The Spirtual Life-- A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology by Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.

Published in English in 1930, "The Spiritual Life" by Fr. Adolphe Tanquerey has established a reputation as undoubtedly the finest, most comprehensive and best-respected one-volume treatise on the spiritual life ever published.

Clear, thorough, easy to read, orthodox, authoritative, beautifully organized, logically developed, lively and practical, the book covers the whole field of spirituality. A glance at the authors cited reveals a veritable Who's who of Catholic spiritual writers- from the earliest centuries of Christianity to our own time-people whose writings Fr.Tanquerey has assimilated and organized into this comprehensive book. The author has also based his writing on Sacred Scripture, the fathers and Doctors of the Church, especially St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as other great Saints and spiritual writers of all ages. In his own words, he covers "the teachings commonly received in the Church." with little space given to disputed questions. (Preface, page Vii).

His approach, moreover, is based on the solid judgment that dogma leads to devotion, that it is the foundation of ascetical theology, which naturally flows out of it.Thus, he starts this book with a discussion of the most fundamental Catholic dogmas, showing how spiritually emanates therefrom. "The second part of the book contains a more detailed exposition of the special means of advancing along the Three Ways towards the heights of perfection."(Preface, page Vii).

The Spiritual Life was written primarily for priests and seminarians, but also for religious and the laity who "are seeking to live a thoroughly Christian life." Here is a book that can easily be used as a textbook, a devotional treatise a spiritual reading, or a handy source book for researching specific subjects. It is so comprehensive and easy to read and use that it belongs in every Catholic's library. Containing 1.599 numbered sections, it covers every aspect of the spiritual life and is a book that explains each subject so well that it has been in steady demand since it first appeared, For the author"tells it like it is," straightforwardly, with no embellishment and in a trustworthy, common-sense style that engenders total confidence in his absolute mastery of this entire subject.

Hardcover. 750 PP.