religion books

Books that might help those seeking to understand Christianity. These books have a strong Catholic influence, as the Catholic Church was foreign to me and I was attempting to uproot that ignorance.

bibles

• The Navarre Bible — a Catholic study bible written by The University of Navarre as part of a project started by St. Josemaria Escriva. Has fantastic commentary drawing on a number of scholarly sources; all of it is consistent with orthodox Catholic doctrine. Uses the RSVCE (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition) translation, juxtaposed with the New Vulgate (Latin). Note: there is a lot of commentary, and there are 18 volumes, six of which are hardbacks; the cost for the entire bible, at list price, totals about $500.
• Pentateuch (amazon scepter)
• Joshua to Kings (amazon scepter)
• Chronicles to Maccabees (amazon scepter)
• Wisdom Books (amazon scepter)
• The Psalms & The Song of Solomon (amazon scepter)
• Major Prophets (amazon scepter)
• Minor Prophets (amazon scepter)
• St. Matthew's Gospel (amazon scepter)
• St. Mark's Gospel (amazon scepter)
• St. Luke's Gospel (amazon scepter)
• St. John's Gospel (amazon scepter)
• The Acts of the Apostles (amazon scepter)
• St. Paul's Letters to the Romans & Galatians (amazon scepter)
• St. Paul's Letters to the Corinthians (amazon scepter)
• Hebrews (amazon scepter)
• Captivity Letters (amazon scepter)
• St. Paul's Letters to the Thessalonians & Pastoral Letters (amazon scepter)
• The Catholic Letters (amazon scepter)
• Revelation (amazon scepter)
• The Catholic Comparative New Testament — offers, for side-by-side comparison, eight different English translations of The New Testament. The translations are: New American Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Douay-Rheims Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Christian Community Bible & Good News Translation. (amazon)
• Life Application Study Bible — New International Version, Protestant canon and commentary. Probably my favorite Protestant bible, but I haven't researched them as much as I have Catholic ones (a search which ended with me finding The Navarre Bible in the end). This one has the advantage of being leather bound and in one volume; certainly useful for taking places like church and bible study. (amazon)
• NIV Study Bible — I hear fantastic things about this study bible, sometimes that it is even better than The Life Application Study Bible. Another Protestant treasure from Zonderzan. (amazon)
• Biblia Sacra Vulgata — an attempt to restore the St. Jerome's Vulgate, which he originally translated from the Hebrew and Greek texts. There is certainly something to be said for history and tradition in this version. Make sure you know Latin before pursuing it ;). (amazon)
• Greek New Testament — of course, most of the New Testament was written in Koine Greek, so if you want original...well, you're not gonna get it. But you can get close. The version linked to here is supposedly readable and has excellant references to which papyrii contain variations in the text, etc. (amazon)

devotionals

• My Utmost for His Highest — popular and demanding Protestant devotional by Oswald Chambers, assembled by his widow from notes and sermons over the years after his death. Definitely a Protestant Christian classic. (amazon)
• In Conversation with God — orthodox Catholic devotional created as another initiative of St. Josemaria Escriva. Comes highly suggested. Format is three devotionals a day, following closely the Mass readings and Office of Readings for the day; based on Church calendar. (amazon)

catholic catechism

I recommend the following, to be read in the order listed.

• Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church (amazon)
• Catholic Christianity, by Peter Kreeft (amazon)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (amazon)

liturgy of the hours

Daily public prayer of The Church. You will need to the two bottom guides, as well as one of the first two options; the first one, which is four volumes, covers all the hours of the entire Church calendar, the second one covers morning and evening prayers for the entire calendar.

• Liturgy of the Hours (amazon ccbc)
• Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours (amazon ccbc)
• St. Joseph Guide for Christian Prayer (amazon ccbc)
• St. Joseph Guide for the Liturgy of the Hours (amazon ccbc)

prayer

• Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within, by Thomas DuBay (amazon)
• Too Busy Not to Pray, by Bill Hybels (amazon)
• The Catholic Prayer Book, by Michael Buckley (amazon)

c.s. lewis

• Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (amazon)
• The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis (amazon)
• The Case for Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (amazon)

protestant devout living

• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene H. Peterson (amazon)
• The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (amazon)
• The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard (amazon)
• The Spirit of the Disciplines, by Dallas Willard (amazon)
• Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster (amazon)
• Prayer, by Richard Foster (amazon)
• The Irrelevance and the Relevance of the Christian Message, by Paul Tillich (amazon)
• Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge (amazon)

catholic devout living

• Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel – On Prayer, by Thomas DuBay (amazon)
• The Imitation of the Christ, by Kempis Thomas (amazon online)
• Introduction to the Devout Life, by Francis de Sales (amazon)
• Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within, by Thomas Dubay (amazon)
• Deep Conversion / Deep Prayer, by Thomas Dubay (amazon)
• Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom, by Thomas Dubay (amazon)

interesting authors

• G.K. Chesterton — Orthodoxy, Heretics
• Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI
• John Paul II
• Josef Peiper
• Thomas Merton
• Thomas Dubay
• C.S. Lewis

interesting saints

• St. Teresa of Avila — Interior Castle
• St. John of the Cross
• St. Josemaria Escriva
• St. Augustine of Hippo
• St. Thomas Aquinas
• Therese de Lisieux