Church History

Sexual abuse is not the only mistreatment that can happen in the Church. There is also spiritual abuse. Fr. Dysmas de Lassus, superior general of the Carthusian Order, comes out of his silence to denounce the unacceptable behavior of some religious superiors and founders of communities. Rooted in the monastic tradition and the robust theology of religious life, Fr. Dysmas presents elements that will assist everyone in evaluating the dangers of certain spiritual practices and methods of government associated with community life.

Fr. Dysmas's wisdom and experience will help you attain the broad equilibrium that nourishes personal and community growth, through the respect of individuals, Catholic tradition, and a healthy spiritual life.Speaking out for the first time, he condemns an era of mental abuse in the Church and in the world. This free and liberating guide exposes some of the abuses within religious orders and includes testimonies of victims.

You will learn:

How to determine whether a community is following tradition or falling prey to cultlike practices

The two primary challenges to those in positions of authority

Behaviors in a community that cause harm and psychological murder

Four stages and characteristics of "sectlike" behavior in dysfunctional religious communities

Five layers of knowledge of those entering a community experience -- from the outside and the inside

The dangers of manipulative personalities and abuses of power

You will also gain a proper understanding of obedience and discover the three conditions, according to St. Francis de Sales, that highlight what blind obedience really means. Moreover, you will see the difference between the silence that is life-giving and the silence that kills. You will also find two criteria for healthy communication with the outside world and the way to achieve balance in living a life of sacrifice to foster genuine humility. Above all, you will see the necessary path to healing and how the truth sets us free.

Has the Americanization of American Catholics--their cultural assimilation, that is--been a blessing or a curse for the Church in the United States? Or has it been a bit of both? In The Gibbons Legacy Russell Shaw takes a searching look at that question and reaches a disturbing conclusion. Cultural assimilation, which was ardently championed by churchmen like the great Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore around the turn of the last century, has undoubtedly conferred many benefits on Catholics. Their absorption into the secular culture of America, however, now threatens the Catholic identity of millions of faithful and of their institutions, such as schools, universities, and hospitals. Shaw does not offer this conclusion as an unsupported generalization. The Gibbons Legacy is a richly documented analysis of a process extending over two centuries. Colorful characters and dramatic incidents abound, including the nineteenth-century intellectual feud between Father Orestes Brownson and the Transcendentalist convert to Catholicism Isaac Hecker, Pope Leo XIII's condemnation of Americanism, the anti-Catholicism that greeted the presidential campaigns of Al Smith and John F. Kennedy, and the numerous intra-Church conflicts that have divided American Catholics since the Second Vatican Council. In concluding his study, Shaw offers a number of thoughtprovoking suggestions about what the Church in America needs to do now in the face of an ongoing decline that is sapping its strength and may threaten its very survival.

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (first place, anthology).

Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J. (1918-2008), was one of the leading American Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. Published in partnership with America Media, this collection of Dulles's essential work from America magazine includes more than five decades of writing that showcases his wide-ranging interests in ecclesiology, salvation history, pastoral theology, and contemporary literature and reflects the Jesuit's warm personality and astute insights on the Church in an era of great change.

Avery Dulles: The Essential Writings from America Magazine includes occasional and formal writing, book reviews, reflections, and extended essays from America. Known as a synthesizer of Catholic thought from disparate traditions and theological positions, Dulles is perhaps best known for his book Models of the Church, one of a number of important academic works he wrote. Dulles was the author of twenty-five books and produced hundreds of articles for America and other journals.

In these selections from America, Dulles reflects on theological questions such as the relationship between faith and reason, as well as events like the Second Vatican Council that affected average Catholics. Avery Dulles also includes the late cardinal's exploration of the teachings of John Paul II and the authority of the episcopacy--solidifying our understanding of Dulles as both a towering figure and a mediating voice in American Catholicism.

"This book will prove to be a most effective weapon... against the debunking and skeptical attitudes toward the Gospels that are so prevalent, not only in academe, but also on the street, among young people who, sadly, are leaving the Churches in droves." - Robert Barron, author of Catholicism

For well over a hundred years now, many scholars have questioned the historical truth of the Gospels, claiming that they were originally anonymous. Others have even argued that Jesus of Nazareth did not think he was God and never claimed to be divine.

