations demand contemplation and the willingness to confront sin and dedicate oneself to a spiritual life.

Born in 1491, St. Ignatius of Loyola (1863–1917) was a Spanish knight, priest, theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus. He died in 1556.

A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church (2 vols.)

  • Author: Edward H. Landon
  • Publisher: John Grant
  • Publication Date: 1909
  • Pages: 814
  • Available in: M, L, XL

Since the beginnings of Christianity and the formation of the Christian church, there have been hundreds of General, Patriarchal, National, and Primatial Councils, where Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican church leaders and theologians met to discuss their church doctrines and disciplines. These councils are crucial for addressing church dogmatics, ecclesiastical canons, and official church positions. Edward H. Landon’s A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church (2 vols.) is a compendium of these councils, arranged alphabetically by council location. With over eight-hundred packed pages, A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church (2 vols.) is an invaluable reference collection that spans centuries of church council history!

The concise entries list the location, date, notable attendees, and major points of discussion in the following format:

Edward H. Landon was born at Stapleford Tawney, Essex in 1813. He earned his MA from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1839 and became Perpetual Curate of St. Philip’s Church, Dalston. He died in 1877.

The Interior Castle

  • Author: St. Teresa of Ávila
  • Translator: John Dalton
  • Publisher: James Duffy
  • Publication Date: 1866
  • Pages: 272
  • Available in: L, XL

A true masterpiece of spiritual reflection, Interior Castle contains the autobiographical journey of St. Teresa of Ávila. She describes the spiritual life as a castle with many levels. Each individual begins in the lowest level of the castle steeped in the awareness of sin and a passion for spiritual maturity. As her metaphor unfolds, St. Teresa devotes a considerable amount of time to the contemplative life and the soul’s union with God. St. Teresa was plagued by constant illness and pain, making her spiritual meditations a vivid and tangible expression of devotion to Jesus Christ.

St. Teresa of Ávila was a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with St. John of the Cross. She wrote several books and was a prominent Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun and theologian. She spent her life in Spain and died in 1582.

The Story of a Soul, with Letters

  • Author: Thérèse of Lisieux
  • Editor: T. N. Taylor
  • Publisher: Burns & Oates
  • Publication Date: 1912
  • Pages: 428
  • Available in: L, XL

Story of a Soul is the spiritual autobiography of St. Thèrése of Liseaux. Beginning with her childhood longing for the ascetic life, St. Thèrése documents the life circumstances that led her to the Carmelite tradition and her subsequent spiritual journey. Much like St. John of the Cross, St. Thèrése describes a period of prolonged darkness over her soul. Her story is one of victory and nearness to Jesus, but her spiritual journey through life was far from easy. Be encouraged by the story of this young saint and learn from her example of simple devotion to Jesus.

Thérèse of Lisieux died at the early age of twenty-four and was canonized in 1914, only seventeen years after her death. She was also a French Carmelite nun and also known as "The Little Flower of Jesus".

Saint Bernard on Consideration

  • Author: St. Bernard of Clairvaux
  • Translator: George Lewis
  • Publisher: Clarendon Press
  • Publication Date: 1908
  • Pages: 168
  • Available in: L, XL

St. Bernard’s On Consideration reminds the pastor that love for God and a rich life of prayer must precede any action in the temporal sphere—regardless of the distractions and temptations of his office. Originally written for his friend and former disciple, Pope Eugenius III, On Consideration remains a favorite of popes even to this day and was highly praised by John Calvin. St. Bernard’s meditations are an enduring source of inspiration for all pastors.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a French abbot and had a hand in the reforming Cistercian order.

Saint Bernard on the Love of God

  • Author: St. Bernard of Clairvaux
  • Translators: Marianne Caroline and Coventry Patmore
  • Publisher: Burns and Oates
  • Publication Date: 1884
  • Pages: 222
  • Available in: L, XL

On the Love of God addresses the reasons we ought to love God and the manner and different degrees of this love. St. Bernard teaches that God Himself is the motive of our love for him and that nothing is more reasonable and nothing more profitable than loving him. He then lays out the degrees whereby the soul proceeds from loving God for its own sake to loving the self only for God.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a French abbot and had a hand in the reforming Cistercian order.

The Holy Rule

  • Author: St. Benedict of Nursia
  • Publisher: Thomas Richardson and Son
  • Publication Date: 1865
  • Pages: 134
  • Available in: L, XL

St. Benedict is hailed as the father of the monastic tradition in Western Christianity. His Rule has remained the foundation and structure of Western monasticism for nearly 15 centuries. Benedict’s Rule contains seventy-three guidelines for living in an ascetic community. The themes cover include: the monk’s involvement with the outside world, the appropriate treatment of guests, and the nature of authority with the community.

St. Benedict of Nursia is honored by the Roman Catholic church as the patron saint of Europe and he founded multiple communities just outside of Rome for monks. He lived from 480 A.D.–547 A.D.

Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture

  • Author: Peter S. Williamson
  • Publisher: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico
  • Publication Date: 2001
  • Pages: 400
  • Available in: XL

This volume identifies the key principles of Catholic biblical interpretation proposed in the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s document The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. The meaning of each of these twenty principles is explained and their significance is explored in light of commentary on Scripture and contemporary scholarly discussion. Featuring a preface by Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission Albert Vanhoye, the volume also includes a glossary and a bibliography of works about the Commission’s document and of works cited.

Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture is split into six parts. Part I considers the foundational principle, that Sacred Scripture is “The word of God expressed in human language.” Part II addresses the “human language” dimension and the use of “scientific” or scholarly means to interpret it. Part III presents principles which consider Scripture as “the word of God” and relates the interpretation of Scripture to Christian faith. Part IV treats the literal, spiritual, and fuller senses of Scripture. Part V discusses the methods and approaches used by exegesis and the ways in which their use is conditioned by the unique object of their study. Part VI treats the role of the exegete and the theoretical and practical principles that guide actualization, enculturation, and the use of the Bible in the life of the Church. The study concludes with an evaluation of the Biblical Commission’s achievement, an agenda for further discussion, and remarks on the challenge ahead for Catholic exegesis.

The interpretation of Sacred Scripture is of paramount importance for Christian life. Every age of the Church has found it necessary to develop a way of interpreting the Bible that corresponds to the needs and mentality of the time while remaining faithful to the Word of God. As stated in The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, “The Scriptures belong to the entire Church . . . and all of the members of the Church have a role in the interpretation of Scripture.” Regardless of your denomination, Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture will help you take on that role competently and responsibly.

Peter S. Williamson received his MA in theology from Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and his STB, STL and STD in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is a married layman who has been involved for nearly 30 years in evangelization and pastoral ministry in the United States, and more recently in Lithuania and Kazakhstan. He presently serves as a mission associate of Renewal Ministries and teaches Scripture at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan and St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario.

The Didache: A Window on the Earliest Christians

  • Author: James J. McGovern
  • Author: Thomas O’Loughlin
  • Publisher: SPCK
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Pages: 256
  • Available in: XL

The Didache is one of the earliest Christian writings. It provides practical instructions on how a Christian community can function, and offers unique insights into the way the earliest Christians lived and worshipped.

In this highly readable introduction, Thomas O’Loughlin tells the intriguing story of the Didache, from its discovery in the late nineteenth century to the present. He then provides an illuminating commentary on the entire text, highlighting areas of special interest to Christians today, and ends with a fresh translation of the text itself.

A truly accessible commentary on this ancient text and on the early Christian communities that lie behind it, and yet one that incorporates up-to-date academic scholarship.

—Paul Bradshaw, professor of liturgy, University of Notre Dame

A valuable and thorough introduction to an important though little-studied work that provides a unique window on a corner of the early Christian world.

—Sean Freyne, emeritus professor of theology, Trinity College Dublin

I highly recommend this informed, engaging, and pastorally sensitive exploration of the Didache. Reading the text within its Jewish roots and in harmony with its New Testament parallels, Thomas O’Loughlin shows how the Didache admirably shaped the faith and practice of second-generation Christians in ways that have relevance for us today.

—Aaron Milavec, author of The Didache: Faith, Hope, and Life of the Earliest Christian Communities, 50–70 C.E.

Thomas O’Loughlin is a professor of historical theology at the University of Nottingham. His previous books include Celtic Theology: Humanity, World and God in Early Irish Writings and Saint Patrick: The Man and His Works.

An Introduction to the Devout Life

  • Author: Francis de Sales
  • Publisher: M. H. Gill and Son
  • Publication Date: 1885
  • Pages: 286
  • Available in: XL

St. Francis began An Introduction to the Devout Life as a correspondence with a married women looking to increase her spiritual devotion in the midst of a busy life; the result was a layman’s guide to the spiritual life. Each chapter is a short meditation designed to challenge and refocus the believer towards an authentic Christian life. At nearly 120 chapters, An Introduction to the Devout Life is the perfect companion for jump starting a devotional routine or continuing a life-long journey of spiritual maturity.

In addition to being an accomplished preacher, St. Francis de Sales devoted much of his life to healing religious divisions, and is known to have endured extreme conditions while preaching. He was a bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, and his writings about spiritual direction and spiritual formation have earned him recognition in the Roman Catholic Church as a Doctor of the Church.

Lives of the Saints

  • Author: Alban Butler
  • Publisher: James Duffy, John Murphy
  • Volumes: 12
  • Pages: 4,814
  • Available in: XL

The Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, from Logos Bible Software contains the unabridged text of Alban Butler’s classic work, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints. Originally published between 1756 and 1759, Butler’s magnum opus is an unparalleled English source for the study of the Christian saints. Often appearing on best-seller lists alongside the Bible, the Missal, and Thomas à Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, Butler’s Lives of the Saints is an enduring classic and has been through numerous reprints and editions in its 250 year history.

With biographical accounts of over sixteen hundred saints arranged according to the saints' feast days, Butler’s Lives of the Saints remains the authoritative hagiography (study of saints) in the English language. Butler’s work is a priceless companion for research into the historical figures of Christianity or for simply connecting with the faithful who have gone before. These volumes function perfectly as an evening meditation but are versatile enough to use for term projects, home school assignments, or real-life sermon illustrations.

Father Alban Butler (October 1709 – May 1773) is best known for his life’s work, The Lives of the Saints. A priest and hagiologist in the Roman Catholic Church of England, Butler was born in Northampton and completed his academic training at Douay. After his ordination to the priesthood, Butler served as chair of philosophy and theology at Douay. Always a man of the Church, Butler served as a missionary priest, a Catholic tutor and was eventually presided as president of the seminary at St. Omer until his death in 1773.

Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Translator: W. Duthoit
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1904
  • Pages: 330
  • Available in: XL

Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ contains 87 prayers and meditations written by medieval Catholic monk Thomas à Kempis. The prayers and meditations are divided into four parts:

  • “Devout Meditations on the Life of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and upon the Benefits Wrought by Him for Us”
  • “Of the Passion of Christ, according to the Four Evangelists”
  • “Concerning the Resurrection of Christ, and His Appearances”
  • “Of the Ascension, of Pentecost, and of Certain Other Matters”
. . . the meditations here to be found are indisputably valuable by reason of the pure and fervent piety in which they abound and which will help many a soul to enter feelingly into the passion of Christ and dwell in His sacred wounds.

New Catholic World

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

The Founders of the New Devotion: Being the Lives of Gerard Groote, Florentius Radewin, and Their Followers

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Translator: J. P. Arthur
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1905
  • Pages: 266
  • Available in: XL

The Brethren of the Common Life was a Roman Catholic pietist community dedicated to living simple lives in dedication to Jesus Christ. Shedding material possessions and living together in community houses, they dedicated their waking hours to prayer, reading and preaching sermons, and studying the Scriptures. Thomas à Kempis provides biographies of the Brethren’s founding members and principal followers.

The spirituality portrayed in these biographies is deep, unselfish, and helpful; and the book should be warmly welcomed, not only by the different religious communities, but also by that vast army of devout lay folk who realize that the life of the spirit is the only life that deserves our highest efforts.

Donahoe’s Magazine

I trust that the book will have a wide circulation, presenting, as it does, one of the brightest pages in the history of an age in which there is much that is somber.

—George Ambrose Burton, Bishop of Clifton, 1902–1931

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

The Chronicle of the Canons Regular of Mount St. Agnes

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Translator: J. P. Arthur
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1906
  • Pages: 234
  • Available in: XL

This spirited account of the founding of the house of the Canons Regular of Mount St. Agnes chronicles such things as the first building erected at the monastery, how the brothers survived with little food and clothing, the consecration of the first chapel and altar, their daily life during the plague, and more. A riveting window into medieval monastic life and late fifteenth-century Christianity.

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

A Meditation on the Incarnation of Christ, Sermons on the Life and Passion of Our Lord, and Of Hearing and Speaking Good Words

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Translator: Vincent Scully
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1907
  • Available in: XL

A Meditation on the Incarnation of Christ contains Thomas à Kempis’ reflections on testimonies from the Old and New Testaments. Also included are 35 sermons, including 5 Christmas sermons and the short essay “Hearing and Speaking Good Words.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

Sermons to the Novices Regular

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Translator: Vincent Scully
  • Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1907
  • Pages: 255
  • Available in: XL

As subprior for Monastery of Mount St. Agnes, Thomas à Kempis was in charge of instructing new candidates in the obligations, burdens, duties, and difficulties of monastic life, as well as relating rules and statutes of the Order. Sermons to the Novices Regular consists of 30 instructional sermons that were directed at the “young Religious.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

The Soliloquy of the Soul

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Publisher: Suttaby and Co.
  • Publication Date: 1883
  • Pages: 183
  • Available in: XL

The Soliloquy of the Soul contains 30 meditations and prayers that Thomas à Kempis used “in time of need for the refreshment of my heart when overcome by weariness, or cast down by sorrow.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

The Little Garden of Roses and Valley of Lilies

  • Author: Thomas à Kempis
  • Publisher: T. Jones
  • Publication Date: 1840
  • Pages: 286
  • Available in: XL

Two key works from Thomas à Kempis in one volume, The Little Garden of Roses and Valley of Lilies offers practical advice, meditations, and prayers for leading an enriched Christian life.

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) was born in Kempen, Germany. In 1392, Thomas travelled to the Netherlands to attend school, and there he was introduced to the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote’s Modern Devotion movement. After finishing school, he devoted his life to the movement, joining the Mount St. Agnes monastery. Thomas’ works evinced wide learning and deep biblical knowledge, and his work The Imitation of Christ is considered a classic in Christian literature.

Outlines of Dogmatic Theology

  • Author: Sylvester Joseph Hunter
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Volumes: 3
  • Pages: 1,616
  • Available in: XL

Sylvester Joseph Hunter’s famous 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology presents a complete course in dogmatic theology. First written to train priests for ministry—yet written in a manner accessible to the laity—this volume offers an accessible, readable, and informative introduction to Catholic dogma. Hunter ties together the various traditions and streams of theological discourse to provide a framework for understanding the church’s theology and dogma.

Sylvester Joseph Hunter (1829–1896), attended St. Paul’s School before enrolling at Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1852 and began practicing law, publishing two legal textbooks. In 1857, Hunter converted to Catholicism, following his two sisters into the church. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1861 and was ordained as a priest in 1870. Hunter quickly became a respected writer and scholar, earning a teaching post at Stonyhurst College. He also began training Jesuit priests in 1875, and was appointed as Rector of St. Beuno’s College. Sylvester Joseph Hunter died in 1896, only two years after the first edition of his 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology was published.

The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide, vols. 1–8

  • Author: Cornelius à Lapide
  • Translators: Thomas W. Mossman and W. F. Cobb
  • Volumes: 8
  • Pages: 3,478
  • Available in: XL

Considered one of the most important Catholic theologians and Bible commentators, Cornelius à Lapide’s writings on the Bible have remained critical to the Catholic Church for centuries. Although à Lapide’s commentaries were written from the Catholic perspective, Christians of all denominations worldwide have benefited from his sound exegesis and the wide-breadth of learning his works provide. Brimming with spiritual devotion and scholarly acumen, à Lapide’s commentaries weave together his profound insights into the biblical texts alongside commentary from many Church Fathers, including the Venerable Bede, Cyril of Alexandria, St. Augustine, Tertullian, St. Jerome, Origen, and more.

It would be gilding the finest gold to bestow praise on the Great Commentary of à Lapide. It is a work of unequalled, we should say unapproached value. We specially entreat the clergy on no account to neglect obtaining so vast a treasure of saintly wisdom, even if in so doing they are obliged to sacrifice many volumes far inferior to it in real helpfulness.

John Bull

We set a high store on this commentary. There is about it a clearness of thought, a many-sided method of looking at truth, an insight into the deeper meaning, and a fearless devotion to what appears to him to be truth, which lend a peculiar charm to all that he writes. We heartily commend the work to our ministerial readers.

Literary World

It is one of the most learned and richest commentaries that have ever been written. They are a storehouse for the preacher and a valuable aid to the devout lovers of the Word of God among the laity.

Catholic World

A very mine of research and exegetical learning of the rarest kind.

Standard

The varied and solid learning, the intense theological acumen, combined with verbal exegesis of the most comprehensive and practical character, and last, and by no means least, the deep and spiritual insight into the more remote and hidden sense of the Gospel narrative are here displayed in thoroughly idiomatic English, which reads like an original composition rather that a translation.

The Pilot

The commentary is learned, intelligent, and full.

The Expositor

Cornelius à Lapide (1567–1637) was born at Bocholt, in Limburg, Belgium. Educated in philosophy and theology at the University of Douai and the Catholic University of Leuven, Lapide was ordained in 1595. Lapide was a professor of Philosophy, Hebrew, and Theology for over twenty years before dedicating himself full time to writing and editing his celebrated commentaries.

Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, vols. 1–4

  • Publisher: Oxford: J. H. Parker
  • Author: St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Translator: John Henry Newman
  • Volumes: 8
  • Pages: 2,784
  • Available in: XL

This famous commentary from St. Thomas Aquinas is now more accessible than ever! The Catena Aurea (or, Golden Chain) is a compilation of Patristic commentary on the Gospels and contains passages from over eighty Church Fathers. In this masterpiece, Aquinas seamlessly weaves together extracts from various Fathers to provide a complete commentary on all four Gospels.

It was Pope Urban IV who commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to bring together the Catena Aurea in a bid to make readily available to the academic public an orthodox patristic commentary on the Gospels. His work manifests an intimate acquaintance with the Fathers of the church and provides an excellent complement to the modern attempts to understand how the fathers read scripture. Corresponding to each of the four Gospel writers, the Catena begins by putting forth the verses to be analyzed and then takes each verse phrase-by-phrase and provides the early Fathers’ insights into the passage.

The 8 volumes represents the number of print volumes. Please note that this collection will download as 4 volumes.

Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 in what is now Italy. He entered the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino at the age of five to begin his studies. He was transferred to the University of Naples at the age of sixteen, where he became acquainted with the revival of Aristotle and the Order of the Dominicans. Aquinas went on to study in Cologne in 1244 and Paris in 1245. He then returned to Cologne in 1248, where he became a lecturer.

Aquinas’s career as a theologian took him all over Europe. In addition to regularly lecturing and teaching in cities throughout Europe, Aquinas participated regularly in public life and advised both kings and popes.

Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274 while traveling to the Second Council of Lyons. Fifty years after his death, Pope John XXII proclaimed Aquinas a saint. The First Vatican Council declared Aquinas the “teacher of the church.” In 1879, Pope Leo XII declared the Summa Theologica the best articulation of Catholic doctrine, and Aquinas was made the patron saint of education.

Thomas Aquinas has also profoundly influenced the history of Protestantism. He wrote prolifically on the relationship between faith and reason, as well as the theological and philosophical issues which defined the Reformation.

Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis

  • Author: Manlio Simonetti
  • Publisher: Continuum
  • Publication Date: 2002
  • Pages: 168
  • Available in: XL

A comprehensive historical survey of patristic exegesis. Simonetti examines the changing understanding of the word of God in the early Church, and describes the individual authors and “schools” which were active in this development. First there is a study of the role of Scripture in the infant Church. Simonetti describes the use of Scripture in orthodox circles, drawing comparisons from the Gnostic world. There follows an examination of Eastern exegesis in the 4th and 5th centuries (Eusebius, the Antiochian School, the Cappadocians, and later developments in Alexandria), and an examination of Western exegesis in the same period (including detailed discussions of Jerome and Augustine). Simonetti concludes with a study of developments in the Eastern and Western Church in the later 5th and 6th centuries. A final section provides a theological perspective through a study of the theological interpretation of Scripture in the patristic era.

Manlio Simonetti teaches at the University of Rome and the ‘Augustinianum,’ the Patristic Institute in Rome.

Summa Contra Gentiles

  • Author: Thomas Aquinas
  • Translator: Fathers of the English Dominican
  • Publisher: Burns Oates & Washbourne
  • Pages: 1,265
  • Available in: XL

As the most influential apologetic work of the Western Church, the Summa Contra Gentiles has shaped and defined theological and philosophical enquiry for hundreds of years. This vast work aims to establish the truth of the Christian religion by laying out a defense of the Christian faith from the perspective of both faith and reason. In doing so, Thomas Aquinas engages intelligent non-Christian thinkers in the clearest manner, and helps establish the method, purpose, and grounding for both theology and philosophy.

The Summa Contra Gentiles is divided into four books. In the first three books, Aquinas is concerned the lay out a defense of the Christian faith from the perspective of natural theology—the common ground between “Christians and infidels.” These books contain arguments for the existence of God, discussions of ethics and morality, and other statements about God and the world which can be derived from the faculties of reason. Each section describes and defends God’s knowledge, God’s actions in creation, and the purpose and fulfillment—the telos—of all things in God. The fourth and final book of Summa Contra Gentiles delineates the knowledge received through divine revelation, such as the Incarnation, the Trinity, and the Resurrection.

Logos is pleased to offer the English translation of the Summa Contra Gentiles by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province—the first unabridged English translation. This translation was first published during the 1920s by Burns Oates & Washbourne and has been reprinted numerous times throughout the twentieth century.

Perhaps no other man ever came so near to calling the Creator by his own name . . .

—G. K. Chesterton

St. Thomas is important for us today precisely because of our lack. Timeless truth is always timely, of course, but some aspects of truth are especially needed at some times, and it seems that our times badly need seven Thomistic syntheses: (1) of faith and reason, (2) of the biblical and the classical, (3) of the ideals of clarity and profundity, (4) of common sense and technical sophistication, (5) of theory and practice, (6) of an understanding, intuitive vision and a demanding, accurate logic, and (7) of the one and the many, a cosmic unity or ‘big picture’ and carefully sorted out distinctions. I think it a safe judgment that no one in the entire history of human thought has ever succeeded better than St. Thomas in making not just one but all seven of these marriages which are essential to health and happiness.

—Peter Kreeft

Orthodoxy

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: The Bodley Head
  • Publication Date: 1908
  • Pages: 278
  • Available in: XL

Orthodoxy is Chesterton’s most well-known work. First published 100 years ago and reprinted ever since, Orthodoxy is a classic work that is part memoir, part apologetic. It exhibits Chesterton at his finest—a combination of literary wit, theological acumen, and pointed cultural critic.

Orthodoxy has become a classic, taking its place on the shelves of thinking Christians beside Augustine’s Confession and C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. His goals for Orthodoxy are simple: “I have attempted in a vague and personal way, in a set of mental pictures rather than in a series of deductions, to state the philosophy in which I have come to believe. I will not call it my philosophy; for I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me.” He sharply criticizes the prevailing secular understanding of truth while documenting the genesis of his own spiritual journey. Throughout, Chesterton comments on the intellectual giants of his day—H.G. Wells, Walt Whitman, Arthur Schopenhauer, and George Bernard Shaw.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

Heretics

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: The Bodley Head
  • Publication Date: 1905
  • Pages: 305
  • Available in: XL

Heretics exposes the heresy of modern intellectual trends and discredits their proponents. Chesterton confronts relativism, individualism, neo-paganism, and the other ailments contributing to the decline of Western thought in the modern era. He pays special attention to artists and the literati, and writes in detail about current events which are shaped by the social consciousness of his time. Heretics begins and ends with chapters on orthodoxy, anticipating the themes Chesterton later develops on his famous volume by the same name.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

What I Saw in America

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
  • Publication Date: 1922
  • Pages: 297
  • Available in: XL

With the publication of What I Saw in America, Chesterton joins the ranks of Alexis de Tocqueville, Charles Dickens, and Abraham Kuyper and other prominent European literary and political figures to tour American and write about it. This volume contains dozens of reflections on American hospitality, business, politics; it concludes with three prescient essays on the spirit of America, the spirit of England, and the future of democracy.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

The New Jerusalem

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: George H. Doran
  • Publication Date: 1921
  • Pages: 307
  • Available in: XL

Although Chesterton called this book “an uncomfortably large notebook,” it exhibits travel writing at its finest. This volume documents Chesterton’s travels in the Middle East. It contains vivid reflections on the history, religion, and geography of Palestine. He writes on cities, culture, and social concerns, and reflects on important social and historical topics, such as Zionism and the Crusades.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

All Things Considered

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Methuen & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1908
  • Pages: 296
  • Available in: XL

Chesterton was an accomplished and noted essayist. All Things Considered is one of Chesterton’s earliest collections of essays, and deals perhaps more than any other with religious and theological topics. This volume contains thirty-five essays on spiritualism, humanitarianism, science and religion, morality, and more.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

What’s Wrong With the World

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company
  • Publication Date: 1910
  • Pages: 367
  • Available in: XL

Taken as a whole, What’s Wrong with the World attempts to advance a conservative social view of twentieth century British affairs. Individually, these essays offer sage advice on political and cultural issues for today. This collection contains essays on feminism, education, imperialism, and more, and together amount to a pointed critique of the prevailing sociological method. The problems with the world run deep—in this volume, Chesterton assails hypocrisy and mediocrity characteristic of the modern era.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

A Miscellany Of Men

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Dodd, Mead and Company
  • Publication Date: 1912
  • Pages: 314
  • Available in: XL

A Miscellany of Men contains essays on the most controversial topics of Chesterton’s day. It was written, says Chesterton, at “a time in which the liberal tradition, as I hold it, was not only dying but committing suicide.” His commentary is structured by analyzing the ranks and positions of individuals in the various strata of society. A Miscellany of Men also includes Chesterton’s oft-cited preface on the nature of human equality.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

Divorce vs. Democracy

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: The Society of SS. Peter & Paul
  • Publication Date: 1916
  • Pages: 14
  • Available in: XL

Chesterton’s first essay against divorce first appeared in Nash’s Magazine, and was reprinted as a stand-alone volume at the request of his readers. Divorce versus Democracy makes a case against divorce by appealing to both patriotism and to history. Chesterton argues for a Christian understanding marriage, and implores the church to stem the erosion of morality in modern Europe. This book also exhibits Chesterton’s views on the relationship between the church and state relating to issues of marriage and family life.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

Utopia Of Usurers

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Boni and Liveright
  • Publication Date: 1917
  • Pages: 14
  • Available in: XL

Utopia of Usurers contains Chesterton’s collected writings on modern culture. It includes essays on science, eugenics, Puritanism, socialism, and church and state relations. This provocative and penetrating commentary contains a sharp critique and sage advice on the social ills of Chesterton’s time and ours.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

The Superstition of Divorce

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: John Lane Co.
  • Publication Date: 1920
  • Pages: 150
  • Available in: XL

This compact volume provides a basic and readable introduction to the philosophy of marriage and the purpose of the family. In it, Chesterton expands and develops his arguments in Divorce versus Democracy, showing that divorce does not solve the problems of individuals; rather, it corrupts society as a whole.

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

Eugenics and Other Evils

  • Author: G. K. Chesterton
  • Publisher: Cassel and Company
  • Publication Date: 1922
  • Pages: 188
  • Available in: XL

Chesterton wrote during the height of the eugenics movements in the early twentieth century. This volume counters the intellectual nihilism of Nietzsche, while simultaneously rebuking Western notions of progress—biological or otherwise. Chesterton expands his criticism of eugenics into what he calls “a more general criticism of the modern craze for scientific officialism and strict social organization.”

G. K. Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He worked at the Redway and T. Fisher Unwin publishing house until 1902, when he began writing regularly—his weekly columns appeared for decades in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. In all, he wrote more than 80 books, hundreds of poems, 200 short stories, 4,000 essays. Among his writings are his famous apologetic work Orthodoxy, a biography of St. Aquinas, his Father Brown detective stories, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, and The Man Who Was Thursday. He died on June 14, 1936 in Buckinghamshire.

God: His Knowability, Essence, and Attributes

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1911
  • Pages: 479
  • Available in: XL

One of theology’s central tasks lies in answering the question: “Who is God, and how can human beings know God?”

This volume introduces readers to the doctrine of God and the process of discerning God’s nature and essence. Joseph Pohle searches Scripture and tradition to discern the nature and being of God, and our ability to know God. He describes God’s attributes—including absoluteness, immutability, eternality, and omnipresence—along with his unity and simplicity. God: His Knowability, Essence, and Attributes also contains chapters on God’s will possibility for individuals to discern it.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Divine Trinity: A Dogmatic Treatise

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1915
  • Pages: 299
  • Available in: XL

In this volume, Pohle traces references to the doctrine of the Trinity in the Old and New Testaments, and shows how the Trinity is foreshadowed in God’s covenant with Israel and in the fulfillment of the covenant in Christ. He then outlines a detailed doctrine of the Trinity, drawing from the entire Bible, the liturgies of the Early Church, and the subsequent development of doctrine. A discussion of various heresies in the church’s history also figures prominently.

The second half of this volume deals with the relationships between each person within the Trinity, along with the ways in which the Trinity is revealed—through reason, revelation, and the acceptance of mystery. Pohle asserts that evidence for the Trinity exists in both reason and revelation, but famously states: “Christians must first believe, then inquire.”

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

God: The Author of Nature and the Supernatural

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1916
  • Pages: 365
  • Available in: XL

The first two volumes of Pohle’s Dogmatic Theology treat the doctrine of God as he is in himself. This volume, however, treats God in relationship to his creation.

Pohle defines creation as the most fundamental thing in theology. From a robust doctrine of creation, we discern the natural order, the incarnation, and the means of grace. In this volume, Pohle examines Scripture to uncover and explain God’s creative power, the relationship between the creation and the Trinity, as well as God’s continual act of creation. Pohle also devotes a section of this volume to theological anthropology, and discusses at length the immortality of the soul, the body/soul dichotomy, and God’s intention for human beings in relation to the rest of creation.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Christology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Incarnation

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1913
  • Pages: 309
  • Available in: XL

It has been said that all theology is Christology, and in this volume, Pohle affirms that adage.

Volume four of Dogmatic Theology defends the historicity of Christ’s existence at the height of historical criticism’s influence. He proves the humanity and divinity of Christ, and writes against recurring heresies in the church, such as Nestorianism and the monophysites. He also devotes a lengthy chapter to hypostatic union, perichoresis, and the communication of attributes.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Soteriology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Redemption

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1919
  • Pages: 171
  • Available in: XL

How, exactly, are we saved? In attempting to answer this question, Pohle joins a long line of thoughtful Christians who have reflected theologically on forgiveness and redemption. He writes on the purpose of studying Christ’s redemption, along with the necessity of redemption. He also defends the doctrine of predestination, and writes a lengthy chapter on the atonement—both of which merit reading in order to understand the contemporary controversy surrounding these doctrines. Pohle concludes with reflections on the offices of Christ—prophet, priest, and king.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Mariology: A Dogmatic Treatise on the Blessed Virgin Mary

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1919
  • Pages: 185
  • Available in: XL

Although Mariology has been a flashpoint of contention between Catholics and Protestants, Mary plays an important role in doctrine, and should be studied for no other reason than she is the mother of Jesus.

In this short volume, Pohle exhibits a historical and theological mastery of the issue in his explanation of the immaculate conception, the complex relationship between Mary and original sin, and the perpetual virginity. He also draws from Scripture and tradition to relate the eternal person of Christ to the temporal nature of his conception and birth—thereby thrusting Mary into the theological spotlight. Protestants will find Pohle’s theological discourse especially useful for understanding an important, yet controversial dogma. This volume concludes with a lengthy appendix on the veneration of saints, relics, and images.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Grace, Actual and Habitual: A Dogmatic Treatise

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1919
  • Pages: 443
  • Available in: XL

Pohle’s volume on grace explores the centrality of grace in Christian belief and practice. He writes at length on the relationship between unbelief and grace, as well as God’s will to save. A significant portion of this volume is devoted to free will, including the understanding of free will in the writings of Luther and Calvin, along with the Council of Trent. Pohle also deals with justification and sanctification—arguably the central and most controversial doctrines of the Reformation.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 1

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1917
  • Pages: 328
  • Available in: XL

Salvation is not merely an internal transformation, but is manifested in the visible signs in the sacraments, which have their origin in the life of Christ—“outward and visible signs of an inward spiritual grace,” as Augustine famously defined them. The first of Pohle’s four volumes on the sacraments introduces readers, in detail, to sacramental theology. He uses Scripture to define the sacraments, their effects, and the ways they should be administered. The second half of this volume explains the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 2

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1917
  • Pages: 408
  • Available in: XL

Pohle’s second volume on the sacraments explores the Eucharist. Pohle examines both Scripture and tradition to determine Christ’s presence in the sacrament, as well as the matter and form of the Eucharist. He also defends the necessity of the Eucharist and its position in the Mass. Of particular interest to Protestants, Pohle defines and explains transubstantiation.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 3

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 2nd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1918
  • Pages: 270
  • Available in: XL

Volume 3 of Pohle’s work on the sacraments explores the role of the church in the forgiveness of sins, and the relationship between forgiveness and the sacrament of penance. Pohle defends the necessity of confession, and examines the history of the church to defend penance as a sacrament. He argues that penance constitutes a small part of the larger process of being reconciled to God. Although not all theologians agree on the sacrament of penance, all will agree that the church plays a vital role in conveying the assurance of salvation—thus making this work useful for theologians from all traditions.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise, vol. 4

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1917
  • Pages: 249
  • Available in: XL

Pohle’s final volume on the sacraments covers extreme unction, holy orders, matrimony. He defends the necessity of each sacrament, defines the role of ministers, and shows how these sacraments—like all sacraments—perform a vital role in administering grace.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Eschatology, or the Catholic Doctrine of the Last Things: A Dogmatic Treatise

  • Author: Joseph Pohle
  • Edition: 3rd
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1920
  • Pages: 164
  • Available in: XL

The end times have captivated the imaginations of Christians throughout the centuries. Significant portions of Scripture are devoted to Christ’s return, and countless theological works have been written on death, heaven and hell, the apocalypse, and other eschatological topics. This volume adds an important voice to the volumes of literature already written on the subject. Pohle writes lengthy chapters on death, heaven, hell, purgatory, along with the resurrection and the last judgment.

Joseph Pohle (1852–1922) studied in Trier, Rome, and was ordained as a priest in 1878. He served as a professor in Baar, Switzerland from 1881 to 1883, as professor at St. Joseph’s College in Leeds, England from 1883 to 1886, and as professor of philosophy in Fulda from 1886 to 1889. In 1889, he moved to America to teach at the newly-founded Catholic University. Pohle returned to Europe in 1894, teaching at Münster and then Breslau, where he served as professor of dogma, and wrote his Dogmatic Theology. He was also a frequent contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Philocalia of Origen

  • Author: Origen
  • Translator: George Lewis
  • Publisher: T and T Clark
  • Publication Date: 1911
  • Pages: 242
  • Available in: XL

The present volume contains a selection of scriptural problems and their solutions from various treatises of Origen. It is generally thought that the book, and also the division and titles of its chapters, were the work of the Church fathers Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, and mailed by Gregory to Theodore, Bishop of Tyana.

As most of Origen’s works have been lost, The Philocalia of Origen is an important text for the history of biblical interpretation. This English translation by George Lewis includes the translation of the Greek Preface and a detailed index.

This volume forms an excellent introduction to the study of Origen.

Bibliotheca Sacra

The English translation of the Philocalia of Origen by Rev. George Lewis will be widely welcomed by all students of early Christian literature.

The Hartford Seminary Record

George Lewis graduated from the University of London in 1869 and from Balliol College, Oxford in 1884. He was ordained in 1872 and became vicar of Dodderhill in 1888. He is the author of numerous works, including A Life of Joseph Hall and An Oxford Parish Priest. He is also the noted translator of St. Basil’s De Spiritu Sancto and St. Jerome’s Dogmatic Treatises.

Aquinas on Doctrine: A Critical Introduction

  • Editors: Thomas G. Weinandy, Daniel A. Keating, and John P. Yocum
  • Publisher: T & T Clark
  • Publication Date: 2004
  • Pages: 296
  • Available in: XL

This book provides a critical study of the main Christian doctrines as understood and explained by Thomas Aquinas. The whole Thomistic revival of the last century focused almost exclusively on Aquinas as the Christian philosopher. Thus books and articles developed his understanding of being, his epistemology, natural theology, etc. However little has been done, even to this day, by way of examining Aquinas’ teaching on the major Christian doctrines.

Thomas G. Weinandy is the Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Daniel A. Keating teaches at the Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit.

John P. Yocum teaches at Greyfriars, Oxford.

Losing the Sacred: Ritual, Modernity and Liturgical Reform

  • Author: David Torevell
  • Publisher: T & T Clark International
  • Publication Date: 2002
  • Pages: 256
  • Available in: XL

This book argues that the liturgical reforms initiated by the second Vatican Council may have seriously undermined contemporary Roman Catholic worship. Drawing on important works by Durkheim, Bauman, Foucault, Turner, Duffy, Flanagan and Pickstock, David Torevell focuses on the most crucial element of Catholic worship—the experience of the sacred—and examines how it has been eroded since pre-modern times, largely due to the marginalization of ritual expression, and its consequences. A devastating critique of the loss of the sacred in worship, this striking interdisciplinary study is a call for revitalization of Roman Catholic liturgy through a “reform of the reform” and the reclamation of the importance of the body in ritual expression.

David Torevell is a senior lecturer in theology at Liverpool Hope University College.

The Papal Encyclicals: 1740–1981 (5 vols.)

  • Editor: Claudia Carlen, IHM
  • Publisher: Pierian Press
  • Volumes: 5
  • Pages: 2,358
  • Available in: XL

For nearly 2,000 years, the bishops of Rome have addressed theological topics of especially timely concern through the circulation of papal letters. These letters became known as encyclicals, and since the later eighteenth century, they have become increasingly important in the popes’ exercise of their teaching office. In the mid-nineteenth century, the encyclical letter began to take on its contemporary form as a theological treatise applying Christian teaching to immediate circumstances. And in the twentieth century, papal encyclicals emerged as some of the most important theology produced worldwide.

The Papal Encyclicals: 1740–1981 (5 vols.) presents 280 encyclicals in English from Benedict XIV to John Paul II. These letters approach matters of faith and morals and answer important questions on dogmatics and on the social and ethical issues of the society in which they were composed. For the student, scholar, or layperson, this collection is essential for studying and searching the papal teaching of the past 250 years.

This edition will remain for decades to come a standard reference that has put all students of the papacy in the editor's debt.

Catholic Historical Review

One of the most prodigious ventures in Catholic publishing and surely one of the most historically important. It would be difficult to imagine that any Catholic library at educational institutions, chanceries, or parishes could be without it.

The Catholic Standard

Catholics and non-Catholics alike will be grateful . . . for . . . the entire corpus of . . . encyclicals . . . even professional scholars will find this monumental collection of papal documents absolutely indispensable. . . .

