Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church Books

Book SynopsisIntroduction to Catholic Theology is an accessible but in-depth examination of the ways in which Catholic theology is rooted in and informs Catholic practice. Weaves together discussion of the Bible, historical texts, reflections by important theologians, and contemporary debates for a nuanced look at belief and practice within the Catholic faith Provides an overview of all major theological areas, including scriptural, historical, philosophical, systematic, liturgical, and moral theology Appropriate for students at all levels, assuming no prior knowledge yet providing enough insight and substance to interest those more familiar with the topic Written in a dynamic, engaging style by two professors with more than 50 years of classroom experience between them Table of ContentsAbbreviations and Texts xiii Introduction: From the Middle of Our Life’s Journey xv 1 The Nature and Sources of Catholic Theology 1 1.1 Catholics 2 1.1.1 Being and Becoming Catholic 3 1.1.2 Personal and Communal 4 1.1.3 Catholics and Other People 6 1.2 Theology: Fides et Ratio 7 1.2.1 Fides 9 1.2.2 Ratio 10 1.3 The Sources of Catholic Theology 12 1.3.1 Scripture 12 1.3.2 Tradition 19 1.3.3 Magisterium 22 Notes 26 References 27 2 God 28 2.1 The God of Scripture 29 2.2 Father, Son, and Spirit 35 2.2.1 The New Testament 35 2.2.2 The Road to Nicaea 38 2.2.3 The Road from Nicaea 43 2.2.3.1 Trouble with terminology 43 2.2.3.2 Relations and procession 45 2.2.3.3 Trinity and community 47 2.3 The Grammar of Divinity 50 2.3.1 Proofs of God’s Existence 50 2.3.1.1 Anselm’s “ontological argument” 51 2.3.1.2 Thomas Aquinas’s “five ways” 52 2.3.2 God and Being 56 2.3.3 Language on theWay to God 60 2.3.3.1 The positive and negative ways 60 2.3.3.2 Analogy 61 Notes 63 References 64 3 Creation and Fall 66 3.1 The God Who Creates 67 3.1.1 Creation in the Bible 67 3.1.2 What Does It Mean to Call God “Creator”? 71 3.1.2.1 Creation in goodness 71 3.1.2.2 Creation in freedom 73 3.1.2.3 Creation from nothing 74 3.2 The Created Order 76 3.2.1 Orderly Diversity 76 3.2.2 Angelic Life 78 3.2.3 Caused Causes 80 3.2.4 Creation and Modern Science 81 3.3 The Human Creature 84 3.3.1 Imago Dei 84 3.3.2 Polarities 86 3.3.2.1 Body and soul 87 3.3.2.2 Male and female 90 3.3.2.3 Nature and grace 94 3.4 Sin 96 3.4.1 The Fall 97 3.4.2 Evil and the Goodness of Creation 99 3.4.3 Original Sin 100 Notes 103 References 104 4 Jesus Christ 107 4.1 The Story of Jesus of Nazareth 109 4.1.1 The Messiah of Israel 111 4.1.2 The Ministry of Jesus: Proclaiming the Kingdom of God 114 4.1.2.1 Baptism and calling 114 4.1.2.2 Healer and wonder worker 116 4.1.2.3 Teacher 117 4.1.3 Death and Resurrection 119 4.1.4 The Claim of Jesus 122 4.2 The Person of Jesus Christ 124 4.2.1 The Road to Chalcedon 124 4.2.1.1 The prelude to controversy 125 4.2.1.2 Alexandria and Antioch 127 4.2.1.3 Two natures in one person 129 4.2.1.4 The meaning of the Chalcedonian definition 132 4.2.2 The Road from Chalcedon 134 4.2.2.1 The Christology of Thomas Aquinas 135 4.2.2.2 Devotion to the humanity of Christ 136 4.2.3 The Challenges of Modernity 138 4.2.3.1 Tradition and suspicion 139 4.2.3.2 The psychology of Jesus 140 4.2.3.3 The de-Westernizing of Jesus 143 4.3 TheWork of Christ for Us and for Our Salvation 145 4.3.1 Christ as Priest and Offering 146 4.3.2 Christ as Prophet 150 4.3.3 Christ as Servant-King 152 Notes 156 References 157 5 The Spirit of Holiness 159 5.1 The Spirit of God 160 5.1.1 The Spirit in Scripture 161 5.1.2 The Spirit in Creed and Controversy 165 5.2 The Holy Spirit and Human Life: Disputed Questions over Grace 170 5.2.1 Grace and Predestination 171 5.2.2 Scholastic Distinctions 173 5.2.3 Justification by Faith, Catholics, and Protestants 176 5.2.4 Dominicans, Jesuits, and Jansenists 179 5.2.5 The Grace of Christ and the Salvation of Non-Christians 181 5.2.6 Spiritual Gifts and Charismatic Renewal 187 5.3 Mary 190 5.3.1 Disciple and Mother of Jesus 191 5.3.2 Theotokos 192 5.3.3 Extending the Narrative: Marian Doctrines 193 5.3.4 Contracting the Narrative: Mary and the Church 196 Notes 197 References 198 6 The Church 201 6.1 People of God and Body of Christ 202 6.2 The Pilgrimage of the People of God 206 6.2.1 Jew and Gentile in the Body of Christ 207 6.2.2 Catholics and Donatists in Africa 208 6.2.3 Pope Gregory VII and the Freedom of the Church 211 6.2.4 Reformations Protestant and Catholic 214 6.2.5 Freedom from the Church, and Vatican Council I on Papal Infallibility 216 6.2.6 Vatican Council II and Disputes over Reform 218 6.3 One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic 221 6.3.1 Diverse Unity 222 6.3.2 Holiness and Its Failures 224 6.3.3 Particular and Universal Catholicity 227 6.3.4 Apostolic Foundations 230 6.4 The Church’s Missionary Solidarity with Today’sWorld 232 Note 235 References 235 7 Praying Always 237 7.1 Hoop-jumpers and Do-gooders 238 7.2 Praying Always in an Ordinary Life 239 7.3 Praying Always in the Sacramental Economy 243 7.3.1 Efficacious Signs of Grace 244 7.3.2 Instituted by Christ 249 7.3.3 Entrusted to the Church 251 7.3.4 Divine Life Dispensed to Us 253 Notes 255 References 255 8 The Seven Sacraments 257 8.1 Sacraments of Initiation 258 8.1.1 Baptism 258 8.1.1.1 Baptism in Scripture and tradition 259 8.1.1.2 Baptismal meanings 262 8.1.2 Confirmation 264 8.1.2.1 Confirmation in Scripture and tradition 265 8.1.2.2 Spirited witness 266 8.1.3 Eucharist 268 8.1.3.1 The Eucharist in Scripture and tradition 269 8.1.3.2 Sacrifice, sacrament, and presence of Christ 272 8.2 Sacraments of Healing 276 8.2.1 Penance 276 8.2.1.1 Penance in Scripture and tradition 277 8.2.1.2 Reconciliation with God through the Body of Christ 280 8.2.2 Anointing of the Sick 283 8.2.2.1 Anointing of the Sick in Scripture and tradition 284 8.2.2.2 Illness in the economy of salvation 286 8.3 Sacraments at the Service of Communion 289 8.3.1 Holy Orders 289 8.3.1.1 Holy Orders in Scripture and tradition 290 8.3.1.2 The Church’s priesthood and the threefold ministry 296 8.3.2 Matrimony 298 8.3.2.1 Matrimony in Scripture and tradition 299 8.3.2.2 Communion, intimacy, and partnership 305 Notes 308 References 309 9 The Good Life 312 9.1 The Tradition of LivingWell 313 9.1.1 Walking in theWay of Life 313 9.1.2 Catechists and Confessors 317 9.1.3 Casuistry and the Birth of Moral Theology 320 9.1.4 Catholics in the Modern Moral Marketplace 322 9.2 Love as Virtue 325 9.2.1 Happiness 326 9.2.2 What is Virtue? 329 9.2.3 Cardinal Virtues 331 9.2.4 Theological Virtues 335 9.3 Love as the Law of Christ 339 9.4 Perplexities of Action 343 References 345 10 The End 347 10.1 God’sWord of Promise 349 10.1.1 The Promise of Creation and Covenant 349 10.1.2 Jesus, the Kingdom, and Resurrection 352 10.1.3 Paul: Grieving with Hope 354 10.1.4 Apocalyptic Patience 355 10.2 Traditions of Catholic Hope 356 10.2.1 Worldly and Otherworldly 356 10.2.2 Solidarity with the Dead 359 10.2.3 Modernity, Progress, and Eschatology 363 10.3 Thinking the End 367 10.3.1 Timetables, Signs, and Images of Hope 368 10.3.2 Hope of Justice for the Dead 369 10.3.3 Heaven, Hell, and Universal Hope 372 10.4 The Substance of Things Hoped For 374 Notes 376 References 376 Appendix: Conciliar Formulae 378 Index of Scriptural Citations 382 Name and Subject Index 388

