Recommended Reading for Inquiring Catholics
Occasionally the Ratzinger Fan Club mailing list plays host to some rambunctious and stimulating theological debates. In response to several requests, the Fan Club has compiled a list of recommended reading that may be helpful to the inquiring reader.
PLEASE NOTE: This page is a work in progress, as new recommendations are being added all the time. If you would like to suggest a title of your own for our consideration, please contact us and let us know.
"Catholicism 101: The Fundamentals of the Faith"
"Catholic Apologetics & Introductory Texts"
"Readings in Catholic Theology"
- Credo: Meditations on the Apostle's Creed, by Hans urs Von Balthasar. Ignatius Press (August 1, 2000).
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Ludwig Ott. Tan Books & Publishers, Inc.; (March 1992).
- Introduction to Christianity, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Ignatius Press; (December 1990).
- Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas. . The complete text. ALTERNATIVELY:
- A Summa of the Summa, by Peter Kreeft. Ignatius Press; ; (December 1990) . Selected essential philosophical passages from Thomas' Summa with footnotes and explanations by Kreeft, a popular Thomist teacher and writer.
- A Shorter Summa, by Peter Kreeft. Ignatius Press; ; (October 1994). Abridged version of Summa of the Summa.
- Summa Theologiae: A Concise Translation, by Timothy McDermott. Thomas More Publishing; (March 1997).
Catholic Tradition, Authority and Doctrinal Development
Back To Virtue: Traditional Moral Wisdom for Modern Moral Confusion, by Peter Kreeft. Ignatius Press; (October 1992).
- By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition, by Mark Shea. Our Sunday Visitor; ; (September 1996).
- An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, by John Henry Newman. Univ of Notre Dame Pr; ; Reissue edition (January 1990).
- Jesus, Peter & the Keyes: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy, Edited by Scott Butler, et al. Queenship Pub Co; ; (April 1997).
- The Teachings of the Church Fathers, edited by John R. Willis, S.J. Ignatius Press; New edition (October 1, 2002).
- Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church, by Henry G. Graham. Tan Books & Publishers, Inc.; Reprint edition (January 1994) .
Ecclesiology
Christology
Ecumenism and Religious Pluralism
The Liturgy
Mary and the Saints
- Mary of Nazareth, by Kenneth Howell. Queenship Publishing Company; (January 1998) .
Church History
- A Concise History of the Crusades, by Thomas F. Madden. Rowman & Littlefield; ; (October 1, 1999).
- History of the Church of Christ [Ten Volumes], by Henri Daniel-Rop.
- History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland, by William Cobbett. Tan Books & Publishers, Inc.; (October 1988).
- Triumph: The Power and Glory of the Catholic Church, a 2,000 Year History, by H. W. Crocker III. Prima Publishing; (November 21, 2001).
- The Western Rising, 1549: The Prayer Book Rebellion, by Philip Caraman. Westcountry Books; (January 1994). ["on the popular revolt against the imposition of the new Anglican state religion and suppression of Catholicism in England" - PB].
Apologetics & Catholic-Protestant Relations
De-Bunking The Da Vinci Code
Articles and Resources
Cracking the Anti Catholic Code: a Special Planet Envoy Critique of The Da Vinci Code, by Carl E. Olson, with Sandra Miesel.
Part I;
Part II.
Envoy Magazine.
Dismantling The Da Vinci Code, by Sandra Meisel. Crisis (September 2003).
The Da Vinci Code: Facts Behind The Fiction, by Amy Welborn. Amy Welborn points out some of the many errors about religion, history, and art contained in The Da Vinci Code in this short pamphlet. Our Sunday Visitor. (May, 2004).
The Da Vinci Code: Of Magdalene, Gnostics, the Goddess and the Grail, by Leadership U. Extensive list of resources on issues pertaining to
The Da Vinci Code.
Recommended Books
The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors of The Da Vinci Code, by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Meisel.
De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of The Da Vinci Code by Amy Welborn.
Philosophy & Cultural Criticism
"Reliable Sources"