—National Catholic News Service

Claudia Carlen is the preeminent authority on papal documents. She has authored and edited numerous other works on papal pronouncements including the Guide to the Documents of Pius XII. She is also the recipient of four honorary doctorates that specifically recognize her work in this area.

Behold the Pierced One: An Approach to a Spiritual Christology

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Graham Harrison
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 1986
  • Pages: 128
  • Available in: XL

In this profound and illuminating work, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, turns the gaze of an accomplished theologian upon the crucified Savior. This synthetic and meditative work is theological without being abstract or dry, and spiritual without being sentimental. The pierced heart of Christ must be the heart of theology and Christian life as well.

Proceeding from the prayerful dialogue between the incarnate Son and his eternal Father, Joseph Ratzinger shows how one can approach the mystery of the heart of Christ only through the imitation of this prayer. To know and understand Jesus, we must participate in his prayer. The prayer of Christ must be the interior life of all who are joined to him in his body, the church. Using the Old and New Testaments and the Church Fathers, Ratzinger shows that the ecclesial community (the church) was born from the pierced heart of Christ on the cross.

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Adrian Walker
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 1996
  • Pages: 165
  • Available in: XL

Called to Communion is a book of wisdom and insight that explains how providential the trials are through which the Catholic Church is now passing. Topics covered include:

  • The need of the papal primacy to ensure Christian unity
  • The true meaning of the priesthood as a sacrament and not a mere ministry
  • The necessity of the Eucharist as the sacrifice of the Savior now offering himself on our altars
  • The role of the bishops as successors of the apostles, united with the successor of St. Peter, the bishop of Rome
  • The value of suffering in union with Christ crucified
  • The indispensable service of the laity in the apostolate

All these themes, received from Cardinal Ratzinger, bring new clarity and depth.

Cardinal Ratzinger offers us what he calls a “primer of Catholic ecclesiology.” As a true theologian, he clarifies the nature of church, bishop and priest, basing his remarks on Scripture and tradition. The book offers penetrating insights into the church from a profound thinker. This is Catholic theology at its best and as it should be.

—Fr. Kenneth Baker, editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Cardinal Ratzinger guides us through today’s confusion about the faith back to the core from which the life of the church unfolds: communion. At the end of the journey, we not only have a better grasp of the controverted issues of the day, but also a renewed understanding of the central mystery of the church and a powerful encouragement to the theological and spiritual renewal envisaged by the Second Vatican Council.

—David Schindler, editor, Communio

This is a goldmine of insights which brings out the development of Catholic doctrine in our day without surrendering one iota of the deposit of faith entrusted to the church by her Divine Founder.

—Fr. John Hardon, editor, The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Church, Ecumenism and Politics: New Endeavors in Ecclesiology

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Michael J. Miller
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Pages: 250
  • Available in: XL

Church, Ecumenism and Politics features the most discussed topics of the life of the church, treated with unique frankness and depth by the church’s spiritual and theological leader. In this collection of essays, theologian Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, tackles three major issues in the church today—the nature of the church, the pursuit of Christian unity, and the relationship of Christianity to the secular/political power.

The first part of the book explores Vatican II’s teaching on the church, what it means to call the church “the people of God,” the role of the pope, and the synod of bishops. In part two, Ratzinger frankly assesses the ecumenical movement—its achievements, problems, and principles for authentic progress toward Christian unity. In the third part of the work, Ratzinger discusses both fundamental questions and particular issues concerning the church, the state and human fulfillment in the age to come. What does the Bible say about faith and politics? How should the church work in pluralistic societies? What are the problems with liberation theology? How should we understand freedom in the church and in society?

Beneath a penetrating analysis on these important topics by this brilliant teacher and writer, both concise and also surprising, is revealed the passion of a great spiritual leader. The result is an exciting and stimulating work, which can be provoking, but never boring.

In tricky theological disputes, Pope Benedict XVI separates the wheat from the chaff—a gift for precision that defines this compendium of his thought on ecclesiology and ecumenism. Dating from the 1970s and 1980s, the essays, interviews and lectures contained in this book remain highly relevant. Careful distinctions are his winnowing fork as he cuts through the confusion to identify what is orthodox and heterodox in the important controversies of our time.

—George Neumayr, editor, Catholic World Report

In this wonderful collection of essays, Pope Benedict XVI offers to us a sophisticated, though accessible, understanding of the relationship between politics, the church, and the differing religious communities that encounter one another across the globe. The vision that the pope imparts is one that supports religious liberty without entailing theological relativism. He shows us that one can take theology and ecclesiology seriously, as authoritative knowledge traditions, without rejecting the best insights of Enlightenment liberalism.

—Francis J. Beckwith, associate professor of philosophy and church-state studies, Baylor University

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Co–Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Editor: Sister Irene Grassl
  • Translators: Sister Mary Frances McCarthy and Reverend Lothar Krauth
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 1992
  • Pages: 414
  • Available in: XL

Cardinal Ratzinger offers selected passages from his profound spiritual and theological writings as meditations for each day of the year. He picked the title of this book from verse 8 in the third letter of St. John, which he also adapted for his coat of arms: “Co-Workers of the Truth.” Just as these words signify for St. John the participation of all the faithful in the service of the Gospel, which includes the faithful extending hospitality to all who come as messengers of faith, so too Ratzinger shows the importance of our uniting charity with truth to make possible the proclamation of the Gospel. Through his meditations here, he hopes to help awaken in each reader the courage and generosity to become coworkers with the Gospel, which is the truth of Jesus Christ.

Man cannot be truly free but through love, the supreme love of God and the love of men, brethren, neighbors, countrymen. . . . This is what Christ, whose love knew no bounds, teaches us.

—Pope John Paul II

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Credo for Today: What Christians Believe

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translators: Michael J. Miller, Henry Taylor, Sister Mary Frances McCarthy, Adrian Walker, J. R. Foster, Graham Harrison, and Matthew J. O’Connell
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2009
  • Pages: 225
  • Available in: XL

What do Christians believe? What gives meaning to our life? What is the purpose of life? The Christian answer to these questions is found in the Creed, in the profession of faith. But what do the articles of this confession actually mean? And how do they affect our lives?

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, takes a fresh look at these timeless questions. Credo for Today is a reflection of the profound, personal insights of Benedict XVI, but also of the great foundations of Christianity: faith, hope, and charity.

Ratzinger writes eloquently and persuasively about the importance for followers of Christ to understand well what they believe so one can live as a serious Christian in today’s secular world. He talks in depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love—the love of God and the love of neighbor. He also discusses the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as for witnessing and striving to bring faith in line with the present age, which has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism.

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

God is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Editors: Stephan Otto Horn and Vinzenz Pfnür
  • Translator: Henry Taylor
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2003
  • Pages: 160
  • Available in: XL

The Second Vatican Council says, “We ought to try to discover a new reverence for the Eucharistic mystery. Something is happening that is greater than anything we can do. The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; it is the font from which all her power flows.”

This profound statement about the Eucharist stands at the center of this book by Cardinal Ratzinger. He compellingly shows us the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of the Eucharist. The Cardinal draws far-reaching conclusions, focusing on the importance of one’s personal devotion to and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for the personal reception of communion by the individual Christian as well as for the life of the church. For Ratzinger, any transformation of the world on the social plane grows out of the celebration of the Eucharist. He beautifully illustrates how the omnipotent God comes intimately close to us in the holy Eucharist, the heart of life.

Not only does Ratzinger shed his customary theological light on many subjects, but as he does in other books, he applies his insights very directly to Catholic life and devotion. Coming at this time, this book is part of the effort of many to see the Eucharist restored to the center of Catholic piety and devotion.

—Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C. F. R., author, The Rosary: Chain of Hope

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Introduction to Christianity (rev. ed.)

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: J. R. Foster
  • Edition: Revised
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2004
  • Pages: 300
  • Available in: XL

One of Cardinal Ratzinger’s most important and widely read books, this volume is a revised second edition with an improved translation and an in-depth 20-page preface by the cardinal. As he states in the preface, since this book was first published over 30 years ago, many changes and significant events have occurred in the world and in the church. But even so, he says he is firmly convinced that his fundamental approach in this book is still very timely and crucial for the spiritual needs of modern man. That approach puts the question of God and the question about Christ in the very center, which leads to a “narrative Christology” and demonstrates that the place for faith is in the church.

Thus, this remarkable elucidation of the Apostles’ Creed gives an excellent, modern interpretation of the foundations of Christianity. Ratzinger’s profound treatment of Christianity’s basic truths combines a spiritual outlook with a deep knowledge of Scripture and the history of theology.

Cardinal Ratzinger offers us a profound meditation on the twelve articles of the Apostles’ Creed. These reflections will challenge and expand one’s knowledge of the Catholic faith. He addresses and answers many of the modern objections to faith in God the Father and Creator, his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Catholic Church. This is solid food that must be eaten slowly, but it is very nourishing and worth the effect.

—Fr. Kenneth Baker S. J., editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

It takes a great deal of courage to attempt to give a commentary on the Apostles’ Creed today. Ratzinger has done this in an admirable fashion. His book is profound, contemporary, straightforward.

&mdash

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Pages: 384
  • Available in: XL

Why was Jesus rejected by the religious leaders of his day? Who was responsible for his death? Did he establish a church to carry on his work? How did Jesus view his suffering and death? How should we? And, most importantly, did Jesus really rise from the dead and what does his resurrection mean? The story of Jesus raises many crucial questions.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can’t “prove” Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn’t disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face to face with the challenge of Jesus—a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception.

Benedict brings to his study the vast learning of a brilliant scholar, the passionate searching of a great mind, and the deep compassion of a pastor’s heart. In the end, he dares readers to grapple with the meaning of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection.

Working from Scripture, the Church Fathers and contemporary scholarship, Benedict XVI deftly brings together the historical and theological dimensions of the gospel portraits of Jesus. This is a splendid, penetrating study of the central figure of Christian faith; a learned and spiritual illumination not only of who Jesus was, but who he is for us today.

—Charles J. Chaput, O. F. M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver

What better guide could you find than Benedict XVI to lead you on the bracing adventure of exploring the historical Jesus and discovering, under the tutelage of this most sage successor to Peter, the inner meaning of Jesus&srquo; death and resurrection. Faith and reason are the two wings Benedict XVI takes up to lead us to astonishingly fresh spiritual perspectives and dizzying heights. This book often takes one&srquo;s breath away, while infusing in the reader the God-breathed Word, which is the Gospel.

—Tim Gray, president, Augustine Institute

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Sister Mary Frances McCarthy
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 1987
  • Pages: 404
  • Available in: XL

Principles of Catholic Theology is a collection of articles and talks written around a central theme: the fundamental structure of Christianity. This volume discusses Catholicism, the inter-relationship of other forms of Christianity, and the features that distinguish Catholicism from other Christian theologies. Ratzinger outlines the fundamental principles of theology and the proper relationship of theology to church teaching and authority.

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

The God of Jesus Christ: Meditations on the Triune God

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Brian McNeil
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Pages: 115
  • Available in: XL

God is—and the Christian faith adds: God is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three and one. This is the very heart of Christianity, but it is so often shrouded in a silence born of perplexity. Has the church perhaps gone one step too far here? Ought we not rather leave something so great and inaccessible as God in his inaccessibility? Can something like the Trinity have any real meaning for us? It is certainly true that the proposition that “God is three and God is one” is and remains the expression of his otherness, which is infinitely greater than us and transcends all our thinking and our existence. But, as Joseph Ratzinger shows, if this proposition meant nothing to us, it would not have been revealed. And as a matter of fact, it could be clothed in human language only because it had already penetrated human thinking and living to some extent.

In this book of meditations, based on a series of homilies and meditations presented and compiled by the author shortly before he became archbishop of Munich-Freising, in 1977, theologian Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) presents his profound thoughts on the nature and person of God. Building a bridge between theology and spirituality, he makes wide use of the sacred Scriptures to reveal the beauty and mystery of who God is. He writes about each of the three persons in the Holy Trinity, showing the different attributes of each person, and that “God is three and God is one.”

In this profound series of meditations, Ratzinger shows the enduring core of his theology. The future pope begins with an ancient Jewish story: The prophet Jeremiah and his son one day succeeded in creating a living man, through the correct combination of words and letters. “Now that you are able to create a man, God is dead. My life is the death of God,” the man says. Ratzinger then shows that man’s knowledge of God depends on the relationship that a man establishes between himself and the world and his life; that the question of whether God exists can be answered only in terms of some image of who or what God is, of some sense of how he shapes the whole of our existence.

—David L. Schindler, John Paul II Institute

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

The Nature and Mission of Theology

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Adrian Walker
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 1995
  • Pages: 130
  • Available in: XL

As Cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger wrote this book in response to the dialogue going on today concerning theology and the clarification of its methods, its mission, and its limits, which he thinks has become urgent. Ratzinger states: “To do theology—as the Magisterium understands theology—it is not sufficient merely to calculate how much religion can reasonably be expected of man and to utilize bits and pieces of the Christian tradition accordingly. Theology is born when the arbitrary judgment of reason encounters a limit, in that we discover something which we have not excogitated ourselves but which has been revealed to us. For this reason, not every religious theory has the right to label itself as Christian or Catholic theology simply because it wishes to do so; whoever would lay claim to this title is obligated to accept as meaningful the prior given which goes along with it.”

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

The Spirit of the Liturgy

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: John Saward
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2000
  • Pages: 250
  • Available in: XL

Considered by Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the “great prayer of the church” will help readers rediscover the liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of our Christian life.

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Truth and Tolerance: Christian Belief and World Religions

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Henry Taylor
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2004
  • Pages: 280
  • Available in: XL

Is truth knowable? If we know the truth, must we hide it in the name of tolerance? Cardinal Ratzinger engages the problem of truth, tolerance, religion, and culture in the modern world. Describing the vast array of world religions, Ratzinger embraces the difficult challenge of meeting diverse understandings of spiritual truth while defending the Catholic teaching of salvation through Jesus Christ. “But what if it is true?” is the question that he poses to cultures that decry the Christian position on man’s redemption. Upholding the notion of religious truth while asserting the right of religious freedom, Cardinal Ratzinger outlines the timeless teaching of the Magisterium in language that resonates with our embattled culture. A work of extreme sensitivity, understanding, and spiritual maturity, this book is an invaluable asset to those who struggle to hear the voice of truth in the modern religious world.

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

What It Means to Be a Christian

  • Author: Joseph Ratzinger
  • Translator: Henry Taylor
  • Publisher: Ignatius
  • Publication Date: 2006
  • Pages: 86
  • Available in: XL

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, writes eloquently and persuasively about how one can live as a serious Christian in today’s secular world. He talks in depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love—the love of God and the love of neighbor. He also discusses at length the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as for witnessing and striving to bring faith in line with the present age, which has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism. He passionately encourages the reader to practice a deep, abiding Christian faith that seeks to be at the service of humanity.

What It Means to Be a Christian includes essays derived from sermons preached to college students toward the end of Vatican II. They are remarkable, among other reasons, for their insights into the ongoing Christian struggle to understand and realize in action “what it means to be a Christian.”

Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, is one of our time’s most revered Catholic prelates, scholars, theologians, teachers, and authors. He has spoken on many crucial subjects, including sexual consumerism, modern gender roles, marriage, the priesthood, and the future. As a teenager, he studied classical languages and, in 1939, entered the minor seminary in Traunstein. Though he was drafted into the German antiaircraft corps in 1943, he reentered the seminary in 1945, when World War II ended. On June 29, 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Freising on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. He received his doctorate in theology in 1953, from the University of Munich. Starting in 1959, Ratzinger taught theology at the University of Bonn.

At 35, Joseph Ratzinger was appointed chief theological advisor to the archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Frings, and he maintained that title for four years. After many years of teaching at several German universities, Ratzinger was appointed by Pope Paul VI as archbishop of Munich and Freising in March 1977 and, in June 1977, was elevated to cardinal. In November 1981, Ratzinger was summoned by Pope John Paul II to Rome, where he was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and president of the International Theological Commission.

On April 19, 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to be the 265th pope. He took the name Benedict XVI, after St. Benedict of Nursia. Since that time, he has continued to receive worldwide respect and has been a spiritual influence to Christians and non-Christians alike.

The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite (2 vols.)

  • Author: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
  • Translator: John Parker
  • Publisher: James Parker and Co.
  • Volumes: 2
  • Pages: 412
  • Available in: XL

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite is an important and influential Christian author who wrote in the 5th or 6th century. Even though it is now recognized that the attribution of these works to the Dionysius mentioned in Acts 17:34 is false, they're still incredibly important for the history of Christian doctrine due to their influence on Eastern and Medieval Christianity and the Christian contemplative tradition.

The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite (2 vols.) contains the English translations of all the works attributed to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite from the original Greek, as well as introductions to the works by translator John Parker. These works include Divine Names, Mystical Theology, Celestial Hierarchy, Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and eleven epistles.

John Parker was Vicar of Willoughby and Wysall and the author of Christianity Chronologically Confirmed and Why am I a Christian?

Against War

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Editor: John W. Mackail
  • Publisher: The Merrymount Press
  • Publication Date: 1907
  • Pages: 113
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

Erasmus begins his anti-war treatise with this quote from the poet Pindar: "Dulce Bellum Inexpertise," or, "war is sweet to those who have never experienced it." This beautifully crafted plea for peace includes a forty-nine page introduction by John W. Mackail.

We must not forget one of the greatest champions of light against the darkness, of peace against war, of the spirit against the letter, of comprehension against exclusion, of reason against dogma—Erasmus.

Liberty Review

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

John W. Mackail is the author and editor of over thirty works, including the biography of William Morris, and is remembered most as a Virgil scholar.

Ciceronianus or A Dialogue on the Best Style of Speaking

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Translator: Izora Scott
  • Publisher: Teachers College, Columbia University
  • Publication Date: 1908
  • Pages: 130
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

This satirical work attacks the school of thought that believed in a rigid use of Ciceronian Latin. Erasmus’ witty critique of language, reading and writing, teaching methods, and what constitutes a proper education is written in a conversational, back-and-forth dialogue.

Few of the writings of Erasmus possess more pleasantness than the Ciceronianus.

The Southern Review

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Izora Scott, PhD, was the instructor of Latin at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. and a contributor to the Cyclopedia of Education on the works of Erasmus and Ciceronianism.

The Complaint of Peace

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Translator: Thomas Paynell
  • Publisher: The Open Court Publishing Company
  • Publication Date: 1917
  • Pages: 80
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

Erasmus’ personification of Peace is upset with the state of the world, and believes man would be better off paying more attention to it. “At the nativity of Christ did the angels sound the clarion of war?” Filled with Erasmus’ customary wit, this volume is as pertinent today as it was when it was first written.

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

An eloquent and sensible harangue against war.

Southern Review

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Thomas Paynell (1528–1567) was an Austin friar and educated at the College of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. He served as Chaplain to Henry VIII, and despite the religious upheaval of the times, remained in good favor with Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth—all of which he dedicated books to.

Enchiridion Militis Christiani or The Manual of the Christian Knight

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Publisher: Methuen & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1905
  • Pages: 286
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

In this resource Erasmus lays out the spiritual disciplines one needs to practice in order to obtain a fulfilling and faithful life. Erasmus warns of Christian formalism, of emphasizing the ritual and observance of Christianity without truly understanding the teachings of Christ.

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

In Praise of Folly

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Publisher: Peter Eckler Publishing Co.
  • Publication Date: 1922
  • Pages: 327
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

In Praise of Folly, Erasmus’s best-known work, is considered one of the most notable works of the Renaissance humanists. His satirical lampooning of the traditions of European society, of the Catholic Church, and superstitions popular in his day sparked wide acclaim and wide condemnation—and sold far better than he anticipated. The work was quickly translated all over Europe, and was read for its humor, irony, rhetorical art, and statement of Christian ideals which Erasmus espoused.

