Review: The Mysteries of Christianity

The Mysteries of Christianity. Matthias Joseph Scheeben


The list of Scheeben's works opens with three treatises dealing with grace:
Natur und Gnade. Versuch einer systematischen, wissenschaftlichen Darstellung der natürlichen und übernatürlichen Lebensordnung im Menschen. Mainz: 1861. (Nature and Grace. Trans. Cyril Vollert, SJ. St. Louis: Herder, 1954.)

A new edition of Quid est homo by Antonius Casini, SJ (d. 1755), with introduction and notes. Scheeben's purpose was "To supply a patristic foundation for Nature and Grace" ..." (Vollert, "Foreword" to Scheeben's Nature and Grace x)

Die Herrlichkeiten der göttlichen gnade. Freiburg: 1863. 8th ed. by A.M. Weiss, 1908. "... the work is popular in scope and became enormously successful. An English translation, The Glories of Divine Grace, appeared during Scheeben’s lifetime ..." (Vollert x)

Mysterien des Christenthums. Freiburg: 1865–97. Trans. The Mysteries of Christianity. This is "... Scheeben's most famous book ... There is no other work quite like it in the vast history of Christian literature." (Vollert xi)

Five pamphlets in defence of the Vatican Council, directed against Ignaz von Döllinger, Johann Friedrich von Schulte, and other Old Catholics.

Handbuch der katholischen Dogmatik. 7 parts. Freiburg: 1873–87.

The author did not finish this last; he died whilst working on "Grace". The missing treatises were supplied in German by Dr. Leonhard Atzberger (Freiburg, 1898). In English the missing treatises were supplied by Wilhelm and Scannel, who whilst strictly adhering to Scheeben's thought, reduced the bulky work to two handy volumes entitled: A Manual of Catholic Theology based on Scheeben's Dogmatik (3rd ed., 1906). Scheeben also wrote a two-volume work "Mariology," later translated into English. He founded and edited (1867–88) the Kölner Pastoralblatt and edited for thirteen years Das ökumenische Concil vom Jahre 1869, later (after 1872) entitled Periodische Blätter zu wissenschaftlichen Besprechung der grossen religiösen Fragen der Gegenwart.






01/09/2014 09:00:00


See also
01/06/2015 Review: Introduction to Christianity

01/09/2014 Review: The Mysteries of Christianity

01/11/2015 Review: Black legends of the Church

01/10/2014 Review: Spiritual treasure

01/04/2015 Review: Jean-Claude Nesmy


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