In The Case for Jesus, Dr. Brant Pitre, the bestselling author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, goes back to the sources--the biblical and historical evidence for Christ--in order to answer several key questions, including:

- Were the four Gospels really anonymous?
- Are the Gospels folklore? Or are they biographies?
- Were the four Gospels written too late to be reliable?
- What about the so-called "Lost Gospels," such as "Q" and the Gospel of Thomas?
- Did Jesus claim to be God?
- Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels? Or only in John?
- Did Jesus fulfill the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah?
- Why was Jesus crucified?
- What is the evidence for the Resurrection?

As The Case for Jesus will show, recent discoveries in New Testament scholarship, as well as neglected evidence from ancient manuscripts and the early church fathers, together have the potential to pull the rug out from under a century of skepticism toward the traditional Gospels. Above all, Pitre shows how the divine claims of Jesus of Nazareth can only be understood by putting them in their ancient Jewish context.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Columba Press (January 1, 1996)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1856071758
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1856071758
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds

"What we priests were forced to endure under the Nazi regime, especially in Dachau concentration camp, is no more than a cup filled from the vast sea of human suffering in the world today," wrote Fr. John Lenz. "It is not this suffering as such that is important. The important thing is to show those who have crosses of their own to bear in life just what the grace of God can do for those who follow faithfully in the footsteps of Christ the Crucified. It is no less important to reveal the wickedness of Hell."

The Nazi hellhole Dachau concentration camp held the largest number of Catholic priests -- more than 2,400 -- in the Nazi camp system. They came from two dozen countries, from every background -- parish priests and prelates, monks and friars, teachers and missionaries. More than one-third were killed.

Among the survivors was Fr. Lenz, who was asked by his superiors to write an account of what he saw -- and experienced -- so that it would not be forgotten. This book, filled with gripping real-life stories and eighty photos, was the stunning result and became an immediate sensation.

This work is unique among those written on the Holocaust; it reveals how, by tireless sacrifice amid barbaric suffering, the Church was victorious in one of the darkest times in human history. When the Nazis entered several European countries, many people were afraid to speak up. Numerous priests, however, continued to preach the gospel and the truth about the dignity of life and freedom. Through their courageous witness you will learn about:

The arrest and imprisonment of priests and other faithful citizens

What really happened at Dachau and the horrific treatment of prisoners

How priests ministered to fellow prisoners and prayed unceasingly in the camps

Ways in which priests secretly brought the Blessed Sacrament to the people and heard confessions

Spiritual lessons learned in the face of death and despair

"Only when we are forced to endure the most profound suffering and hardship do we learn how to catch hold of God's hand in our misery," Fr. Lenz reflected. "We learn to pray."

Catholics--both religious and the laity--made significant contributions to science, the arts, and the betterment of human life during the Enlightenment, the period between the Reformations and the modern world.

Scholar Dominic A. Aquila writes that it is not uncommon for historical accounts of the time to conclude that the Church stood in the way of the scientific revolution and that faith and reason could not coexist. In The Church and the Age of Enlightenment (1648-1848), Aquila outlines Catholic contributions in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, the arts, and politics, and highlights key figures of the era including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, St. Vincent de Paul, Queen Christina of Sweden, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Aquila begins by looking back at the work of important figures such as Copernicus, Francis Bacon, and Galileo, all of whom died before the 1648. Aquila bookends the Enlightenment era by wars due to dynastic rivalries and social change--beginning with Europe's Thirty Years War, which prompted a rethinking of religious and political practices, and ending with the Napoleonic Wars.

Aquila also highlights key works of visual arts and music from the period, including Giovanni Bellini's Frari Triptych, the world-renowned Oberammergau Passion Play, and George Fredric Handel's Messiah.

In this book, you will learn:

the Church has been western civilization's primary patron of art and science for centuries;

Blaise Pascal believed that the Biblical revelation of God is the story of God's action in human history;

Isaac Newton was unique among the Enlightenment elite because he believed in God;

the separation of Church and state was influenced by Catholic thinkers;

Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson embodied Enlightenment ideals in the American colonies; and

one of the most enduring outcomes of the Enlightenment is the heart-felt desire for continual improvement of life for more people.

Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.

The Catholic Faith posseses a treasury of devotions, prayers, and rituals to draw us deeper into the spiritual life. Among these gifts, sacramentals hold a unique and vital place in the lives of all who seek God's grace. From rosaries and crucifixes to medals and relics, from bells and candles to salts and scapulars, these seemingly ordinary signs, when woven into our everyday lives, sanctify us and better prepare us to "receive the fruit of the sacraments" (CCC 1677).

Compendium of Sacramentals explores this vast and fascinating world, giving us keen insights and a deeper understanding of the power of sacramentals. Readers will discover:

The differences between the Church's three groups of sacramentals: blessings, exorcisms, and pious devotions

The history, development, and spiritual reality behind each sacramental

How sacramentals can become the chief instrument for disposing us to the seven sacraments of the Church

Thorough explanations of devotions, including those familiar and unfamiliar

Theological foundations for the belief that sacramentals are sources of grace that help Christians achieve sanctification and strengthen them on their journey to heaven

Useful tips on defending each sacramental from both longstanding and modern objections

In-depth guidance and instruction on using and practicing sacramentals

A comprehensive understanding of the scriptural roots of various sacramentals

Moving wisdom from the saints, popes, Church Fathers, and theologians on incorporating sacramentals into every aspect of daily life

For converts seeking to immerse themselves in their newfound faith, as well as lifelong Catholics wanting to deepen their faith, Compendium of Sacramentals is an invaluable resource on the journey to heaven.

1968 witnessed perhaps the greatest revolution in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. It was led by Fr. Charles Curran, professor of Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, with more than 500 theologians who signed a "Statement of Dissent" that declared Catholics were not bound in conscience to follow the Church's teaching in the encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, that said artificial contraception is morally wrong because it is destructive of the good of Christian marriage.

The battle at Catholic University centered on the major question in Catholic higher education during the turbulent years after the Second Vatican Council, "What is the meaning of academic freedom at a Catholic university?" Curran and the dissenting theologians maintained they needed to be free to teach without constraint by any outside authority, including the bishops. The bishops maintained that the American tradition of religious freedom guaranteed the right of religiously-affiliated schools to require their professors to teach in accord with the authority of their church.

This book uses never-before published material from the personal papers of the key players at CUA to tell the inside story of the dramatic events that unfolded there. Beginning with the 1967 faculty-led strike in support of Curran, this book reveals the content of the internal discussions between the key bishops on the CUA Board of Trustees.

This work attempts to disprove both the standard "liberal" and "conservative" interpretation of the events of 1968, suggesting that the culture of dissent was a direct fruit of the excessive legalism and authoritarianism which marked the Church in the years preceding Vatican II. Because the polarization in 1968 has continued to define the experience of many American Catholics and has had an ongoing effect on Catholic education, this work should be extremely interesting to those who want to understand the past so as to move forward with a greater awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of Catholic education in the United States.

Intended to be a popular introduction to the Church's greatest teachers, here are brief profiles of the seventeen of the thirty-three doctors of the Church who lived in the first millennium, followed by one or more writings characteristic of their work.

After the authors of the New Testament, no group has had a more profound influence on the prayer, theology, and life of Christians than the Fathers of the Church, who lived and wrote in the first several centuries after Christ. Among the Fathers, perhaps the most pivotal were those of the first two hundred years. Including figures such as St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Irenaeus of Lyons, these giants of the faith lived just decades after the Apostles—some even knew the Apostles themselves—and their writings witness to what life was like in the early Church.

The Early Church Fathers Collection from Word on Fire Classics provides the perfect entry point to these early writers. In this volume, you’ll find selections from the best works by the early Fathers: the letters of St. Clement, St. Ignatius, and St. Polycarp; the anonymous literary works The Martyrdom of Polycarp, TheDidache, The Shepherd of Hermas, and TheLetter to Diognetus; and the apologetic writings of St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Accompanied by helpful introductions and explanatory footnotes, these works speak as powerfully today as they did in their own time and, approached in a spirit of faith, serve the same purpose: to enkindle in their readers the love of Jesus Christ.

This item is only available for distribution in the United States.

