Latest Book Releases

Thomas Aquinas stands among the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition, a towering figure whose influence continues to shape theology, philosophy, and contemporary intellectual debate. This accessible and engaging introduction presents both the life and the thought of Aquinas, showing how his synthesis of faith and reason remains profoundly relevant for modern discussions about the future of Christianity. The book highlights Aquinas’s major contributions, the development of his ideas, and...

What sacred images should surround the faithful at worship, and which images should be made available for instruction, meditation, and prayer? This historical study is driven by questions of genuine catechetical, doctrinal, and liturgical urgency. In this volume, Aidan Nichols examines the relationship between Christianity and the visual arts, focusing in particular on the development of spiritual art in Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Building on his wider body of work ...

This book examines the Christian liturgy as a visible manifestation of divine revelation, expressed through ritual signs, sacred space, imagery, sound, and poetic form. Treating the liturgy not merely as a set of texts or actions but as a total environment, it considers how architecture, iconography, and music shape the Church’s encounter with revealed truth. Aidan Nichols explores how the liturgy communicates meaning through beauty and symbol, and how this revelation invites a creative human...

This is the first comprehensive study of the theological significance of Paul Claudel, a poet frequently cited by literary-minded theologians in Europe and theologically-minded poets (such as von Balthasar, de Lubac and Eliot). His writing combines cosmology and history, Bible and metaphysics, liturgy and the drama of human personality. His work, which continues to arouse discussion in France, was acclaimed in his lifetime as the 'summa poetica' of a new Dante. Aidan Nichols' study demonstrat...

Nikolai Nikolaevich Afanas’ev (1893–1966), one of the most important priest-theologians of the Russian Orthodox tradition, stands at the center of this study by Aidan Nichols. Widely regarded as the most influential modern Russian thinker on the nature of the Church, Afanas’ev played a decisive role in shaping the contemporary rapprochement between East and West—especially the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Nichols highlights two major pillars of Afanas’ev’s thought. First is his conviction ...

This concise and insightful study examines Aidan Nichols’s vision for an Anglican Uniate Church, a community united with Rome yet not absorbed into it. In 1993, Nichols argued that full corporate reunion of the entire Anglican Communion was unrealistic, given the Protestant and Liberal elements within Anglican history. Instead, he proposed the reconciliation of a smaller body that was sufficiently Catholic in identity while retaining authentically Anglican patrimony. His prediction proved pro...

The horror presented by the increasing institutionalisation of abortion in contemporary society poses some of the strongest moral and theological questions of our time. Moral reason convinces the Catholic Church of the intrinsic evil of abortion, but so too do the witness of the Scriptures and the divine revelation of redemption.The innocent suffering of children killed in the womb raises fundamental questions. Here are the reflections of a group of distinguished theologians who met at the Ab...

An exemplary summary of the state of Catholic theology—and a clear indication of its future—this work offers a historical and methodological introduction to Catholic theology that focuses not on doctrinal content alone, but on the form in which that content is received, ordered, and articulated. Rather than surveying individual teachings, Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P., examines the sources, principles, and intellectual habits that shape Catholic theology as a living discipline. He explores how Scri...

Following his acclaimed The Word Has Been Abroad: A Guide Through Balthasar’s Aesthetics, No Bloodless Myth by Aidan Nichols offers a lucid and accessible guide to the five-volume Theo-Drama of Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most ambitious theological projects of the twentieth century. In Theo-Drama, Balthasar presents the Christian revelation as a divine drama in which God and humanity are real actors, not abstract principles. Nichols carefully summarizes and interprets this vast work, s...

The Word Has Been Abroad serves as a clear and reliable guide to the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most original and demanding theologians of the twentieth century. In this volume, Aidan Nichols introduces readers to Balthasar’s conviction that beauty is not an optional ornament of theology but an essential dimension of divine revelation. Nichols carefully explains the central themes of Balthasar’s theological aesthetics, showing how the “form” (Gestalt) of Chri...

Hans Urs von Balthasar is widely regarded as one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. Few writers have so powerfully revealed the spiritual grandeur of divine revelation or shown how the Church’s art and historic liturgies bear witness to its beauty and depth. Yet for many students and nonspecialist readers, Balthasar’s vast body of work can appear daunting and inaccessible. This volume offers an ideal introduction to Balthasar’s theology. Written by Aidan Nichols, i...

Maximus the Confessor (580–662), one of the towering figures of early Byzantine theology, occupies a place in the Greek patristic tradition comparable to that of Thomas Aquinas in the Latin West. His profound influence as a spiritual and theological master is evident in the vast space dedicated to him in the Philokalia. For Maximus, dogma and prayer were inseparable, and his unwavering defense of orthodox Christology—against the heresies of his time—was grounded in this deep unity of truth an...

