THE GREAT SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY OF FR. CORNELIUS A LAPIDE, S.J.
The Holy Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in Four Volumes
With this new edition, the full genius of Jesuit Fr. Cornelius a Lapide is available in English for the first time. Over the last 400 years this has been the most complete commentary in use by the Catholic Church, known for successfully combining piety and practicality. His age was that of the Counter Reformation, so Fr. a Lapide included plenty of apologetics. His vast scholarship is equaled, however, by his piety, giving freshness and power to his commentary which lacks in others. He was so known for his zealous holiness that he was buried in a separate place in order to find him more easily when eventually, it was hoped, he would be beatified. He is responsible for receiving St. John Ogilvie (hanged in 1615) into the Church and for administering Extreme Unction to St. John Berchmans.
For nearly thirty years I suffer with and for Thee with gladness the continual martyrdom of religious life, the martyrdom of illness, the martyrdom of study and writing. Obtain for me also, I beseech Thee, to crown all, the fourth martyrdom of blood. For Thee I have spent my vital and animal spirits. I will spend my blood, too.
This is a line-by-line reading of all the Gospels, applying history and the richness of the Church Fathers, with from a half-page to two pages of commentary for each line. A Catholic powerhouse. It is known to have made converts.
– St. Louis de Montfort spoke of Fr. a Lapide’s commentary as the basis of his “slavery to Mary” when he wrote:
Fr. Cornelius de Lapide, as praiseworthy for his piety as for his profound erudition, having been commissioned by several bishops and theologians to examine this devotion, did so with great thoroughness and deliberation, and praised it in a manner which we might nave expected from his well-known piety; and many other distinguished persons have followed his example? [St. Louis Mary de Montfort in hisTrue Devotion to Mary].
– Used heavily by St. Gaspar Bertoni, founder of the Stigmatine Fathers and Biblical scholar.
– Favorite of St. Anthony Mary Claret, great missionary to Cuba, founder of the Claretian Fathers.
– Utilized by St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church and Patron Saint of Catechists.
– Praised by Dom Gueranger, author of The Liturgical Year, who made available to the faithful the treasures of the Missal as had Fr. a Lapide made available the treasures of Scripture.
– Preferred by Fr. Denis Fahey, the greatest expositor of the Church’s social doctrine in the English language.
– An essential library selection of priests for sermon-writing, catechism classes, and convert instructions.
– Well within the grasp of laypeople desiring to study the traditional Catholic interpretation of the Gospels.
– Understand symbolism, cultural accents, mystical and allegorical meanings, and historical context. Know God in order to love God in order to serve God.
– Material for substantive and picturesque meditations for laypeople, especially Third Order members and resolute Ignatian retreatants.
– Heirloom look and feel. Indestructible sewn bindings. Red leather, gold-embossed, 6″ x 9″ hardcover with satin ribbon.
– Almost 3,000 pages in four volumes. A Catholic family’s greatest Scripture resource.
– Never fully translated before
– First four of over 30+ volumes to come
– Extensive discussion of Greek and Hebrew word meanings
2,900pp. 4 leather-bound hardcover volumes.
