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Two Thousand Years of Catholic Writings

Special Thanks to John Mark Ockerbloom who originally compiled this list.

This page lists Catholic writings that can be read on the Net, listed by author in roughly chronological order.

The Early Church (1-500)

Indexes

Selected writings of the Apostolic Fathers (from UPenn Gopher)
The Early Church Fathers (at New Advent)
St. Pachomius Library (on the Orthodox Page)

Scripture (to c. 100)

Bibles

The full Revised Standard Version (including the deuterocanonical material, filed under "Apocrypha"), can be found at the University of Michigan.
The Bible Gateway at gospelcom.net has most of the current complete on-line Bibles, including the Vulgate, and a Revised Standard Version (but one that only includes the smaller canon used by Protestants)
The Vulgate Bible of St. Jerome has been the standard Latin Bible for the Church for most of its history (though I'm told that a 1979 revised Vulgate is now the standard.) The Vulgate is based in part on the Greek Septuagint, used by the New Testament writers. Here's where you can find copies of St. Jerome's Vulgate:
- Browse all books (from OBI Gopher)
- Search the non-deuterocanonical books (at ARTFL)
The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Vulgate made in the 16th and 17th centuries, and then revised by Challoner in the 18th century. It was the most commonly used Catholic English Bible through the mid-20th century. Here are some sites that have Douay-Rheims material:
- Dan Connolly has a site with another copy. The New Testament is complete, the Old Testament is still under construction. It does not have the same usage restrictions as EWTN's copy.
- A searchable Rheims New Testament can be found at U-Michigan.

The Didache (first or second century)

The Didache, or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (at american.edu)

Pope St. Clement of Rome (pope 92 - 101)

By Clement:

First Epistle to the Corinthians (c. 96; at New Advent)

Attributed to Clement:

Second Epistle (c. 150; at Penn)

St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 107)

By St. Ignatius:

Epistle to the Ephesians (at New Advent)
Epistle to the Magnesians (at New Advent)
Epistle to the Trallians (at New Advent)
Epistle to the Romans (at New Advent)
Epistle to the Philadelphians (at New Advent)
Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (at New Advent)
Epistle to Polycarp (at New Advent)

About St. Ignatius:

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
The Martyrdom of Ignatius (at New Advent)

St. Barnabas (letter c. 130)

Attributed to Barnabas:

Epistle of Barnabas (c. 130 at New Advent)

St. Polycarp (c. 69 - c. 155)

By Polycarp:

Epistle of Polycarp (c. 130 at New Advent)

About Polycarp:

The Martyrdom of Polycarp (at New Advent)

Papias (c. 70 - c. 150)

Fragments (at New Advent)

St. Justin Martyr (c. 100 - c. 165)

By Justin Martyr:

First Apology (at New Advent)
Second Apology (at New Advent)
Dialogue with Trypho, A Jew (at New Advent)

Attributed to Justin Martyr:

Hortatory Address to the Greeks (at New Advent)
On the Sole Government of God (at New Advent)
On the Resurrection: Fragments (at New Advent)
Other Fragments (at New Advent)

About Justin Martyr:

Martyrdom (at New Advent)
From the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913

Hermas (2nd century)

The Shepherd (at New Advent), EWTN

Mathetes (2nd century)

Epistle to Diognetus (c. 160; at New Advent)

Tatian the Syrian (2nd century)

Address to the Greeks (at New Advent), (at EWTN)
Fragments (at New Advent), (at EWTN)

Athenagoras of Athens (late 2nd century)

A Plea for the Christians (c. 177; at ETWN)
On the Resurrection of the Dead (c. 177; at ETWN)

St. Irenaeus (early 2nd century)

By Irenaeus:

Against Heresies (at New Advent)
Fragments (at New Advent)

About Irenaeus:

From the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913

Theophilus of Antioch (late 2nd century)

To Autolycus (c. 180; at ETWN)

St. Perpetua (d. 203)

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity (at Fordham)

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - c. 215)

