This book brings together the portraits and autobiographical texts of six 17th-century Latin American women, drawing on primary sources that include Inquisition and canonization records, confessional and mystic journals, and legal defenses and petitions.

The latest edition of “the most comprehensive single-volume history of the popes,” updated to cover the election of Pope Francis (Sunday Telegraph). This engrossing book, from a professor of the history of Christianity at Cambridge, encompasses the extraordinary story of the papacy, from its beginnings to the present day, as empires rose and fell around it. This new edition covers the unprecedented resignation of Benedict XVI, and the historic election of the first Argentinian pope. Praise for the earlier editions: “Duffy enlivens the long march through church history with anecdotes that bring the different pontiffs to life…Saints and Sinners is a remarkable achievement.”—The Times (London) “A distinguished text…offering plenty of historical facts and sobering, valuable judgments.”—TheNew York Times Book Review “Will fascinate anyone wishing to better understand the history of the Catholic Church and the forces that have shaped the role of the papacy.”—Christian Century

This volume fits within the contemporary reappropriation of St. Thomas Aquinas, which emphasizes his use of Scripture and the teachings of the church fathers without neglecting his philosophical insight.

The nineteenth century was one of the most fascinating and volatile periods in Christian history. It was during this time that Christianity evolved into a truly global religion, which led to an ever greater variety of ways for Christians to express and profess their faith. Frances Knight addresses the crucial question of how Christianity contributed to individual identity in a context of widespread urbanisation and modernisation. She explores important topics such as the Evangelical revival led by the likes of the founder of the Christian Mission - later the Salvation Army - William Booth; the Oxford Movement under Newman, Keble and Pusey; Mormonism and Protestant revivalism in the USA; socialism and the impacts of Karl Marx and anarchism; continuing theological divisions between Protestants and Catholics; and the development of pilgrimage and devotion at places like Lourdes and Knock. Her book also examines the most significant intellectual trends, such as the rise of critical approaches to the Bible, and the different directions that these took in Britain and America. The author's unique emphasis on the 'ordinary' experience of Christians worldwide makes her volume indispensable for students and general readers who will be fascinated by this sensitive twenty-first century perspective on the nineteenth century.

The Bible was the essence of virtually every aspect of the life of the early churches. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Biblical Interpretation explores a wide array of themes related to the reception, canonization, interpretation, uses, and legacies of the Bible in early Christianity. Each section contains overviews and cutting-edge scholarship that expands understanding of the field. Part One examines the material text transmitted, translated, and invested with authority, and the very conceptualization of sacred Scripture as God's word for the church. Part Two looks at the culture and disciplines or science of interpretation in representative exegetical traditions. Part Three addresses the diverse literary and non-literary modes of interpretation, while Part Four canvasses the communal background and foreground of early Christian interpretation, where the Bible was paramount in shaping normative Christian identity. Part Five assesses the determinative role of the Bible in major developments and theological controversies in the life of the churches. Part Six returns to interpretation proper and samples how certain abiding motifs from within scriptural revelation were treated by major Christian expositors. The overall history of biblical interpretation has itself now become the subject of a growing scholarship and the final part skilfully examines how early Christian exegesis was retrieved and critically evaluated in later periods of church history. Taken together, the chapters provide nuanced paths of introduction for students and scholars from a wide spectrum of academic fields, including classics, biblical studies, the general history of interpretation, the social and cultural history of late ancient and early medieval Christianity, historical theology, and systematic and contextual theology. Readers will be oriented to the major resources for, and issues in, the critical study of early Christian biblical interpretation.

The Catholic faith is not a set of rules or a body of doctrines, but is a way of life, writes David Scott. It's a lived faith that contains convincing, intellectually coherent, and spiritually fulfilling answers to the biggest questions: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Why are we here? Where are we going? The Catholic Passion invites readers into a conversation about the things that matter most. It is not an argument for the Catholic faith but a journey to the heart of it—a richly rewarding reflection on prayer, the Bible, sacraments, the church, and God-made-human in Jesus Christ. Scott does not tell the story of the faith through church documents or cate­chism quotations. Instead, he looks at the faith experience of real Catholics—people like the American writer Andre Dubus, the French composer Olivier Messiaen, the Chinese human rights activist Henry Wu, the French martyr Charles de Foucauld, and the American reformer Dorothy Day. These and other Catholics embody a faith that warms the heart as it enlightens the mind. One theme emerges from Scott's reflections on the lives of Catholics and the Scriptures: God's passion of love for humankind burns on in the Catholic Church. The Catholic passion is the conviction that there is nothing God will not do to win our love. "The Catholic Passion is a monumental work. David Scott weaves material from scripture, history, the arts, the liturgy, theology, spirituality, and personal reflection, showing us that nothing human is alien to Christ—and nothing divine is withheld from God's people." —Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb's Supper "The Catholic Passion is a masterwork—beautiful, compelling, and wonderfully readable; an outstanding portrait of what Catholics believe and why. I highly recommend it." —Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap, archbishop of Denver "David Scott helps us see a vibrant Catholicism that offers brilliant meaning in a world darkened by materialism and violence. He presents a vision that allows the treasures of the past to envision an orthodox Catholicism for the future." —Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, EWTN