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Book SynopsisThis book provides readers with an account of the rivalry between the two kingdoms of Church and State between the years 1450 and 1660. England inherited, from medieval times, two systems of authority: the Church, governed by Pope and Bishops; and the State, ruled by Monarch and Lords. However, from the late fourteenth century onwards, this division was increasingly challenged by the laity''s insistence on their right to choose not only between different systems of Church government but also between different forms of religious belief. The author charts the rivalry between clergy and laity''s and shows how political and social developments between 1450 and 1660 were decisively influenced by this conflict. This second edition includes updates throughout the text in the light of recent scholarship and a new bibliography.Trade Review"Scholarly, lucid, illuminating, objective and extremely readable . . . an outstanding contribution." (Church Times) "Good historical writing is a rare commodity, and it is a pleasure to meet it in Claire Cross's new book." (The Tablet)Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. 1. Prologue: Lay Questioning of the Medieval Church. 2. Lollard Revival and Conservative Reform. 3. The Henrician Reformation: Protestantism, Anti-Clericalism and the Royal Supremacy. 4. Protestant Advance and Popular Reaction. 5. Catholic Restoration and Protestant Resistance. 6. The Elizabethan Church: Settlement and Separation. 7. Protestant Consolidation. 8. The Laudian Ascendancy. 9. Implementing Lay Supremacy, 1640-1660. 10. Epilogue: The Achievement of Lay Power in the Church. Bibliographical Appendix: Change and Continuity. Abbreviations. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisA hundred years ago Catholic believers young and old, rich and poor, would fill churches on holy days, drawn together in prayer and in the conviction that they, the laypeople, needed the clergy and patron saints to mediate between them and their God. This book traces dramatic changes in the practice of faith among American Catholics.Trade ReviewOver the course of the past several decades, many Catholics have rejected the strict spiritual hierarchy that was, for centuries, the foundation of the organized church. This dramatic shift in the practice of the Catholic religion has resulted in the evolution of prayer itself into an independent-centered activity incorporated into daily routines rather than a publicly performed and formalized ritual. -- Margaret Flanagan * Booklist *McCartin’s book provides a good overview and will appeal to readers interested in contemporary church movements and history. * Publishers Weekly *Prayers of the Faithful is the only book that successfully tracks and explains ‘change over time’ in American Catholic self-understanding as expressed through the lens of prayer. It should be read by anyone who wants to understand the American Catholic soul in the twenty-first century. -- R. Scott Appleby, Professor of History, University of Notre DameMcCartin offers an important new perspective on the history of prayer. For American Catholics, as for all religious people, prayers were not idle words sent off into an uncomprehending universe. For them, prayer was action, and it had real effects. They were shapers of their own spiritual destiny. -- James M. O’Toole, author of The Faithful: A History of Catholics in AmericaIn James McCartin’s hands, the habits of prayer become a profound way to examine the shifting ecclesial and political currents of American Catholicism since the Civil War. While well aware of the transnational dimensions of his story, McCartin nonetheless offers a particularly insightful meditation on the Americanness of the spiritual life, the insistent tension between hierarchic authority and individual expression. -- Leigh E. Schmidt, author of Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality

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Book SynopsisBrought to Florence by Lorenzo de’ Medici as a celebrity preacher, Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), a Dominican friar, would play a major role in the convulsive events that led to the overthrow of the Medici themselves. The Latin writings in this volume, all composed in the year before he was hanged, are translated into English for the first time.

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Book SynopsisThis second volume of a projected six-volume set of the complete Vulgate Bible presents the Historical Books of the Bible, which tell of Joshua’s leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, the leadership of judges and kings, Israel’s steady departure from many of God’s precepts, the Babylonian Captivity, and the return of Israel from exile.

