Books on Theology/Philosophy

Venerable Louis of Granada was the favorite author of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John on the Cross, St. Francis de Sales and many others. Among the hundreds of eminent ascetical writers of Spain, Louis of Granada remains unsurpassed in the beauty and purity of his style, the solidity of his doctrine, and the popularity and influence of his writings. Besides ascetical theology, his published works treat of Scripture, dogma, ethics, biography, and history. He is best known, however, for his ascet...

The ancient philosophy, in its original Orphico-Pythagorean and Platonic form, is not simply a way of life in accordance with the divine or human intellect (nous), but also the way of alchemical transformation and mystical illumination achieved through initiatic 'death' and subsequent restoration at the level of divine light. To use another mythical image, philosophy restores the soul's wings and leads the purified lover of wisdom to Heaven. As a means of spiritual reintegration and unificati...

Christian revelation has provided a goldmine of resources to tap into to develop our understanding. But in expanding our minds, it has also led many to ponder many curiosities and difficulties which have solutions that lead us closer to God. The sermon is one way to provide insight into these matters in a way that combines intellectual theory with heartfelt need in our daily lives.The tongue-in-cheek title of the book proposes that we often wonder much more about the world than we are comfort...

This volume, the first of its kind, provides both an introduction to a theologian who many in the field consider to be one of the very finest of his generation, and a compendium of selections--each with an explanatory preface--from his prolific writings that ultimately touch upon every aspect of Catholic thought. Making use of a method that is deeply rooted in the prayer life and sacred Scripture of the Church, Donald Keefe pursued a decades-long reflection on the significance of the central ...

"The Singing-Masters: Church Fathers from Greek East and Latin West" by Aidan Nichols offers a passionate account of the theological achievements of eighteen Church Fathers. The selection includes ten from the Greek East and eight from the Latin West, figures who have been authoritative for Catholic doctrine or influential in Church life. Nichols provides a dramatic, humanized account of patristic thought, enriched with biographical details and a serious discussion of their theological doctri...

"When people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe in nothing, the problem is that they will believe in anything." --C. S. Lewis Business luminary Bob Trussell uses plain language and simple logic to merge scientific theory with philosophy, religion, and the Bible to make an air-tight case for belief in God and all that that can mean for your current life and the life to come. He contends that while most Americans possess some level of belief in God along the scale ...

"Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign of contradiction." For the 1976 Lenten retreat to St. Paul VI and the Roman curia, Karol Wojtyla set this prophecy of Simeon to the Holy Family at the heart of his preaching. Over the course of twenty-two meditations, Wojtyla examines and tests the apparent contradictions in the words and deeds of Jesus Christ-all of which are occasions for profound encounters with God himself. Indeed, the "words a sign...

"Fr. Mullady offers a readable and rock-solidly reliable treatment of what is surely the most important -- and debated -- subject in contemporary Catholic theology. His approach to Church doctrine (ecclesiology) demonstrates the profound consistency and coherence of the Magisterium's teaching as it draws from biblical and patristic sources and develops from the medieval to the modern period, culminating in Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). In the process, Fr. M...

The Summa Theologiae is a work of astounding breadth and scope: five folio vol-umes of closely packed print, and more closely packed thought; incredibly, it was a work intended, not for the learned and wise, but for beginners. Walter Farrell, O.P., fully honors that intention with his four Companion volumes to the Summa, which together offer an easy guidebook to St. Thomas's greatest work. These are not simply more books about St. Thomas or about the Summa; rather, they are a distillation of ...

The Summa Theologiae is a work of astounding breadth and scope: five folio volumes of closely packed print, and more closely packed thought; incredibly, it was a work intended, not for the learned and wise, but for beginners. Walter Farrell, O.P., fully honors that intention with his four Companion volumes to the Summa, which together offer an easy guidebook to St. Thomas's greatest work. These are not simply more books about St. Thomas or about the Summa; rather, they are a distillation of t...

This book presents the chief insights concerning the mystery of atonement in the works of four theological guides: John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Norbert Hoffmann.The author argues for the central importance and perennial value of a theology of atonement, even as she explains the modern aversion to it. The book's central aim is to deepen our understanding of the biblical claim that God shows himself to be love precisely by sending his Son as atonement...

