5 books every Catholic should own

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scottm said:
  1. Concordia (the original canon of Lutheran Confessions) – so you can point out specifically how the reasons for the original Protestant schism no longer exist, which means the original Protestants have no reason to still exist.
  2. Early Christian Writings by Penguin Classics, or any similar book – it’s nice to have the first generation of non-biblical writings.
  3. Jesus: His Life and Teachings by Joseph Girzone – it’s the best presentation of Jesus that I have encountered.
  4. A History of the Synoptic Problem by David L. Dungan – it should be required reading in every parish. Once you see the how and why of biblical interpretation you’ll never be duped again.
  5. The Life: The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation by Clark Carlton, or any similar book – because there are 22 Eastern Catholic churches, hello! You Romans should make an effort to know us! And because the Eastern view of soteriology defeats every single objection brought by atheists and agnostics against the Western presentation of the Gospel, that I have ever heard.
And a bonus 6) Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer by Eugene Peterson – as the title says. This book is a gem.
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Thank you so much Scottm - so many times my Protestant friends do “dupe” me when they say, “That’s not in the Bible.” of “That is not what the Bible teached.” Then I feel weak as a Catholic and I would like to sound intelligent when I try and explain our belielfs and why and where they came from - OUTSIDE of the Bible. 👍 I will read the books you have listed! Thanks again.🙂
 
Before getting “Theology for Begginers” be sure to pick up a copy of . . .
“Speling for Beginers”
SteubieGirl said:
  1. Theology for Begginers (Frank Sheed)
  2. Summa Theologica (Thomas Aquinas)
  3. The Immitation of Christ
  4. Liturgy of the Hours
  5. The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Sienna
Here are a few more that are AWSOME but didn’t make top five:
  1. Lord Have Mercy, Scott Hann
  2. The Lambs Supper, Scott Hann
  3. Reasons to Believe, Scott Hann
He is such an awsome writter, he makes things fun and they make sense! 👍
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Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma
William Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Confessions of St Augustine
Summa (even tho I don’t have it yet)

The Bible (should go without saying)
 

As a devout Catholic, I find it most spiritually helpful to own just THREE books . . .
1 - the telephone book
2 - a checkbook
3 - a book of matches
All I need to perform all necessary works of charity is these three.​

But seriously, I am surprised and amazed that no one on the string has suggested
that the ONE essential book for a good Catholic is the 4 volumes of the Divine Office.
If you count that as four and add a missalette or a hymnal, you are all set with five. Anything added to that would be gravy, delicious and inspiring, admittedly, but gravy nonetheless.
Pax Omnes! – Rusty, the Ridiculous
 
kelvinf said:
😃 Wow! I guess a good number of the books that have been recommended so far are best suited for people with some theological background. 🤷
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Anyone who thinks that Catholic Christian writings are devoid of logic and reason should be pointed to the Summa. It’s not for summer reading on the beach. 😃
 
Rustyxcv said:

As a devout Catholic, I find it most spiritually helpful to own just THREE books . . .
1 - the telephone book
2 - a checkbook
3 - a book of matches
All I need to perform all necessary works of charity is these three.​

But seriously, I am surprised and amazed that no one on the string has suggested
that the ONE essential book for a good Catholic is the 4 volumes of the Divine Office.
If you count that as four and add a missalette or a hymnal, you are all set with five. Anything added to that would be gravy, delicious and inspiring, admittedly, but gravy nonetheless.
Pax Omnes! – Rusty, the Ridiculous
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The Liturgy of the Hours has been mentioned several times. To my understanding, the Divine Office and Liturgy of the Hours are the same prayer under different names.
 
Ooops!
My face is RED (and it’s not even Pentecost!).
I missed this fact in my scan of the string. My apologies to my fellow “horarians.”
– Rusty, the Ridiculous
CWBetts said:
The Liturgy of the Hours has been mentioned several times. To my understanding, the Divine Office and Liturgy of the Hours are the same prayer under different names.
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It is important for Catholics to know what books to own.👍

It is even more important to read and digest them once they are purchased.😃

By the way, the Bible is at the top of the list, I believe.
 
Pascalis_RCL said:
It is important for Catholics to know what books to own.👍

It is even more important to read and digest them once they are purchased.😃

By the way, the Bible is at the top of the list, I believe.
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The OP did say “other than the Bible and the Catechism”

On that note, a lot of posters have been mentioning the Scriptures. I thought we didn’t ever read the Bible, or really want anything to do with it, because the Bible is just for the hierarchy. 😛
 
I’m not going to try to come up with five, but I can tell you that a solid dictionary would be number one on my list - and blows all the competition out of the water. It’s right next to me on my computer desk with a bible and a catechism.

Why would I need a dictionary? Because I find that it has become increasingly popular for anti-Catholics to completely reinvent the meaning of a word found in the bible for their own anti-Catholic purposes. Having a good dictionary so you can show them flat out that they don’t even know the meaning of a word works wonders because it forces them to question a whole lot real fast.

