History is a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes or a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events. In this category you will find our history books - general surveys of history and books related to specific periods of history in the Church such as the Patristic Era or the Middle Ages.

"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity." Cicero

Philip II . By William Thomas Walsh. Walsh's greatest book -- about Europe's most powerful king ever. But more, it is a panorama of the entire 16th century. Covers the birth of Protestantism and the secret efforts to undermine Catholic unity, the Huguenot wars in France, the Sack of Rome, Great Siege, Battle of Lepanto, Spanish Armada, Council of Trent, etc.; and, Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, …

The first one-volume history, based on the Vatican archives, of Pope Pius XII and his dealings with the contesting powers and with the Jews during World War II.

The Place of the Patriarchs of Antioch traces with broad strokes the prestigious history of the Church of Antioch from St. Peter to Patriarch Maximos V Hakim. Exarch Elias presents—in the style of Eusebius’ Church History —an erudite account of the prominent role Antioch played in the Church’s missionary, dogmatic and cultural development. This son of Antioch recounts …

    A personal portrait, by a leading Vatican correspondent, of Pope Benedict XVI. Crossroad presents the authoritative biography from the leading Vatican journalist and closest observer of Joseph Ratzinger. After three decades of reporting for Germany's major newspaper, Dr. Heinz-Joachim Fischer now presents a profound look at the life of this complex German Cardinal & Pope, as …

A wonderful and fascinating biography of the man who is Pope Benedict XVI - truly a Servant of Truth. Do you know the real Pope Benedict? Journalist Peter Seewald does. After writing an unfair attack on Cardinal Ratzinger, he was urged by Catholic readers to meet with the man he was maligning. He did so—and the result was two book-length interviews, Salt of the Earth and God and the …

Patrick Madrid Answers to 30 Arguments that Mythed the Mark "As a Protestant minister, I sincerely believed and enthusiastically taught almost all the papal fictions which this book so deftly unmasks.  In a very readable style, it catalogs and refutes those fictions charitably and completely.  Had it been available when I first began to be drawn to the Church, my journey home …

Pope Pius VII Robin Anderson A fascinating historical biography of a pope who was never supposed to have been elected. Covers Napoleon, the restoration of the Jesuits, Catholic emancipation of England, Jansenism, Gallicanism, Josephism and Regalism - all various forms of Liberalism which infects the Church yet today! Elected in 1800, he outlived most of the Church's enemies. Imprimatur.

Margherita Marchione Pope Pius XII continues to be the target of attacks by writers critical of his supposed failure to intervene decisively on behalf of the Jews during the time of the Nazi Holocaust. In this volume, Margherita Marchione sets the record straight. Backed by impressive research, Marchione surveys the role of the austere but politically savvy Pontiff during World War II. She …

Robert Royal With the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the world again witnessed the pomp and honor of the Swiss Guard, the Pope's Army. Bestselling author and Crisis columnist Robert Royal recounts the colorful history of the military guard that has witnessed every major Vatican event for half a millennium.

The Pope, the Council, and the Mass, the definitive response to “Traditionalist” Catholics when first published in 1981, has been updated to include the developments from the time of the first publication up to, and including, the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. In addressing the concerns raised by the followers of the late Archbishop Lefebvre and other …

The Popes Against Modern Errors In 1789, the French Revolution took place and launched a host of religious, political and social errors which the Popes for over 160 years afterwards wrote and legislated against. Yet most of these errors have spread and today have filtered down to the common man ... with the result that most people now take for granted many fundamental assumptions that are …

Hans Urs von Balthasar Von Balthasar presents one of the few serious studies available on the thought of one of the most important, and yet most neglected Fathers of the Church, Gregory of Nyssa. He was the most profound Greek philosopher of the Christian era, a mystic and an incomparable poet whom St. Maximus designated as the "Universal Doctor" and the Second Council of Nicaea declared him …

Eva K. Betz This is an exciting historical novel about the then famous Father Farmer’s life and experiences in colonial America. The story starts in New Jersey where the priest encounters much danger and excitement while riding circuit, providing Mass and the sacraments to people who had not heard Mass for years. But the main story surrounds Father Farmer’s adventures helping a man solve the …

Marghheruta Guarducci, acclaimed scholar of ancient literature, extending her research to various disciplines, such as philology, ancient history, archaeology and epigraphy, demonstrates how they contribute toward clarifying and resolving a centuries-old problem: the primacy of the Church of Rome over the other Christian Churches. The resulting picture spans over two millennia of history, …

Rev. D. I. Lanslots, O.S.B. How did the Catholic Church get started? Here is recorded the exciting history of the Catholic Church, beginning with the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday and continuing through the death of St. John the Evan-gelist at the end of the first century. The author relates all the principal events in the dramatic founding of the Catholic …

A Privilege of the Ordained Michael Davies This booklet presents the truth about Communion in the hand. Our Lord said at the Last Supper “This Is My Body”. Pope John Paul II at one time reminded us that: “To touch the Sacred Species, and to distribute them with their own hands, is a privilege of the ordained one.” This booklet shows that at a time of decreasing respect for the Blessed …

The writings of Pseudo-Macarius, a Syrian monk of the 4th century, bring to Western Christianity a holistic “heart” spirituality that offers a necessary complementarity to the “head” spirituality of the West. The homilies reveal the typical traits of Eastern Christian asceticism and The Great Letter instructs the monastic community. 

Louis de Wohl The famous novelist de Wohl presents a stimulating historical novel about the great St. Thomas Aquinas, set against the violent background of the Italy of the Crusades. He tells the intriguing story of St. Thomas who defied his illustrious, prominent family's ambition for him to have great power in the Church by taking a vow of poverty and joining the Dominicans.   The …

Joseph Ratzinger, 58 years old, German, renowned theologian, Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the former Holy Office), which is the most important Vatican curial office, charged with the preservation and promotion of Catholic orthodoxy. Vittorio Messori, 44 years of age, a writer and journalist whose books of religious essays are world-wide best …

The first substantial assessment of Benedict XVI's theological vision Illuminates his relation to other thinkers and the Catholic tradition Looks at his theological influences and how these shape his strategic priorities A general introduction to the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, including his approach to issues in moral and political theology, ecclesiology, liturgy, interpretations of the of …