To mature as a man is to grow in virtue. And yet, year after year, many of us regress in our fundamental calling for a host of reasons: poor catechesis, modernism, isolation, self-absorption, and, to sum it up, the chains of vice. But God calls us to a life of virtue--that is, a life of faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These theological and cardinal virtues, the "traditional virtues," which this book walks through, are at the heart and soul of the spiritual ...

With this concise anthology of Benedict XVI's lessons on the Christian life--on faith, hope, love, joy, youth, holiness, and freedom--readers find themselves walking side by side with a great spiritual father."Benedict XVI", as Pope Francis reflects in the book's foreword, "knew how to bring heart and mind, thought and feeling, rationality and emotion in concert with one another--a fruitful model of how one can tell the world about the shattering power of the Gospel."The crystallized excerpts...

To help celebrate the fourth centenary of the birth of St. John of the Cross in 1542, Edith Stein received the task of preparing a study of his writings. She uses her skill as a philosopher to enter into an illuminating reflection on the difference between the two symbols of cross and night. Pointing out how entering the night is synonymous with carrying the cross, she provides a condensed presentation of John's thought on the active and passive nights, as discussed in The Ascent of Mount Car...

The Politics of Heaven and Hell makes an invaluable contribution to the understanding of classical, medieval, and modern political philosophy, while explaining the profound problem with modernity.Christianity freed men from the overwhelming burden of ever thinking that their salvation will ultimately come from the political order, writes Fr. James Schall, S.J. Modernity, on the other hand, is a perversion of Christianity, which tries to achieve man's salvation in this world. It does this by p...

One day, philosopher Peter Kreeft reads an open letter published by a friend, Nat Whilk. He's Catholic, but he sees the Church as unsteady, outdated, obsessive. As a challenge to the "True Believers", Nat pens a twenty-point manifesto for "cafeteria Catholics", who pass up certain Church teachings and scoop up others like a diner in a buffet line."I find in [Catholicism] both much to accept and even love and also much to refuse and even despise", he asserts. "If you insist on tying God to the...

Spiritual writer, theologian, and philosopher Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., tackles the topic of recognizing and overcoming spiritual evil. His focus is the human heart. His goal: our spiritual and moral transformation, which leads to true peace and genuine happiness.The book is divided into two main parts: (1) the realities of God's goodness and of spiritual evil, and (2) recognizing and overcoming the diabolical tactics of deception, temptation, and sin. The author synthesizes the best a...

"What Is Christianity?: The Last Writings" by Pope Benedict XVI, edited by Elio Guerriero and Georg Gänswein, presents a comprehensive exploration of Christian faith's essence, its relationship with other religions, and its foundational beliefs. This posthumous work encapsulates Benedict XVI's profound theological insights on topics ranging from the liturgy and the priesthood to the challenges of modernity and the beauty of creation. It serves as a spiritual testament from one of the leading ...

"Theology in Practice: A Beginner's Guide to the Spiritual Life" by Roch Kereszty and Denis Farkasfalvy is a profound exploration into the essence of theology as the study of God, emphasizing its integral role in the spiritual life of believers. This work serves as a bridge between the academic study of theology and the practical application of its truths in daily living. Drawing upon the rich heritage of Cistercian spirituality and the wisdom of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the authors guide ...

"Aquinas's Lenten Meditations: 40 Days with the Angelic Doctor" by Saint Thomas Aquinas is a profound journey through Lent, guided by one of the Church's greatest minds. This book offers a collection of sixty-three Scripture-based sermons tailored for the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. Aquinas explores themes such as deepening prayer life, conquering temptation, and the virtues cultivated through reflection on Christ's Passion. Designed to detach readers from worldly conc...

In post-modern society the "nones" have become our new poor. The West still commands vast markets and militaries but our culture has long been living off of borrowed moral capital with no foreseeable schedule of repayment. In Thinking as Though God Exists, Catholic philosopher Ryan Topping draws upon St. John Henry Newman's voluminous insights to present a far-ranging cultural strategy for the New Evangelization.The conversion of secular culture requires many things - the rebuilding of the fa...

The World Council of Churches does not limit its conception of ecumenism to what unites or divides Christians. In a famous 1997 text entitled "Common Understanding and Vision," ecumenism is more broadly defined as "everything that relates to the whole task of the whole church to bring the gospel to the whole world." Moreover, further steps have since been taken toward integrating other religions and faith traditions, leading to a new discipline offering a fully realistic and fully spiritual e...