Aidan Nichols has been contributing to theological literature since the early 1980s. Now in his seventy-fifth year, he looks back not only on his writings but on the long arc of life from which they arose. Though nominally Anglican in childhood, his earliest sense of the transcendent came through an encounter with God in nature. A pivotal experience in a Russian Orthodox church in Geneva led him to become a confessing Christian. Orphaned as a teenager, Nichols returned home and journeyed from...

C. S. Lewis’s The Discarded Image offers a clear and engaging portrait of the medieval worldview, providing essential background for understanding the literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Lewis describes the grand “medieval synthesis” in which theology, science, and history were woven into a single, harmonious vision of the universe. This final book he wrote as a scholar reflects his characteristic clarity, wit, and deep learning. Through explanations of classical and medieval s...

The inspiration for the film starring Anthony Hopkins, journalist Matt Baglio uses the astonishing story of one American priest's training as an exorcist to reveal that the phenomena of possession, demons, the Devil, and exorcism are not merely a remnant of the archaic past, but remain a fearsome power in many people's lives even today.Father Gary Thomas was working as a parish priest in California when he was asked by his bishop to travel to Rome for training in the rite of exorcism. Though ...

In Volume Two of Poe's masterpieces, journey deeper into the enigmatic realms of his mind. Unearth the psychological complexity of The Fall ofthe House of Usher and the eerie allure of The Masque of the Red Death. Each story and poem unveils Poe's unparalleled talent for captivating storytelling and haunting imagery.

This collection of twelve stories includes many of the most memorable escapades of the world's greatest detective.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of twelve short stories by Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle, is considered a milestone in the genre of detective fiction. With Sherlock Holmes's clever disguises and ability to solve even the most elusive mysteries, as well as Holmes's loyal friend and biographer, Dr. Watson, who narrates most of the stories, Doyle's suspenseful st...

A sweeping history of the often-violent conflict between Islam and the West, shedding a revealing light on current hostilitiesThe West and Islam -- the sword and scimitar -- have clashed since the mid-seventh century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Roman emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad's order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom.Sword and Scimitar chronicles the decisive battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad,...

A riveting account of the lives and epic battles of eight Western defenders against violent Islamic jihad that sheds much-needed light on the enduring conflict with radical Islam.In Defenders of the West, the author of Sword and Scimitar follows up with vivid and dramatic profiles of eight extraordinary warriors--some saints, some sinners--who defended the Christian West against Islamic invasions. Discover the real Count Dracula , Spain's El Cid, England's Richard Lionheart, and many other hi...

In For God and Spain, Hugh de Blácam argues that the nationalist rebellion that ushered in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a defensive movement in response to years of unchecked Communist aggression. Focusing on the years 1923-1936, de Blácam chronicles the outrages committed by Red agitators against the Catholic Church that led to the Francoist response.

Chivalry is not dead!Central figures in Medieval literature, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table still inspire many books and films today. Drawing on the legends of Camelot from French and English sources, Sir Thomas Malory compiled the drama of illicit love, the magic of sorcery, and the quest for the Holy Grail into a sordid and chivalrous tale that's been recounted for centuries. This beautiful leather-bound volume, with gilded edges and a ribbon bookmark so you never lose your ...

In this substantial collection of essays, Francis Russell Hittinger demonstrates that Catholic social teaching is not merely a defense of the dignity of the human person, but more fundamentally an articulation of the dignity of society itself. Hittinger shows that the dignity of the person cannot be properly understood apart from the dignity of the social forms in which human beings seek their fulfillment, namely the family, the political community, and the Church. These essays represent the ...

The Spanish Civil War was one of the most passionate ideological conflicts of the modern era. At its heart lay what many contemporaries understood to be the final and most decisive struggle between traditional Catholicism and liberal secularism. Religion became the central dividing line of the conflict, shaping loyalties, hatreds, and interpretations of the war itself. The Spanish Civil War as a Religious Tragedy is the first full-length, comprehensive study devoted entirely to the religious ...

General Francisco Franco (1892-1975), ruler of Spain for nearly forty years, was one of the most powerful and controversial leaders in that nation's long history. This deeply researched biography treats the three major aspects of his life--personal, military, and political. It depicts his early life, explains his career and rise to prominence as an army officer who became Europe's youngest interwar brigadier general in 1926, and then discusses his role in the affairs of the troubled Second Sp...