The best example I can think of (and the most popular it seems) is when one uses the “for there is one mediator between God and man…” line to argue against requesting prayers of the saints. The anti-Catholics seem to have redefined mediator to mean a simple messenger when the word actually means nothing of the sort. “pray” and “reverence” are other great ones. They always expect and attempt to justify the action, or an argument against their interpretation. Pulling out a dictionary is just something they’re never prepared for.

Never underestimate the awesome of a dictionary.
 
JudithAnn said:
Thank you so much Scottm - so many times my Protestant friends do “dupe” me when they say, “That’s not in the Bible.” of “That is not what the Bible teached.” Then I feel weak as a Catholic and I would like to sound intelligent when I try and explain our belielfs and why and where they came from - OUTSIDE of the Bible. 👍 I will read the books you have listed! Thanks again.🙂
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Actually, another really good book to read in order to understand Protestants is “The Roots of the Reformation” by Karl Adam (published by the Coming Home Network – one of their Resources). It explains quite well about how the Protestant Reformation (or for us Catholics – the Revolution!) came about, the motives, where it went all wrong, and why. It is quite a concise little book, only about 100pgs long, and easy reading. It was nice to see the Reformation from both sides in an objective manner.
 
Farsight001 said:
…
Why would I need a dictionary? Because I find that it has become increasingly popular for anti-Catholics to completely reinvent the meaning of a word found in the bible for their own anti-Catholic purposes. Having a good dictionary so you can show them flat out that they don’t even know the meaning of a word works wonders because it forces them to question a whole lot real fast.

The best example I can think of (and the most popular it seems) is when one uses the “for there is one mediator between God and man…” line to argue against requesting prayers of the saints. The anti-Catholics seem to have redefined mediator to mean a simple messenger when the word actually means nothing of the sort. “pray” and “reverence” are other great ones. They always expect and attempt to justify the action, or an argument against their interpretation. Pulling out a dictionary is just something they’re never prepared for.
…
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The best example I can think of, is the word “Venerate”. Protestants frequently mistake the word to mean “Worship”, so they think we worship Mary, because we say we venerate her (and the saints).
 
scottm said:
A History of the Synoptic Problem by David L. Dungan – it should be required reading in every parish. Once you see the how and why of biblical interpretation you’ll never be duped again.
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I’ve heard of this work. Can you elaborate a bit? What’s the book about, and how have you found it helpful?

Gaudium de veritate,

Cruciform
+T+
 
Cruciform said:
I’ve heard of this work. Can you elaborate a bit? What’s the book about, and how have you found it helpful?
Gaudium de veritate,
Cruciform
+T+
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=====referring to D.L. Dungan’s “The Synoptic Problem”===================
Cruciform & Friends–
This is one of the BEST books on biblical scholarship that I have ever read. The author has no ax to grind and is not favoring one method of interpretation over another. He simply recounts, in sufficient but not overwhelming detail, the different “answers” that scholars and churchmen have put forth, from the FIRST century A.D. to the present, to the question: “Why do the stories in the 1st three Gospels have different details and why do they appear to list events in a different order one to another?”
– My personal opinion is that, of course, this kind of thing is bound to happen, MUST happen, when the Eternal Ever-Living God acts in-the-flesh in the affairs of this imperfect transient world. It is an ontological and logical necessity. But Dungan’s history of the question clarifies the many alternatives that have been proposed over the ages for how reconcile the irreconcilable in this regard.
– The most hopeful and encouraging aspect of this book, especially for people like me who find certain current schools of biblical “scholarship” to be particularly tiresome and unfounded, is that it clearly demonstrates that this kind of “monkeying around” with the text has been going on since the Church began. As for today’s pet silly theories . . . “This too shall pass!”
– The book also is an EXCELLENT introduction to the major thinkers of Our Blessed Church viewed through the lens of their approach to the Gospels. Not a bad side benefit into the bargain, eh?
– God’s blessing to all! – Rusty, the Ridiculous
 
awatkins69 said:
Where in the world can you get 3 and 4?
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OPUS OXONIENSE is available in a paperback volume of DUNS SCOTUS-PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS (by John Duns Scotus).

SUMMA FRATRI ALEXANDRI is discussed in another paperback called THE INFINITE GOD AND THE SUMMA FRATRIS ALEXANDRI by Meldon Wass. It’s out of print, but used copies may be available in Amazon Marketplace or on that other website founded by the Republican nominee for governor of California.
 
irishslider said:
OPUS OXONIENSE is available in a paperback volume of DUNS SCOTUS-PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS (by John Duns Scotus).

SUMMA FRATRI ALEXANDRI is discussed in another paperback called THE INFINITE GOD AND THE SUMMA FRATRIS ALEXANDRI by Meldon Wass. It’s out of print, but used copies may be available in Amazon Marketplace or on that other website founded by the Republican nominee for governor of California.
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Don’t use code. What is the other site.
 
“Republican” Meg Whitman? In the manner of Moore, what do you *mean *by that?
 
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