The Apostasy That Wasn't (Catholic Answers Press)

When I think of Catholic Answers, I think of their call-in radio show, their helpful website, and their informative magazine. However, they also have a very successful publishing arm of their ministry. They don't publish a lot each season, but the books that they do are always top-notch in terms of quality and presentation. I'd even go so far as to say that they are quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers. In addition to their ever-growing Catholic Answers Classics, two of their Fall titles which caught my eye are entitled Handed Down and The Apostasy That Wasn't. Both are about the early Church, and I will be reviewing the latter today.

The introduction to The Apostasy That Wasn't begins with the author, Rod Bennett, telling a story of a small community of Evangelical Christians in North Carolina which was founded by A.J. Tomlinson. This group of Christians, like other groups, believed that they were the only ones who were true Christians, descended from the Apostles, and everyone else was wrong. Their story and history, like other Christian and non-Christian sects, is very skewed. Allow me to explain. There is a theory among Protestants, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, etc. called the Great Apostasy. This theory, which is largely anti-Catholic, believes that the Church entered a fallen state due to their integration of Greco-Roman ideas. The emperor Constantine is one of the big lightning rod figures, and he is believed to be the one who pushed the Church of the New Testament into a dark period in history that lasted 1600 years, until a specific group (insert any of the ones I listed earlier) was formed and they are the heirs to the "true Church." Sounds crazy right? This book, The Apostasy That Wasn't, explains exactly why the Great Apostasy is mere fiction.

The book's first chapter talks about what the author refers to as the "Ghetto Church." People like to pretend that the Church was pure and holy from the time of Jesus until about the 300s. However, that is far from the case. Origen even said the Church was whoring itself. There was at least one man who stood up for what was right and what the Church and her leaders should be like, and his name was Anthony of Coma. You probably know him as St. Anthony the Great, and the only reason we know his story today is because it was written by St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Chapter Three in this book introduces us to Eusebius of Nicomedia. Eusebius was a friend and support of Arius; baptized Constantine; and was responsible for convincing Constantine that Arius' false teachings were not in conflict with the Council of Nicaea. The facts in this chapter are accurate, but it does take a little bit of creative license at some points to make history come alive. The major themes we see in this book deal with Constantine, Arius, Athanasius, the state of the Roman Empire, and the state of the Church. There was clearly turmoil in the early centuries of the Church, but the Church has always had the Holy Spirit and saints to light our way and keep us from straying too far.

The Apostasy That Wasn't is billed as a sequel to his first book Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words, but it also stands on its own and can be read without having read the other. This book is part history book and part dramatic prose, which both instructs the reader and keeps him engaged, not wanting to put the book down. This is a book that all Catholics should read to better understand a greatly misunderstood period in Church History. I would go so far as to say that it would be a perfect text at the high school level and should be adopted by all Catholic high schools. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book and plan to visit again as it was truly a fascinating read.

This book was provided to me for free by Catholic Answers Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Book of Isaiah (Catholic Scripture Study International)

Another year is winding down and in addition to making secular resolutions like getting in better shape, etc. I always think it's a good time to make spiritual resolutions too. My spiritual resolutions are to try and pray more/better, read more slowly (something I struggle with), and/or dive more deeply into Scripture. There are many great books, commentaries, and Bibles that help you to study Scripture better, but sometimes books are no substitute for a DVD study program. Catholic Scripture Study International has a great number of choices, and today I am going to tell you about one of their latest - The Book of Isaiah.

The Book of Isaiah is the second-longest book in the Bible in terms of chapters at a robust 66. It is second only to Psalms, which is 150 (or 151 if you're Orthodox). I have always heard the theory that Isaiah had multiple authors, but I thought it was only three. The introduction to this study suggests that there were six authors in five different time periods. Three of the authors are referred to as Proto-Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah, and Trito-Isaiah. The other sections of Isaiah are classified as Historical Narratives and Apocalypse. The study gives a few theories on the multiple authors, but one book. The two plausible ones are 1. the ancient custom of attaching your work to a more recognized work to lend credibility to your writing and 2. a school of thought with Isaiah as the master teacher and his students/"children" adding to his work.

The study then dives into the book of Isaiah spanning 26 lessons. The lessons are arranged by author, which for the most part leaves them in chapter order. The exceptions to this are Lesson 19: Apocalypse 24-25, Lesson 20: Isaiah Apocalypse 26-27, and Lesson 21 Isaiah 34-35. Each lesson contains an introductory section, verse-by-verse commentary, study questions, and reflections for group discussion. In the leader's guide, there is a section at the end for suggested responses to the study questions. Also included in the lessons are Catechism references to enhance the material and a section called "Rome to Home," which contains an extensive quote from a pope (past or present).

If one were to do a lesson a week with their small group, this series would take six months to complete. I know that is intimidating, but the time actually flew by for me. Working my way through this study, I learned just how important the book of Isaiah is both in understanding the Bible and in the liturgical cycle of the Church. We see so many references to the coming Messiah's birth and also his death. I admit, I skipped ahead a couple of times, just because I couldn't wait to get to specific sections. I particularly was interested in Isaiah 53, which is commonly known as the Suffering Servant. The lesson did not disappoint! If you are looking for an in-depth guide to an intimidating book of Scripture, I highly recommend this study for your small group.

This Bible Study was provided to me for free by TAN Books in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to check out their other studies, including Doors of Mercy, which will help you through your Jubilee Year!

Universal Letters (Liguori Publications)

When we think of Epistles in the New Testament, we tend to focus on the major ones credited to St. Paul - Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, etc. What tends to get overlooked is the seven right before Revelation - James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Jude. None of these books contain more than five chapters, and because of their length, Fr. William A. Anderson was able to group them all together in one book called Universal Letters.

The book begins like all books in the Liguori Catholic Bible Study series in that it includes an introduction to the series, a brief explanation on what Lectio Divina is, and a how-to guide for using these books. The book itself is then divided into six lessons, which contain parts for group and individual study. The first two lessons cover the Epistle of James. The middle two lessons cover the Epistles of Peter, and the final two lessons cover the Epistles of John and Jude. Each lesson breaks up the Bible chapters/books by days, so you don't overwhelm yourself one day trying to do it all at once. At the end of every lesson are Lectio Divina guides and questions for review to also aid in your study.

I particularly enjoyed the two lessons on the Epistle of James, as it is one of the most practical books in the Bible that every Christian should read. In these two lessons, we learn about such topics as faith and works, keeping our tongue in check, and helping out those less fortunate than us. At less than 130 pages, this book is a good study for the individual or small group to explore and learn about a neglected section of the New Testament. After studying through this book, I would encourage the reader/student to continue with their studies and move on to The Book of Revelation, which is also in this same series and by the same author.

This book was provided to me for free by Liguori Publications in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!