The Cambridge History of
Christianity (New York / Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2005- ) hardcover, $150-$200 per volume. This new
comprehensive
Cambridge History will be recognized in coming decades as the
standard survey of Church history. Each of its massive
volumes offer thorough introductions both to key events and to broad
themes and includes contributions from leading contemporary
historians. For researching recent developments, this is the
place to begin. The two volumes which focus on the modern
world are:
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Vol. 8: Sheridan Gilley & Brian Stanley, eds.,
World Christianities, c. 1815-c.1914 (2005) hardcover, $15.
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Vol. 9: Hugh McLeod, ed., World
Christianities, c. 1914-c.2000 (2006) hardcover, $160.
Thomas Bokenkotter, Church and
Revolution: Catholics in the Struggle for Democracy and Social Justice
(New York: Doubleday / Image, 1998) paperback, $27.
Owen Chadwick, The Christian Church in
the Cold War, Penguin History of the Church 7 (New York: Penguin
Books, 1993) paperback, $12.
Adrian Hastings, ed, A World History of
Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000) paperback, $35.
Michael Howard & W. Roger Louis, eds.,
The Oxford History of the Twentieth Century (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2002) paperback, $18.
Darrell Jodock, ed., Catholicism
Contending With Modernity: Roman Catholic Modernism and Anti-Modernism
in Historical Context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)
hardcover, $75.
Donald M. Lewis, ed., Christianity
Reborn: The Global Expansion of Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century,
Studies in the History of Christian Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2004) paperback, $40.
Hugh McLeod, The Decline of Christendom
in Western Europe, 1750-2000 (New York: Cambridge University Press,
2003) hardcover, $70.
John McManners, ed., The Oxford
Illustrated History of Christianity (reprint of 1990 edition: New
York: Oxford University Press, 2001) paperback. Nearly half the volume
surveys Christianity since 1800.
Timothy Yates, Christian Mission in the
Twentieth Century (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
paperback, $25.
James C. Livingston, Modern Christian
Thought, two vol, 2nd ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006),
paperback, $30 per volume. This is a superb survey of 19th and
20th Christian theology. In his review, David Schultenover, editor
of Theological Studies, aptly described it as "at once thorough,
succinct, eminently readable, and rooted in primary sources."
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Vol. 1: The Enlightenment &
Nineteenth Century (2006) paperback, $29.
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Vol. 2: The Twentieth Century
(2006), paperback, $29. With Francis Schussler Fiorenza, Sarah
Coakley, and James H. Evans, Jr.
David F. Ford & Rachel Muers, eds., The
Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918,
3rd
ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005) paperback, $52. There are surprisingly
few introductory surveys to contemporary theology. This volume fills an
important gap. The first half has chapters on leading figures, both
Protestant (Barth, Bonhoeffer, Bultmann, Tillich) and Catholic (Congar,
Rahner, von Balthasar, Schillebeeckx, and Kung). The second half
surveys regional theologies (North America, Latin America), themes
(feminist, ecumenical, postmodern), and method (influences of natural
sciences, the arts, social sciences)
Gregory Baum, ed., The Twentieth
Century: A Theological Overview (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999)
paperback, $20.
William
Cavanaugh & Peter D.
Scott, eds., The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology,
Blackwell Companions to Religion (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006) paperback,
$45. NEW.
Philip
Clayton & Zachary Simpson, eds., The
Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science, Oxford Handbooks in
Religion and Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006)
hardcover, $160.
Andrew Hass, ed., The Oxford Handbook
of English Literature and Theology, Oxford Handbooks in Religion and
Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) hardcover, $155.
NEW.
Stanley Hauerwas & Samuel Wells, eds.,
The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell,
2006) paperback, $36.
Gareth Jones, The
Blackwell Companion to Modern Theology, Blackwell Companions to
Religion (Oxford: Blackwell, 2004) paperback, $40.
Alister E. McGrath, ed, The Blackwell
Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought (Cambridge, MA: Blackwell,
1993) paperback, $43.
Gilbert Meilaender & William Werpehowski,
eds., The Oxford Handbook of Theological Ethics, Oxford Handbooks
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2005) hardcover, $145.
Ed L. Miller & Stanley Grenz, eds.,
Fortress Introduction to Contemporary Theologies (Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 1998) paperback, $18.
Jaroslav Pelikan, Christian Doctrine
and Modern Culture, vol. 5 of The Christian Tradition: A History
of Development of Doctrine (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1989) paperback, $19.
Christopher Rowland,
ed., The Cambridge Companion to Liberation Theology, 2nd ed.,
Cambridge Companions to Religion (New York: Cambridge University Press,
2007) paperback, $30. NEW edition.
Hans Schwartz,
Theology in a Global Context: The Last Two Hundred Years (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005) paperback, $45.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer,
ed., The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2003) paperback, $24.
