Category Archives: Theology

Online ebook: Catechism of the "Summa Theologica" of Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Use of the Faithful, by Rev. Thomas Pègues

28 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in Aquinas, Books, Catholic, Christian, EBooks, Ethics, Faith, God, Grace, Jesus Christ, Philosophy, Reason, Religion, Salvation, Theology

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Photo by Nheyob. Image from Wikipedia


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  • Catechism of the “Summa Theologica” of Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Use of the Faithful, by Rev. Thomas Pègues, O.P., adapted from the French by Aelred Whitacre, O.P. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1922). With Imprimatur, and with the Benediction of Pope Benedict XV. Available in pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, etc. formats at Internet Archive, with a 2nd copy at Internet Archive, and a 3rd copy at Internet Archive. Also available in pdf format (here) at Saints’ Books; and may be read online (on this page) at the library of the Jacques Maritain Center.
  • [N.B.1, This work reproduces the arguments of the Summa in question-and-answer format, with references to the relevant sections of that work. We submit that it is best read after reading an introductory work like The Spirit of Thomism by Etienne Gilson or the essay “Faith and Reason in the Theology of St. Thomas” by Victor Flanagan, O.P.; and it should be read with a copy of the Summa on hand.]
  • [N.B.2, This book appears to be in the public domain under the law of the United States. However, as we do not know the year of the passing of the translator, we do not know if it is in the public domain in other countries. Please check the relevant laws.]

On the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. See also our earlier posts “A Beginner’s Guide to Saint Thomas Aquinas” and “Free eBooks by (and about) Saint Thomas Aquinas“. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. (From Sancta Missa)

Free ebook: "The Development of Dogmas during the Patristic Age, 100-869", by Rev. Bernard John Otten

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by in Ancient, Bishops, Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, Eastern Christian, EBooks, God, History, Jesus Christ, Medieval, Middle East, Orthodoxy, Papacy, Philosophy, Religion, Saints, Theology

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  • A Manual of the History of Dogmas, Volume 1: The Development of Dogmas during the Patristic Age, 100-869, Third Edition, by Rev. Bernard John Otten, S.J. (St. Louis, London: B. Herder, 1922). With Imprimatur. May be read online and available in pdf, epub, daisy, djvu, kindle/mobi, and text formats at Internet Archive and Internet Archive (2nd copy).

On the Memorial of St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus (Nazianzen) in the Latin church (2 January in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite) and in the Maronite church (1 January). For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). All ye holy Bishops and Confessors, pray for us. All ye holy Doctors, pray for us, to the greater glory of God!

“I have still much to say to you, but it is beyond your reach as yet. It will be for him, the truth-giving Spirit, when he comes, to guide you into all truth. He will not utter a message of his own; he will utter the message that has been given to him; and he will make plain to you what is still to come. And he will bring honour to me, because it is from me that he will derive what he makes plain to you. I say that he will derive from me what he makes plain to you, because all that belongs to the Father belongs to me.” (St. John 16:12-15)

Free ebook: "The Spiritual Life Reduced to Its First Principles", by J.B. Saint-Jure, S.J.

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Books, Born Again, Catholic, Charity, Christian, Conversion, Doctrine, EBooks, Ethics, Faith, God, Grace, Prayer, Religion, Sacraments, Salvation, Spirituality, Theology

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Posted on the Feast of Saint Melania the Younger. May this book help our sisters and brothers who shall be making resolutions for the coming calendar year. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints!

Free ebook: "Catholic Church and Christian State", Volume 2, by Dr. Joseph Hergenröther

29 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Apologetics, Bishops, Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, EBooks, Europe, God, History, Jesus Christ, Law, Papacy, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Society, Theology

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  • Catholic Church and Christian State: a Series of Essays on the Relation of the Church to the Civil Power, Volume 2, translated, with the permission of the author, from the German of Dr. Joseph Hergenröther (London: Burns and Oates, 1876). May be read online, and available in pdf, djvu, epub, kindle/mobi, Daisy, and txt formats, at Internet Archive. Volume 2 contains the following essays:

IX. The Pope and the Holy Roman Empire;
X. The Popes and Their Vassal Kingdoms;
XI. Boniface VIII, and Philip the Fair;
XII. Gifts of Lands Made by the Pope and the Donation of Constantine;
XIII. The Doctrine of the Superiority of the Church and of Her Authority in Matters Temporal;
XIV. Origin of the Civil Power and the Right of Resisting It;
XV. Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction;
XVI. The Punishment of Heresy and the Inquisition;
XVII. The Church and Liberty of Conscience; and
XVIII. Claims of the Pope since the Sixteenth Century.