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Book SynopsisExplains why a philo-Semitic association was dissolved even as anti-Semitism was condemned, how the Vatican concluded a concordat with the Third Reich in 1933, why Hitler's "Mein Kampf" was never proscribed by the Church, and what factors surrounded the Pope's silence on the persecution of the Jews.Trade ReviewPope and Devil is a must-read for anybody interested in the Vatican's relationship with Germany in the tumultuous years leading up to World War II, including the hotly debated issue of 'the silence of Pius XII.' This book brings new complexity and insight to the debate on Pius XII's 'silence.' -- John W. O'Malley, S.J., author of What Happened at Vatican II[An] excellent examination of the Pius XI archives...No stranger to the dark side of church history, and intimately familiar with ecclesiastical dogma, politics, and procedure, Wolf presents sensitive material with admirable evenhandedness, avoiding both apology and easy condemnation...Pope and Devil gives us a behind-the-scenes exploration of what made the Vatican tick, providing the sort of background information with which political historians contextualize the decisions of secular leaders like Churchill or Roosevelt. Wolf shows that in the last months of his life Ratti became consumed with the issue of Nazi-inspired racism, and devoted much of his waning energy to it; while Pacelli, for his part, "was clear in his rejection of racial anti-Semitism, and...believed that the church had a general responsibility to support human rights." Both men, however, understood their responsibilities in the light of traditional Catholic priorities. Both viewed Catholic dogma as immutable; and both consistently put Catholic institutional objectives--understood as an essential requirement of salvation--first and foremost. -- Michael R. Marrus * Commonweal *Hubert Wolf's extraordinarily lucid and well-researched Pope and Devil performs the much valued task of throwing light into dark corners sans the sensationalism and tendentious argumentation that have defined too much scholarship in the area...Pope and Devil takes the reader through the labyrinthine corridors of Vatican diplomacy in the 1920s and 1930s, the political turmoil that defined those papal strategies that tried to make sense of or at least limit the damage of the rising totalitarianism inundating Europe, and the intrigue and politicking that characterized the often fraught relationship among such parties as the nuncios or Vatican ambassadors in Berlin and Munich, the papal Secretary of State and the Head of the Supreme Congregation more commonly known as the Holy Office of the Roman Inquisition. No easy feat and Wolf manages it in a way that is both enlightening and entertaining. -- Michael W. Higgins * New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal *Wolf's absorbing study shows in fascinating detail how ready Pius XI was to sup with authoritarian devils of both left and right in hopes of striking the best balance he could. -- Michael Kerrigan * The Scotsman *The Vatican's dealings with the Third Reich during the reign of Pius XII's predecessor, Pius XI (1922-1939), have received rather less attention. But since the archives for that pontificate were opened in 2006, our understanding has increased enormously. Hubert Wolf's book contributes greatly to that understanding. -- John Pollard * Times Higher Education *Wolf has written a very important book. It does not explain the 'silence' of Pius XII, though it certainly exonerates him of the charge that he was in any way sympathetic to the regime in Germany. It also reveals a man with a misplaced confidence in his own competence. -- Michael Walsh * The Tablet *[Pope and Devil] is useful in helping us understand the reasons for the Vatican's consistent refusal to take a bold stand against Hitler and his policies in the years leading up to the war. -- Sergio I. Minerbi * Haaretz *The "silence of Pius XII" remains a contentious issue among historians studying the Third Reich and the Holocaust. Based on documents released by the Vatican Secret Archives during the last decade, Wolf offers an analysis of the pontificate of Pius XI (1922-1939). He carefully sketches the Vatican view of Germany during these years when Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, was a nuncio in Germany and subsequently cardinal secretary of state. Wolf's explication of these documents reveals the historical environment within which Pacelli matured and developed his Roman perspectives on Germany and so helps explain his future "silence" as pope. The documents (memoranda, etc.) offer clarifying insights into the sometimes convoluted policies of the Vatican with respect to its position on anti-Semitism, racism, the negotiations surrounding the Concordat of 1933, and the relationship between politics and dogma, always a tense problematic within the Roman Catholic Church. This book also opens windows on the Vatican perception of German Episcopal reactions to Hitler's ideology and to such issues as the euthanasia policy. Wolf's groundwork will make future archival releases more comprehensible. -- D. J. Dietrich * Choice *[An] important book...In 2008, [Pope] Benedict [XVI] resuscitated a Good Friday prayer for the Jews, and last year he raised the cause of canonizing Pius XII to a higher stage. For many students of church history, such steps have been deeply troubling. Those hoping to form a judgment of Benedict's course should read Wolf's learned book and ask themselves whether the Pius they encounter in the memoranda salvaged from the Vatican's secret archives seems like a saint--with a charisma that speaks through the ages--or whether he appears as fallible as any of us, a man who sought wisdom but ultimately failed to see beyond the horizons of his own time. -- John Connelly * New Republic online *

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Book SynopsisThe authors found that Catholic schools have an independent effect on achievement, especially in reducing disparities between disadvantaged and privileged students. Today's Catholic school, they show, is informed by a Dewey-like vision of the school as a community committed to democratic education and the common good of all students.Trade ReviewLike the schools they write about, the authors of this important book combine scholarship with a mission. The scholarship in this book is a rare blend of case study, number crunching and rumination in social and intellectual history. -- Joseph P. McDonald * New York Times Book Review *A richly detailed, and documented study… Besides being the best group portrait of today’s U.S. Catholic high schools, this is also a formidable testimonial to the virtues and accomplishments of those schools. -- John W. Donohue * America *The central argument of this clearly written, superbly researched effort is that [American] public high schools need to mimic their Catholic counterparts. Catholic high schools, according to the authors, ‘manage simultaneously to achieve relatively high levels of student learning, distribute this learning more equitably with regard to race and class than in the public sector, and sustain high levels of teachers commitment and student engagement.’ -- John T. McGreevy * Commonweal *A superb study that enhances our understanding not only of Catholic schools but of schools generally. -- James E. Rosenbaum * Contemporary Sociology *This comprehensive analysis of the effects of Catholic schools, especially on low-income children, concluded that ‘Catholic schools function as a public resource.’ Catholic schools are able to accomplish this essential task in all communities because, among many important factors, they introduce a spiritual dimension to the student’s education. -- Mike McCormick * Dayton News *[An] exemplary book… Catholic Schools and the Common Good provides intensive analysis of the distinctive character of Catholic schools… After reading the book, one is not only convinced that Catholic schools have advantages for academic achievement—especially for low-income and minority youth—but one understands the mechanisms through which these advantages accrue. -- Adam Gamoran * Teachers College Record *Table of ContentsPreface Prologue CONTEXT The Tradition of Catholic Schools Research Past and Present INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS Classroom Life Curriculum and Academic Organization Communal Organization Governance DIVERSITY AMONG CATHOLIC SCHOOLS The Transition to High School Variations in Internal Operations Single-Sex versus Coeducational Schools EFFECTS The Impact of Academic Organization The Impact of Communal Organization IMPLICATIONS Catholic Lessons for America's Schools Epilogue: The Future of Catholic High Schools Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisFounded in 1540, the Society of Jesus was instantly popular, attracting thousands of candidates in its first century. Camilla Russell looks to the lives and writings of early Jesuits to better understand the Society's appeal, how it worked, and the ideas that drove Christian thinkers and missionaries during the Renaissance and early modern period.Trade ReviewDescribes Jesuit lives with verve and empathy…[Russell] follows these lives into India and China, two missionary fields in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries where Italian fathers played prominent roles. -- Ronnie Hsia * Times Literary Supplement *Russell’s methodology merits emulation for other geographical and temporal contexts in Jesuit history…Being a Jesuit in Renaissance Italy has blazed a trail in Jesuit history. -- Hilmar M. Pabel * Renaissance and Reformation *So impressive…Russell’s aim is to provide a new view of the first century of the Society of Jesus, derived from within and not from outside or above as is often the case with institutional histories. Biographical detail, which in histories of the early Society might be cited as an example or illustration, is foregrounded: here the early Jesuits themselves tell the story. -- Michael Holman * Catholic Herald *It is daring to write in a single breath the early history of the Society of Jesus, which encompassed thousands of exemplary lives in all their diversity, fluidity, and mobility. Fortunately, Camilla Russell dared. Looking closely at unpublished documents and foundational texts, she creates an illuminating fresco of the lives of Italian Jesuits. Her lucid account reveals how individual members both shaped the Society and, in turn, were shaped by it. -- Ines G. Županov, coauthor of Catholic OrientalismCamilla Russell’s collective biography tells a remarkable story about the early Italian Jesuits. Examining why a variety of individuals joined the order, what they did there, and why some of them left, this book brings their world back to life. -- Peter Burke, author of The Italian RenaissanceUtterly original in its approach, this study fundamentally changes our understanding of how the Jesuits saw themselves and the Society in its first hundred years. Russell’s insightful analysis shows that the early Jesuits not only negotiated their identities with reference to authoritative texts, but also viewed these texts through the lens of quotidian experience. -- Simon Ditchfield, author of Liturgy, Sanctity and History in Tridentine ItalyIn the first century of the Society of Jesus, thousands signed up to join the new order. This richly textured study draws on a treasure trove of biographical records to reconstruct the motives and experiences of those who lived and died as Jesuits. -- Mary Laven, author of Mission to China

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Book SynopsisJewel of the Soul unveils the meaning behind the sacred texts, objects, music, and ritual of the Roman Mass and Divine Office for young initiates. It remains key to understanding medieval allegorical approaches to worship. These volumes offer the first complete translation into a modern language of this foundational Latin text on Christian liturgy.