Exhortation to the Greeks (Protrepticus) (at EWTN)
The Tutor (Paedagogus) (at EWTN)
The Miscellanies (Stromata): I-II, III-V, VI-VIII (at EWTN)
Fragments (at EWTN)
Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? (at EWTN)

Tertullian (c. 155 - c. 220)

The Apology (at New Advent)
On Idolatry (at New Advent)
The Shows (at New Advent)
The Chaplet (at New Advent)
To Scapula (at New Advent)
A Treatise on the Soul (at New Advent)
On the Flesh of Christ (at New Advent)
On the Resurrection of the Flesh (at New Advent)
On Repentance (at New Advent)
On Baptism (at New Advent)
On Prayer (at New Advent)

Minucius Felix (contemporary of Tertullian)

Octavius (at New Advent)

About Cyprian

The Life and Passion of Cyprian (at New Advent)

St. Athanasius (c. 295 - 373)

Against the Heathen (at New Advent)
On the Incarnation of the Word (c. 318 at New Advent)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315 - c. 386)

The Procatechesis or Prologue to the Catechetical Lectures (at ocf.org)
First Catechetical Lecture (at ocf.org)
Second Catechetical Lecture (at ocf.org)

St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - c. 394)

See this page at Black Hills State University.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 346 - 407)

Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew (at New Advent)
Homilies on Acts (at New Advent)
Homilies on Romans (at New Advent)
Homilies on First Corinthians (at New Advent)
Homilies on Second Corinthians (at New Advent)
Homilies on Ephesians (at New Advent)
Homilies on Philippians (at New Advent)
Homilies on Colossians (at New Advent)
Homilies on First Thessalonians (at New Advent)
Homilies on Second Thessalonians (at New Advent)
Homilies on First Timothy (at New Advent)
Homilies on Second Timothy (at New Advent)
Homilies on Titus (at New Advent)
Homilies on Philemon (at New Advent)
Commentary on Galatians (at New Advent)
Homilies on the Gospel of St. John (at New Advent)
Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews (at New Advent)
Treatise on the Priesthood (at New Advent)

St. Jerome (c. 347 - 420)

The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary (at New Advent)
Vulgate Bible (at OBI Gopher)
Letters (at New Advent)

St. Augustine of Hippo (345 - 430)

Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental (at New Advent)
Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist (at New Advent)
Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manichaean (at New Advent)
City of God (at New Advent)
Confessions (at New Advent)
De Dialectica (HTML at Penn)
Enchiridion (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love) (at New Advent)
On Baptism, Against the Donatists (at New Advent)
On Christian Doctrine (at New Advent)
Of the Morals of the Catholic Church (at New Advent)
On The Morals of the Manichaeans (at New Advent)
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean (at New Advent)
A Treatise Concerning the Correction of the Donatists (at New Advent)
Two Souls, Against the Manichaeans (391; at New Advent)
Letters (at New Advent)

St. John Cassian (c. 360 - 435)

Conferences - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,23,24 (at New Advent)

St. Patrick (c. 389 - 461)

By St. Patrick:

Confession of St. Patrick ()

About St. Patrick:

Hymn on St. Patrick by Secundinus (in Ireland)

Pope St. Leo I ("the Great") (pope 440 - 461)

Sermons (at New Advent)
Letters (at New Advent)

Later Writings

St. Benedict (480 - 547)

Rule of St. Benedict (at osb.org)

Cassiodorus (c. 490 - c. 585)

Excerpts from Institutes (at Fordham)

Pope St. Gregory I ("the Great") (c. 540 - 604, became pope 590)

Pastoral Rule part I, II, III, IV (at New Advent)
Register of Letters I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV (at New Advent)

St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033 - 1109)

Basic Writings: Proslogium; Monologium; Gaunilon's on Behalf of the Fool; Cur Deus Homo ()

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153)

On Loving God ()

St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225 - 1274)

Thomas Aquinas in English has the most complete listing of his texts, both in electronic and print formats. See also the following links:

Of God and His Creatures (abridged translation of Summa Contra Gentiles)
On Being and Essence (HTML at Fordham)
On the Eternity of the World (HTML at Fordham)
Summa Theologica (HTML at knight.org)
- See also A Companion to the Summa by Walter Farrell, OP

About St. Thomas Aquinas:

Thomas Institute (in the Netherlands)
The Aristotle archive at Notre Dame has a number of articles and books on Thomas Aquinas and Thomism.