The life and work of John Henry Newman makes abundantly clear that the work of a true theologian is not conjured in the void of an ivory-tower mind, but emerges co-creatively from mind informed by heart-heart, that is, as an organ of a deep experiential truth-discernment lying beyond conceptual expression. With heart and mind thus attuned, discernment of the heart comes into alignment with that of the intellect. This leads to the discovery of the experience of love in the truest sense, which ...

City of God, cities of men "If God is one, the worlds are many." Meta-Politics: City of God, cities of men explores the philosophical and spiritual basis for political representation and pluralism. Drawing on ancient as well as modern sources, it traces how universal functions have been understood to be "indexed" to particular persons and institutions, and why universals must manifest in a plurality of forms. It argues that, ultimately, the idea of absolute transcendent oneness is the necessa...

Theology is in fact the intellectus fidei-the intelligence of the one faith, the same yesterday and today, composed of distinct but analogical mysteries. The truth is symphonic, as Hans Urs von Balthasar says. It is like one piece of music played by many instruments. The greater the variety of instruments playing the same piece, the better they express the beauty of that one musical score. The same should be true of the multitude of believers around the world. If this is not the case, there i...

This is the first of a series of reprints by Arouca Press. It features an exact reproduction of the interior from the original work published in 1961. It includes a new and classically designed cover. Excerpt from the Preface:The term "dialogue" crops up today more and more frequently. It emerges before the reading public in publications as diverse as Theological Studies, Time, Harper's, or the New Yorker. While this book was never intended by its author as a contribution to the dialogue betw...

Faith as a door is a fascinating image. A new horizon appears at precisely the moment when a man decides to cross the threshold and look out at the reality that is beyond his doorstep. Yet, faith turns out to be an absurdity in today's post-Christian society. Reason would no longer be able to furnish us with certainties, such as the foundational role of truth to undertake the study of any discipline. Consequently, God is nonsensical. But while reason has seen its oblivion, there is however an...

An Arouca Press Reprint of Msgr. Van Noort's classic work that was originally translated into English in 1955. It features an exact reproduction of the interior with a newly designed cover. Excerpt from the Preface: All priests know of many excellent manuals of theology in Latin. Many, however, confess that their long years in the ministry have seen them lose their mastery of that language and, as a consequence, the urge to pick up their seminary textbooks is not too strong. Our own teaching...

This is the first of a series of reprints by Arouca Press. It features an exact reproduction of the interior from the original work published in 1957. It includes a new and classically designed cover. From the inside of the original book:This volume is one of the most interesting in the series. It gives a full treatment of the Church, how it was considered through the ages, what others object to in Catholic teaching and what true theology can prove to be the case. While accurately adhering to...

Jesus Christ (His Life, His Teaching, and His Work): Vol. 2 In the two comprehensive volumes of his monumental work on the life of our Lord Jesus Christ Father Prat has left to the world an enduring masterpiece. In clearly intelligible phrase the author conveys to us the earthly career of our Lord and Saviour, building up from the sacred books and from all authentic sources the background of the scenes described and the deeds enacted. At the same time copious notes keep us in touch with every...

Jesus Christ (His Life, His Teaching, and His Work): Vol. 1 In the two comprehensive volumes of his monumental work on the life of our Lord Jesus Christ Father Prat has left to the world an enduring masterpiece. In clearly intelligible phrase the author conveys to us the earthly career of our Lord and Saviour, building up from the sacred books and from all authentic sources the background of the scenes described and the deeds enacted. At the same time copious notes keep us in touch with every...

How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith What does Plato have to do with the Christian faith? Quite a bit, it turns out. In ways that might surprise us, Christians throughout the history of the church and even today have inherited aspects of the ancient Greek philosophy of Plato, who was both Socrates's student and Aristotle's teacher. To help us understand the influence of Platonic thought on the Christian faith, Louis Markos offers careful readings of some of Plato's best-known texts...

A Reader in the Philosophy of Catholic Education No other living tradition has been thinking about thinking longer than the Catholic Church. With carefully selected readings from classical, patristic, medieval, modern, and contemporary sources, Renewing the Mind proposes the Catholic tradition as the noblest and best hope for a recovery of humane learning in our time. Edited by theologian and philosopher Ryan N.S. Topping, this anthology draws from a range of classical and contemporary philo...