In the bloody Civil War that split our nation, American bishops worked for the success of the Union . . . and of the Confederacy! As Catholics slaughtered Catholics, pious priests on both sides prayed God to give success in battle. . . to their own side. Men in blue and men in gray flinched at the Consecration as cannonballs (fired by Catholic opponents) rained down on them during battlefield Masses.

Many are the moving - and often surprising - stories in these pages of brave Catholics on both sides of the conflict - stories told by Fr. Charles Connor, one of our country's foremost experts on Catholic American history.

Through searing anecdotes and learned analysis, Fr. Connor here shows how the tumult, tragedy, and bravery of the War forged a new American identity, even as it created a new American Catholic identity, as Catholics--often new immigrants--found themselves on both sides of the conflict.

Fr. Connor

The Catholic Church has been a part of English history since the arrival of Christian missionaries to Roman Britain in the first century after Christ. England was evangelized in these early centuries to such an extent that, by the time the Romans withdrew in the fifth century, the Celtic population was largely Catholic.

Anglo-Saxon England, prior to the Norman Conquest, was a land of saints. From St. Bede, with his history of the early Church, to the holy king St. Edward the Confessor, Saxon England was ablaze with the light of Christ. During the reign of St. Edward, a vision of the Virgin at Walsingham placed the Mother of God on the throne as England's queen, the land being considered her dowry. Even following the Norman Conquest, the Faith continued to flourish and prosper, making its joyful presence felt in what would become known as Merrie England.

Then in the sixteenth century, this Catholic heart was ripped from the people of England, against their will and in spite of their spirited and heroic resistance, by the reign of the Tudors. This made England once again a land of saints--that is, of martyrs, with Catholic priests and laity being put to death for practicing the Faith. The martyrdoms would continue for 150 years, followed by a further 150 years of legal and political persecution.

In the nineteenth century, against all the odds, there was a great Catholic revival, heralded by the conversion of St. John Henry Newman, which would continue into the twentieth century. Much of the greatest literature of the past century has been written by literary converts to the Church, such as G. K. Chesterton, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

This whole exciting, faith-filled story is told by Joseph Pearce within a single-volume history of "true England", the England that remained true to the faith through thick and thin, in times both "merrie" and perilous. It is a story not only worth telling but worth celebrating.

Volume 2
A source-book of theological and historical passages from the Christian writings of the Post-Nicene and Constantinopolitan eras through St. Jerome. Volume 2 concludes with Julian of Eclanum (d. 454).

Volume 1: the Pre-Nicene and Nicene eras
Volume 2: the Post-Nicene era through St. Jerome;
Volume 3: St. Augustine to the end of the patristic period.

The passages selected are keyed to the numerical order established in M. J. Rouët de Journel's Enchiridion Patristicum. In no sense, however, are these volumes a translation of that standard work. The author has made his own investigation of theological textbooks in common use and has selected the patristic passages most frequently cited, including much that is in Rouët and much that is not. All passages have been freshly and accurately translated from the best critical editions.

Preceding each selection is a brief introduction treating the authorship, date and place of composition, and the purpose of the work from which the selection is taken. The author's scholarship and sprightly sense of humor are evident in these prefatory remarks.

Of immense value to the reader is the Doctrinal Index provided for each volume. Here one can find the texts pertinent to particular doctrinal points, a method especially useful to homilists. In addition, each volume is enhanced by comprehensive Scriptural and General Indices.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness among lay people of the importance of Tradition within the Catholic Church. A primary source of this Tradition is the collection of what the Fathers of the Church had to say in Her early history. In this Volume you will find. The actual writings of the Church Fathers. A selection of writings which covers a wide range of topics All presented in easily readable units. "There can be no true formation of Christian understanding without constantly drawing on the tradition of our Fathers in the faith....The Fathers of the Church did not cease to meditate upon the Mystery of Christ and to seek to transmit to their contemporaries what they themselves received...They were the first theologians, for they were able to examine the Mystery of Christ by drawing on ideas borrowed from the thought of their time, formulating them with no hesitation to give them a universal meaning." - St Pope John Paul II, Address, 1993

In recent years there has been a growing awareness among lay people of the importance of Tradition within the Catholic Church. A primary source of this Tradition is the collection of what the Fathers of the Church had to say in Her early history. This selection of writings covers a wide range of topics, and is presented in easily readable units, suitable for the busy working man and woman.