Pope Boniface VIII (c. 1235 - 1303, became pope 1294)

Unam Sanctam (One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority)

John Tauler (c. 1300 - 1361)

The Inner Way ()

Blessed Henry Suso (c. 1300 - 1366)

A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom ()

Julian of Norwich (1343 - 1443)

Revelations of Divine Love (1371)

St. Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380)

The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin ()

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 - 1471)

The Imitation of Christ (1418)

Nicholas of Cusa (1401 - 1464)

"Where is He That is Born King of the Jews?" (1456; tr. by L. Miller; HTML at SUNY Stony Brook)

St. Catherine of Genoa (1447 - 1510)

Life and Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa ()

Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466 - 1536)

See this page at Sewanee.

Pope Paul III (1468 - 1549, became pope 1534)

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491 - 1556)

Spiritual Exercises ()

St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)

By St. Teresa:

The Interior Castle ()
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus ()
The Way of Perfection

St. John of the Cross (1542 - 1591)

Ascent of Mount Carmel ()
Dark Night of the Soul
- Translated by E. Allison Peers ()
A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ ()

St. Robert Bellarmine (1542 - 1621)

The Seven Words on the Cross

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, aka Nicholas Herman (1661 - 1691)

The Practice of the Presence of God

Pope Benedict XIV (1675 - 1758, became pope 1740)

St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696 - 1787)

Uniformity with God's Will ()

Pope Gregory XVI (1765 - 1846, became pope 1831)

Comissum Divinitus (On Church and State) at EWTN
Cum Primum (On Civil Obedience) at EWTN
Inter Praecipuas (On Biblical Societies) at EWTN
Mirari Vos (On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism) at EWTN
Probe Nostis (On the Propagation of the Faith) at EWTN
Quas Vestro (On Mixed Marriages) at EWTN
Quo Graviora (On the 'Pragmatic Constitution') at EWTN
Singulari Nos (On the Errors of Lammenais) at EWTN
Summo Iugiter Studio (On Mixed Marriages) at EWTN

Pope Pius IX (1792 - 1878, became pope 1846)

Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801 - 1890, received into Catholic Church 1845)

See this page at ic.net.

Pope Leo XIII (1810 - 1903, became pope 1878)

St. Pius X (1835 - 1914, became pope 1903)

Pope Benedict XV (1854 - 1922, became pope 1914)

Pope Pius XI (1857 - 1939, became pope 1922)

Hilaire Belloc (1870 - 1953)

Survivals and New Arrivals (1929; at EWTN)
The Great Heresies (1930; at EWTN)

Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson (1871 - 1914, received into Catholic Church 1903)

See this page at Notre Dame.

Papers of a Pariah (1907)

G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936, received into Catholic Church 1922)

Heretics (1905; Gutenberg text)
Heretics ()
Orthodoxy (1908)
Additional writings (on various topics; courtesy On-Line Books Page)

Pope Pius XII (1876 - 1958, became pope 1939)

Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881 - 1942)

See this page by Bro. Charlie in Arizona.

Pope John XXIII (1881 - 1963, became pope 1958)

Jacques Maritain (1882 - 1973)

By Jacques Maritain:

About Jacques Maritain:

Jacques Maritain Center (at Notre Dame)

St. Teresa Benedicta (aka Edith Stein), OCD (1891 - 1942)

Florent E. Franke (1895 - 1993)

Hail, Mary! Six Thousand Titles and Praises of Our Lady (1983)

Pope Paul VI (1897 - 1978, became pope 1963)

Dorothy Day (1897 - 1980, received into Catholic Church 1927)

Dorothy Day Library on the Web (at the Catholic Worker)

Walter Farrell, O.P. (1901 - 1953)

A Companion to the Summa (1938-1942)

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)

The Catholic Encyclopedia Project is working on putting the entire 1913 edition on-line.

Pope John Paul II (born 1920, became pope 1978)

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