Catholic Theology and Dogma Collection (8 Vols.)

The 8-volume Catholic Theology and Dogma Collection provides the basic tenets of Catholic theology, dogma, and practice. With titles by Ludwig Ott, Henry Denzinger, and Sylvester Joseph Hunter, these volumes have helped define dogma during times of dissension, providing necessary teaching to articulate Catholic theology. From Trent to the First Vatican Council, the decisions and decrees outlines in these documents are still useful for faith and practice in the church today. This collection is essential for scholars, laypersons, and both Catholics and Protestants seeking to understand the history and theology of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

• Publisher: London: George Routledge and Co., 1852
• 591 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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

The Canons and Decrees of The Council of Trent

• Publisher: London: George Routledge and Co., 1851
• 399 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma

• Author: Ludwig Ott
• Publisher: B. Herder Book Co., 1958
• 544 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Heralded as a must-read for priests, students, and laypersons of the Catholic faith, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma covers the various teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. This book provides Scriptural and historical support for Church dogma. Ott’s single-volume encyclopedia is written clearly and directly, providing an overview of Catholic dogma in an efficient and explicit manner.

Ludwig Ott was born in 1906, and was a prominent Catholic theologian. He studied at the Catholic University in Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and was ordained in 1930. He became Professor of Dogmatics at Eichstätt. Ott died in 1985 at Eichstätt, and is most widely known for his work on Catholic dogma.

This book is systematic theology at its best. It posits the dogma of the Church in a clear and unequivocal manner, and then goes about supplying the historical foundations for these dogmas. These foundations include ecumenical councils as well as the writings of the saints.
—Online reviewer

. . . This work is an excellent guide for busy parish priests who wish to refresh themselves on the reasonings and justifications for particular doctrines or themes. It is also accessible to the informed layman. The volume is also of potential value to the honest Protestant, seeking to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church.
—Online reviewer

The Sources of Catholic Dogma

• Author: Henry Denzinger
• Publisher: B. Herder Book Co., 1957
• 715 pages

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.

Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger was born in 1819 and was a prominent Catholic theologian. He studied at Würzburg, where he received his Ph.D., and also studied in Rome. He was ordained in 1844 and became Professor of Dogmatic theology at Würzburg in 1848. Denzinger died in 1883.

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

Referred to in theological circles as ‘Denzinger designations,’ this tome provides origins and primary sources for many of the more traditional doctrines and morals of the Catholic faith. It is an essential for any Catholic theologian or philosopher, regardless of liberal or conservative bent, so as to understand the rich history of theological discourse over the course of doctrinal development.
—Rev. Christopher A. Matthews, OSD, Abbot, St. Damian Abbey, Windsor, California

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

• Publisher: New York: Benziger Brothers, 1907
• 47 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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.

Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Vol. 1

• Author: Sylvester Joseph Hunter
• Publisher: New York: Benziger Brothers
• 525 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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.

The first volume of Hunter’s Outlines of Dogmatic Theology defines and defends Christian revelation as a legitimate source of knowledge—as it is found both in the words of Scripture and in the tradition of the Church. This volume also contains lengthy expositions on the meanings of faith, the Church, and the pope.

Sylvester Joseph Hunter was born in 1829 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 in 1896, only two years after the first edition of his 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology was published.

Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Vol. 2

• Author: Sylvester Joseph Hunter
• Publisher: New York: Benziger Brothers
• 596 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

In the second volume of his Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Hunter includes treatises on the knowledge and existence of God—including the philosophical proofs of God’s existence. He also writes at length on the Trinity.

The second half of this volume contains lengthy treatises on creation and angels, in which Hunter discusses the distinction between the material and spiritual world, drawing heavily from both Scripture and the tradition of the Church. He also writes on Christ’s incarnation and redemptive work, outlining the key moments in Christ’s life—baptism, transfiguration, and resurrection—and their theological and historical implications.

Sylvester Joseph Hunter was born in 1829 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 in 1896, only two years after the first edition of his 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology was published.

Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Vol. 3

• Author: Sylvester Joseph Hunter
• Publisher: New York: Benziger Brothers
• 495 pages

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

In the final volume of Outlines of Dogmatic Theology, Hunter covers the nature and necessity of grace, and the interplay between grace and free will. This volume also includes a treatise on the doctrine of justification—one of the most important and divisive doctrines of the Protestant Reformation. He compares justification as it is understood from various theological viewpoints, including Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist. This volume concludes with treatises on the sacraments—including detailed exposition of each Roman Catholic sacrament—and a treatise on eschatology.

Sylvester Joseph Hunter was born in 1829 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 in 1896, only two years after the first edition of his 3-volume Outlines of Dogmatic Theology was published.