Discover the greatest teachers of the Faith as Pope Benedict XVI highlights their essential role during a time of scandal and strife in the Church.

Focusing specifically on the 13th-century founding of the Franciscans by St. Francis of Assisi and the Dominicans by St. Dominic Guzm n, the pope said personal holiness led the two saints to preach and to help actualize a return to Gospel poverty, a deeper unity with the Church, and a new movement of evangelization, including within the European universities that were blossoming at the time.

Great Teachers include:

Hugh and Richard of Saint-Victor

William of Saint-Thierry

Rupert of Dutz

John of Salisbury

Peter Lombard

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Dominic Guzm n

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Bonaventure

St. Albert the Great

St. Thomas Aquinas

John Duns Scotus

Winner of two Catholic Press Association Awards: Design and Production (Second Place) and History (Honorable Mention).

The star of Bethlehem exemplifies the birth of Jesus, the Wittenberg Door is synonymous with the Protestant Reformation, and "the pill" symbolizes the sexual revolution. It's "stuff" that helps tell the story of Christianity.

In this unique, rich, and eye-catching book, popular Catholic author and EWTN host Mike Aquilina tells the Christian story through the examination of 100 objects and places. Some, like Michelangelo's Pietà, are priceless works of art. Others, like a union membership pen, don't hold much monetary value. But through each of them, Aquilina offers a memorable and rewarding look at the history of the Church.

When Catholics tell their story, they don't just write it in books. They preserve it in memorials, monuments, artifacts, and museums. They build grand basilicas to house tiny relics.

In this stunning book, Aquilina, together with his writer-daughter Grace, show how the history of the Church didn't take place shrouded in the mists of time. It actually happened and continues to happen through things that we can see and sometimes hold in our hand.

The Christian answer to Neil MacGregor's New York Times bestseller A History of the World in 100 Objects, Aquilina's A History of the Church in 100 Objects introduces you to:

The Cave of the Nativity (the importance of history, memory, and all things tangible)

Catacomb niches (the importance of Rome, bones, and relics of the faith)

Ancient Map of the World (the undoing of myths about medieval science)

Stained Glass (representative of Gothic cathedrals)

The Holy Grail (Romance literature and the emergence of writing for the laity)

Loaves and fish (a link from Jesus to the sacrament of the Eucharist)

The Wittenberg Door (Martin Luther and the onset of the Reformation)

Each of these and the 93 other items and places in the book tell part of the Christian story. Each is an essential piece of the story of our salvation.

God makes himself known and accessible through material things, always accommodating himself to our condition. It is, after all, the condition he created for us--spiritual and material--and the form he assumed for our salvation.

Ancient Rome's brutal culture exploited the weak and considered human life expendable. Women were used as property; unwanted children were left on the streets to die.

Four centuries later, even ordinary men and women prospered in what had become a vigorous new Christian society - a society that served the vulnerable, exalted women, treasured virtue, and loved peace.

Faith had triumphed. Truth was proclaimed. And on this rock-solid foundation, Christian society flourished in the West for the next 1500 years.

These eye-opening pages document the many ways in which Christians penetrated and civilized that debased Roman empire, introducing then-radical notions such as the equal dignity of women, respect for life, protection of the weak and vulnerable, and the obligation of rulers to serve those they rule and maximize their freedom.

Here you'll learn about the seven specific areas where any paganism, ancient or modern, is particularly vulnerable. They provide a roadmap for modern Christians to reclaim for the Faith our own neo-pagan modern culture.

Facing an overwhelmingly dark and hostile culture, Rome's early Christians took the steps necessary to transform it. Their struggles and the hard lessons they learned - documented here - afford us hope that, by imitating their example, we may do the same for our culture today.

How Christianity Saved Civilization was previously published as Seven Revolutions: How Christianity Changed the World and Can Change It Again. This new edition has been brought into print to offer hope that Christianity may once again transform our dark and hostile culture.

Rediscover how the Catholic faith has inspired the greatest achievements in history!

24 entertaining and eye-opening essays by Prof. Esolen originally published in Magnificat (2018-2019) that will give you a new appreciation for the Church and her mission in the world.