We must not forget one of the greatest champions of light against the darkness, of peace against war, of the spirit against the letter, of comprehension against exclusion, of reason against dogma—Erasmus.

Liberty Review

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Proverbs Chiefly Taken from the Adagia of Erasmus

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Editor: Robert Bland
  • Publisher: T. Egerton
  • Publication Date: 1814
  • Pages: 537
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

In the year 1500, at the age of thirty-three, Erasmus published his first collection of proverbs and their explanations, which he had found scattered in the early Greek and Roman writers. The work was received with such an enormous positive response that over his lifetime Erasmus would frequently update and reprint the Adagia with new additional proverbs, the last edition numbering over four thousand. Robert Bland provides the English translations from Latin, as well as providing corresponding examples in Spanish, Italian, and French.

Without Erasmus, no student of proverb literature can move a step.

The London Quarterly Review

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

The Apophthegmes of Erasmus

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Editor: John W. Mackail
  • Translator: Nicolas Udall
  • Publisher: Robert Roberts
  • Publication Date: 1877
  • Pages: 402
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

This collection of wise sayings and noble deeds from emperors, kings, captains, philosophers, and orators was originally published by Erasmus in 1542, and translated to English in 1564 by Nicolas Udall. Includes anecdotes and Erasmus' commentary on Socrates, Aristippus, Diogenes, Alexander the Great, Augustus Caesar, and more.

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Institutio Principis Christiani: Chapters III–XI

  • Author: Desiderius Erasmus
  • Translator: Percy Ellwood Corbett
  • Publisher: Sweet and Maxwell
  • Publication Date: 1921
  • Pages: 63
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

In Europe, as Erasmus saw it, war was almost invariably the result of pride, folly, and selfish intrigue, and he made it his task to point out how, by proper instruction at the earliest age, the Sovereign and his Councilors might be led to abhor what was plainly the worst of all human calamities. Often considered the antithesis to Machiavelli’s The Prince (which was written only sixteen years later), Education of a Christian Prince argues in favor of a leader that rules justly and benevolently as opposed to Machiavelli’s advice for ruling with fear and oppression to maintain power.

The reasons which justify the great efforts for peace being made in the world today are broadly the same as those urged by Erasmus four centuries ago, and the is much in the Institutio Principis, and in his other utterances on peace, that is neither trite nor of merely historical interest. Modern peace movements take the direction of international organizations, but there is still much to be said for the thesis, which formed the basis of Erasmus' work on the subject, that war can only be finally eliminated by the reform of "human nature."

—Percy Ellwood Corbett, from the Introduction

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Erasmus

  • Author: Ernest F. H. Capey
  • Publisher: Methuen & Co.
  • Publication Date: 1902
  • Pages: 226
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

This biography of Erasmus’ life and work also contains letters found after the publication of Francis Morgan Nichols’ three-volume Epistles of Erasmus, an in-depth look at the controversy between Erasmus and Luther, two appendixes (one that includes the text of Erasmus’ last will), a detailed index, and 13 illustrations.

Mr. Capey has succeeded in sifting out the essential and interesting elements of the great scholar’s career, and has presented them in a way which cannot but appeal to the average men.

The Auburn Seminary Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Erasmus and other Essays

  • Author: Marcus Dods
  • Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
  • Publication Date: 1892
  • Pages: 376
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

This volume by Marcuse Dods, author of The Parable of Our Lord, includes a collection of essays.

There is probably not to be found anywhere else, within so narrow a compass, a criticism so true and an estimate so adequate in all respects of Erasmus and his writings, as is contained in the critique which gives the title to this book.

Scotsman

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Marcus Dods (1834–1909) was born in Belford, Northumberland. Dods went on to study divinity and theology at Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh University, where he graduated in 1854. He is a highly respected scholar, publishing over a dozen books of theology recognized for their expansive critical research.

Erasmus and Luther: Their Attitude to Toleration

  • Author: Robert H. Murray
  • Publisher: SPCK
  • Publication Date: 1920
  • Pages: 503
  • Available in: XL

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

Murray’s fascinating work traces with great skill the development in the views of these two sixteenth century figures, their influence upon each other, and the inevitable rupture between them.

No work on the Reformation published in the English language during recent years approaches in importance Dr. Murray’s monumental Erasmus and Luther.

Contemporary Review, 1920

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Robert H. Murray (1874–1947) was a historian of religion and political theory and the author of The History of Political Science from Plato to Present, The King’s Crowning, a multi-volume history of Ireland, and more.

The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation

  • Author: Bede
  • Publisher: James Bohn
  • Publication Date: 1845
  • Pages: 410
  • Available in: XL

The Venerable Bede’s The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation has endured as one of the most important and engaging books of history ever written. Divided into five books, The Ecclesiastical History chronicles the Christian history of England, as well as its political history, from the time of Caesar’s invasion in 55 B.C. to the year it was completed, about 731.

The most important record we have from this time period, Bede’s exciting work recounts the rise of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England through the vivid depictions of England’s formative years: epic battles, heroic soldiers, kings and queens, monks and bishops, saints and martyrs. A thrilling journey into history, filled with unforgettable characters and events, Bede’s The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation is essential reading for understanding the spread of Christianity throughout England in the Middle Ages.

Bede (673–735) was ordained as a deacon at age nineteen, and a priest at the age of thirty. A teacher, theologian, historian, author, poet, and biblical exegete, Bede was one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He spent the majority of his life living and studying at the Northumbrian monastery in Jarrow, where he authored his famous work The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation.

The Historical Works of Venerable Bede

  • Author: Bede
  • Publisher: James Bohn
  • Publication Date: 1845
  • Pages: 391
  • Available in: XL

Contained in this volume are some of the Venerable Bede’s shorter works, including the biographies of various abbots, monks, and bishops that depict the fascinating daily life of monastic living. Also included are some of Bede’s original letters relating to his Ecclesiastical History and his thoughts on Church discipline, as well as his Chronicles of the Ages of the World. This fascinating collection of works is prefaced with a detailed biography of the renowned monk’s life and work.

Bede (673–735) was ordained as a deacon at age nineteen, and a priest at the age of thirty. A teacher, theologian, historian, author, poet, and biblical exegete, Bede was one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He spent the majority of his life living and studying at the Northumbrian monastery in Jarrow, where he authored his famous work The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation.

Explanation of the Apocalypse

  • Author: Bede
  • Publisher: James Parker and Co.
  • Publication Date: 1878
  • Pages: 205
  • Available in: XL

Written about 710–716, Explanation of the Apocalypse is one of the earliest commentaries on the Book of Revelation ever written. Bede’s succinct but in-depth commentary, separated into three books, is unique in its division of Revelation into seven distinct sections. Included in this volume is a letter to Eusebius, where Bede explains his reasons for structuring his commentary the way he did, as well as an index of the passages of Scripture that he references.

Bede (673–735) was ordained as a deacon at age nineteen, and a priest at the age of thirty. A teacher, theologian, historian, author, poet, and biblical exegete, Bede was one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He spent the majority of his life living and studying at the Northumbrian monastery in Jarrow, where he authored his famous work The Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation.

An Exposition of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark

  • Author: John MacEvilly
  • Publisher: Gill & Son
  • Publication Date: 1898
  • Pages: 695
  • Available in: XL

John MacEvilly’s exposition of the gospels of Matthew and Mark offers a clear, Catholic passage-by-passage interpretation of the text. It combines traditional exegesis with moral exhortation and so has been widely used as a daily devotional. The work was originally intended for laymen, but quickly found a place as a textbook in seminary education and has seen numerous editions.

John MacEvilly was the archbishop of Tuam.

An Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke

  • Author: John MacEvilly
  • Publisher: Gill & Son
  • Publication Date: 1887
  • Pages: 265
  • Available in: XL

John MacEvilly’s exposition of the gospel of Luke offers a clear, Catholic, passage-by-passage interpretation of the text. It combines traditional exegesis with moral exhortation and so has been widely used as a daily devotional. The work was originally intended for laymen, but quickly found a place as a textbook in seminary education and has seen numerous editions.

John MacEvilly was the archbishop of Tuam.

An Exposition of the Gospel of St. John

  • Author: John MacEvilly
  • Publisher: Gill & Son
  • Publication Date: 1902
  • Pages: 393
  • Available in: XL

John MacEvilly’s exposition of the gospel of John offers a clear, Catholic, passage-by-passage interpretation of the text. It combines traditional exegesis with moral exhortation and so has been widely used as a daily devotional. The work was originally intended for laymen, but quickly found a place as a textbook in seminary education and has seen numerous editions.

John MacEvilly was the archbishop of Tuam.

Outlines of Jewish History

  • Author: F. E. C. Gigot
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Publication Date: 1918
  • Pages: 400
  • Available in: XL

Outlines of Jewish History was written as a compliment to the historical narrative of the Old Testament. It relies on the fruits of archeological and historical research to illustrate the development of the customs, literary, commercial, political, and religious life of the Jews. However, it takes as its starting point the veracity of the Scriptural account and so the history of the Jews is treated as essentially identical with sacred history.

F. E. C. Gigot was the Mooney Professor of the Sacred Scriptures at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. He is the author of General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures and Outlines of New Testament History.

Outlines of the Life of Our Lord

  • Author: F. E. C. Gigot
  • Publisher: St. John’s Boston Ecclesiastical Seminary
  • Publication Date: 1896
  • Pages: 246
  • Available in: XL

Outlines of the Life of Our Lord was written as a compliment to the narratives of the Gospels. It relies on the fruits of archeological and historical research to provide the context for Christ’s earthly life. The work describes the political reality in Palestine, the forms of social and religious organization among the Jews, Jews religious practices, as well as the geography, both political and natural, of the region at the time of the Incarnation. It follows the narrative of the gospel events as depicted in traditional Catholic devotions, providing historical context as well as traditional commentary.

F. E. C. Gigot was the Mooney Professor of the Sacred Scriptures at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. He is the author of General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures and Outlines of New Testament History.

Outlines of New Testament History

  • Author: F. E. C. Gigot
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Publication Date: 1898
  • Pages: 391
  • Available in: XL

Outlines of New Testament History was written as a compliment to the narratives of the New Testament. It relies on the fruits of archeological and historical research to illustrate the development of the customs, literary, commercial, political, and religious life of first century Palestine and the wider Roman world. It is divided into two parts “The Gospel History,” focusing on the life of the Lord, and “The Apostolic History,” focusing on the events of the early Church up to 98 A.D.

F. E. C. Gigot was the Mooney Professor of the Sacred Scriptures at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. He is the author of General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures and Outlines of New Testament History.

General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures

  • Author: F. E. C. Gigot
  • Publisher: Benziger Brothers
  • Publication Date: 1900
  • Pages: 637
  • Available in: XL

General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures grew out of lectures given by Professor Gigot at St. John’s Boston Ecclesiastical Seminary and was intended chiefly as a textbook. Its approach is that of the historical-critical method and is divided in three sections: a discussion of how the canon was assembled and recognized as inspired, textual criticism of the manner in which the books have been transmitted to posterity, and Biblical hermeneutics.

F. E. C. Gigot was the Mooney Professor of the Sacred Scriptures at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. He is the author of General Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures and Outlines of New Testament History.

Arians of the Fourth Century

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: J. G. and F. Rivington
  • Publication Date: 1833
  • Pages: 425
  • Available in: XL

John Henry Newman was on the translation team for the collected works of Athanasius that appear in volume four of Philip Schaff’s Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Newman’s familiarity with the writings of Athanasius gave him great insight into the historical context of the Arian Controversies. Newman’s survey of Arianism during the fourth century begins with a systematic overview of each major Christian center or school of thought in regards to their treatment of major Arian doctrines. Newman addresses key evidence for an accepted Trinitarian theology prior to 300 A.D. and argues for a normalized Apostolic doctrine of the Trinity prior to the Council of Nicea.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Two Essays on Scripture Miracles and on Ecclesiastical

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Basil Montagu Pickering
  • Publication Date: 1870
  • Pages: 393
  • Available in: XL

In these two essays—On Scripture Miracles and On Ecclesiastical Miracles—John Henry Newman argues in favor of the many miraculous acts of God throughout history. Newman begins his argument by providing a proper definition for a miracle and necessary evidence required to substantiate the claim of a miracle. Then Newman discusses several specific miracles and gives well reasoned arguments for the reliability of the historical claim.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: W. Blanchard and Sons
  • Publication Date: 1845
  • Pages: 453
  • Available in: XL

What determines real Christian doctrine? How have the primary tenets of Christian theology come out of biblical texts that do not explicitly provide for such conclusions? John Henry Newman wrestled with these questions for much of his adult life. In his Essay, Newman provides seven tests by which the development of an idea may be legitimized. Through this process he concludes that there has never been any innovation in Christian theology, only development and clarification to accommodate the needs of a specific era.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Gilbert and Rivington
  • Publication Date: 1870
  • Pages: 485
  • Available in: XL

Can we trust theological conclusions, even if we do not fully comprehend them? Can we believe in God, though no evidence can be substantially provided for His existence? Every Christian struggles with these basic questions of belief. The modern world continues to shut out what cannot be proven as fact and faith is increasingly an unwanted and unmerited partner in a scientific world. During the height of English empiricism, John Henry Newman fought for the legitimacy and necessity of faith as a major component to the human intellect. Often called Newman's seminal work, Grammar of Assent was written over the course of twenty years as Newman, himself, grappled with the these foundational questions of Christian apologetics.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Apologia Pro Vita Sua

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: D. Appleton and Company
  • Publication Date: 1865
  • Pages: 384
  • Available in: XL

Apologia is a detailed autobiography in defense of Newman’s theological and ecclesiastical conclusions. Newman wrote this volume as a formal rebuttal to many negative claims and questions concerning his theology and conversion to Catholicism. By the Fall of 1863, these allegations came to a head with the publication of some negative comments about Newman in the periodical Macmillan’s Magazine. In the article, Mr. Charles Kingsley accused (then) Father Newman of possessing a weakened understanding of the source and necessity of truth and subsequently defamed many central tenets of Catholicism. Newman and Kingsley maintained brief correspondence resulting in a formal retraction from Kingsley—all of which appear as the Foreword to the present publication. After the failed attempt at corresponding with Kingsley directly, Newman published this volume and was hailed as the defender of Catholic doctrine in England. Apologia, and the included correspondence, is an essential step to understanding the theology of John Henry Newman and the nineteenth century Catholic Church.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Stray Essays on Various Controversial Points

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: M. Billing and Co.
  • Publication Date: 1890
  • Pages: 107
  • Available in: XL

Stray Essays on Various Controversial Points includes three essays written later in Newman’s life. The first essay, “Inspiration in its Relation to Revelation”, is an attempt to account for the biblical foundation for Catholic teachings. The second, “Further Illustrations” is a continuation of the first essay and was written in reaction to some criticism he received from the Catholic community regarding certain statements made in “Inspiration in its Relation to Revelation”. The final essay, “Revelation in its Relation to Faith”, outlines Newman’s mature response to the the place of faith and religion within the reasoned human experience.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Lectures on Justification

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: J. G. and F. Rivington
  • Publication Date: 1838
  • Pages: 443
  • Available in: XL

John Henry Newman delivered these lectures in the early 1830’s during his career as a professor of Anglican theology. Lectures on Justification uncovers the scriptural and historical understanding of justification within a sacramental tradition. Throughout these lectures, Newman defends justification as a free gift of God received through the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. The lecture series closes with special attention given to the role of the sacramental rites in the faith of the believer, and the importance of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ as presented in scripture.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Lectures on Certain Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Submitting to the Catholic Church

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Burns and Lambert
  • Publication Date: 1850
  • Pages: 325
  • Available in: XL

Few people in history can so accurately outline the reservations of Anglicans toward the Catholic Church as John Henry Newman. Newman was given opportunity to share these lectures—after his conversion to Catholicism—before a Catholic audience. He reflects upon his role in the Oxford (Tractarian) Movement of 1833. During this crucial period in Anglican history, high Anglican churches were caught between the imposing English government and the strict rule of Rome. Throughout this series of lectures, Newman clearly articulates the opposition of Anglicans to certain Catholic institutions like the Catholic priesthood and Marian doctrines.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Burns and Lambert
  • Publication Date: 1851
  • Pages: 346
  • Available in: XL

Nineteenth century England was notoriously intolerant of the Catholic Church within its borders. Newman delivered these addresses to a fraternal group of Catholic priests and professors advising them how to remain faithful to their vows within an established Protestant culture. Newman’s intention is to point out the logical fallacies undergirding the Protestant prejudices of Rome. He carefully dissects the Protestant misunderstanding of key tenets of Catholicism and then suggests ways for Catholics to faithfully handle these misinformed viewpoints.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

The Idea of a University: Defined and Illustrated

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Basil Montagu Pickering
  • Publication Date: 1873
  • Pages: 527
  • Available in: XL

What is the role of theology in higher education? Can a university remain faithful to pursuits of knowledge and faith at the same time? In this collection of nineteen addresses, Newman casts his vision for maintaining an effective religious liberal arts university to the founding faculty of the University College, Dublin. Newman defends faith and religion as essential components to human knowledge and the expansion of Western civilization. In his own time, Newman redefined the role of religious education within the university producing an academic model that has proven the test of time. In an era when religion and education are moving farther apart, Newman's philosophy of education can prescribe a tested path for religious educators.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Tracts: Theological and Ecclesiastical

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Basil Montagu Pickering
  • Publication Date: 1874
  • Pages: 405
  • Available in: XL

This volume contains several short essays delivered between 1835 and 1859. All theological and historical in topic, these essays cover the range of Early Church heresiology to a historical account of the Rheims-Douay English version of the Bible. The essays included are:

  • Dissertatiunculae Quatuor Critico-Theologiae
  • Causes of the Rise and Successes of Arianism
  • The Heresy of Apollonaris
  • At. Cyril’s Formula
  • The Ordo de Tempore in the Breviary
  • History of the Text of the Douay Version of Scripture

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

The Dream of Gerontius

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.; Burns, Lambert, and Oates
  • Publication Date: 1865
  • Pages: 22
  • Available in: XL

Newman wrote The Dream of Gerontius later in his life as he was beginning to contemplate his final end. This magnificent poem follows Gerontius from his earthly end to his introduction before the heavenly host. The poem was first performed in 1900 by the English composer, Edward Elgar. Newman’s masterpiece continues to be performed to this day.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Sermons Bearing on Subjects of the Day

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Rivingtons
  • Publication Date: 1869
  • Pages: 424
  • Available in: XL

This volume contains sermons delivered during Newman’s post at Oriel College, Oxford. Most of the sermons in this collection include the date of delivery, making it easy to compare the practical, homiletical presentation of Newman’s theories to the more intricate nuances of his argument in a corresponding essay.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Francis and John Rivington
  • Publication Date: 1844
  • Pages: 354
  • Available in: XL

This volume contains sermons delivered during Newman’s post at Oriel College, Oxford. Most of the sermons in this collection include the date of delivery, making it easy to compare the practical, homiletical presentation of Newman’s theories to the more intricate nuances of his argument in a corresponding essay.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Patrick Donahoe
  • Publication Date: 1853
  • Pages: 282
  • Available in: XL

Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations examines Catholicism from the inside and deals with the popular prejudices which John Henry Newman’s contemporaries entertained of it. Newman uses the same touch he displayed in the pulpit of St. Mary’s to explain the truths of the faith which he had embraced. His humour and irony enable him to reach those “who do not narrow their belief to their experience.” This edition reveals the context of the Discourses and contains a wealth of references.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Sermons Preached on Various Occasions

  • Author: John Henry Newman
  • Publisher: Burns and Lambert
  • Publication Date: 1858
  • Pages: 331
  • Available in: XL

In November 1851, John Henry Newman was appointed President of the new Catholic University of Ireland, with a vague brief as to structure and personnel. He commented, “I mean to be Chancellor, Rector, Provost, Professor, Tutor all at once, and no one else anything.” He had to wait until June 1854 for the bishops to approve the university’s statutes before he was installed as Rector. The first eight sermons collected in this volume were preached during Mass in the University Church on St. Stephen’s Green between May 4, 1856, and February 22, 1857. By the time the first edition of Sermons Preached on Various Occasions was published, Newman had already written to the Irish bishops that he intended to resign in November 1857—he was finally convinced that his seven-year commitment to Ireland was sufficient. He was to leave behind not only the nascent new Catholic University, but also the University Church, designed by his friend John Hungerford Pollen, and which he had paid for himself.