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Book SynopsisJewel of the Soul unveils the meaning behind the sacred texts, objects, music, and ritual of the Roman Mass and Divine Office for young initiates. It remains key to understanding medieval allegorical approaches to worship. These volumes offer the first complete translation into a modern language of this foundational Latin text on Christian liturgy.

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Book SynopsisIn an age when few ventured beyond their birthplace, André Palmeiro left Portugal to inspect Jesuit missions from Mozambique to Japan. A global history in the guise of biography, The Visitor tells the story of a theologian whose travels bore witness to the fruitful contact—and violent collision—of East and West in the early modern era.Trade ReviewAndré Palmeiro (1569–1635) is one of the forgotten men of Jesuit history… Liam Brockey’s major interpretative biography deserves to achieve a reversal of this neglect… Brockey’s colorful and meticulously researched travel narrative takes us with him to South India and Sri Lanka, Macau and Beijing, as well as to other fields for which Palmeiro had responsibility but never visited in person… In his extended discussion of the principle of accommodation in the Chinese context, Brockey is at his most original and controversial… This is a book with the potential to redraw the historical map of Christian missions in Asia. It is the product of exhaustive archival and library research in Rome and Lisbon. It is also beautifully illustrated and engagingly written. Liam Brockey has reminded us that the most significant Christian missionary enterprise of early modern times depended for its stability and survival on ecclesiastical bureaucrats. André Palmeiro, God’s mandarin, deserves his place in historical memory alongside the more charismatic figures of Xavier, de Nobili and Ricci. -- Brian Stanley * Times Literary Supplement *An account of the fascinating life of [Andre] Palmeiro, a Portuguese appointed by his superiors in Rome in 1617 to inspect Jesuit missions around the world. -- Mark O’Neill * South China Morning Post *A substantial, scholarly biography of a figure who has hitherto only been a footnote in Jesuit history. -- Thomas Tallon * The Tablet *This story transcends Palmeiro’s life… Indeed, it is Palmeiro’s own letters and his lively accounts of his journeys, along with other sources, that Brockey puts to excellent use in his account of Jesuit enterprise in the Portuguese Empire in maritime Asia… In crafting Palmeiro’s life story Brockey brilliantly accomplishes his goal of shedding light on different historical contexts as well as the problems and questions of the early modern world… This well-written and enjoyable book illustrates how Palmeiro’s final days until his death marked the end of a generation of Jesuits whose dreams materialized in the expansion of Christianity in Asia. -- Ana Carolina Hosne * Times Higher Education *This excellent book describes the Jesuit Asian missions at a crucial time through the eyes and reports of André Palmeiro (1569–1635), a Portuguese Jesuit… Brockey offers many insights in good evocative prose. Telling the story of the missions and disputed matters through Palmeiro is very effective, not least because it enables readers to see how the Asian missions functioned on a personal and practical level. -- P. Grendler * Choice *A richly colored baroque portrait of a philosophy professor turned world traveler, the Portuguese priest André Palmeiro. Its subject spent two decades as a plenipotentiary ‘visitor’ representing the highest authorities of the Jesuit order in mission areas extending from Mozambique and Ethiopia through Goa and Malabar to China and Japan. The political and cultural challenges that Palmeiro faced in that vast and varied space are treated extensively. The Visitor is a display of rigorous and inventive historical scholarship, founded in a mastery of the archives. Brockey writes with imagination, scope, and style. -- J. S. A. Elisonas, Indiana UniversityLiam Brockey does what an excellent scholar should in a pioneering work. He helps us understand Palmeiro’s work and its importance for the history of the world. He also achieves what seemed impossible from the evidence available: vividly and convincingly, he evokes much of Palmeiro’s spiritual and intellectual life. -- Felipe Fernández-Armesto, author of Our America

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Book SynopsisThis unprecedented comparison of the three most recent Catholic councils traverses more than 450 years and examines the church’s most pressing and consistent concerns—issues of purpose, power, and relevance. John O’Malley addresses key questions councils raised. Who was in charge of the church? And what difference did the councils make?Trade ReviewThis magnificent study shows how the Catholic Church has tried to reconcile faithfulness to its core identity throughout the ages. Drawing on his deeply researched studies of councils, O’Malley illuminates how the Church has moved from Trent’s definitions of what was permitted and forbidden to Vatican II’s attempt to articulate the Church’s identity in the modern world—a plea for reconciliation between humans of all faiths and convictions. -- Charles Taylor, McGill UniversityA master historian shows how the churches’ councils encapsulate the history of Catholicism. -- Anthony Grafton, Princeton UniversityIn John O’Malley’s When Bishops Meet—the latest of his five books on ecumenical church councils—he compares and contrasts what he has written on the three last councils and argues that there should be a new one. This is the culmination of a great project. -- Garry Wills * New York Review of Books *Spirited…Offers a rewarding comparison of the mechanics and mandates of the last three great Councils…O’Malley traces the historical twists and turns with great skill. -- Jonathan Wright * Catholic Herald *When Bishops Meet comes a decade after the publication by O’Malley of separate illuminating books on the three great councils that shaped the modern Catholic Church: Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II. Newcomers to Catholic history may profitably read the Essay without reading the three books. Those who have already read them will reap a harvest of historical reflection, encountering insight more than restatement. -- Hilmar M. Pabel * The Tablet *[A] trenchant analysis of the changing roles of the councils’ participants and the impact that the councils had on the church and the world. * Publishers Weekly *O'Malley is one of the greatest Catholic Church historians of the last century…A must-read for the church historian, the theologian, or anyone interested in continuity and discontinuity in the historical tradition of the church. -- Frederick J. Parella * National Catholic Reporter *Each of these three councils has hallmark issues: Trent on justification, Vatican I on infallibility and Vatican II on the liturgy, to name a few. When Bishops Meet pushes beyond these to what O’Malley calls ‘issues-under-the-issues’: What do councils do? Do all of them do the same thing? Does church teaching change? Who participated in the councils, and who had the ultimate authority? -- Kevin Jackson * America *[A] major monograph on all three modern Catholic ecumenical councils. In this short volume, [O’Malley] distills his learning into one highly readable essay. * Anxious Bench *Yet again, John O’Malley has delivered a scholarly and eminently accessible work on the twists and turns of the early modern and modern Catholic Church…It yields surprisingly fresh insights, and underscores the continuity and discontinuity of contemporary Catholic thought and practice with the past in thought-provoking ways. -- Shaun Blanchard * Newman Studies Journal *The very decision to consider the three councils together yields new insights not only into the councils themselves, but conciliar history more generally…There is much to praise in O’Malley’s new book. It will serve as refresher course for many on aspects of all three councils and will cause readers to look at them collectively in new ways. -- Salvador Ryan * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *

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Book SynopsisMedieval Italian communes are known for their violence, feuds, and vendettas, yet beneath this tumult was a society preoccupied with peace. Peace and Penance in Late Medieval Italy is the first book to examine how civic peacemaking in the age of Dante was forged in the crucible of penitential religious practice.Focusing on Florence in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, an era known for violence and civil discord, Katherine Ludwig Jansen brilliantly illuminates how religious and political leaders used peace agreements for everything from bringing an end to neighborhood quarrels to restoring full citizenship to judicial exiles. She brings to light a treasure trove of unpublished evidence from notarial archives and supports it with sermons, hagiography, political treatises, and chronicle accounts. She paints a vivid picture of life in an Italian commune, a socially and politically unstable world that strove to achieve peace. Jansen also assembles a wealth of visualTrade Review"Brilliantly researched."---Lauro Martines, Times Literary Supplement"This volume illustrates the simultaneous, vigorous, engaging peacemaking activity that provided an antidote to war. The well-chosen illustrations integrate the plastic arts into this textual study."---D.A. Brown, Choice"[A] new, rounded perspective on medieval peacemaking."---Alexandra R. A. Lee, Reading Religion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Dorothy Rosenberg Prize, American Historical Association""Winner of the Albert C. Outler Prize, American Society of Church History""Finalist for the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award, Association for Jewish Studies""Runner up for the British and Irish Association of Jewish Studies Book Prize""[Catholic Spectacle and Rome’s Jews] demonstrates a method for writing excellent early modern global history."---Frank Lacopo, Renaissance and Reformation

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Book SynopsisExamines depictions of and by Catholics in American popular culture during the critical period between the Great Depression and the height of the Cold War. Anthony Burke Smith surveys the popular films, television, and photojournalism of the era that reimagined Catholicism as an important, even attractive, element of American life.Trade ReviewSmith’s ambitious and exemplary work demonstrates decisively for all time that Catholics were not only integral players in the formation of modern American popular culture, but that the role of Catholicism itself in the national popular culture was a major issue in the production of that same culture. . . . A wonderfully exciting book that will be widely hailed as a landmark achievement, confirm the author’s stature as the leading scholar of Catholic popular culture, and be consulted by scholars and their students for decades to come." - James T. Fisher, author of Communion of Immigrants: A History of Catholics in AmericaTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Priests, Gangsters, and Cowboys: Catholic Outsiders, American Insiders, and the Struggle over National Community1. The Catholic Front: Religion, Reform, and Culture in Depression-Era America2. A New Deal in Movie Religion: The Public Sphere of Catholic Films3. Cool Catholics in the Hot American Melting Pot: Going My Way, Bing Crosby, and Hollywood’s New Faith in Consensus4. Pro-Life Catholics: The Representation of Catholicism in Life Magazine, 1936-19605. Performing Catholicism in an Age of Consensus: Fulton J. Sheen, Television, and Postwar America6. From Public Dilemmas to Private Virtues: Leo McCarey, Hollywood Comedy, and the Household of Americanization7. John Ford’s Irish American Century: Ethnicity, Catholicism, and the Borderlands of National IdentityEpilogue: Catholics and the American Community at the Turn of a New CenturyNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisFor 500 years Catholicism has been the dominant religious force throughout Latin America. Its hegemony was based on a complex relationship with popular culture; the colorful and the macabre, the syncretic and the purist, the indigenous and the cosmopolitan, the popular and the erudite have combined to form a uniquely creative and reflexive cultural complex. But in the second half of the twentieth century, just as the Church sought to reform itself by proclaiming its preferential option for the poor, some of the most charismatic forms of Protestantism, carried along by an open and aggressive hostility to the traditions of popular culture, began to establish themselves at the heart of the popular sectors themselves - in the large urban slums, among Indian groups and, increasingly, throughout other strata of Latin American societies. Today around a fifth of the population of countries like Brazil and Chile Protestant, mostly Pentecostal. Is this a new Reformation? A cultural revolutionTrade Review"Struggle for the Spirit comes to grips with two antagonistic contemporary modes of thought and action, Christian fundamentalism and basismo, through the broad sweep of history, as contemporary worldwide movements, and within the temples and chapels of the city of Salvador, Brazil. This very well written and good-humoured book should be read not only by those interested in religion, since as all good sociology it suggests relationships and connections with society as a whole. It will provoke heated debate both among Latin Americanists and among those concerned with understanding fundamentalism and basismo as global phenomena." Peter Fry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro "Lehmann's accounts of basismo and Pentecostalism are instructive and based on ... well chosen subjects." European Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies "Religion and its multiple intersections with society and politics are being belatedly recognized as enormously important in the contemporary world. David Lehmann was doing distinguished work on this matter well before this recognition. Now he offers us, in this volume, another fascinating study that distillates his long immersion on this topic as well as his extremely close knowledge of Brazil and other Latin American countries." Guillermo O'Donnell, University of Notre Dame "David Lehmann's Struggle for the Spirit is a rich and insightful addition to the literature both on radical modern Catholicism and on radical primitive Pentecostalism in Latin America." David Martin, Times Literary Supplement "Lehmann's book is a subtle and welcome examination of the extraordinary recent growth of Pentecostalism in Brazil and Latin America. The book is based on field research ... and draws, as well, on an array of rich secondary sources." Choice "The style is flowing and reads like a travel story; a well-informed account, always on the look-out and guided by interrogations framed in theoretically pertinent questions. He opens up a large field of research as yet unexplored and fascinating." Latin American Studies "Lucidly written, based on an impressive breadth of reading, long experience of Latin America and recent, original fieldwork in Brazil ... Latin Americanists will find much to stimulate them in this book ... An enjoyable and easily digested book [which] shall have a significant impact within and beyond Latin American studies." Bulletin of Latin American Research "The book is a good introduction to the study of contemporary religious change in Brazil." Journal of Contemporary ReligionTable of ContentsAbbreviations. Glossary. Preface. Introduction. Part I: Basistas:. 1. Basista Catholicism: Its Context and Character. 2. Movements of Conservation and Renewal in Modern Catholicism. 3. Vatican II, Medellin and Liberation Theology. 4. Concepts and Usages in the Texts and Speech of the 'Basista' Church. 5. Discourse. 6. Conclusion. Part II: Pentecostals:. 7. The Organizational Dimension of Pentecostalism and Neo-Pentecostalism. 8. The Religious Dimension. 9. The Experience of Pentecostals: Exaltation, Loyalty, and Liminality. Appendix: Pentecostalism's Social Base. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisA pioneering study of twentieth-century Quebec missionary work as an experience of intercultural encounter.

