Which pre-VCII books would you recommend?
I have been diagnosed with bibliomania, so this question can keep me all night long going on, and on, and on... So I shall give the best works that come readily to my mind.
For spiritual reading?
First and foremost, Holy Scripture with solid commentary. The best book out there for the busy layman that I have found is Rev. Fr. Hugh Pope's
The Layman's New Testament: Being the Rheims Text as First Revised by Bishop Challoner, Edited with Introduction and Notes (London: Sheed & Ward, 1927).
There is also
The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Translated into English from the Original Greek of the Very Rev. Francis Aloysius Spencer, O.P., edited by Charles C. Callan, O.P. and John A. McHugh, O.P. (New York: McMillan, 1937).
Loreto Publications recently published a translation of Rev. Fr. Cornelius à Lapide's
Great Commentary upon the Sacred Gospels. I recommend this very strongly and without any hesitation whatsoever. The text is very faithful, and I have compared it to the old Anglo-Catholic translation upon which it is partly based, and upon the original Latin text.
The great treatise commonly known as
The Imitation of Christ. This is the best supplement to the reading of the Sacred Gospels, and is the best book for spiritual reading during Holy Hours, retreats, &c.
Anything by St. Alphonsus: the Centenary Edition of his works of ascetical theology edited by Rev. Fr. Grimm, and reprinted reprographically in paperback form some decades ago.
The
Philothea, or
Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales.
Anything by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort: the recent compilation of his works entitled
God Alone is actually very excellent, despite the numerous references to Vatican II in its notes, because the Priests and scholars who compiled and edited the texts and translations were very faithful to the original text and very thorough in finding the references which the Saint cited (which previous editions had not identified).
Anything by St. Peter Julian Eymard!
The Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Rev. Father Peter J. Arnoudt, S.J. (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1904): reprinted in paperback form some decades ago and recently reprinted in a very handsome hardcover edition.
From the celebrated work of Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes,
The Liturgical Year.
The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda.
Some works that treat upon the spiritual life in a systematically theological manner are:
The works by Rev. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.:
Christian Perfection according to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John of the Cross [
Perfection chrétienne et contemplation selon s. Thomas d'Aquin et s. Jean de la Croix] (Trans. Sister M. Timothea Doyle, O. P.; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1937);
Three Ages of the Interior Life: Prelude of Eternal Life [
Les trois âges de la vie intérieure, prélude de celle du ciel] (Trans. Sister M. Timothea Doyle, O. P.; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1948);
Three Ways of the Spiritual Life [
Les trois conversions et les trois voies] (Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1950);
The Love of God and the Cross of Jesus [
L'Amour de Dieu et la Croix de Jésus: Étude de théologie mystique sur le problème de l'amour et les purifications passives d'après les principes de Saint Thomas d'Aquin et la doctrine de Saint Jean de la Croix] (Trans. Sister Jeanne Marie, O. P. 2 Vols. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1948, 1951);
Life Everlasting (
'Éternelle vie et la profondeur de l'âme] (Trans. Rev. Fr. Patrick cuмmins; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1952);
Priest in Union with Christ (Trans. Rev. Fr. G. W. Shelton; Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1954);
The Priesthood and Perfection (Trans. Rev. Fr. E. Hayden, O. P. Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1955);
Providence [
La providence et la confiance en Dieu: Fidélité et abandon] (Trans. Dom Bede Rose, O.S.B.; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1957);
Our Savior and His Love for Us [
Le Sauveur et son amour pour nous] (Trans. A. Bouchard; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1951);
The Mother of the Saviour and Our Interior Life [
La mère du sauveur et notre vie intérieure] (Trans. Rev. Fr. Bernard J. Kelley; Dublin: Golden Eagle Books, Ltd., 1948).
The great work of Rev. Fr. J. Arintero, O.P.,
The Mystical Evolution in the Development and Vitality of the Church, which was reprinted by TAN. This is a very important work.
Rev. Fr. Tanquerey's work
The Spiritual Life, which was used as Seminary textbook in courses of Ascetical and Mystical theology.
Theology?
The works of Rev. Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange:
The One God: A Commentary on the First Part of St. Thomas' Theological Summa (trans. Dom Bede Rose, O.S.B.; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1946);
The Trinity and God the Creator: A Commentary on St. Thomas' Theological Summa, Ia, q. 27-119, ch. xxxii. (trans. Rev. Fr. Frederic C. Eckhoff; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1952);
Predestination [
La prédestination des saints et la grâce] (Trans. Dom Bede Rose, O.S.B.; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1953);
Beatitude: A Commentary on St Thomas' Theological Summa, Ia IIae, qq.1-54. (Trans. Rev. Fr. Patrick cuмmins; St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1956);
Grace: Commentary on the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas, Ia IIae, q. 109-14. (Trans. The Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1952);
God, His Existence and His Nature: A Thomistic Solution of Certain Agnostic Antinomies (St. Louis, MO: Book Herder Co., 1947).
The two-volume work on Moral Theology by Rev. Frs. Callan and Hugh.
Rev. Fr. Henry Davis's
Moral and Pastoral Theology.
The Mysteries of Christianity and the Manual of Theology by Rev. Fr. Matthias Scheeben.
Rev. Fr. Thomas Livius, C.Ss.R.,
Mary in the Epistles, or, The Implicit Teaching of the Apostles Concerning the Blessed Virgin Contained in Their Writings, Illustrated from the Fathers and Other Authors with Introductory Chapters (London: Burns & Oates, Ltd., 1891) and
The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Fathers of the First Six Centuries (London: Burns & Oates, Ltd., 1893).
Msgr. Charles Journet
The Church of the Word Incarnate: An Essay of Speculative Theology (trans. A.H.C. Downes; London: Sheed and Ward, 1954).
The Dictionary of Dogmatic Theology (Rev. Frs. Pietro Parente, Antonio Piolanti, Salvatore Garofalo; trans. Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Doronzo; Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1952).
Rev. Father John Brunsmann's
Handbook of Fundamental Theology (trans. and ed. Arthur Preuss;St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1932).
Rev. Father Tanquerey's
A Manual of Dogmatic Theology (trans. Rt. Rev. Msgr. John J. Byrnes; New York: Desclee Company, 1959).
The set of theological works by Rev. Fr. Pohle, translated and edited by Preuss.
And where would one go about acquiring these books?
The internet: Amazon (click the link on the top!), Abebooks.com, eBay, &c.
Patience and persistence is key.
Here is a very good place to find TAN books at a
very good price:
https://www.catholicbooksellers.com/merchantmanager/index.php
Topic: Hobbledehoy: What Pre-VCII books do you recommend? (Read 3310 times)