The remaining sermons were written for the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales, the Risorgimento in Italy and its repercussions on the papacy, and the death of two friends, Dr. Weedall and James Hope Scott. The sermons on the situation of the church in England and Wales, and then of the papacy itself in Italy, reflect a redefinition of the role of Catholicism in the development of the modern world.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary

  • Author: George Leo Haydock
  • Publisher: Edward Dunigan and Brother
  • Publication Date: 1859
  • Available in: XL

Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary was assembled by Rev. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849) and published as notes to the Douay-Rheims translation of the Bible in numerous editions between 1811 and 1859. The 1859 edition has remained in print until the present, an indication of the work’s continuing importance. It is primarily an assemblage of sayings of the fathers and of medieval exegetes and theologians, but includes more modern interpretations. Haydock’s commentary is widely considered a Catholic classic which directly and accurately expresses the Church’s traditional interpretation of biblical passages.

A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture

  • Author: Frederick Justus Knecht
  • Publisher: B. Herder
  • Publication Date: 1910
  • Pages: 891
  • Available in: XL

A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture is in fact a Scriptural history spanning from creation to the Apostolic Church. The intent is primarily catechetical and the work provides an exposition of the basic doctrines of the Church through a commentary on the Biblical narrative. In each section it also provides a moral exhortation to the application of the doctrine in question. The work was and remains immensely popular, going through multiple editions and remaining in print to the present.

Frederick Justus Knecht was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

Liturgies Eastern and Western

  • Author: Charles Edward Hammond
  • Publisher: Oxford
  • Publication Date: 1878
  • Pages: 475
  • Available in: XL

Originally published under the title, Antient Liturgies, Charles E. Hammond’s Liturgies Eastern and Western set a new standard for handbooks on ancient liturgy. Covering an impressive spectrum of liturgical traditions from Western Europe into the Middle East and Persia, this volume gathers together a number of original Greek and Latin texts and then also translations of Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian liturgies. Each liturgical text receives an analysis and introduction. For those liturgies with Greek originals, allusions and parallels to Scripture are marked with a bold typeface. With plenty of references to Scripture provided throughout, Liturgies Eastern and Western provides a unique window into how ancient Christians used the Biblical text in their public worship.

Liturgies Eastern and Western is divided into two main sections with two glossaries appended to the end. The first consists of the introductory material for all the liturgical texts. This section examines each piece of liturgy in light of its geographical location, internal structure, historical background, and textual basis. The second section consists of the texts, beginning with the Eastern Liturgies, such as the Clementine Liturgy, St. James’ Liturgy, the Liturgy of Constantinople, and the Armenian Liturgy. The Western liturgies conclude the volume, where Hammond helpfully provides the Roman, Ambrosian, Gallican, and Mozarabic liturgies in parallel columns. Liturgies Eastern and Western continues to provide an essential bird’s eye view of the diversity in early Christian worship in an accessible and convenient format for both scholars and students.

No student of theology, unless he desires to be a specialist in liturgiology, will require more than [Hammond’s] volume. From its pages he can without difficulty gain a very full and accurate conception of the Eucharistic worship of the early Church in its several branches, both orthodox and heretical.

The Academy and Literature, vol. 14

Charles Edward Hammond was born in Bath, England in 1837. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he served as a fellow and tutor from 1859 to 1873 and then as a lecturer until 1882. Hammond was ordained as a priest in 1862 and was a chaplain at the Oxford Female Penitentiary until 1882, when he moved to become the rector of Wooton, Northamptonshire. In 1903, he became the examining chaplain to the bishop of Truro and proctor in convocation for the diocese of Truro. Hammond is the author of Outlines of Textual Criticism applied to the New Testament.

Liturgies Eastern and Western: Eastern Liturgies

  • Author: Frank Edward Brightman
  • Publisher: Oxford
  • Publication Date: 1896
  • Pages: 707
  • Available in: XL

When asked by Oxford to revise Hammond’s text, Frank Edward Brightman set out with a far more ambitious plan. With the intention of expanding Liturgies Eastern and Western into two volumes, he added to the number of liturgical texts included, initiated fresh English translations, and reorganized the content according to how it might appear on a given liturgical day. Hammond’s geographical divisions are nonetheless maintained, where, after the introduction, Brightman provides the texts of the Syrian Rite, followed by the Egyptian Rite, Persian Rite, and the Byzantine Rite. Each of these individual sections receives its own table of contents at the beginning of its section with a short paragraph of the textual basis for the liturgy.

Brightman’s efforts were so drastic and extensive that he created an essentially new work that shared little more than the title with Hammond’s original. But this came at a cost: the second volume on the Western Liturgies never came into being. Nevertheless, Brightman’s work to provide more reliable text editions and more extensive scriptural references has given the volume an enduring quality even to this day.

Indeed, when we think of all the thought that has gone to make [Brightman’s] book the complete and scholarly thing that it is, we can only record our deep sense of debt to its author for the self-effacing conscientiousness that is its note, and for the high ideal of devotion to the service of God in letters which it sets before his fellows.

The Critical Review of Theological and Philosophical Literature vol. 7

For more than a century now, [Brightman’s work] has served as a reference work to students and scholars in comparative liturgy and has been quoted thousands of times in publications, classes, and research projects. Due to the wide range of its materials, it will undoubtedly remain a most valuable tool for many years to come. Students and scholars in the field of liturgy need, and will need, to have this volume at their disposal.

—Dr. Ugo Zanetti, former professor, Oriental Institute of the Catholic University of Louvain

Frank Edward Brightman (1856–1932) was a fellow of Magdalen College and librarian of Pusey House at Oxford. A meticulous scholar, he is most well-known for his edition of Liturgies Eastern and Western: vol. 1: Eastern Liturgies. Its contents were the fruits of extensive journeys to various monasteries in the East. In 1915, he published English Rite a valuable book detailing the varying editions of the Book of Common Prayer in parallel columns. Between 1904 and 1932, Brightman was joint-editor of the Journal of Theological Studies, which continues to be in circulation today. As a strong high churchman, his advice and counsel was regularly sought by the Church of England.

The Theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria

  • Editors: Thomas G. Weinandy and Daniel A. Keating
  • Publisher: T&T Clark
  • Publication Date: 2003
  • Pages: 268
  • Available in: XL

There is no book in English that treats the whole of Cyril’s theological thought. In the past scholars have normally focused on Cyril’s Christology and left largely unexamined the remainder of his theological thought. Thus the English-speaking scholarly community has never fully appreciated the breadth, the depth and the immense significance of Cyril’s theology.

This volume is therefore unique. The editors have brought together many of the foremost experts on Cyril. This international team examines all the major facets of his theology, and here for the first time reveals the theology of Cyril of Alexandria as a magisterial whole.

Steeped in the writings of ancient Greek, Roman, Hellenistic, and Jewish historians, Penner employs his impressive skills of interpretation to produce a ground-breaking study of Stephen and the Hellenists in Acts. He shows that Luke, like other ancient historians, was less interested in historicity than in writing a persuasive narrative. Penner’s study will almost certainly encourage his peers to consider new approaches to the study of the Acts of the Apostles.

—Joseph B. Tyson, Southern Methodist University

Thomas G. Weinandy is the Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Formerly, he was Warden of Greyfriars Hall and Lecturer in History and Doctrine in the Faculty of Theology, Oxford University.

Daniel A. Keating teaches at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit.

Product Details

  • Title: Catholic Studies
  • Volumes: 300

Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae

Any study of Catholicism must begin with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Officially promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1997, it is the first “universal” Catholic catechism since the Reformation and only the second in history. It is an epochal work that expresses the tenets of the Catholic faith consistent with their articulation at the Second Vatican Council, while remaining in organic unity with the tradition of the Church, drawing in abundance on the sources of Sacred Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and magisterial authority. If one wants to know what the Catholic Church teaches, the Catechism, as John Paul II stated, is the “sure norm.”

The beauty and profundity of the text is such that while it was intended as a reference work, it is often read as devotional literature, permeated as it is with a subtle theology of love and communion. It is nevertheless comprehensive in its treatment, covering everything from contraception to the doctrine of the Trinity, from Purgatory to papal infallibility.

The Catechism is organized around "four pillars" of Catholicism: Creed, Sacraments, Moral Life, and Prayer; and it discusses these with reference to the most shared aspects of the Christian faith—for example, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Our Father—and so is a welcome tool for facilitating dialogue between all Christians. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, oversaw the drafting of the text, and he has repeatedly pointed to the Catechism as a significant step toward an authoritative interpretation of the “Spirit of Vatican II,” toward a cessation of conflicts which have often rent the Church in the aftermath of the council, and toward a rapprochement with those Christians whom the council termed “Separated Brethren.”

Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church: English and Latin (2 vols.) is a work that deserves a place in every Christian’s library. This collection includes both the English and Latin editions of the Catechism.

Redemptor Hominis

Pope John Paul II promulgated Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer of Man) only five months after his election to the pontifical throne. The encyclical letter provided an outline for the objectives of his pontificate. Rooted in the pope’s characteristic “personalism,” the letter explores the far-reaching implications of the fact that “the Redeemer of man, Jesus Christ, is the center of the universe and of history.” In section one, “Inheritance,” the pope expressed the need to continue the work of the Second Vatican Council, especially with regards to ecumenism. In section two, “The Mystery of the Redemption,” the Incarnation is placed at the very center of human reality, redeeming the true dignity of humanity and of all creation. In section three, “Redeemed Man and His Situation in the Modern World,” the pope expresses that the condition of humanity in the world must be the concern of the Church because of the inherent dignity of man as confirmed in Christ. In the final section, “The Church’s Mission and Man’s Destiny,” the Church is posited as the living reality of man’s redeemed vocation, a reality that is most perfect in the Eucharist.

Dives in Misericordia

Written in 1980, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) was Pope John Paul II’s second encyclical. The letter focuses on the mercy of God, an attribute, the pope argues, that is stronger than all evil. What’s more, God’s mercy does not humiliate man, but rather elevates his dignity. As the manifestation of God’s love in the world, mercy is the central message of Christ’s preaching. The letter as a whole is an exploration of the role of God the Father’s mercy throughout salvation history and within the mystery of redemption. It follows this theme through eight sections: “He Who Sees Me Sees the Father,” “The Messianic Message,” “The Old Testament,” “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” “The Paschal Mystery,” “Mercy . . . From Generation to Generation,” “The Mercy of God in the Mission of the Church,” and “The Prayer of the Church in Our Times.”

Laborem Exercens

Pope John Paul II wrote Laborem Exercens (Through Work) in 1981 for the ninetieth anniversary of the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum of Leo III on the question of labor in modern economies. Laborem Exercens makes an important contribution to Catholic social doctrine. Rooted in the pontiff’s characteristic personalism, the letter seeks to expound a concept of labor that is consistent with the dignity of the human person. This involves the total subordination of all aspects of the economy and production to the worker’s status as a human person. It also explores the dignity inherent in labor. The letter has four sections: “Work and Man,” “Conflict between Labor and Capital in the Present Phase of History,” “Rights of the Workers,” and “Elements for a Spirituality of Work.”

Slavorum Apostoli

Pope John Paul II wrote Slavorum Apostoli (The Apostles of the Slavs) in 1985. The letter is a commemoration of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the ninth-century apostles to the Slavic nations of Europe. The encyclical, written by the first Slavic pope, focused on the cultural unity of the Slavic nations with the rest of Europe, and is seen to have had two primary objectives: undermine the isolation of the Communist bloc and work toward the unity of the Latin, Greek, and Slavonic branches of Christianity.

Dominum et Vivificantem

Promulgated in 1986, Dominum et Vivifcantem (The Lord and Giver of Life) focuses on the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. It is the final letter in Pope John Paul II’s treatment of the Trinity, following Redemptor Hominis on the Son and Dives in Misericordia on the Father. In the first section, “The Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Given to the Church,” the pope explores the action of the Holy Spirit through the Church in history. The second section, “The Spirit Who Convinces the World Concerning Sin,” considers the continuing forgiveness and redemption from sin offered to man through the Holy Spirit. In the third section, “The Spirit Who Gives Life,” the pontiff explains that even in the face of the atheistic materialism of modern culture, openness between man and God remains through the work of the Holy Spirit, most perfectly in the Sacraments of the Church. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, the guardian of hope.

Redemptoris Mater

Pope John Paul II promulgated Redemptoris Mater (The Mother of the Redeemer) in 1987. The encyclical is a complex exploration of Mariology. The first section, “Mary in the Mystery of Christ,” explains Mary’s role in the divine plan of salvation. The second section, “The Mother of God at the Center of the Pilgrim Church,” discusses Mary’s continuing role as the perfect “mirror” of faith. The pope explains, Mary’s journey of faith becomes one with that of the Church at Pentecost. “Thus, from the very first moment, the Church ‘looked at” Mary through Jesus, just as she ‘looked at’ Jesus through Mary.” In the third and final section, “Maternal Mediation,” the pope explores Mary as Mediatrix, as the intercessor in unity with both her Son and the pilgrim Church. “Thus, throughout her life, the Church maintains with the Mother of God a link which embraces, in the saving mystery, the past, the present, and the future, and venerates her as the spiritual mother of humanity and the advocate of grace.”

Sollicitudo Rei Socialis

Written in 1987, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (Solicitude for Social Issues) was John Paul II’s second social encyclical. In it, the pontiff elaborates on Catholic social teaching and applies its principles to the problem of under-developed and developing nations. Central to this social teaching is that all aspects of social action must “respect and promote all the dimensions of the human person.” The pontiff’s essential message is that progress is about more than the accumulation of material goods or social power, and so it supersedes vying economic or ideological systems. Rather, progress is found in justice and the “authentic development” of the human person. After the introduction, section two, “Originality of the Encyclical Populorum Progressio,” comments on Pope Paul VI’s letter of twenty years prior. Section three “Survey of the Contemporary World,” lays out the pope’s understanding of the current situation. Section four “Authentic Human Development,” explores the meaning of “development” in light of Catholic social teaching. Section five, “A Theological Reading of Modern Problems,” applies this teaching to the current situation. Section six, “Some Particular Guidelines,” provides a way forward, paying special attention to the Church’s “preference for the poor.”

Redemptoris Missio

Pope John Paul II promulgated Redemptoris Missio (Mission of the Redeemer) in 1990. The encyclical is an urgent call for the Church to renew her commitment to evangelize the world. The letter is divided into two parts. The first part, made up of three sections, “Jesus Christ, The Only Savior,&edquo; “The Kingdom of God,” and “The Holy Spirit: The Principal Agent of Mission,” presents a theological defense for the imperative of evangelization. The second part, made up of five sections, “The Vast Horizons of the Mission ad Gentes,” “The Paths of Mission,” “Leaders and Workers in the Missionary Apostolate,” “Cooperation in Missionary Activity,” and “Missionary Spirituality,” provides guidelines for the application of the theology of mission to the contemporary Church.

Centesimus Annus

Written in 1991 on the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of Leo XIII’s ground-breaking social encyclical Rerum Novarum, John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year) brought the principles of Catholic social teaching to bear on contemporaneous political and economic issues. It emphasizes the dignity and rights of workers, the right to private property, the right to a just wage, and the right to religious freedom. It also articulates that the kingdom of God cannot be confused with temporal political or economic arrangements and seeks to explicate the two over-riding principles of the Church’s social teaching: solidarity (which focuses on empathy and human dignity), and subsidiarity (the principle that communities of a higher order should not interfere in the life of communities of a lower order unless necessary). The encyclical is made up of six sections: “Characteristics of Rerum Novarum,” “Towards the ‘New Things’ of Today,” “The Year 1989,” “Private Property and the Universal Destination of Material Goods,” “State and Culture,” and “Man Is the Way of the Church.”

Veritatis Splendor

Pope John Paul II promulgated Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth) in 1993. The letter is one of the most important works of moral theology in the Catholic tradition. At its core the work is a refutation of moral relativism and nihilism. The pontiff asserts that absolute truth does exist and that it is accessible to mankind. Also, the encyclical re-states that the Magisterium of the Church has authority to pronounce definitively on moral issues. Other focuses are the natural law, human freedom, the role of conscience, the reality of evil, and a refutation of the concept of the “fundamental option.” The letter is divided into three sections: “Teacher, What Good Must I do . . . ?,” “Do Not be Conformed to this World,” and “Lest the Cross of Christ be Emptied of Its Power.”

Evangelium Vitae

Pope John Paul II issued Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) in 1995. The encyclical states the Church’s teaching on the dignity and inviolability of human life. The pontiff asserts that the immorality of murder, abortion, and euthanasia is a teaching of the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church and is therefore infallible and unchangeable. He also treats capital punishment, stating it to be normally immoral. The letter also deals with more general issues such as sexual morality, the importance of the family, and society’s duty to care for the sick and the poor. The encyclical is divided into four sections, “The Voice of Your Brother’s Blood Cries to Me from the Ground: Present-Day Threats to Human Life,” “I Came That They May Have Life: The Christian Message Concerning Life,” “You Shall Not Kill: God’s Holy Law,” and “You Did It to Me: For a New Culture of Human Life.”

Ut Unum Sint

Pope John Paul II wrote Ut Unum Sint (That They Might Be One) in 1995. The encyclical focuses on the Roman Catholic Church’s relationship with the Orthodox Churches and with other Christian ecclesial communities and expresses the Church’s commitment to an ecumenism that does not dilute the importance of doctrine. The letter is divided into three sections: “The Catholic Church’s Commitment to Ecumenism,” “The Fruits of Dialogue,” and “Quanta est Nobis Via?.”

Fides et Ratio

Written in 1998, Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason) is Pope John Paul II’s treatment of the relationship between faith and reason. The pope re-iterates the Church’s teaching that faith and reason are not only not in conflict, but are in their essences bound up together. Faith without reason tends toward superstition and reason without faith tends toward nihilism. The pope calls for their re-integration and defends the Church’s responsibility to intervene in philosophy when its errors threaten revelation. The letter is divided into seven sections: “The Revelation of God’s Wisdom,” “Credo ut Intellegam,&rquo; “The Relationship between Faith and Reason,” “The Magisterium’s Interventions in Philosophical Matters,” “The Interaction between Philosophy and Theology,” and “Current Requirements and Tasks.”

Ecclesia de Eucharistia

Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Church of the Eucharist) was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 2003. The encyclical focuses on the Eucharist as the “source and the summit” of Christian life and as the most precious possession of the Church. The pope calls for a renewal of Eucharistic devotion, asserts the sacrificial character of the Mass, and re-iterates the necessity of the ministerial priesthood and the reality of apostolic succession. The letter is divided into six sections: “The Mystery of Faith,” “The Eucharist Builds the Church,” “The Apostolicity of the Eucharist and the Church,” “The Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion,” “The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration,” and “At the School of Mary, ‘Woman of the Eucharist.’”

Deus Caritas Est

Written in 2005, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) was Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical letter. It focuses on Love as the central reality of existence. The letter explores the concept of love at a theological and philosophical level, discussing eros, agape, and philia. It also articulates how love should become manifest in the life of the Church, through the proclamation of the word of God, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the exercise of charity. The encyclical is divided into two sections: “The Unity of Love in Creation and in Salvation History,” and “Caritas: The Practice of Love by the Church as a ‘Community of Love.’”