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Book SynopsisAn internationally respected scholar offers a Catholic introduction to the New Testament that shows the church how to read it both faithfully and critically.Table of ContentsContents1. Catholic and Critical: The Challenge of Scripture in the Catholic Tradition2. Historical Context: The New Testament World and Our World3. The Origins of the New Testament: Its Creation and Reception4. Jesus of Nazareth: A Biographical Sketch5. Paul: The First Christian Author6. The Four Gospels: Stories of Jesus7. The Acts of the Apostles: Telling God's Story to the End of the Earth8. Later Writings of the New Testament: Letters from Apostles and a Homily9. The Revelation to John: Apocalypse NowEpilogueIndexes

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Book SynopsisIn Holy Tears, Holy Blood, Richard D. E. Burton continues his investigation of Catholic France from Revolution to Liberation. From his focus in Blood in the City on public demonstrations of the cultural power of Catholicism, he now turns to more...Trade Review"The doctrine of mystical substitution, sometimes known as vicarious suffering, calls upon innocent believers to endure hunger, poverty, sickness, and even stigmata in order to redeem a corrupt world. Richard D. E. Burton's provoking book demonstrates the extent to which the doctrine permeated French Catholic discourse and religious practice during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as radical Catholics sought to redeem France from secular republicanism."—Sarah Howard, Times Literary Supplement, October 15, 2004"Burton continues the examination of nineteenth-century French Catholicism he began in Blood in the City. . . . As in his previous work, he boldly uses 'secular suffering,' from sadomasochistic pornography to the Tour de France to the fate of the alleged 'horizontal collaborators' of WWII, as a comparative model. As with all such books, this one invites debate and rebuttal; at once respectful but intelligently interrogative, it will inform and challenge religious, intellectual, and cultural historians."—Choice"Holy Tears, Holy Blood sets out to explore an extremely powerful pre-Vatican II world that seems incomprehensible to us today and has now practically vanished. Largely literary in expression, the 'culture of suffering' described by scholar and author Richard Burton appealed to social and intellectual elites, attracting numerous converts to Catholicism. . . . Burton's work overflows with riches that recover tragic lives now nearly forgotten. Their world—one predating antibiotics, blood transfusions, microsurgery, and protease inhibitors—is hard to read about and even harder to imagine."—Stephen Schloesser, Commonweal, September 24, 2004"Richard D. E. Burton is a lively writer and a brilliant scholar who has traced out a theme of religious agony in France that is highly original. All of Burton's books are worth studying but this one may be his best yet!"—Edmund White, Director of Creative Writing at Princeton University"Holy Tears, Holy Blood is a fascinating, wide-ranging, and erudite analysis of faith and spirituality in the lives of twelve French Catholic women in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is an impressive achievement on its own as well as a worthy sequel to Blood in the City. Richard D. E. Burton's focus on suffering in this highly original book substantially broadens and deepens our understanding of French Catholic spirituality."—Sarah A. Curtis, author of Educating the Faithful: Religion, Schooling, and Society in Nineteenth-Century France"In Holy Tears, Holy Blood Richard D. E. Burton explores with great sensitivity a powerful current in modern Catholic devotional life, the doctrine of mystical substitution, which calls on innocent victims (generally women) to suffer sickness, hunger, poverty, and in extreme cases, the stigmata, in order to redeem a corrupt world. Through a series of eleven biographical sketches Burton shows the different paths that French women could take in embodying this ideal—including the 'little way' of Thérése Martin, the 'Little Flower' who accepted suffering but opposed self-mortification, and the harsh asceticism of Simone Weil. Burton's work combines a profound empathy for the women he writes about with a critical spirit that confronts the troubling dimension of a spirituality in which self-sacrifice approaches masochism. Readers of Holy Tears, Holy Blood enter a world that is both beautiful and appalling, and which has shaped the lives and thoughts of millions of Catholics over the last two centuries."—Thomas Kselman, University of Notre Dame

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Book SynopsisPlastic Madonnas, packaged holy tours, and biblical theme parks can arouse discomfort, laughter, and even revulsion in religious believers and nonbelievers alike. Scholars, too, often see the intermingling of religion and commerce as a corruption of...Trade ReviewAn engaging entrée into the ways in which the re-appropriated Traditions' and popular religiosity that the shrine spawned challenged the growing secularism and anti-clericalism of fin-de-siècle France.... Kaufman is especially good at showing how the Lourdes medical bureau, charged with verifying cures, was a particularly inspired and effective means of engaging the modern culture.... Kaufman also explores well the complicated role women played in the shrine's growth.... The experience of Lourdes chronicled by Kaufman might hold answers for our own day as we struggle to rediscover our traditions in the light of postmodern realities. -- Mark Mossa * America *This is a sophisticated, erudite, and provocative study of one of the world's most enduringly popular modern sites of Christian worship. In arguing for the transformative character of the shrine's amalgamation of spirituality and commerce, Kaufman offers a compelling explanation for its longevity and for the ever-growing market for mass-produced religious objects even today. Refusing to condescend to her subjects, in particular the thousands of desperate women who made their often painful way to the shrine, Kaufman has produced an important book that will be of great interest not just to historians of France but to anyone interested in the role of religion in the modern world. -- Katrin Schultheiss * American Historical Review *Breaks new ground for the study of Lourdes and French religious history.... For historians looking to understand the Lourdes phenomenon within the context of mass culture in fin-de-siècle France..., this book provides an insightful and persuasive argument for the centrality of Lourdes to the development of modern France. Historians of religion can only rejoice that their objects of interest have finally gone mainstream. -- Sarah A. Curtis * H-France Review *

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Book SynopsisHorizons of the Sacred explores the distinctive worldview underlying the faith and lived religion of Catholics of Mexican descent living in the United States. Religious practices, including devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebration of the Day of...Trade ReviewSince the Hispanic or Latino population of the United States represents 20 countries, the editors... have chosen a specific focus for this study: the religious traditions of Mexican American communities. * Theology Digest *This volume is both a welcome contribution to the growing literature on the religious practices of Hispanic immigrants and a useful resource for reflecting on the theological implications of relgiosidad popular (religion of the people). -- John T. Ford, Catholic University of America * Religious Studies Review *Horizons of the Sacred is an inviting multidisciplinary collection of essays about Mexican American Catholics.... The book challenges domination in American culture and shows traditions strengthening Mexican Americans against injustice. The authors are careful not to assume Catholic knowledge on the part of readers. The book is intended for classroom use, scholars, church leaders, pastoral ministers and meets its goals. Audiences may draw different benefits from it but each will be pleased, for the authors are eloquent. Ideas swarm. No review can do justice to Horizons. -- Yanick St. Jean, University of Wisconsin * Catholic Books Review *Those wishing to broaden their perspective will find in this collection a sound resource. Thus, this book will be useful for scholars of liturgy, sacraments, culture and religion, inculturation, popular religion, ritual studies, cultural anthropology, theological anthropology, and history. It is especially good for liturgists and liturgical theologians working in a Mexican American context as well as with other Hispanic/Latino groups since some of the core values and approached presented are shared among them. -- Raul Gomez, S.D.D, Sacred Heart School of Theology * Worship, March 2004 *In Horizons of the Sacred, the authors deal specifically with the Mexican American role and influence within the Catholic Church in the United States. Matovina and Riebe-Estrella state that while at one time the Catholic Church was dominated by European immigrants, the modern Catholic Church remains an entity where Mexican Americans continue to practice their religious custom and traditions, and thus have helped shape many of the rituals, practices, and traditions within the context of modern day Catholicism.... Overall, Matovina and Riebe-Estrella have compiled a valuable and much-needed addition to the understanding of Mexican American Catholic traditions. This book will be of value and interest to students, scholars, church ministers, and lay readers who wish to understand how Mexican American customs and traditions are, and will continue to be, a part of the Catholic tradition in the United States. -- Roy Lujan, New Mexico Highlands University * Western Historical Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisFrancis Oakley addresses late-medieval church history in its own terms, pointing out not only discontinuities but also continuities with earlier medieval experience. "By doing so," he writes, "I hope to have avoided the distortions and refractions...Trade Review"Few scholars can match Francis Oakley's grasp of the complex issues facing the Christian church during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; fewer still can write about such issues with Oakley's clarity and graceful style. This book offers a marvelously readable survey of the problems and personalities that dominated European religious life in the later Middle Ages."—Speculum