On the Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr, in the Roman rite; and in remembrance of Bishop Anton Mahnič (Antun Mahnić), champion of Slovene and Croatian Catholicism (14 September 1850 – 30 December 1920). For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).  Viva Cristo Rey! 

“If he will not listen to them, then speak of it to the church; and if he will not even listen to the church, then count him all one with the heathen and the publican. I promise you, all that you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and all that you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (St. Matthew 18:17-18)

“You know well enough that it is the saints who will pass judgement on the world; and if a world is to abide your judgement, are you unfit to take cognizance of trifling matters? You have been told that we shall sit in judgement on angels; how much more, then, over the things of common life?” (1 Corinthians 6:2-3)

Online ebook: "Ecclesia, the Church of Christ" by Gilbert Dolan, et al.

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Apologetics, Bible, Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, EBooks, History, Jesus Christ, Papacy, Religion, Theology

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  • Ecclesia, the Church of Christ: a Planned Series of Papers, by Dom Gilbert Dolan, O.S.B., Fr. Benedict Zimmerman, O.D.C., Fr. R.H. Benson, Dom John Chapman, O.S.B., Dom J.D. Breen, O.S.B., A.H. Mathew, and Fr. Peter Finlay, S.J., edited by Arnold Harris Matthew (London: Burns and Oates). With 1906 Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, txt, djvu, and Daisy formats, at Open Library and Internet Archive.
  • Contains the essays: The church in the parables; The visible unity of the Catholic Church; The sanctity of the church; The catholicity of the church; The apostolicity of the church; The idea of infallibility; Infallibility; Extra ecclesiam salus nulla; Schism and ignorance; England and the Holy See in the Middle Ages.

On the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch in the Maronite Catholic Church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints!

Free ebook: "On the Blessed Trinity", by Rev. Dr. J.J. O’Connell

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Apologetics, Books, Catholic, Christian, Doctrine, EBooks, God, Jesus Christ, Lectures, Orthodoxy, Philosophy, Religion, Sacraments, Theology

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  • Conferences on the Blessed Trinity, by the Rev. Dr. J.J. O’Connell, O.S.B. (New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1882). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, Daisy, djvu, and txt formats at Open Library and Internet Archive.

On the Feast of St. Eusebius of Vercelli in the Extraodinary Form of the Roman Rite. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!

Free ebook: The Practice of Mental Prayer: Extraordinary Prayer", by René de Maumigny

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, EBooks, God, Grace, Jesus Christ, Mysticism, Prayer, Purgatory, Religion, Saints, Spirituality, Theology

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  • The Practice of Mental Prayer, Second Treatise: Extraordinary Prayer, by Father René de Maumigny of the Society of Jesus, translated from the 4th edition with the author’s corrections and additions, translation revised by Father Elder Mullan, S.J. (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1915). With Imprimatur. May be read online and available in pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, Daisy, txt, and djvu formats at Open Library and Internet Archive, with a second copy at Open Library and Internet Archive.

On the Memorial of Saint John of the Cross in the Latin church (Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite) and of Blessed Nimatullah Al-Hardini in the Maronite Catholic church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints! 