Spe Salvi

Pope Benedict XVI promulgated Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope) in 2007. The encyclical is a exploration of the theological virtue of hope and its relationship to redemption. The pontiff explains that the hope offered by Christ is not that of political liberation or economic abundance, but is rather of an encounter with the living God that surpasses all socio-political considerations. The letter is divided into eight sections: “Faith is Hope,” “The Concept of Faith-Based Hope in the New Testament and the Early Church,” “Eternal Life—What Is It?,” “Is Christian Hope Individualistic?,” “The Transformation of Christian Faith-Hope in the Modern Age,” “The True Shape of Christian Hope,” “‘Settings’ for Learning and Practicing Hope,” and “Mary, Star of Hope.”

Caritas in Veritate

Published in 2009, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) was pope Benedict XVI’s first social encyclical. The encyclical is concerned with many aspects of global development and economic and political justice. The pontiff aims to lay down moral guidelines within which specific policies can be crafted. These guidelines include a rejection of both socialist and free-market ideologies in favor of a conception within which all social actions are informed by ethics. The letter discusses poverty, population issues, the environment, relativism, sexual exploitation, and many other timely issues. It is divided into six sections: “The Message of ‘Populorum Progressio,’” “Human Development in Our Time,” “Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society,” “The Development of People, Rights and Duties, and the Environment,” “The Cooperation of the Human Family,” and “The Development of Peoples and Technology.”

Nova Vulgata: Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio

The Nova Vulgata is the official Latin version of the Bible for the Catholic Church. It has its origins in the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which put forth the mandate for a revision of the Latin Psalter in order to bring it in line with modern text-critical research. Then in 1965, Pope Paul VI established a commission to expand the revision to cover the entire Bible. The revised Psalter was completed and published in 1969, followed by the New Testament in 1971, and the entire Vulgate was completed in 1979. A second edition was then published several years later in 1986.

The textual basis of the Nova Vulgata is the critical edition of Jerome’s Vulgate, as edited by the monks of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Jerome in Rome and the critical edition of the Vulgate edited by Robert Weber (also available with a critical apparatus in the German Bible Society Bundle). The basis for Tobit and Judith are the Old Latin manuscripts that predate Jerome’s translation. Together this collection of texts were revised according to modern critical editions of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, along with a number of places where the editors believed that Jerome had misunderstood the meaning of the original or had translated it obscurely.

The original goal of the Nova Vulgata was to provide an authoritative edition of Jerome’s translation for the production of a reformed Latin liturgy, while also correcting the Vulgate in use and taking into account other important liturgical factors such as readability in public and singability for choirs.

[The] Nova Vulgata appeared in 1979. Intended for liturgical and pastoral use, the text represents a happy synthesis between the demands of textual criticism and respect for the ecclesiastical Latin of the church.

—Raymond F. Collins, Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

A Dictionary of Canon Law

This pocket manual of canon law is a digest of the 1917 Code. On most subjects, the points of the law are scattered through the Code. By gathering these points under their respective heads and arranging them in alphabetical order, with reference to canon, paragraph, and number in the Code, this manual aims to be a clear, intelligent counselor in the ordinary affairs of Catholic life, and a ready index to the Code for questions that require knowledge of the niceties of ecclesiastical law.

Under the more than 600 titles, there is hardly any conceivable point or topic embraced by the Code that is not brought out and elucidated by the rays focused upon it from every related portion of the Law. And so by its aid the student can at once get a summary of the Church’s enactments upon any required subject and with the help of the numbered references can verify and, if need be, supplement the epitomized information.

The Ecclesiastical Review

The Book of Saints

The Book of Saints serves as a dictionary for servants of God canonized by the Catholic Church, extracted from the Roman and other Martyrologies.

A Catholic Dictionary

A Catholic Dictionary contains definitions and accounts of the doctrine, discipline, rites, ceremonies, councils, and religious orders of the Catholic Church.

We are disposed to think that, since Butler’s Lives of the Saints, there has not appeared in the English language any Catholic work so important as this.

Dublin Review

A most important and valuable work, for which we have long been waiting.

Andover Review

It is the only book that we know of that can be called a trustworthy source of information on Catholic Doctrine.

Christian Advocate

William E. Addis (1844–1917) was elected a fellow in mental and moral philosophy at Royal University of Ireland. He is the author of numerous works, including Anglicanism and the Fathers and Anglican Misrepresentation.

Thomas Arnold (1823–1900) was a lecturer in literature at Dublin University, and then was Professor of English Language and Literature at University College of St. Stephen’s Green. He authored a widely used school textbook, A Manual of English Literature, and the autobiography, Passages of a Wandering Life.

Ecclesiastical Dictionary

The object of the Ecclesiastical Dictionary is to furnish, in concise form, information upon ecclesiastical, biblical, archeological, and historical subjects pertaining to the Catholic Church. The more than 3,000 articles contained in the dictionary have been culled from various works and the Scripture quotations are mostly made from the Latin Vulgate.

John Thein was Priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, and the author of numerous works, including Christian Anthropology, the four-volume Answers to Difficulties of the Bible, and The Catechism of Rodez.

The Externals of the Catholic Church

The Externals of the Catholic Church covers the government, ceremonies, festivals, sacramentals, and devotions of the Catholic Church in great detail.

John Francis Sullivan was the author of several noted works, including The Visible Church, The Fundamentals of Catholic Belief, and Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Papal Monarchy.

Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia

Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia contains brief explanations of the doctrines, discipline, rites, ceremonies, and councils of the Catholic Church, including an abridged account of the religious orders. Added is McGovern’s “150 Important Facts in Church History Explained.”

James J. McGovern studied in Rome in the Propaganda College, where he received his Doctor of Sacred Theology and Doctor of Canon Law. He is also the author, editor, and compiler of The Manual of the Holy Catholic Church (1906).

A History of the Councils of the Church, vols. 1–5

This work is widely recognized as a classic of ecclesiastical history. Based directly on the primary sources, Charles Joseph von Hefele reconstructs the most significant Church gatherings from the council of Jerusalem, depicted in The Acts of the Apostles, to the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. This was the period of the undivided Church, when East and West were united and governed primarily through periodic gatherings, the most famous being the seven ecumenical councils held in 325, 381, 431, 451, 553, 680, and 787. This history clearly and thoroughly explains the major issues dealt with at each council, including clear descriptions of the numerous heretical movements of the early Church. It also describes with great detail the politics surrounding the calling and conclusion of the councils.

Charles Joseph von Hefele was bishop of Rottenburg and professor of theology at the University of Tübingen.

Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God’s Saving Promises

While the canonical scriptures were produced over many centuries and represent a diverse library of texts, they are unified by stories of divine covenants and their implications for God’s people. In this deeply researched and thoughtful book, Scott Hahn shows how covenant, as an overarching theme, makes possible a coherent reading of the diverse traditions found within the canonical scriptures.

Biblical covenants, though varied in form and content, all serve the purpose of extending sacred bonds of kinship, Hahn explains. Specifically, divine covenants form and shape a father-son bond between God and the chosen people. Biblical narratives turn on that fact, and biblical theology depends upon it. With meticulous attention to detail, the author demonstrates how divine sonship represents a covenant relationship with God that has been consistent throughout salvation history. A canonical reading of this divine plan reveals an illuminating pattern of promise and fulfillment in both the Old and New Testaments. God’s saving mercies are based upon his sworn commitments, which he keeps even when his people break the covenant.

Both well-written and exhaustive, this impressive work will fascinate readers with New Testament truths about God’s unyielding covenant with his chosen, fallible people.

—David Noel Freedman, editor of the Anchor Yale Bible

This book is the fruit of an immense amount of research in the contemporary study of the Biblical covenant. No one who takes up the challenge to study it, whether scholar or not, will come away from reading it without being more astute in matters human and divine. The thesis of the book is masterly in its basic insight: life lived under Biblical covenant cannot be separated from life lived in relationships dictated by familial terms and ties. It is the family which is central to the Bible’s view of life for the simple reason that the family is central to life itself.

—James Swetnam, S. J., Pontifical Biblical Institute

Scott Hahn opens new vistas, chases down old haunts, and leads us to a fuller, deeper, and more penetrating understanding of covenant. Until we get ‘covenant’ right, we simply don’t understand the Bible. When I think of the word ‘covenant’ I think of Kinship by Covenant. When I have any questions about ‘covenant,’ this is the first book I will turn to for ever and a day.

—Scot McKnight, editor of The Face of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research

At last Scott Hahn’s Kinship by Covenant is published! Maintaining a masterful command of the data on biblical and ancient near eastern covenants, the work exposes how, for over a century, biblical scholarship lost sight of the covenant as a kinship-forging ritual. Richly documented, theologically profound, the book will prove an invaluable resource in Old and New Testament study.

—Gregory Yuri Glazov, Seton Hall University, Immaculate Conception Seminary

The Confession of St. Patrick

“I am Patrick, a sinner, the most unschooled and least of all the faithful, and utterly despised by many,” was the first sentence St. Patrick penned of his Confession—the autobiography of his life and missionary journeys. Over the past centuries, various writers have quoted from St. Patrick’s Confession, finding encouragement in its many lessons of faith and humility. The Confession St. Patrick is a translation of St. Patrick’s famous Confession from its original Latin. It includes an extensive introduction and notes, as well as an explanation of the translation process Thomas Olden underwent.

Thomas Olden (1823–1900) was the rector of Ballyclogh 1868–1899, Cork, Ireland. He attended Trinity College in Dublin and received a BA, MA, BD, and honorary DD. An Irish Anglican writer, he wrote over sixty entries, mostly on Irish saints.

The Life and Writings of St. Patrick

The Life and Writings of St. Patrick is one of the fullest and exact accounts of St. Patrick’s missionary labors in Ireland. Avoiding bias opinions of the saint by gathering information from ancient records, this biography allows the story of St. Patrick’s life to speak for itself. It includes nine appendixes that discuss—in detail—various aspects of St. Patrick’s life, as well as a map illustrating St. Patrick’s missionary journeys through Ireland.

Dr. Healy has gone over the ground himself; has collected the popular traditions; has identified, wherever possible, the sites of the old Patrician churches, and to our mind has given the most accurate, the most complete, and the most interesting account of what may be called the topography of St. Patrick’s life.

The Irish Ecclesiastical Record

Dr. Healy gives us, form an inside standpoint, a copious and exhaustive history of Ireland’s Apostle. The present work, containing over seven hundred and fifty good-sized pages, embodies everything of value that is known, or probably ever will be known, on the subject. Its chief excellence is the wealth of topographical lore which the learned author has brought to his task. . . . The narrative of St. Patrick’s journeying is greatly enlivened by the Archbishop’s identification of the various places and landmarks in the modern nomenclature.

Catholic World

John Healy (1841–1918) was Archbishop of Tuam from 1903 to 1918. Prior to that, He served as Bishop of Clonfert from 1896 to 1903.

A Commentary upon the Gospel According to S. Luke, vol. 1

This commentary, like many other patristic commentaries, was delivered in a course of short sermons. Volume one includes eighty sermons and covers the Gospel of Luke up to chapter 11:14.

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. His uncle, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, was Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412. Cyril was well educated, wrote extensively, and was a leading figure in the First Council of Ephesus in 431, the third ecumenical council of the early Christian Church. The council convened amid disputes over the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Cyril led the charges of heresy against Nestorius. Nestorius’ teachings were condemned by the council, leading to the formation of separate denominations that broke from the Orthodox church.

Cyril of Alexandria is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and Lutheran Church.

Commentary on the Gospel According to S. John, vols. 1–2

Volume one of Cyril of Alexander’s Commentary on the Gospel According to S. John is divided into ten chapters and covers John 1–9:1.

Volume two of Cyril of Alexander’s Commentary on the Gospel According to S. John is divided into seven chapters and covers John 9:2–21. This volume also contains indices that cover both volumes.

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. His uncle, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, was Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412. Cyril was well educated, wrote extensively, and was a leading figure in the First Council of Ephesus in 431, the third ecumenical council of the early Christian Church. The council convened amid disputes over the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Cyril led the charges of heresy against Nestorius. Nestorius’ teachings were condemned by the council, leading to the formation of separate denominations that broke from the Orthodox church.

Cyril of Alexandria is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and Lutheran Church.

Five Tomes against Nestorius; Scholia on the Incarnation; Christ is One; Fragments against Diore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, the Synousiasts

This volume contains the following works by Cyril of Alexandria:

  1. Five Books against Nestorius
    • Tome I
    • Tome II
    • Tome III
    • Tome IV
    • Tome V
  2. The Scholia on the Incarnation
  3. That Christ is One by Way of Dispute with Hermias
  4. Fragments of Treatise against Diodre, Bishop of Tarsus
  5. Fragments of Treatise against Theodore, of Mopsuestia
  6. Fragments of Treatise against the Synousiasts

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. His uncle, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, was Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412. Cyril was well educated, wrote extensively, and was a leading figure in the First Council of Ephesus in 431, the third ecumenical council of the early Christian Church. The council convened amid disputes over the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Cyril led the charges of heresy against Nestorius. Nestorius’ teachings were condemned by the council, leading to the formation of separate denominations that broke from the Orthodox church.

Cyril of Alexandria is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and Lutheran Church.

The Three Epistles of S. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (3 vols.)

This volume contains two letters to Nestorius and one letter to John Bishop of Antioch. Editor P. E. Pusey presents the letters in Greek and Latin with notes and provides the English translations. The former of the two letters to Nestorius was read at the very opening of the Council of Ephesus, immediately after the recitation of the Nicene Creed.

Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. His uncle, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, was Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412. Cyril was well educated, wrote extensively, and was a leading figure in the First Council of Ephesus in 431, the third ecumenical council of the early Christian Church. The council convened amid disputes over the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Cyril led the charges of heresy against Nestorius. Nestorius’ teachings were condemned by the council, leading to the formation of separate denominations that broke from the Orthodox church.

Cyril of Alexandria is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and Lutheran Church.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 1: Seeing the Form

The work opens with a critical review of developments in Protestant and Catholic Theology since the Reformation which have led to the steady neglect of aesthetics in Christian theology. From here, von Balthasar turns to the central theme of the volume: the question of theological knowledge. He re-examines the nature of Christian believing (here he quickly draws widely on such theological figures as Anselm, Pascal and Newman) which gives due place to the particular kind of “knowing” which develops within the personal relationship to the believer to the God mediated through the revelation-form of Jesus Christ.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 2: Clerical Styles

Henri de Lubac has described von Balthasar as “probably the most cultured man in Europe”. In this volume von Balthasar shows the extraordinary range of his knowledge and expertise in a series of essays designed to illustrate different ways in which theologians have shared their work. What he offers is “a typology of the relationship between beauty and revelation” which shows “that there neither has been nor could be any true great and historically fruitful theology which was not expressly conceived and born under the constellation of beauty and grace”. The volume offers a series of studies of representative figures from the earlier period of Christian theology, including Irenaeus, Augustine, Denys, Anselm, and Bonventura.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 3: Lay Styles

In this volume von Balthasar turns to the works of the lay theologians, the poets and the philosopher theologians who have kept alive the grand tradition of Christian theology in writings formally very different from the works of the Fathers and the great Scholastics. This volume contains studies of Dante, John of the Cross, Pascal, Hamann, Soloviev, Hopkins, and Peguy.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 4: The Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity

In this fourth volume of his magnum opus, von Balthasar considers the metaphysical tradition of the contemplation of Being. He provides major studies of Homer, the Greek Tragedians, Plato, and Plotinus and the development of this tradition in the Middle Ages. He then explores the analogy between the metaphysical vision of the Being and the Christian vision of the divine glory of the Trinity. The book is a remarkable attempt to rediscover the ancient vision of Being in all its awesomeness as the context within which the specifically Christian vision, rooted in God’s gracious self-revelation, took form and was expressed.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 5: The Realm of Metaphysics in the Modern Age

In this second volume on the metaphysical traditions of the West, von Balthasar presents a series of studies of representative mystics, theologians, philosophers, and poets and explores the three main streams of metaphysics which have developed since the “catastrophe” of Nominalism. The way of self-abandonment to the divine glory is traced through figures like Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Ignatius, de Sales; the attempt to relocate theology in a recovery of antiquity’s sense of being and beauty through figures like Nicholas of Cusa, Holderlin, Goethe, Heidegger; the metaphysics of spirit through Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, and the Idealists. The strengths and weaknesses of these ways are relentlessly exposed. The volume ends with the search for the Christian contribution to metaphysics.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 6: Theology: The Old Covenant

This volume initiates von Balthasar’s study of the biblical vision and understanding of God’s glory. Starting with the theophanies of the Patriarchal period, it shows how such glory is most fully expressed in the graciousness of the Covenant relationship between God and Israel. But the breaking of that relationship by Israel means that in the later books of the Old Testament, the divine glory is seen in God’s willingness to bear with his people in the dark side of their history. There is no final version of God’s glory in the Old Testament. In the 500 years before Christ, the Covenant relation is more of an idea than reality. The vision of the transcendent glory of God which is developed in the later writings is only fragmentary. It will find its strange and unexpected fulfillment in the new Covenant.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Glory of the Lord, vol. 7: Theology: The New Covenant

In this final volume of his great work, von Balthasar reflects on the New Testament vision of God’s revelation of his glory in Christ. This divine “appearing” is grounded in the self-emptying of the eternal logos in the incarnation, cross, and descent into hell. Christ is the man who represents God and is also God; He is a symbol of the world and is also the world. He dies, but in dying rises into the eternal life of God. It is in Christ’s incarnation and resurrection that the Christian vision is truly expressed and the joining of God and the world in the new and eternal covenant is realized.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Drama, vol. 1: Prolegomena

This is the introduction to the second part of the trilogy which is von Balthasar’s major work. The Glory of the Lord approaches revelation from the standpoint of the beautiful. The final part of the trilogy, the Theo-Logic, will treat Christian revelation from the standpoint of the true.

In this first volume von Balthasar shows how many of the trends of modern theology (e.g. “event”, “history”, “orthopraxy”, “dialogue”, “political theology”) point to an understanding of human and cosmic reality as a divine drama. He will then consider objections to such a theological dramatic theory and also the relationship between the Church and the theater. This volume assembles the materials and the themes that will make it possible in subsequent volumes to develop this theological dramatic theory.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Drama, vol. 2: Dramatis Personae

The first volume of this series surveyed the great world dramatists to gather concepts and ideas to apply to the real stage, which is the universe God has made and centered into himself as an actor. This volume describes the actors, the dramatis personae. This is his theological anthropology concerning man, his freedom and destiny in the light of biblical revelation. Von Balthasar is concerned here with the dramatic character of existence as a whole, approaching the topic through a consideration of the various conditions and situations of mankind as a drama that involves both the Creator and His creatures.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Drama, vol. 3: Dramatis Personae

The third volume of Theo-Drama is considered the most central book of von Balthasar’s entire theological project. Structurally it is the middle volume of the middle part of his theological trilogy: Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama, and Theo-Logic. More significantly, it contains von Balthasar’s synthetic treatment of the central mysteries of the Catholic Faith: Christ, Mary, the Church, man, and the Trinity.

The various elements of von Balthasar’s theological reflection converge here, and here as nowhere else one can find the systematic elaboration of his Christology, Mariology, ecclesiology, anthropology and Trinitarian doctrine. It is both a one-volume compendium of this theology and a key to his trilogy and other writings.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Drama, vol. 4: The Action

Having presented his Christology and Mariology under the sign of the “Dramatis Personae” in volume three of Theo-Drama, von Balthasar now turns to the action of the divine drama itself. Here we find his soteriology, where time, freedom, history, power, sin, conflict are seen in the light of the Cross, the culmination of the action and passion of God and man.