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Book SynopsisEncompassing such issues as immigration, the education of nurses and doctors, hospital care and organization, and the role of women in the Catholic church, this extensive study is a valuable resource for scholars and students in the history of medicine, history of nursing, American religion, and women's history.Trade ReviewThose interested in Catholic America will discover much of value here, while students of women's experience will identify vital stages of women's accession to power. H-Catholic, H-Net Reviews 2006 A concise book which, contrary to many congregational histories, does not dwell on the peculiarities of individual institutions but on the essentials of an important social development. Historians of Women Religious of Britian and Ireland 2006 Well written and well researched. It is appropriate for scholars in the history of medicine, nursing, labor, religion, and women and should be required reading for students in each of these disciplines. -- Barbra Mann Wall Catholic Historical Review 2006 Bernadette McCauley, in her slim volume... reinforces the saying, 'good things come in small packages.' -- Anne M. Butler American Catholic Studies 2006 A well written book, and it is a welcome addition to the growing literature. -- Therese C. Meehan Nursing History Review 2008 Clearly the result of much diligent research in an impressive array of sources. -- Andrea Tanner Medical HistoryTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. "A Climate New to Them": The FoundationsChapter 2. "To Serve Both God and Man": The SistersChapter 3. "Consoling Influences": Care and TreatmentChapter 4. "Building in New York Is Very Expensive": Hospital FinancesChapter 5. "Trust in God but Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel": Hospital Sisters and ModernizationEpilogue. "A Service So Dear"NotesBibligraphyIndex

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Shorter Papers by Bernard Lonergan | 9780802095176

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Book SynopsisMost of us wonder how to make sense of the apparent moral excellences or virtues of those who have different visions of the good life or different religious commitments than our own. Rather than flattening or ignoring the deep difference between various visions of the good life, as is so often done, this book turns to the medieval Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas to find a better way. Thomas, it argues, shows us how to welcome the outsider and her virtue as an expression rather than a betrayal of one's own distinctive vision. It shows how Thomas, driven by a Christian commitment to charity and especially informed by Augustine, synthesized Augustinian and Aristotelian elements to construct an ethics that does justice-in love-to insiders and outsiders alike. Decosimo offers the first analysis of Thomas on pagan virtue and a reinterpretation of Thomas's ethics while providing a model for our own efforts to articulate a truthful hospitality and do ethics in our pluralist, globalized worTrade Review"This book is a substantial contribution to the literature on Thomas Aquinas's understanding of acquired moral virtue and the related issue of whether unbelievers can possess moral virtue . . . The book as a whole should make Thomas's moral theology more accessible to those who have not yet been exposed to it." -- Thomas M. Osborne Jr. * The Expository Times *"[T]he author argues that Aquinas welcomes pagan virtues. All of humanity share in sin's brokenness and a desire for good. A capacity for virtue is thus part of what it means to be human . . . This important work shows us how central the virtues are for Aquinas's moral theology." -- Pravin Thevathasan * Catholic Medical Quarterly *"[Decosimo] presents a lucid and innovative argument about the disputed status of 'pagan virtue' in debates in Christian ethics. To some readers, the very notion of 'pagan virtue' will raise eyebrows. Yet while most Christians today continue to believe that Christian faith permeates and transforms all aspects of a believer's life, most also affirm that people of any religious faith - or none - are capable of living virtuous lives . . . Ethics as a Work of Charity makes a substantial contribution to a perennial debate in Thomistic moral theology." -- William Mattison * Commonweal Magazine *"Decosimo does painstaking exegetical work to show that the kind of virtue Thomas affirms of pagans is true virtue, a stable habit that generates good actions that perfect our natural capacities . . . Decosimo has helped us see a better way, recovering an aspect of Thomas's theological ethics with possibilities that have not always been acknowledged. [He] has written a landmark book of lasting importance." -- Jordan Hylden * The Living Church *"While Ethics as a Work of Charity contains many close readings and strives to settle any number of textual disputes, it is not at all a pedantic work. Its chief virtue lies in the thoughtful and imaginative use to which it puts these careful readings. Decosimo adopts a spirit that he finds in Aquinas himself, one that combines an insistence on attentiveness with an even greater insistence on charity. As a result, Decosimo puts his considerable philosophical skills to work in articulating a full and sophisticated account of habit, virtue, and human happiness drawn chiefly from Aquinas's mature writings." -- Jeffrey Hause * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *"This is an important new work on the status of the virtues in Aquinas's moral theology. With a stunning command of the text and of the contemporary critical scene, David Decosimo argues that for St. Thomas, the pagan virtues are genuine virtues, that pagans achieve real good, and that such 'hyper-Augustinians' as John Milbank have not said the last word on the relation between virtue theory and moral theology. Decosimo's argument is compelling and opens up new paths for future work in the field." -- G. Scott Davis * University of Richmond *"Ethics as a Work of Charity is a compelling and original contribution to both Aquinas scholarship and contemporary religious ethics. Historically and exegetically sensitive, Decosimo offers a close reading of Aquinas's influential account of pagan virtue in ways that provide a fresh resource for engaging religious and moral diversity without sacrificing conviction. By advancing a distinctively 'prophetic Thomism' that is at once deeply Aristotelian and deeply Augustinian, this book transcends many of the intellectual and political agendas that exacerbate the conflicts of our age. It should command the interest of many in philosophy, theology, and religious studies." -- Eric Gregory * Princeton University *"A penetrating study of Aquinas's treatment of pagan virtue, showing its roots in Aristotle and Augustine and its relevance for contemporary ethics, while reaffirming the fundamental Christian conviction that virtue requires the action of grace. This is a major contribution to Aquinas interpretation and theological efforts to navigate religious diversity with fidelity and generosity." -- Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia, OP * Vatican City *"With great care Decosimo explicates Aquinas's understanding of the virtues of the pagan in a manner that challenges the presumption that Aquinas thought such virtues inherently deficient. To address this subject entails going to the heart of Aquinas's theology and ethics. Decosimo has done just that and in doing so helps us see what Aquinas's thought demands of us if we are to understand what it means to be God's creatures. This is a book that will demand both scholarly attention as well as the attention of the general reader." -- Stanley Hauerwas * Duke University *"Decosimo's writing is precise and inviting, from the well-structured chapters down to the clear and manageable sentences. He explains Thomistic concepts well and with appropriate, contemporary examples. The book would be appropriate for classroom use at the masters' level and above...It will be an important resource to those interested in Aquinas as well as to Christians pursuing interreligious dialogue." -- Kate Ward * Political Theology *"Ethics as a Work of Charity is an impressive book on the whole and in its various moving parts. It will be of interest to those interested in virtue ethics, theology of religious outsiders, political Augustinians, and those interested in the relationship between theology and philosophy, faith and reason, natural and supernatural, and nature and grace." -- Sean Larsen * Modern Theology *"The core of Decosimo's book is a thorough, textually grounded and convincing reply to those who deny that, on Aquinas's view, true virtue is impossible without grace. As such, it represents an important contribution to an ongoing debate. At the same time, in the process of making his case against 'Augustinian' readings of Aquinas, Decosimo sets out an illuminating account of Aquinas's conception of virtue as a kind of perfection, together with insightful remarks on the development of the virtues, the structure of moral motivation, and the presuppositions for attaining stability of character." -- Jean Porter * Studies in Christian Ethics *"[Decosimo] generates a tapestry of themes—Aquinas on goodness, ends, desire, habit, sin, and grace—and each theme introduced and expounded with such care that the book is a rich and thorough resource both for undergraduate students and teachers alike." -- Ruth Jackson * Anglican Theological Review *