The Dimensions of the Literary Imagination Christ and Apollo juxtaposes Christian definiteness to romantic mythologizing. A strong warning might be in order: anyone coming to this book expecting a comparison of Jesus Christ to the god Apollo or a treatment of Greek mythology next to the Christian story will be disappointed. Lynch's Apollo is not the god who batters Achilles' armor from the shoulders of Patroklos in Book XVI of the Iliad, but the symbol of art as dream reconceived by Nietzsche...

Narrative and the Problem of Suffering Only the most naive or tendentious among us would deny the extent and intensity of suffering in the world. Can one hold, consistently with the common view of suffering in the world, that there is an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly good God? This book argues that one can. Wandering in Darkness first presents the moral psychology and value theory within which one typical traditional theodicy, namely, that of Thomas Aquinas, is embedded. It explicates Aqu...

Metaphysics and Hermeneutics of the Image Thomas Pfau's study of images and visual experience is a tour de force linking Platonic metaphysics to modern phenomenology and probing literary, philosophical, and theological accounts of visual experience from Plato to Rilke. Incomprehensible Certainty presents a sustained reflection on the nature of images and the phenomenology of visual experience. Taking the "image" (eikōn) as the essential medium of art and literature and as foundational for the...

In the struggle to find the touchstone between faith and reason, modern psychology is often a very problematic area for Catholics. Why? Because post-Freudian psychology is based on a mistaken idea that moral laws lead to neurosis. It argues that we must be freed from morality in order to become psychologically whole. In this powerful and assuring book, Fr. Brian Mullady examines the nature of a healthy Christian emotional life, and ultimately provides the Catholic answer to the problematic th...

First published in 1962, The Metaphysics of Love is both a concise study of Thomas Aquinas's existential metaphysics and a demonstration of the enduring influence of Thomism on Western thought. Penned by distinguished Thomist scholar Frederick Wilhelmsen, this book explores the ontology of the human person, placing it in dialogue with philosophers ranging from Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas to Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger. Wilhelmsen ultimately narrows his discussion to an examination of human l...

The Ancient Art of Memory Meets the Timeless Art of Living Memorize the Stoics! The Ancient Art of Memory Meets the Timeless Art of Living. The title says it all! Extolling the powers of God-given human reason, Stoic philosophers such as Roman knight Musonius Rufus and his student, the former slave, Epictetus, developed powerful practical lessons for living tranquil, virtuous, loving lives. These lessons were praised by such early Church Fathers as Justin Martyr and Origen. Epictetus's Handbo...

A Primer on Ascetical Theology Do you want to dive deeper in your relationship with Jesus Christ? Are you looking for the deep springs of our spiritual nature? Do you suspect that you're missing the fuller picture of our supernatural life? If so, Glory Unto Glory: A Primer on Ascetical Theology was written for you. Most such books today limit themselves to the practice of prayer or a broad introduction to the spiritual life. Some address moral truth. But few, if any, situate all these aspects...

The Theology of the Christmas Mystery In Cradle of Redeeming Love, John Saward returns to the mystery of Christ's incarnation and birth. Drawing upon both the rich traditions of the Church and the writings of the great Christian mystics, he fashions a work both new and old, revolutionary and orthodox. This profoundly moving meditation on the meaning of the Incarnation will enrich any contemplation on the life of Christ. The subject of this book is the "Christmas" dogma: the divinely revealed ...

An Introduction to Thomistic Epistemology First published in 1956, Frederick Wilhelmsen's Man's Knowledge of Reality remains a classic study in Thomistic epistemology. Wilhelmsen begins with an examination of what he refers to as Descartes' "critical problem"; namely, the supposed inability of philosophy to procure what Descartes calls "certain knowledge." Using Descartes' argument as a starting point, he then launches into a comprehensive examination of Thomistic Metaphysical Realism, focusi...

MYTH. WISDOM. APOCALYPSE. Three words of ancient pedigree offering the seeker a promise: to unlock the door of understanding to the highest things-the divine things. Three keys, then, for a "Philosophy in Word and Name" that wants, simply, to comprehend whatever makes the meaning of our humanity take on its fullest scope and significance.