A captivating account that narrates, month by month, the events of 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle is popular Catholic history at its finest. The drama of the Great War and the Russian Revolution are juxtaposed with the spiritual dimension of the age: the diabolism of Rasputin, the Apparition of the Virgin at Fatima, the malignancy of Lenin, the saintly courage of (the now blessed) Charles of Austria. Few standard histories have ever given such a high degree of consideration to the supernatural and the Christian interpretation of history as does 1917.

Stanley Jaki examines the words Jesus spoke to Peter at Caesar Philipi (Matthew 16:18): “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church.” The richness of their meaning is uncovered through Jaki’s splendid discussion of the geography of biblical events and the Old Testament background to communal structure and leadership.

Why another book about C. S. Lewis? The answer is simple: C.S. Lewis: A Critical Essay is the most concise and vivid introduction to the life and writings of the greatest apologist of the twentieth century. First published over forty years ago, and now updated to include an entirely new essay by the author, Kreeft’s books wisely allows Lewis to speak for himself through a series of judiciously chosen quotations. C. S. Lewis: A Critical Essay is a memorable tribute from one of today’s foremost Christian apologists —whose own writings have often been compared to those of Lewis—to his acknowledged master.

Peter Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King’s College in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over fifty-five books, including Christianity for Modern Pagans, The Philosophy of Jesus, and Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

The work of Benedictine priest, theologian, and world-renowned physicist Stanley Jaki is given its first systematic study here inCreation and Scientific Creativity. Haffner also provides a full bibliography of over three decades of Jaki’s scholarship, along with a comprehensive overview of Jaki’s life and career.

This is a story of faith, of failure, and ultimately of salvation. Tom Whalen left behind the world of men, joining other men who fought private demons and worked to find a better way of being human. One question haunted Tom: Could God alone really be enough for any man? Tom’s lapse, and his return to the material world to savor again all the temptations of the flesh, will haunt the reader.

Even more astonishing is the story of his brother monks, trained to chastity and regimented prayer, who followed Tom into the deepest caverns of desperation and depravity to save his life and soul.

This story of redemption offers a window into the grace awaiting all who seek the moment when God enters fully into our all-too-human lives.

Mark Delery, O.C.S.O., is a Trappist monk at the Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia.

Those interested in freedom should begin by clearly meditating on the foundation of the Western conception of freedom: chiefly, the Christian tradition. In this exhaustive study, Fr. William Most examines questions of predestination in the light of Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Catholic Church, with aid from the writings of the Church fathers and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Suzie Andres explores the basic premise of the household as the primary place of education and the role of parents as primary educators. Her book is engaging and helpful regardless of the method of education selected by parents—homeschooling, unschooling, or even public and private schooling.

“Andres’s wise and witty little book is, as billed, a gentle approach to homeschooling. Any reader who comes to this subject with fears will have them quickly allayed.”— Ralph McInerny

Modern biblical exegesis is severely weakened by its tendency to rely only on “science” or “reason” instead of also allowing faith to play its proper interpretive role. One way of overcoming this problem is to enrich modern exegesis by integrating it with the exegesis of the church fathers, who are exemplary in allowing faith to guide their interpretations of the Bible.

Fr. Walter M. Werbylo here brings out the multiple layers of meaning in John 7:37–39 (which includes Jesus’ cry: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink”) by integrating the patristic exegesis of these three verses with the modern exegesis. His patient, wise investigation shows what the patristic and modern methods look like in practice, and it confirms that patristic exegesis and modern exegesis are indeed guided by particular and identifiable principles that can and should be fruitfully combined.

Walter M. Werbylo, C.S.B., is assistant professor in New Testament at St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto.

One of the most powerful and compelling figures of all history, Isabel of Spain was a force with which to be reckoned and should rightfully eclipse the better-known Elizabeth of England, both as a woman and as a national leader. The first full scholarly biography of Queen Isabel in English for nearly seventy five years, Isabel of Spain is extensively annotated and eminently readable.

Two dangers confront the modern Christian regarding the apparent conflict between the role of miracles and the rigors of modern science. First, a naïveté that forces such shallow methods upon the scientific disciplines that the result is the evaporation of both reason and miracles. Second, the inherently irreligious spirit that empties the world of wonder out of homage to an outdated rationalism. Scientist and theologian Stanley Jaki makes a case for recognizing the needs of modern science and of establishing a proper understanding of the miraculous in history.