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Book SynopsisOver the course of its history, the Catholic Church in Louisiana has witnessed a gradual shift from French to English, with some churches continuing to prepare marriage, baptism, and burial records in French as late as the mid-twentieth century. This book navigates this process, presenting a nuanced picture of language change within the Church.

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Book SynopsisRobert Emmett Curran’s masterful treatment of American Catholicism in the Civil War era is the first comprehensive history of Roman Catholics in the North and South before, during, and after the war. Curran provides an in-depth look at how the momentous developments of these decades affected the entire Catholic community.

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Book SynopsisThe Censor, the Editor, and the Text examines the impact of Catholic censorship on the publication and dissemination of Hebrew literature in the early modern period. Raz-Krakotzkin argues that the regulation of Hebrew print provided an avenue for the integration of Hebrew literature into the Christian corpus.Trade Review"An important book, one that makes us reflect on past conclusions. . . . Raz-Krakotzkin writes history by emphasizing the nuances and inconsistencies intrinsic to cultural change and acculturation, a method that is not to be superciliously dismissed. If readers follow the author's own careful lead, they will be well rewarded." * Association for Jewish Studies Review *"In this brilliantly argued book, Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin seeks to explain the role of Catholic censors within two contexts: their place within the church's institutional quest to set boundaries of "permitted knowledge" and to reshape the boundaries of Catholic orthodoxy on the one hand, and their role in reshaping Jewish texts on the other." * Humanities and Social Sciences Online *"The history of Jewish publishing and reading practices is often ignored by the scholars working on Western scribal and print cultures. This book can help them to understand the multiple connections that existed between Catholic authorities, Christian printers and publishers, convert editors and censors, and Jewish readers during the sixteenth century. Raz-Krakotzkin stresses the role of censorship not only as a repressive institution but also as an agent in the construction of a repertoire of canonical works and in the collective production of the texts themselves." * Roger Chartier *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Censorship and the Transition to Print Chapter 1. The Burning of the Talmud Chapter 2. The Institutionalization of the Censorship of Hebrew Literature Chapter 3. From Polemics to Censorship: The Development of the Expurgation of Written Culture Chapter 4. Censorship and its Role in the Printing of the Hebrew Book Chapter 5. From Polemic to Body of Knowledge—Sefer Hazikkuk and the Hebrew Text Conclusion: Hebraism, Censorship, and Modernization Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a theological foundation for consideration of the moral dimensions of human sexuality from a Roman Catholic perspective. It proposes an understanding of covenant fidelity wedded to the virtue of chastity.

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Book SynopsisThe Catholic Church has cared for the sick and dying of the world as an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus. This book is collection of contemporary essays that represent the efforts of Catholic scholarship in the field of health care and medical ethics. It addresses topics such as artificial reproduction, contraception, abortion, and more.

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Book SynopsisOffers a critical presentation of John Paul II's theology of the body, understood in the light of Christian theological tradition. The main thesis of the book is that John Paul II's theology of the body forms a new, inspiring approach to Christian ethics and the theology of marriage and family, as well as to theological anthropology.

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Book SynopsisCyril, Bishop of Alexandria (412-444), is best known as a protagonist in the christological controversy of the second quarter of the fifth century. Readers may be surprised therefore to find such polemic absent from this early work on the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. Cyril appears in this work as a balanced commentator, eclectic in his attitude and tolerant of alternative views.

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Book SynopsisThe Constantinian revolution of the early fourth century produced changes that would affect profoundly and permanently the fabric of traditional Greco-Roman society and early Christian spiritual life. This volume brings together writings from Pacian of Barcelona and Orosius of Braga, two notable Iberian authors and orthodox partisans of the turbulent late fourth and early fifth centuries.

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Book SynopsisSt. Jerome (347-420) has been considered the pre-eminent scriptural commentator among the Latin Church Fathers. His Commentary on Matthew, written in 398 and profoundly influential in the West, appears here for the first time in English translation. Jerome covers the entire text of Matthew's gospel by means of brief explanatory comments that clarify the text literally and historically.

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Book SynopsisCyril of Alexandria's contributions to theology are not confined to his prominent role in the fifth-century christological conflict, but are also vital to the development of biblical exegesis. Drawing insights from older contemporaries, Cyril examines in depth the historical contexts of prophetic texts.

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Book SynopsisThe essays and lectures colleced in this volume focus on the relationship of the Catholic Church with the other “Abrahamic” faiths, primarily Islam and Judaism. There is also some discussion of Asian religions. This volume, in structure, loosely follows the document Nostra Aetate itself.

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Book SynopsisPresents the teachings of the Catholic Church as they relate to more than one hundred specific and challenging moral questions as they have been asked by business leaders. Andrew V. Abela and Joseph E. Capizzi have assembled the relevant quotations from recent Catholic social teaching as responses to these questions. Spanish translation.Trade ReviewBusinessmen and theologians are like distant cousins, and yet they're just not on speaking terms. If anything can bring them into conversation, it's this superb catechism, which achieves the minor miracle of being both erudite and readable."" - John L. Allen Jr., Associate Editor, The Boston Globe""This is a fantastic repository! It should be mandatory reading for any Catholic in business, and recommended reading for any non-Catholic interested in what the Church really teaches."" - Patrick Lencioni, author of The Advantage and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team""Every Catholic CEO needs to read and study this book."" - Tim Busch, CEO, Pacific Hospitality Group and Chairman, Napa Institute""Abela and Capizzi offer an inspired product: practical business advice based on sound Catholic teaching. A Catechism for Business is not a shortcut to success-or to Heaven-but living your faith in your business life is sure to bear fruit, in this life and beyond."" - Hon. Mike Ferguson, Member of Congress (2001-2009), CEO, Ferguson Strategies LLC""A Catechism for Business is a valuable guide for business professionals at all levels who inevitably encounter situations that test their ability to navigate the waters of business ethics. I highly recommend this remarkable resource to businessmen and women who wish to grow in synch with the Church's wisdom and authority."" - John J. Hunt, Executive Director, Legatus

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