Jerry Walls, ed.,
The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology, Oxford Handbooks to Religion and
Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) hardcover, $150.
NEW.
Graham Ward, ed.,
The Blackwell Companion to Postmodern Theology, Blackwell Companions
to Religion (Oxford: Blackwell, 2004) paperback, $35.
John Webster, Kathryn
Tanner, Iain Torrance, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Systematic
Theology, Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2007) hardcover, $155. NEW.
Austin Flannery, ed., Vatican Council II, Vol. 1: The
Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, new revised edition
(Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Company, 1996) paperback, $23.
Vatican II has been called the most significant religious event of the
20th century. This edition of the Council’s documents has
become the standard translation used by all, replacing the older (and
still valuable) translation done right after the Council by Walter
Abbott.
Giuseppe Alberigo & Joseph Komonchak, ed,
History of Vatican II (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books / Leuven:
Peeters, 1995-2006) 5 vol.; hardback. This massive project is the most thorough study of the events and
debates of Vatican II to date. The authors draw on the texts of the
debates, diaries of the participants, and news reports to trace out the
slow evolution of each of the documents. A vital tool for all scholarly
study of the Council:
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Vol. I: Announcement and Preparation of
Vatican II (1995)
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Vol. II: The Formation of the Council's
Identity: First Period & Intersession, October 1962-September 1963
(1998)
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Vol. III: A Mature Council: The Second
Period & Intersession, October 1963-September 1964 (2000)
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Vol. IV: Church as Communion: Third Period &
Intersession, October 1964-September 1965 (2004) hardcover, $83.
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Vol. V: The Fourth Period and the End
of the Council, September 1965-December 1965 (2006), hardcover, $80.
Xavier Rynne, Vatican Council II
(reprint: Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999) paperback, $28. Francis X.
Murphy was a patristics scholar working as a peritus at Vatican
II. Writing under the pseudonym of “Xavier Rynne,” he sent weekly
dispatches to New Yorker magazine, published as “Letters from
Vatican City.” In the process, he unveiled to the wider public what was
happening behind closed doors: the backroom politics, the pitched
debates, and the wide-ranging theological issues. This enormously
popular account of the day-to-day happenings at the Council still reads
well after 40 years—now back in print, with a new edition and preface.
Rediscovering Vatican II (New York:
Paulist Press, 2005- ) paperback, $13-$20 per
volume. This series offers a popular introduction to and
assessment of individual documents of Vatican II, highlighting how they
have been implemented over the last 40 years. Volumes to date are:
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Edward Cardinal Cassidy, Ecumenism and
Interreligious Dialogue: Unitatis Redintegratio, Nostra Aetate,
Rediscovering Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press, 2005) paperback, $18.
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Rita Ferrone,
Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium, Rediscovering Vatican II series
(New York: Paulist Press, 2007) paperback, $16. NEW.
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Richard R. Gaillardetz, The Church in
the Making: Lumen Gentium, Christus Dominus, Orientalium Ecclesiarum,
Rediscovering Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press, 2006) paperback, $20.
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Dolores Lecky, The
Laity and Christian Education: Apostolicam Actuositatem, Gravissimum
Educationis, Rediscovering Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press,
2007) paperback, $15. NEW.
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Norman Tanner, The Church and the
World: Gaudium et Spes; Inter Mirifica, Rediscovering Vatican II (New
York: Paulist Press, 2005) paperback, $13.
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Ronald Withrup, Scripture: Dei Verbum,
Rediscovering Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press, 2006) paperback, $16.
Raymond F. Bulman & Frederick J. Parrella,
eds., From Trent to Vatican II: Historical and Theological
Investigations (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006)
paperback, $30.
Robert Burns, Roman Catholicism After
Vatican II (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2001)
paperback, $25.
Adrian Hastings, ed., Modern
Catholicism: Vatican II and After (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1991). A valuable survey with brief articles on the major
documents & figures.
René Latourelle, ed., Vatican II:
Assessment and Perspectives, 3 vol. (New York: Paulist Press, 1988).
Timothy G. McCarthy, The Catholic
Tradition: The Church in the Twentieth Century, rev. 2nd ed.
(Chicago: Loyola Press, 1998) paperback, $16.
John O’Malley, Stephen
Schloesser, Joseph Komonchak, Neil Ormerod, Vatican II: Did Anything
Happen? (New York: Continuum / T&T Clark, 2007) paperback, $17.
NEW.
John W. O’Malley, Tradition and
Transition: Historical Perspectives on Vatican II
(reprint: Academic
Renewal Press, 2002) paperback, $16.
Ormond Rush, Still Interpreting Vatican
II: Some Hermeneutical Principles (New York: Paulist Press, 2004)
paperback, $13.