“Then word came to him to go out and stand there in the Lord’s presence; the Lord God himself would pass by. A wind there was, rude and boisterous, that shook the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the whisper of a gentle breeze. Elias, when he heard it, wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out to stand at the cave door. There a voice came to him, Elias, what dost thou here?“

Free ebook: "Catholic Church and Christian State", Volume I, by Dr. Joseph Hergenröther

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Apologetics, Bishops, Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, EBooks, God, History, Jesus Christ, Law, Liberalism, Medieval, Papacy, Religion, Secularism, Theology

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  • Catholic Church and Christian State: a Series of Essays on the Relation of the Church to the Civil Power, Volume 1, translated, with the permission of the author, from the German of Dr. Joseph Hergenröther (London: Burns and Oates, 1876). May be read online, and available in pdf, djvu, epub, kindle/mobi, Daisy, and txt formats, at Internet Archive, with a 2nd copy on this page and a 3rd copy of this page, and at Open Library. Volume I contains the following essays:

I. The Holy See and Civil Allegiance;
II. Doctrine of Infallibility;
III. The Vatican Council;
IV. The Pope and the Bishops;
V. The Syllabus and Modern States;
VI. Fundamental Principles of the Middle Ages;
VII. Civil Rulers and the Holy See; and
VIII. Pope Gregory VII.

Posted on the Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I in the Roman Rite, and on the anniversary of the issuance of the Encyclical “Quas Primas” of Pope Pius XI instituting the Feast of Christ the King. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).  Viva Cristo Rey!

Free ebook: "A Polemical Treatise on the Immaculate Conception", by Cardinal Lambruschini

08 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Apologetics, Bishops, Books, Catholic, Christian, Doctrine, Eastern Christian, EBooks, God, Grace, Jesus Christ, Miracles, Religion, Saints, Salvation, Theology

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  • A Polemical Treatise on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, by Cardinal Lambruschini; to which is added, a History of the doctrine, by Father Felix, S.J.; the French portion of the work translated by Mrs. J. Sadlier; and the Latin extracts from the Holy Fathers, by a clergyman, to which are appended, a Discourse on the Immaculate Conception, by St. Alphonsus Marie de Liguori; the Letters Apostolic Pope Pius IX, Cardinal Wiseman’s Pastoral on the Declaration of the Dogma at Rome, etc., etc. (New York, Boston, Montreal: D. & J. Sadlier & Co., 1855). With the approbation of Very Rev’d. Wm. Starrs, V.G. May be read online at available in pdf, epub, kindle/mobi, djvu, txt, and Daisy formats at Internet Archive and Open Library with a 2nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library. A microfilm copy of the 1860 edition is available at Internet Archive and Open Library, and of the 1855 edition at Internet Archive and Open Library. [N.B., This work sets out the proofs for the dogma of the Immaculate Conception from reason and from divine revelation.]

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the one true Church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! 

“Into her presence the angel came, and said, Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women… and  Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Ghost; so that she cried out with a loud voice, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” (St Luke 1:28,41-42)

“O pure and immaculate and likewise blessed Virgin, who art the sinless Mother of thy Son, the mighty Lord of the universe, thou who art inviolate and altogether holy, the hope of the hopeless and sinful… make us worthy of the glory of thy Son, O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother. Thou indeed art our only hope, most sure and sacred in God’s sight…” (St. Ephrem the Syrian [306-373 AD])

Free ebook: The Letters of Saint Ambrose (4th century AD)

07 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Ancient, Apologetics, Bishops, Books, Catholic, Christian, Church, Doctrine, EBooks, God, Jesus Christ, Letters, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

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  • The Letters of S. Ambrose, with Notes and Indices (Oxford: James Parker & Co.; London, Oxford, Cambridge: Rivington, 1881). May be read online, and available in pdf, kindle, epub, daisy, djvu, and text formats, at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a second copy at Internet Archive and Open Library [N.B., This appears to be among the most extensive collection available online of letters from the great Doctor and Father of the Church. Please take note of Letter LII reporting to the Pope the results of the Synod of Milan (AD 389), which affirmed the ancient Christian teaching on the virginity of the Blessed Mother.]

On the Feast of Saint Ambrose (c.340-397 AD), Bishop of Milan, in the one true Church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints!

“Let them give credit to the Creed of the Apostles, which the Roman Church has always kept and preserved undefiled.” (St. Ambrose and the Synod of Milan, Letter LII, 5)