Meet...

• A sainted woman who inspired three of her brothers to become saints...
• A navigator who spread the Gospel during his voyages...
• A rich man who embraced poverty to win pagans for Christ...

Professor Esolen's captivating style is as entertaining as it is eye-opening.

Let these stories inspire you to turn your faith into action!

A powerful new interpretation of Catholicism's dramatic encounter with modernity, by one of America's leading intellectuals
Throughout much of the nineteenth century, both secular and Catholic leaders assumed that the Church and the modern world were locked in a battle to the death. The triumph of modernity would not only finish the Church as a consequential player in world history; it would also lead to the death of religious conviction. But today, the Catholic Church is far more vital and consequential than it was 150 years ago. Ironically, in confronting modernity, the Catholic Church rediscovered its evangelical essence. In the process, Catholicism developed intellectual tools capable of rescuing the imperiled modern project.
A richly rendered, deeply learned, and powerfully argued account of two centuries of profound change in the church and the world, The Irony of Modern Catholic History reveals how Catholicism offers twenty-first century essential truths for our survival and flourishing.

The story of the early Jesuit missionaries who arrived in North America between 1632 and 1637 is a remarkable by all accounts. For twenty long years, they toiled alone and unaided in the vast, wild regions of eastern Canada, bearing the hardships of a harsh climate, scarcity of food and inadequate lodging, as well as the constant menace of those inhabitants they had come to evangelize. Nevertheless, they worked and prayed unceasingly and bore all these hardships for the love of Christ and the salvation of souls, being filled with joy at the opportunity to suffer and bear fruit for our Lord.
--Excerpt from the Foreword

"In the pages that follow Father Frantois Roustang has given us excerpts from the writings of four of these men and to these he has added four more selections written by their companion missionaries, who were spared the grace of red martyrdom. In doing so he has broadened the seven-year timeframe into which the martyrs are generally placed, and he has expanded the field of what is certainly one of the most heroic chapters in religious history. [These writings] serve to give the experiences of each man the animation and life of a modern novel. Roustang has also done us a great favor in giving, by way of an introduction, a snapshot of his eight subjects, allowing us to study each man's background, his sanctity, idiosyncrasies, defects and talents and the circumstances of his narrative. The result is that we can learn much, not only about eight Jesuits of heroic virtue and about the times in which they lived, but also about human nature itself."
-- Cornelius Michael Buckley, S.J.

For Christians, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, and who rose from the dead in triumph over sin and death. For non-Christians, he is almost anything else--a myth, a political revolutionary, a prophet whose teaching was misunderstood or distorted by his followers.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can't "prove" Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn't disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face-to-face with the challenge of Jesus--a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception.

Benedict XVI presents this challenge in his new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, the sequel volume to Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.

Why was Jesus rejected by the religious leaders of his day? Who was responsible for his death? Did he establish a Church to carry on his work? How did Jesus view his suffering and death? How should we? And, most importantly, did Jesus really rise from the dead and what does his resurrection mean? The story of Jesus raises many crucial questions.

Benedict brings to his study the vast learning of a brilliant scholar, the passionate searching of a great mind, and the deep compassion of a pastor's heart. In the end, he dares readers to grapple with the meaning of Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection.

"Only in this second volume do we encounter the decisive sayings and events of Jesus' life . . . I hope that I have been granted an insight into the figure of Our Lord that can be helpful to all readers who seek to encounter Jesus and to believe in Him."
-Pope Benedict XVI

The New York Times bestselling final volume in the Pope's Jesus of Nazareth series, detailing how the stories of Jesus' infancy and childhood are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago.

In 2007, Joseph Ratzinger published his first book as Pope Benedict XVI in order "to make known the figure and message of Jesus." Now, the Pope focuses exclusively on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life as a child. The root of these stories is the experience of hope found in the birth of Jesus and the affirmations of surrender and service embodied in his parents, Joseph and Mary.

This is a story of longing and seeking, as demonstrated by the Magi searching for the redemption offered by the birth of a new king. It is a story of sacrifice and trusting completely in the wisdom of God as seen in the faith of Simeon, the just and devout man of Jerusalem, when he is in the presence of the Christ child. Ultimately, Jesus' life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.