The bestselling follow-up to Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, this volume includes a reader’s guide and an excerpt from The Case for Jesus. In Jesus the Bridegroom, Brant Pitre once again draws deeply from Jewish Scripture and tradition to illuminate one of the most familiar and yet most mysterious symbols of the Christian faith: the Cross of Christ. In this compelling study, Pitre demonstrates that the suffering and death of Jesus were far more than a tragic Roman execution. Rath...

Christopher Caldwell’s The Age of Entitlement offers a sharp, deeply researched examination of how the reforms and cultural revolutions of the 1960s reshaped American life — often in ways no one expected. Caldwell argues that many of the most celebrated changes of the era came with profound costs in freedom, social cohesion, and economic stability, costs that fell unevenly across classes and generations. Tracing the true political and cultural turning points of the last half-century, Caldwell...

From its founding in 1928, the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius created an unprecedented bridge between Russian Orthodoxy and the Christian West. Through its journal—first under the Fellowship’s name and later as Sobornost—it became the principal venue where the exiled Russian Orthodox intelligentsia engaged with Anglican theologians of the Catholic party, as well as, on occasion, with other Protestant traditions. In this deeply researched account, Aidan Nichols traces the journal’s evol...

In The Holy Eucharist, Dominican theologian Aidan Nichols, OP, presents a rich historical and theological study of the Church’s central sacrament. Tracing the development of Eucharistic doctrine from the New Testament through the Fathers of the Church and the medieval scholastics, Nichols offers readers a clear understanding of how the mystery of Christ’s Real Presence has been contemplated and celebrated throughout history. Drawing from Scripture, the writings of the saints, and the magister...

The Year of Consecrated Life invited Catholics to reflect on and celebrate the witness of those who have dedicated their lives entirely to God. But what exactly is the Religious Life? In this concise and insightful book, Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, offers a clear introduction to its origins, development, and enduring spiritual significance in the life of the Church. Drawing from Scripture and the early Christian tradition, Nichols traces the emergence of Religious Life from the Gospels and the Apo...

This book serves as an introduction to the life, personality, and thought of Vladimir Sergeevich Solov’ëv, the founder of Russian sophiology—the theology and philosophy of divine wisdom. Widely regarded as Russia’s most significant philosopher, Solov’ëv’s ideas have inspired renewed interest since the end of the Soviet era and have influenced a modern “philo-sophiological” movement in the West. Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, presents Solov’ëv’s thought in three major stages. In his early theosophical...

Redeeming Beauty explores the depth of the Christian tradition—both Western and Eastern—in its understanding of sacred aesthetics, the theology of beauty as it relates to divine revelation, creation, and art. Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, examines how beauty serves as both a reflection of God’s creative power and a pathway to holiness. Nichols investigates five central themes: The foundation of beauty in the natural order as an expression of divine creativity Beauty as a quality of biblical reve...

Return of the White Canons recounts the remarkable yet little-known efforts of the Canons Regular of Prémontré—the Premonstratensians or “Norbertines”—to restore their Order in Victorian Britain. Once prominent across medieval England and Scotland, the Norbertines had long vanished from the British religious landscape. Drawing on fresh archival research in France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, offers the first detailed narrative of this ambitious revival. He situates...

Sergei Bulgakov (1871–1944) was one of the most influential Eastern Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century. After beginning his career as a professor of political economy at the University of Kiev, Bulgakov underwent a profound intellectual and spiritual transformation. Moving from Marxism to Idealism and ultimately to a renewed Orthodox faith, he became one of the leading theological voices of his time. Following his ordination to the priesthood in 1918, Bulgakov fled Moscow during th...

This concise and accessible work offers a clear introduction to spiritual theology—the study of the spiritual life within the Christian tradition. Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, explores how Christian spirituality unites biblical revelation, Church Tradition, and lived experience into a single path of holiness. Drawing from both Catholic and Orthodox sources, Latin and Byzantine alike, Nichols presents the spiritual life as it has been received from the Church Fathers and passed down through every ag...

In Holy Order: The Apostolic Ministry from the New Testament to the Second Vatican Council, Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP, presents a concise yet comprehensive study of the priesthood’s development throughout Christian history. This book traces the theological and pastoral evolution of Holy Orders from its biblical foundations to modern renewal. Nichols begins with the New Testament witness to apostolic ministry and continues through the writings of the Fathers, medieval scholastic theology, and the ...

Novelist Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) left a mark on twentieth-century literature, not only in her homeland of Norway, but across the West. Her painterly eye for the Scandinavian countryside, her uncompromising emotional realism, her concrete sense of history, her bold vision of woman and man--these won her such acclaim that she received the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature, not long after the publication of her epic historical novel, Kristin Lavransdatter. During World War II, she loudly opposed...

