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.
With the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in the encyclicals are tagged and appear on mouse-over. What's more, references to important works, such as the decrees of Vatican II, Trent, or the writings of the Church Fathers, are tagged. This makes these texts more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal 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 “mercy” or “Eucharist.”