As Balthasar expresses it in the conclusion to his preface: here “we discern the unity of ‘glory’ and the ‘dramatic’. God’s glory, as it appears in the world—supremely in Christ—is not something static that could be observed by a neutral investigator. It manifests itself only through the personal involvement whereby God himself comes forth to do battle and is both victor and vanquished. If this glory is to come within our range at all, an analogous initiative is called for on our part. Revelation is a battlefield. Those who do battle on it can only be believers and theologians, provided they have equipped themselves with the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11).”

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Drama, vol. 5: The Last Act

This is the final volume of this series on “theological dramatic theory” by the great 20th century theologian Balthasar. This series is the second part of Balthasar’s trilogy on the good, the beautiful, and the true which is his major work. The first series in the trilogy is The Glory of the Lord, and following this Theo-Drama series will be Theo-Logic.

In this series “the good” has been the focus. Balthasar maintains that it is in the theater that man attempts a kind of transcendence to observe and to judge his own truth about himself. He sees the phenomenon of theater as a source of fruitfulness for theological reflection on the cosmic drama that involves earth and heaven. This fifth volume is Trinitarian, focusing on the mystery of God. He draws heavily on Scripture and many passages from the works of the mystic Adrienne von Spyer. Some of the topics covered include “A Christian Eschatology,” “The World is from the Trinity,” “Earth moves Heavenward,” and “The Final Act: A Trinitarian Drama.”

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Logic, vol. 1: The Truth of the World

Theo-Logic is the third and crowning part of the great trilogy of the masterwork of theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, following his first two parts, The Glory of the Lord and Theo-Drama. This third part of the trilogy focuses on theological “logic” and what role it plays in the event of God’s self-revelation through the Incarnation of the Logos and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Truth of the World searches to uncover the structures that characterize the truth of finite being, while keeping in mind that this truth cannot be explained outside of its circumincessive relation to the other transcendentals. This volume investigates truth as nature, freedom, mystery, and participation.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Logic, vol. 2: Truth of God

Truth of God concentrates on the truth that God has made known to us by his own initiative through free revelation, which therefore also becomes the ultimate norm of the truth of the world. This revelation, far from abrogating worldly truth, elevates and perfects it beyond itself. But the understanding, and description, of this relationship presupposes the analysis of the first volume.

While the first volume works with philosophical concepts from a philosophical point of view, the second follows a theological method from a theological point of view.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Theo–Logic, vol. 3: The Spirit of the Truth

The final volume of the Theo-Logic focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit. Though Balthasar devotes some thought to the relations within the Trinity and to the problem of the filioque, he spends the better part of the volume presenting his ideas of the objective and subjective aspects of the Spirit’s person and work.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

Epilogue

The great trilogy of theology by Hans Urs von Balthasar includes The Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama, and Theo-Logic. His Epilogue, a single volume, is the closing of his masterwork, giving final details and overview to the prior volumes in the trilogy.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.

The Colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus (3 vols.)

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

The Colloquies of Erasmus still hold interest to many—the linguist, the historian, the moralist, the theologian, the lover of fiction—the short ruminations that fill these pages are funny, inspiring, rich with knowledge, poignant, captivating, and entertaining. These works were in high demand when they were published, creating a sensation all over Europe and placing Erasmus on the short list of must-read Latin scholars.

Perhaps no man wielded a greater influence in the sixteenth century than Erasmus. Both in his relation to Protestantism and Romanism, Erasmus was an epoch-making personality. The modern age cannot be understood without a study of his writings and the tracing of his influence.

The Reformed Church Review

To read Erasmus is to grow in wisdom.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Nathan Bailey was a philologist and lexicographer. His An Universal Etymological English Dictionary was the most widely used dictionary of the eighteenth century.

Epistles of Erasmus (3 vols.)

One of the most important figures of the 16th century, Desiderius Erasmus was a leading reformist and Renaissance humanist. Through his works and letters, Erasmus championed that true religion was a matter of inward devotion rather than outward symbols of ceremony and ritual, and sought to reform aspects of the Church from within. His works showed an astonishing intelligence, razor-sharp wit, and an authentic love for God and humanity. Soon after publication, his works were translated and read all over Europe.

The Epistles of Erasmus contain well over seven hundred letters from the approximate years 1493–1518, plus a detailed introduction, a chronological register of the letters, a table of correspondent’s names, detailed index, and five appendixes.

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a priest, scholar, author, and translator known as a leading figure in the Renaissance humanist movement before and during the Reformation. In 1506 he graduated as Doctor of Divinity from Turin University, and later was Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He then taught at Queens College, Cambridge for five years before becoming an independent scholar. Erasmus’ works were very influential; his books were produced in many editions and translations and printed all through Europe during his lifetime.

Francis Morgan Nichols  (18261915) was also the translator of works such as Britton, The Roman Forum, The Marvels of Rome, and The History of Dedham.

The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke

In some ways the narratives of Jesus’ birth and infancy are the last frontiers to be crossed in the critical approach to the Gospels. For some, the stories of Jesus’ birth are given dubious historical value. For others, the popular character of these narratives—the exotic magi, birth star, angelic messengers, and so on—renders them as legends unworthy to be a vehicle of the pure Gospel message. Still others deem them simple Christian folklore devoid of any real theology—only written for romantics or the naïve. Yet each Christmas, Christian clergy and the people to whom they minister must continue to face them.

According to Raymond Brown, introductory materials on the New Testament in general and the Gospels in particular gives the infancy narratives short shrift, disproportionate to their role in Christian theology, art, and poetic imagination. Perhaps the most visible sign of this neglect is the absence of a major modern commentary which treats the two infancy narratives together.

It was from this felt need that efforts for a new commentary were undertaken. In The Birth of the Messiah, Raymond Brown is interested in the role the infancy narratives played in the early Christian understanding of Jesus. By treating the two narratives together in the same volume, Brown points out their common tendencies and emphases. By giving them two distinct treatments, however, he also shows how each fits within the theological framework of its respective Gospel, and thus offers us reasons for the differences between the infancy narratives.

In The Birth of the Messiah, Brown contends that the infancy narratives are, indeed, worthy vehicles of the Gospel messages. In fact, they contain the Gospel message in miniature. On a deeper level, this commentary reflects the instinct recognizing the infancy narratives as the essence of the Good News—namely, that God has made himself present to us in the life of the Messiah who walked the earth.

A line-by-line exegesis . . . that not only synthesizes a generation of modern scholarship but also provides a coherent and compelling explanation of what the stories of Christ’s birth were meant to convey . . . Brown manages to rescue the Christmas story from both the contempt of experts and the sentimentality of naive laymen . . . Ordinary Christians can thank this priestly scholar for helping them to put the adult Christ back into Christmas.

Newsweek

A work of highest critical historical scholarship in a form that is accessible to the average well-educated reader . . . Brown’s treatment of the infancy narratives is definitive. It will undoubtedly be the standard work on the subject for years to come.

Best Sellers

Recommended to readers at all levels and without reservation.

America

A masterly work. Every conclusion is argued with the utmost thoroughness.

Catholic Biblical Quarterly

A magnificent tome, which puts previous studies in the shade and which promises to remain standard for a very long time. A superb study, rich in content, profound in insight.

The Living Church

One of the premier events in biblical publishing. . . . One thing is sure: This book will become a classic study on the nature and message of the infancy and message of the infancy narratives.

The Bible Today

Raymond E. Brown taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.

The Death of the Messiah, from Gethsemane to the Grave, vols. 1–2

The Passion Narrative proceeds from arrest through trial to condemnation, execution, and burial. In each Gospel, it records the longest consecutive action of Jesus. It has captured the attention and imagination of dramatists and artists, and it has inspired the poetry and music of the church for two thousand years. Alongside “born of the Virgin Mary,” the other phrase that made its way into the creed, “suffered under Pontius Pilate,” has become a marker anchoring Christian belief about the Son of God to a Jesus who was a human figure of actual history.

Historically, Jesus’ death was the most public event of his life. Theologically, Christians have interpreted the death of Jesus on the cross as a key element of God’s plan for the justification, redemption, and salvation of all. Spiritually, the Jesus of the Passion has been the focus of Christian meditation for countless would-be disciples who take seriously the command of the Master to take up the cross and follow him. Pastorally, the passion is the centerpiece of Lent and Holy Week, and the most sacred time in the liturgical calendar. From every point of view, the Passion is the central narrative in the Christian story.

The massive amount of material written on the Passion Narrative creates a need for a work that brings together the scattered views, proposals, and interpretations. In this 2-volume work, Raymond Brown sifts through the material to offer a full-scale commentary on the Passion Narratives of the Gospels.

The Death of the Messiah serves a variety of audiences: scholars, pastors, students of the religion and theology of the Bible, interested Christians, and those of any persuasion who seek knowledge about the passion and death of Jesus. Brown treats subjects in a readable way, even when it requires greater length or exposition.

Volume 1 covers the scenes of Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus before the Jewish authorities, and Jesus before Pilate. This volume contains translation, commentary, and analysis of each passage.

Volume 2 continues Raymond Brown’s project of commentary and analysis of the Passion Narrative, covering the scenes of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. This volume also contains nine appendices on non-canonical passion narratives, historicity, views of Judas Iscariot, Old Testament background, and Jesus’ predictions of his death. Volume 2 concludes with a detailed bibliography and a 25-page subject index.

Once again Raymond Brown has written a magnum opus. A stunning array of fresh insights into how the passion stories came into being and what—scene by scene—the four Evangelists really say about the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus.

Newsweek

Father Raymond Brown has a strong claim to be the most distinguished of American New Testament scholars, and he has few competitors worldwide.

New York Times

The Death of the Messiah is first of all a scholarly work, but it is also enjoyably readable and accessible to the interested layman.

Newsday

Breathtaking! Raymond E. Brown’s The Death of the Messiah crowns two millennia of Christian scholarship pondering the ‘scandal of the crucifixion.’ Brown has once again demonstrated his position as Father, Rabbi, and Teacher to us all.

—Burton L. Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

The supreme achievement of a deeply pastoral scholar.

—Sandra M. Schneiders, Jesuit School of Theology and Graduate Theological Union

The benchmark by which any future study of the Passion Narratives will be measured.

—John P. Meier, University of Notre Dame

These volumes are a treasure that spans the ages.

—Phyllis Trible, Wake Forest University Divinity School

Raymond E. Brown taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.

An Introduction to the Gospel of John

When Raymond E. Brown died in 1998, less than a year after the publication of his masterpiece, An Introduction to the New Testament, he left behind a nearly completed revision of his acclaimed two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John in the Anchor Yale Bible. The manuscript, skillfully edited by Francis J. Moloney, displays the rare combination of meticulous scholarship and clear, engaging writing that made Father Brown’s books consistently outsell other works of biblical scholarship.

An Introduction to the Gospel of John represents the culmination of Brown’s long and intense examination of part of the New Testament. One of the most important aspects of this new book, particularly to the scholarly community, is how it differs from the original commentary in several important ways. It presents, for example, a new perspective on the historical development of the Gospels, and shows how Brown decided to open his work to literary readings of the text, rather than relying primarily on the historical, which informed the original volumes. In addition, there is an entire section devoted to Christology, absent in the original, as well as a magisterial new section on the representation of Jews in the Gospel of John.

Raymond E. Brown taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.

An Introduction to the New Testament

When Raymond E. Brown died in 1998, less than a year after the publication of his masterpiece, An Introduction to the New Testament, he left behind a nearly completed revision of his acclaimed two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John in the Anchor Yale Bible. The manuscript, skillfully edited by Francis J. Moloney, displays the rare combination of meticulous scholarship and clear, engaging writing that made Father Brown’s books consistently outsell other works of biblical scholarship.

An Introduction to the Gospel of John represents the culmination of Brown’s long and intense examination of part of the New Testament. One of the most important aspects of this new book, particularly to the scholarly community, is how it differs from the original commentary in several important ways. It presents, for example, a new perspective on the historical development of the Gospels, and shows how Brown decided to open his work to literary readings of the text, rather than relying primarily on the historical, which informed the original volumes. In addition, there is an entire section devoted to Christology, absent in the original, as well as a magisterial new section on the representation of Jews in the Gospel of John.

Raymond E. Brown taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.

An Exposition of the Epistles of St. Paul and of the Catholic Epistles (2 vols.)

John MacEvilly’s exposition of the Pauline and Catholic Epistles offers a clear, Catholic, passage-by-passage interpretation of the text. It combines traditional exegesis with moral exhortation and so has been widely used as a daily devotional. The work was originally intended for laymen, but quickly found a place as a textbook in seminary education and has seen numerous editions.

John MacEvilly was the archbishop of Tuam.

Essays: Critical and Historical (2 vols.)

This collection of essays was written early in Newman’s career from 1828–1842. Newman’s topics vary from literary criticism and the Greek poets to the catholicity of the Anglican church and the concept of Antichrist. These two volumes capture the academic breadth of Newman’s career as a Fellow at Oriel College. All of these articles were written during Newman’s Anglican period and do not always reflect his later thoughts toward the Catholic church.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

The Via Media of the Anglican Church (2 vols.)

Early in his career John Henry Newman held the view that the Anglican Church of England provided a sort of “middle way” between the perceived errors of the Roman Catholic church on the one hand, and those perceived errors manifested in many Protestant churches on the other hand. This two volume work outlines Newman‘s argument in support of this view and his recommendations for enacting further reform within the Anglican church.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Historical Sketches (3 vols.)

These volumes are comprised of lengthy lectures and articles written for encyclopedic publications. John Henry Newman was among the greatest historians of his day and few can escape his influence on the study of Christian history.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

Parochial and Plain Sermons (8 vols.)

This volume contains sermons delivered during Newman’s post at Oriel College, Oxford. Most of the sermons in this collection include the date of delivery, making it easy to compare the practical, homiletical presentation of Newman’s theories to the more intricate nuances of his argument in a corresponding essay.

John Henry Newman (February 21, 1801–August 11, 1890) was a priest and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. His father was a banker and his mother’s family was French Huguenot. Newman was raised in a strict Calvinist home and received his primary education at the famous Ealing School. John Henry Newman graduated from Trinity College, Oxford in 1821 and was elected to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford in the following year. On June 13, 1824 he was ordained into the Anglican priesthood. From the early 1830’s until 1845, Newman was a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, a group of Anglican priests and scholars from Oxford who sought to restore the rites of the Anglican church to their Apostolic roots in the Early Church. Between 1842 and 1845, during a time of solitude and the completion of Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Newman underwent a process conversion to Roman Catholicism. Newman also published the Oxford Conservative Journal during this time period as a platform for retracting any negative remarks he previously assailed towards the Roman Church.

He was officially received into the Catholic Church on October 9, 1845. The conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism was the result of a life’s long struggle to reconcile the historic faith handed down from the Apostles with his own Anglican tradition. Frustrated with the errors inherent in both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, Newman abandoned his search for the via media (or, middle way) of Anglicanism and converted to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1848, Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale and began ministering to the Catholic population of the city. In 1851, the Bishops of Ireland elected to start a Catholic university in Dublin and they appointed Newman to be the founder and first rector of the institution. Maintaining his ministry at the Birmingham Oratory, Newman established what would become University College, Dublin. His Idea of a University was prepared for founding faculty of the university at Dublin. On May 12, 1879 Pope Leo XIII appointed Newman to the college of Cardinals. John Henry Cardinal Newman died on August 11, 1890. Cardinal Newman is currently under consideration by the Vatican for sainthood.

The Sayings of the Fathers

From the middle of the fifth century, and probably from the late fourth century, collections of sayings from the hermits of the Egyptian desert began to be circulated. Smaller collections of these sayings were gradually assembled into larger collections arranged alphabetically, by author, or by subject. In The Sayings of the Fathers, Owen Chadwick translates the standard and celebrated edition of this collection of sayings that was printed by the Jesuit Heribert Rosweyde at Antwerp in 1615. Chadwick chose this version to translate because it is one of the earliest of the western collections, and because it was probably the most influential of the collections in western monastic history.

Owen Chadwick was made Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1947, and in 1968 was elected Regius Professor of Modern History, a chair he held for fourteen years. A prominent Christian historian, his books include The Secularization of the European Mind in the 19th Century, Hensley Henson: A Study in the Friction between Church and state, and The Christian Church in the Cold War.

Boethius: The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy

During his brief life of 44 years, Boethius authored and translated numerous important works and treatises on the Christian faith. Considered by Stewart and Rand to be "the last of the Roman philosophers and the first of the scholastic theologians," an imprisoned Boethius penned The Consolation of Philosophy, his best known work, before being executed in 524 A. D. This volume contains the Latin texts and English translations of The Consolation of Philosophy, as well as the tractates On the Trinity (two treatises), On the Catholic Faith, and A Treatise Against Eutyches and Nestorius.

Hugh Fraser Stewart (1863–1948) was a fellow and chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge, and the author of numerous books on Boethius, Augustine of Hippo, and Pascal.

Edward Kennard Rand (1871–1945) was born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated at Harvard where he taught medieval history and Latin for forty years. He was the founder and first president of the Medieval Academy of America, the founder and first editor of Speculum, and president of the American Philological Association from 1922–1923. He is the author of several books, including Founders of the Middle Ages and The Building of Eternal Rome, as well as hundreds of scholarly articles and essays.

Morals on the Book of Job (3 vols.)

St. Gregory the Great’s massive four-volume commentary on the Book of Job is thought to have been written between 578 and 595. The first two chapters from the Book of Job are explained in a three part structure: historical, allegorical, and moral application. Gregory the Great then follows a historical, mystical, and moral pattern of explaining the Book of Job.

Throughout the whole Church, and in particular England, the works of St. Gregory became the foundation of the moral, theological, and spiritual teaching during the centuries after his death. It is not too much to say that his Morals on the Book of Job and his treatise on the Pastoral Charge long formed the storehouses from which generations of spiritual writers drew their inspirations, their ideas, and frequently their very words.

The Dublin Review

Charles Marriott (1811–1858) was an Anglican priest, fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, and one of the members of the Oxford Movement.

An Encyclopedist of the Dark Ages: Isidore of Seville

Before offering an English translation of St. Isidore of Seville’s classic Etymologies, Ernest Brehaut provides a biography of Isidore’s life, and explores his relationship to previous culture, his view of education, and his world-view in general. Isidore’s vast encyclopedic systemization of ancient learning includes subjects such as theology, philosophy, medicine, and music, and is considered one of the most important sources for the history of intellectual culture in the early Middle Ages.

Ernest Brehaut (1873–1953) was a professor of history at Columbia University, New York, and also the author of History of the Franks.

On Holy Images

Responding to the edict by the Byzantine Emperor Leo III banning the veneration or exhibition of holy images, St. John Damascene penned a defense of holy images that garnered his reputation as an important thinker and writer. In On Holy Images, Allies provides an English translation from the original Greek of John Damascene's classic text, as well as translating three sermons on the Assumption of Mary.

A translation of the treatise on Holy Images by the last of the great Greek Fathers, who is at the same time the definite forerunner of the speculative method inaugurated by the scholastics of the Middle Ages, has a special interest and significance for our time.

The American Ecclesiastical Review

The Damascene's polemic is of great historical as well as dogmatic interest. It deserves attention for its argument, its style, and its effects.

The Critical Review of Theological and Philosophical Literature

Mary H. Allies translated numerous works from the Church Fathers, including Leaves from St. Augustine, as well as the biography of her father, Thomas Allies, the Story of a Mind.

Barlaam and Ioasaph (English and Greek Texts)

The Greek legend of Barlaam and Ioasaph, traditionally attributed to St. John Damascene, serves as a re-telling of the life of Buddha through a Christian lens. Although the story’s original plot may have been adapted from Christians of the East for their own use, St. Damascene's Barlaam and Ioasaph is clearly a celebration of Christian monasticism. The Greek text and the English translation are both provided in this volume, along with an in-depth introduction in which the authors discuss its authorship and more.