A Summary of the Spiritual Life: Simplified and Arranged for Daily Reading, Reflection and Prayer Written with loving care by Father Anthony Paone, as a dialogue with Christ himself, this devotional will strengthen your love for Christ and his teachings. Father Paone leads the reader through the three ways of the spiritual life: Purification, Imitation, and Union. My Daily Bread overflows with reflections and prayers specifically designed to help you grow in the spiritual life and overcome fa...

Barely out of college, Isaac trades the quiet of his family ranch for the excitement of the big city with his dream job at an up-and-coming advertising agency. Until his perfect new world is shattered by bad choices, a pretty girl, a moment's temptation-and a late night walk that quickly spirals out of control. Reeling with the horror of a mistake that can't be undone, Isaac struggles to get his soul in order. Can he forgive himself? Can he make things right with God? What about Rebecca? With...

It all happened one morning. It was as if the world had gone mad. Well, maybe not the whole world, but enough of it to get noticed. People were waking up as if possessed; suffering souls resorting to tearing at their skin, crying out loud to no one in particular, haunted by a sudden internal torment that no one around them could decipher. For investigative reporter Elijah, this news story was way bigger than a scoop. Unless he could unmask the truth behind the madness, how could he stop it, o...

Book 4 of Faith & Kung Fu Series Truth comes to light and love is revealed after Tanner confesses her devotion to Gabriel. But when a former fling and co-star offers his assistance on her debut movie, he's a constant reminder of all the ways Tanner has messed up. Add a crazed kung fu rival, paparazzi on the prowl, and a controlling stage mom, and things get ugly fast. Can Gabriel and Tanner find truth in the chaos? Or is their newly-found romance doomed before it's even begun?

Clash of Cultures: Christian Knights Defend Western Civilization Against the Moslem TideIn the first half of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was thought to be invincible. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan, had expanded his empire from western Asia to southeastern Europe and North Africa. To secure control of the Mediterranean between these territories and launch an offensive into western Europe, Suleiman needed the small but strategically crucial island of Malta. But Sule...

Per Étienne Gilson, "philosophy is a collective enterprise in which no one can pretend to take part unless he is first properly introduced." To provide that proper introduction vis-à-vis the modern period, Gilson and Langan move systematically through the landmark figures and ideas of the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries. Beginning with the vestiges of medievalism in Montaigne and Bacon, they then cover the interplay of science and philosophy (Descartes, Newton, and Vico); the emergen...

The Philosophy of Existence, among the first translations into English of the Catholic existentialist Gabriel Marcel, is composed of four distinct essays--"On the Ontological Mystery"; "Existence and Human Freedom"; "Testimony and Existentialism"; and "An Essay in Biography." Together, the essays articulate the integral elements, constitutive terminology, and characteristic anthropology of Marcel's philosophy of existence, and describe its marked differences with the atheist existentialism of...

When one lists the influential figures who gave shape to the modern psychological disciplines, a thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian does not immediately come to mind. After all, what illuminative value could the philosophical treatises of St. Thomas Aquinas claim for the case studies of Sigmund Freud, for example? In Thomistic Psychology, Robert Edward Brennan, O.P., explains how philosophical principles influence psychological practice and inquiry. Although Thomistic Psychology fi...

"Seek out the Lord and his might; constantly seek his face." This concise admonition from the Book of Psalms captures the impetus of Seeking God's Face. In these meditations, Joseph Ratzinger reflects upon the major feasts and the Sundays of the year, inspired by Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the lives of the saints. The seasons of Advent and Christmas receive particular attention, with an address on the mystery of suffering, a sermon on the "Word Made Flesh," and a consideration of the ...

Only Jesus, first published in English in 1962, is the last of Luis M. Martínez's writings, and widely hailed as his magnum opus. Combining robust doctrine and authentic mysticism, Martínez leads his readers through a quadripartite meditation on the person of Jesus Christ. In Part One, he considers the unfolding of revelation through the Incarnation, public ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Parts Two and Three reflect on the union between Jesus and the Christian faithful,...

Evolutionary theory has raised numerous disputed questions among Catholics and other Christians concerning the relationship between faith and reason and between religion and science. Thomistic Evolution shows that the Thomistic intellectual tradition provides insightful and compelling responses to these questions. This second edition includes a revised account of human evolution, an expanded defense of the the historicity of an original human being, and a new chapter in response to criticisms...

To survey the history of the Catholic Church is, in the words of Eamon Duffy, to be left with "a sense of the intractable complexity of the historical reality of the Church and its institutions." To do justice to this complexity, Philip Hughes wrote an ambitious, three-volume survey of Church history-comprehensive in scope yet accessible in detail. In Volume I: The Church and the World in Which It Was Founded, Hughes dispenses with the chronological method, instead following the organic divis...