Roman Catholic Church History: Basic Sources
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Roman Catholic Church History: Basic Sources
General Histories
Thomas Bokenkotter. A Concise History of the Catholic Church (revised and expanded edition). 1990. (BX945.2 .B64 1990)
William J. Collinge. Historical Dictionary of Catholicism. 1997. (Reference BX945.2 .C65 1997)
Michael Glazier and Thomas J. Shelley, editors. The Encyclopedia of American Catholic History. 1997. (Reference BX1406.2 .E53 1997)
J. Derek Holmes and Bernard W. Bickers. A Short History of the Catholic Church. “New Millennium Edition,” 2002. (BX945.2.H63 2002)
Hubert Jedin and John Dolan, editors. History of the Church. 1980 –. (Reference and Stacks BR145.2 .J413 1980) Ten volumes; volumes I, III, and IV are titled Handbook of Church History.
New Catholic Encyclopedia (2nd edition). 2003. (Reference BX841 .N44 2003) Many articles on historical topics. Use the Index (Volume 15) to find where particular topics are treated.
NOTE: The content of the online Catholic Encyclopedia dates from 1913. While it contains valuable historical information, readers should consult more current sources for updated scholarship.
Online chronology: Dates and Events in Catholic History, 1st Century to 10th Century and 11th Century to 20th Century from the Catholic Almanac Online.
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Saints Lives
David Hugh Farmer. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. 1997. (Reference BR1710 .F34 1997) Also available through Oxford Reference Online on all campus networked computers — select “Religion and Philosophy.”
On the Internet: Catholic Online Saints and Angels
Butlers Lives of the Saints. New Full Edition, 1995. 12 volumes, one for each month of the year. (Reference BX4654 .B8 1995)
Bert Ghezzi. Voices of the Saints: A Year of Readings. 2000. (Reference BX4655.2 .G49 2000) Each brief biography includes “a substantial quotation by or about the saint, giving you a feel for what he or she was really like” (Introduction).
Ferdinand Holbцck. Married Saints and Blesseds Through the Centuries. 2002. (Reference BX4655.3 .H6413 2002)
Kathleen Jones. Women Saints: Lives of Faith and Courage. 1999. (Reference BX4656 .J66 1999)
Richard P. McBrien. Lives of the Saints: from Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Teresa. 2001. (Reference BX4655.3 .M33 2001) In addition to the lives of holy women and men (both canonized and uncanonized), this volume includes articles on the politics of canonization and the differences between various schools of Christian spirituality.
Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J. Jesuit Saints and Martyrs. Second edition, 1998. (Reference and Stacks BX3755 .T94 1998)
Kenneth L. Woodward. Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesnt, and Why. 1990. (Stacks BX2330 .W66 1990)
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Papal Histories
Frank J. Coppa, editor. Encyclopedia of the Vatican and Papacy. 1999. (Reference BX955.2 .E53 1999)
J. N. D. Kelly. The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. 1986. (Reference BX955.2.K45 1986) Also available through Oxford Reference Online on all campus networked computers — select “Religion and Philosophy.”
Philippe Levillain, general editor. The Papacy: an encyclopedia. John W. OMalley, S.J., consultant for the English language edition. 2002. (Reference BX955.2 .D53 2002)
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Church Documents in Print
J. Neuner and J. Dupuis. The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church. Sixth revised and enlarged edition, 1996. (Reference BX1747.5 .C48 1996; previous editions also in Reference. Older versions, under the title The Teaching of the Catholic Church as Contained in Her Documents, are in Reference and Stacks at BX850 .N413 1967.)
Documents of the Christian Church, selected and edited by Henry Bettenson. Third edition (1999) edited by Chris Maunder. (BR141 .B4 — Latest edition in Reference and Stacks; previous editions also in Stacks)
Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils. Includes the documents in the original languages and English translations.Volume 1: Nicaea I to Lateran V — Volume 2: Trent to Vatican II (Reference BX825 .A1990)
Claudia Carlen. The Papal Encyclicals, 1740-1981 and Papal Pronouncements: A Guide: 1740-1978 (Reference BX850.Z9 C37 1990 and BX860 .A3 1981 )
Anne Fremantle, editor. The Papal Encyclicals in Their Historical Context. Includes “What Is an Encyclical?” (Stacks BX860 .A36 1956a)
Maureen Fiedler and Linda Rabben, editors. Rome Has Spoken: A Guide to Forgotten Papal Statements and How They Have Changed Through the Centuries. (Reference BX1747.5 .R66 1998)
Origins — weekly documentary publication of the Catholic News Service. Current year is kept at the Circulation Desk and in Recent Periodical stacks; older issues are in Bound Periodicals. To search for a specific document, use the index issues printed on colored paper, or search in Origins Online.
Pastoral Letters of the United States Catholic Bishops. Six volumes covering the years 1792 to 1997.(Reference BX872.A2 N63 1983) More recent documents can be found on the U.S. Bishops web site.
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Church Documents Online
Vatican Web Site
United States Catholic Bishops Conference
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Articles in Journals
Recent issues of these journals are shelved in Current Periodicals on the Lower Level; older copies are in Bound Periodicals.
The Catholic Historical Review. Articles and reviews on specific topics can be found by using ATLAS or the Catholic Periodical and Literature