Alberic Stacpoole, ed., Vatican II
Revisited: By Those Who Were There (Minneapolis, MN: Winston Press,
1986). Valuable articles from eyewitnesses, including Suenens, Congar,
and many others.
Maureen Sullivan,
The Road to Vatican II: Key Changes in Theology (New York: Paulist
Press, 2007) paperback, $16. NEW.
Maureen Sullivan, 101 Questions and
Answers on Vatican II (New York: Paulist Press, 2003) paperback,
$15.
Norman P. Tanner, Decrees of the
Ecumenical Councils, 2 vol. (Washington, DC: Georgetown University
Press, 1990) hardcover. This has the Latin text of the documents with a
facing English translation.
Herbert Vorgrimler, ed., Commentary on
the Documents of Vatican II, 5 vol. (New York: Herder & Herder,
1967). A major resource. Most of the commentaries were written by
those who helped compose the documents themselves.
Eamon Duffy, Saints & Sinners: A
History of the Popes, 3rd ed. (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 2006) paperback, $19. A great one-volume
history of the papacy originally designed to accompany a 6-part
television series. Duffy, a Reformation historian by training, threads
his way with finesse through a complex, many-sided history. He offers a
fine brief overview of the papacy of the 20th century. A superb
point-of-entry and overview.
Mario Benigni, John XXIII: The Official
Biography (Pauline Books, 2002) paperback, $25.
Pierre Blet, Pius XII and the Second
World War (New York: Paulist Press, 1999) hardcover.
Thomas Cahill, Pope John XXIII,
Penguin Lives (New York: Penguin Books, 2002) hardcover, $20.
Owen Chadwick, A History of the Popes,
1830-1914, Oxford History of the Christian Church (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998) paperback, $55.
Frank J. Coppa, The Modern Papacy Since
1789, Longman History of the Papacy (London: Longman, 1998)
paperback, $62.
John XXIII, Journal of a Soul: The
Autobiography of Pope John XXIII (reprint: New York: Image Books,
1999) paperback, $27.
Christine Feldman, Pope John XXIII: A
Spiritual Biography (New York: Crossroad, 2000) paperback.
Peter Hebblethwaite, John XXIII: Pope
of the Century, 2nd ed. (New York: Continuum, 2000) paperback, $25.
José M. Sanchez, Pius XII and the
Holocaust: Understanding the Controversy (Washington, DC: Catholic
University of America Press, 2001) hardcover.
David B. Barrett, ed., World Christian
Encyclopedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the
Modern World, 2 vol., 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press,
2001).
Wolfgang Beinert & Francis Schussler
Fiorenza, eds., Handbook of Catholic Theology (New York:
Crossroad, 1995) hardcover.
James J. Buckley, Frederick Christian
Bauerschmidt & Trent Pomplun, eds., The Blackwell Companion to
Catholicism (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006) hardcover, $ 175. NEW.
Chris Cook, The Routledge Companion to
Christian History, Routledge Companions (New York: Routledge, 2007)
paperback, $30. NEW.
John Corigan, ed., The Oxford Handbook
of Religion and Emotion, Oxford Handbooks to Religion (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2007) hardcover, $150. NEW.
Richard K. Fenn, ed., Blackwell
Companion to Sociology of Religion, Blackwell Companions to Religion
(Oxford: Blackwell, 2003) paperback, $40.
Michael Glazier & Thomas J. Shelley, eds.,
Modern Catholic Encyclopedia (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press,
1997) hardcover.
Justo Gonzalez, ed., The Westminster
Dictionary of Theologians (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox,
2006) hardcover, $45.
Roger S. Gottlieb, ed., The Oxford
Handbook of Religion and Ecology, Oxford Handbooks (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2006) hardcover, $99.
Adrian Hastings, Alistair Mason, Hugh
Pyper, eds., Oxford Companion to Christian Thought (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2000) hardcover, $75.
Rene Latourelle & Rino Fisichella, eds.,
Dictionary of Fundamental Theology (New York: Crossroad, 1994)
hardcover, $75.
Philippe Levillain, ed., The Papacy: An
Encyclopedia, 3 vols. (New York: Routledge, 2001)
Richard McBrien & Harold Attridge, eds.,
The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (San Francisco:
Harper San Francisco, 1995) hardcover, $48.
Josef Neuner & Jacques Dupuis, eds.,
The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church,
7th ed. (Staten Island, NY: Alba House, 2001) hardcover, $25.
Christopher O’Donnell,
Ecclesia: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Church (Collegeville:
Liturgical Press, 1996).
Bruno Stemier & Michael G. Parker, eds,
Dictionary of Popes and the Papacy, trans. Brian McNeil & Peter
Heinigg (New York: Crossroad, 2001).