Despite its considerable interest, religious and in places fairly human, Barlaam and Ioasaph has never before been completely translated into English from the original, and the present undertaking is a work of considerable value, carefully executed.

The Nation

George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934) was born in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead and educated at Gonville and Casius College, Cambridge. Woodward is most known for his writing and translating of hymns, and his works include Carols for Easter and Ascension-tide and A Cambridge Carol Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, and Other Seasons.

Harold Mattingly (1884–1964) was Craven Scholar and Fellow of Gonville and Casius College, Cambridge. He joined the British Museum in 1910 in the Department of Printed Books before moving to the Department of Coins and Medals where he was responsible for a total revision of the chronology and study of Roman coinage. His other works include Earliest Times to the Fall of the Roman, The Imperial Civil Service of Rome, and The Man in the Roman Street.

Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine

Sometimes thought of as a “Second Augustine” (“alter Ausgustinus”), Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096–1141) taught at the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris after which he is named. His numerous theological works and commentaries on Augustine were highly regarded, and the hundreds of original works that have survived in libraries all across Europe today reflect how popular and influential they were. Dom Aloysius Smith presents an English translation of Hugh of St. Victor’s Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine from the original Latin.

Dom Aloysius Smith was a celebrated translator whose numerous translations include Spiritual Director and Physician: The Spiritual Treatment of Sufferers from Nerves and Scruples and Life of St. Agnes: Virgin and Martyr.

The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor

Composed in Paris in the late 1120’s, Hugh of St. Victor’s Didascalicon provided intellectual and practical orientation for students of varying ages and levels of attainment who came in numbers to the newly founded Abbey of Saint Victor. As students took up studies at their different levels, this "medieval guide to the arts" offered a survey of all they should ultimately read, and of the order, manner, and purpose which should govern their reading, both in the arts or disciplines, and in Sacred Scripture. Jerome Taylor provides an in-depth introduction to The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor where he discusses the life of Hugh of St. Victor, the translation process from Latin to English, and the various original manuscripts still in existence.

This treatise, produced in the early years of the twelfth-century Renaissance by one of its most important theologians and educators, offers a vision of human knowledge as an integrated whole that works to perfect the human person. It is a crucial text for those interested in the study of the Bible in the Middle Ages, in the history of schools and pedagogy, and in the survival of the classical tradition in the West.

—Caroline Walker Bynum, Columbia University

Jerome Taylor was a professor of Medieval Studies at Notre Dame University. He has translated, edited, or contributed to numerous books, including Medieval English Drama: Essays Critical and Contextual, Chaucer Criticism: An Anthology, and Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth-Century: Essays on New Theological Perspectives in the Latin West.

The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise

Like Romeo and Juliet, Abelard and Heloise are one of the most celebrated couples of all time. And like the Shakespearean play, their love story is marred by tragedy. The letters contained in this volume are some of the most passionate love letters ever written. Translated from the original 1722 Latin edition into English, Ralph Fletcher Seymour provides a brief introduction to their powerful, heart-wrenching story.

The Love of Abelard and Heloise is one of the romances, founded in literal reality, that have never lost their power.

American Lithographer

Ralph Fletcher Seymour (1876–1966) was an artist-in-residence at Knox College at taught illustration at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was a noted designer of bookplates, and for almost seven decades he ran his own book publishing firm in Chicago.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Written before the Synod of Kells met in 1152, Bernard of Clairvaux’s biography of Malachy of Armagh covers Malachy’s entire spirit-filled life, from boyhood to his canonization. Before the English translation of St. Bernard’s Life of St. Malachy of Armagh, translator H. J. Lawlor provides an in-depth, 60+ page introduction to the state of the Irish Church during the time of St. Malachy’s life, a time he calls “a Reformation, though it might perhaps be more accurately described as an ecclesiastical revolution.” Also included with this volume are various letters and two sermons from St. Bernard.

Dr. Lawlor has given us a delightful translation of St. Bernard’s Life of St. Malachy of Armagh. His introduction and annotations admit us to an intimate view of the Church of Ireland in the most critical period of her history.

Church Quarterly Review

Hugh Jackson Lawlor (1860–1938) was Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Dublin and was also an Anglican Dean. He was the author and translator of numerous books, including Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, The Heresy of the Phrygians, and A Fresh Authority for the Synod of Kells, 1152.

Concerning Grace and Free Will

Watkin W. Williams translates from the original Latin into English St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s treatise Concerning Grace and Free Will. Williams provides abundant notes and commentary on St. Bernard’s exposition, as well as an in-depth introduction.

Watkin Wynn Williams is the author and translator of numerous books, including Monastic Studies, Studies in St. Bernard of Clairvaux, The Moral Theology of the Sacrament of Penance, and St. Bernard: The Man and His Message.

Life and Works of Saint Bernard, vol. 1

In volume one of Samuel J. Eales’ comprehensive two-volume collection of letters from Saint Bernard, Eales provides an in-depth introduction to the life and works of St. Bernard, a Bernadine Chronology, and a quick list of dates for each of the included letters. Eales also provides a summary at the top of each letter, as well as concise biographical material for each letter’s recipient. Volume one includes letters 1–145.

In his writings great natural powers shine forth resplendently, an intellect more than that of the subtle Abelard, an eloquence that was irresistible, an imagination like a poet, and a simplicity that wins the admiration of all. Priests will find it a most valuable book for spiritual reading and sermons.

Catholic World

No writer of the Middle Ages is so fruitful of moral inspiration as S. Bernard, no character is more beautiful, and no man in any age whatever so faithfully represented all that was best in the impulses of his time, or exercise so powerful an influence upon it. . . . There is no man whose letters cover so many subjects of abiding interest, or whose influence was so widely spread.

Athenaeum

Samuel J. Eales was Principal of St. Boniface, Warminster, and the author and translator of numerous books, including Sermons Ancient and Modern, The Voice from the Cross: Seven Brief Meditations on the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Spoken from His Cross, and The Privilege of Prayer.

Life and Works of Saint Bernard, vol. 2

In volume two of Samuel J. Eales’ comprehensive two-volume collection of letters from Saint Bernard, Eales provides an introduction with a description of the position and site of the Abbey of Clairvaux and some notes on the Seal of St. Bernard. Eales also provides a summary at the top of each letter, as well as concise biographical material for each letter’s recipient. Volume one includes letters 146–380.

The letters are of great historic interest, and many of them most touching. The simple earnestness of the man, and his utter freedom from ambition, strike us on almost every page.

Notes and Queries

English readers of every class and creed owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Eales for the great and useful work which he has undertaken. It is strange that now for the first time has such a task been even, as far as we are aware, approached. We have indeed much to be grateful for to the first English translator of S. Bernard's works.

This Month

Samuel J. Eales was Principal of St. Boniface, Warminster, and the author and translator of numerous books, including Sermons Ancient and Modern, The Voice from the Cross: Seven Brief Meditations on the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Spoken from His Cross, and The Privilege of Prayer.

St. Bernard’s Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles (2 vols.)

Translated from the original Latin into English, these sermons on the "Song of Solomon, instead of being dry-as-dust homilies, are as varied and many-colored as is the spiritual life, every aspect of which they discuss with equal solidity and elegance." Volumes one and two of St. Bernard’s Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles contains sermons 1–86.

Bernard surpasses all the other Doctors of the Church.

—Martin Luther

The Abbot Bernard, in his book De Consideratione, speaks in the language of truth itself.

—John Calvin

He was gifted with a sublime eloquence, and so rich in saintly wisdom and eminent in holiness, that while we garner his teaching we should make his life our model. Bernard, the great contemplative, tasted all the sweetness of prayer; it you, too, would find a relish in prayer, ruminate his words. Not only are they spiritual and heart-penetrating, but they are also exquisite in style and calculated to impel you to the service of God.

—St. Bonaventure

Sermons of St. Bernard on Advent and Christmas

These 19 sermons, originally given in Latin at the Chapter-house at Clairvaux, all relate to the mysteries of Advent and Christmas. John Cuthbert Hedley, the Bishop of Newport from 1881–1915, provides and introduction to these illuminating sermons.

The Moral Concordances of Saint Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua was not only one of the greatest, but one of the most popular preachers of the Middle Ages. His extant sermons and sermon notes evince a grasp of the Scriptures which well entitled him to the name bestowed on him by Gregory IX, “The Ark of the Testament.” St. Anthony died in 1231, and it wasn’t until 1638 that the Moral Concordances were discovered in a library attached to the Church called Aracoeli, in Rome. J. M. Neale provides the English translation along with an in-depth introduction.

The book needs no commendation at our hands, it having already attained to the position of a standard work, yet we cannot do less than record our deliberate conviction that no clergyman’s library is complete without it.

Union Review

John Mason Neale was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association, a religious organization founded as the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864. A well known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

The Exempla or Illustrative Stories from the Sermones Vulgares of Jacques de Vitry

Jacques de Vitry was one of the most famous preachers of the Middle Ages, a true master of the medieval sermon form. This style used exempla, or examples, from everyday life, to illustrate the moral interpretation of Scripture passages. These exempla became themselves famous and widely used and offer a window into the moral imagination of the Christians of the Middle Ages, an imagination that intermixed the mundane with the fantastic and sublime. Preachers borrowed these exempla from each other and over the centuries they often took on established, proverbial forms. The exempla of Jacques de Vitry are extracted from his sermons, but they cannot be considered to have been written by him. Rather, they represent a body of fables, proverbs, and short tales that were widely used in the sermons of the Middle Ages and would often have been recognizable to audiences.

Thomas Frederick Crane studied law at Princeton and Columbia Law School and worked as a librarian at the newly founded Cornell University. At Cornell, he taught French, Italian, Spanish, as well as Medieval Literature. Crane was one of the founders of Journal of American Folklore and later served as the first Dean of the Arts College.

Ninety–Nine Homilies of S. Thomas Aquinas upon the Epistles and Gospels for Forty–Nine Sundays of the Christian Year

These homilies by the great St. Thomas Aquinas are divided into the following groups:

  • The Advent Homilies (9)
  • The Epiphany and Ante-Lenten Homilies (16)
  • The Lenten Homilies (12)
  • The Easter Homilies (12)
  • The Homilies from Trinity to Advent, part 1 (24)
  • The Homilies from Trinity to Advent, part 2 (26)
Valuable as giving the Scholastic interpretation of many texts; valuable as showing how the Schoolmen saw our Blessed Lord as shadowed forth in type and prophecy in God's servants of old.

Preface

John M. Ashley is the editor and translator of numerous works, including A Year with Great Preachers, Eucharistic Sermons by Great Preachers, and Origen the Preacher.

The Religious State, the Episcopate and the Priestly Office

An English translation of De perfectione spiritualis uitae, The Religious State, the Episcopate and the Priestly Office explores the doctrines concerning religious life and Christian perfection.

John Procter was ordained in 1872 and was a parish priest of St. Dominic's Priory Church in London. He authored and translated numerous books, including Saint Sebastian: Lay-Apostle and Martyr, The Perpetual Rosary, Short Lives of the Dominican Saints, and The Catholic Creed; or, What do Catholics Believe?

The Bread of Life, or, St. Thomas Aquinas on the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar

Divided into seven parts, The Bread of Life consists of thirty meditations on the Blessed Sacrament. Rawes has translated the original Latin into English and provided summaries for each meditation in the table of contents.

Henry Augustus Rawes (1826–1885) was born at Easington near Durham, England, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. His numerous works include Servants of the Holy Ghost, Foregleams of the Desired and Septem; or Seven Ways of Hearing Mass.

The Life of Christ

The Life of Christ consists of one hundred meditations on the life and work of Jesus Christ. These short meditations, averaging 1–3 pages in length, poetically illuminate the Scriptures, and "endeavors throughout to fix the gaze of the soul on the Divine Object."

It was written, and has been translated, to be a guide through the high and sacred ways of the spiritual life; the temper of prayer and faithful contemplation is astir in every chapter; and the true canon of its excellence can only be applied by those who have used it according to the intention of its author.

Church Quarterly Review

W. H. Hutchings was Sub-warden of the House of Mercy, Clewer, and the author and translator of numerous works, including The Confessions of S. Augustine, The Life of Prayer: A Series of Lectures, and The Mystery of Temptation: A Course of Lectures.

The Virtues of a Religious Superior

This classic handbook for those who take leadership roles in the church is divided into seven sections:

  • The Selection of Superiors
  • Zeal for Justice
  • Pity or Compassion
  • Patience
  • Edification
  • Prudent Discretion
  • Devotion to Prayer

Sabinus Mollitor (1865–1924) earned his degree in classical studies from Quincy College and received the Franciscan habit in 1886. He served as pastor at a number of German and American Indian parishes in Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio, and as a prison chaplain in Joliet, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri.

The Life of Saint Francis

Composed between 1260 and 1263 at the bidding of a Chapter-General of the Order, The Life of Saint Francis was intended to supersede former "Lives or Legends," and to become the official biography of the Saint. This classic volume is a standard reference for the study of the life of Saint Francis.

Emma Gurney Salter translated over thirty-five books, including Franciscan Legends in Italian Art, The Little Flowers of St. Francis, and The Vision of God.

Mystical Opuscula

This volume contains five works that cemented Bonaventure’s reputation as a mystical theologian: The Journey of the Mind to God, The Triple Way, Tree of Life, Mystical Vine, and On the Perfection of Life. This edition of José de Vinck’s translation of these texts is considered the authoritative, critical edition.

Baron José M. G. A. de Vinck is a publisher, editor, translator, writer, and owner of Alleluia Press. He wrote and translated books on philosophy and theology.

Breviloquium

This is Bonaventure’s comprehensive presentation of Christian doctrine, covering the Trinity, creation, the fall of man, the person and mission of Christ, the role of grace, the sacraments, and the Last Judgment.

Baron José M. G. A. de Vinck is a publisher, editor, translator, writer, and owner of Alleluia Press. He wrote and translated books on philosophy and theology.

On Union with God

Written towards the end of his life, St. Albert the Great’s On Union with God aimed to lay the principles down needed to lead the highest spiritual life. In the Preface, P. J. Berthier writes: “It seems as though, while one reads, the mists of earth vanish and the snowy summits appear of the mounts of God. We breathe only the pure atmosphere of prayer, peace, and love, and the one great fact of the universe, the Divine Presence, is felt and realized without effort.”

P. J. Berthier is the author and editor of numerous books, including Biblical Examples of Sentence, with Extracts from the Old and New Testament and The Practice of Style: Simplicity, Precision, and Harmony.

The Form of Perfect Living and Other Prose Treatises

This volume contains Geraldine E. Hodgson’s translations of four of Richard Rolle of Hampole’s prose treatises: The Form of Perfect Living, Our Daily Life, On Grace, and An Epistle on Charity.

Geraldine E. Hodgson is the author and translator of numerous works, including In the Way of the Saints, Early English Instructions and Devotions, and The Sanity of Mysticism: A Study of Richard Rolle.

Treatise on Consummate Perfection

Together with St. Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Siena is one of the two patron saints of Italy. Of her extant writings, her Dialogue, an abundant number of letters, and a series of prayers, are well known. This smaller work, Treatise on Consummate Perfection, is also attributed to Catherine, and is also written in the form of a brief Dialogue.

Augusta Theodosia Drane (1823–1894) wrote numerous books of prose and poetry, including The History of Saint Dominic, The Life of St Catherine of Siena, The Knights of St John and Songs in the Night and Other Poems.

The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin Catherine of Siena

After providing an in-depth introduction on the study of mysticism, Algar Thorold provides the English translation of Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue, a series of colloquies divided into four treatises: “A Treatise of Divine Providence,” “A Treatise of Discretion,” “A Treatise of Prayer,” and “A Treatise of Obedience.”

Mr. Thorold decidedly deserves the thanks of students of mysticism for his fine rendering of the Dialogue, and for his scholarly introduction. The Dialogue is a treasure-house of devotional inspiration to those who can read aright its messages, and the place it has held in the Church is sufficient guarantee of its astounding intellectual merit and its salutary efficacy.

Freeman’s Journal

Those who study mystical literature owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Algar Thorold for rendering into English one of the great classics of mysticism. . . . Mr. Thorold's translation reads easily and well.

Scotsman

Mr. Thorold’s excellent essay on Mysticism shows an extensive acquaintance with leaders of modern thought outside the Catholic Church, and their views on the supernatural. The subject is beset with dangers, but the author has written nothing that is not in accordance with sound theology.

Tablet

Algar Labouchere Thorold (1866–1936) is the author and translator of numerous books, including Six Masters in Disillusion, The Life of Henry Labouchere, as well as the introduction to Mary G. Steegmann’s translation of The Book of Divine Consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno.

Medieval Preachers and Medieval Preaching

A survey of extracts from sermons from the Middle Ages, J. M. Neale provides an in-depth introduction to the sermons of that epoch, and then provides notes on the sermons sampled. Sermons included come from eminent Medieval preachers such as: St. Boniface, St. Bede, St. Atto of Vercell, St. Peter Damiani, St. Bruno of Aste, Peter Abaelard, Adam Scotus, Thomas à Kempis, and more.

A remarkable book; chiefly valuable to clergymen of all persuasions, but not without interest to the literary student, or the thoughtful frequenter of public worship.

The Living Age

John Mason Neale was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association, a religious organization founded as the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864. A well known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 1: Psalm 1 to Psalm 38

Volume one of the Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers covers Psalms 1–38. In addition to verse-by-verse commentary, each Psalm includes an introduction and various thoughts from the writings of the Church Fathers. Volume one also includes an in-depth introduction to the series, which includes two dissertations: "The Psalms as Employed in the Offices of the Church" and "Primitive and Mediæval Commentators on the Psalms," which provides concise biographical notices of the principal commentators referenced in all four volumes. A third dissertation, "The Mystical and Literal Interpretation of the Psalms," will be found after the thirtieth Psalm.

John Mason Neale (1818–1866) was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864, later known as the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association. A well-known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was born in Dublin and educated at Bective House Seminary and Trinity College, Dublin. His numerous works include The Priest’s Prayer Book and The People’s Hymnal.

A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 2: Psalm 39 to Psalm 80

Volume two of the Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers covers Psalms 39–80. In addition to verse-by-verse commentary, each Psalm includes an introduction and various thoughts from the writings of the Church Fathers. A dissertation, "Chronology and Authorship of the Psalms," explores the "original" order of the Psalms and discusses the many problems of trying to discern their "true" chronological sequence.

John Mason Neale (1818–1866) was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864, later known as the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association. A well-known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was born in Dublin and educated at Bective House Seminary and Trinity College, Dublin. His numerous works include The Priest’s Prayer Book and The People’s Hymnal.

A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 3: Psalm 81 to Psalm 118

Volume three of the Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers covers Psalms 81–118. In addition to verse-by-verse commentary, each Psalm includes an introduction and various thoughts from the writings of the Church Fathers.

John Mason Neale (1818–1866) was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864, later known as the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association. A well-known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was born in Dublin and educated at Bective House Seminary and Trinity College, Dublin. His numerous works include The Priest’s Prayer Book and The People’s Hymnal.

A Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers, vol. 4: Psalm 119 to Psalm 150

Volume four of the Commentary on the Psalms from Primitive and Mediæval Writers covers Psalms 119–150. In addition to verse-by-verse commentary, each Psalm includes an introduction and various thoughts from the writings of the Church Fathers. This volume also includes the dissertation "The Psalms as Used in the Sacraments and Rites of the Church" and provides an index of Scripture references for the entire collection.

John Mason Neale (1818–1866) was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he founded the Cambridge Camden Society (later known as the Ecclesiological Society). He was also the principal founder of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union in 1864, later known as the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association. A well-known hymnist and translator, his works include An Introduction to the History of the Holy Eastern Church, Essays on Liturgiology and Church History, and O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was born in Dublin and educated at Bective House Seminary and Trinity College, Dublin. His numerous works include The Priest’s Prayer Book and The People’s Hymnal.