Best christian mariology books according to redditors
We found 164 Reddit comments discussing the best christian mariology books. We ranked the 46 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 164 Reddit comments discussing the best christian mariology books. We ranked the 46 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
![The Saint Louis de Montfort Collection [7 Books]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41EpOFhUCAL.jpg)
Scott Hahn’s book Hail, Holy Queen should address all your reservations about Mary. He also has several lectures on YouTube that could get you started. Here’s a good one. He’s a converted Protestant minister who wrestled with the concept of Our Lady for two or three years. He’s plumbed the depths. Any answers you need, he’s got them.
Also, I’d recommend praying the Rosary. That helped me work through my concerns. It’s truly a holy experience.
I suggest the following books by former anti-Catholic Presbyterian Minister Catholic Convert Scott Hahn. Read them yourself then give them to your boyfriend and discuss them with him.
Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scott Hahn
And
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God
Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn: A biographical account of how Dr. Scott Hahn, former Presbyterian minister, and his wife found their way into the Catholic Church, and why.
Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples: An apologetic defense of the Marian doctrine using Biblical and historical references.
Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn: Another defense of the Marian doctrine from Dr. Scott Hahn.
The Case for Catholicism by Trent Horn: A litany of apologetic responses to typical Protestant objections to and misunderstandings of Catholic teachings.
Catholic Answers Podcast: A weekday radio broadcast with various Catholic apologists and advocates for various Catholic issues.
Called to Communion radio podcast (with Dr. David Anders, available on EWTN's channel): A radio broadcast specifically oriented towards answering objections launched by Protestants. The host Dr. Anders is also a former Presbyterian seminarian.
>Fully human and fully God, so Paul isn't talking about him.
Of course. But following the logic of what was said it would implicate him. So you are left with a couple of choices; either Paul is wrong, or it's not meant to mean literally everyone. Additionally there are other who have not sinned: all who died before the age of accountability: Those in the womb, babies, and very young children. I think you would agree they have committed no sin themselves.
>My short answer is, Mary didn't do anything for me.
Oh, but she did. She said yes to God. That was a very powerful choice on her part and it directly affected the course of human history.
> but there's no point focusing on her or any other saints when we have the Son of God to look at and compare to
Not everyone is ready to look directly to God, God can use others in our lives to steer us towards him, whether that be a mentor, a friend, or a saint. Additionally each saint reflects God, indeed each human does. How could we not? We were made in his image. The saints are just clearer reflections since they are closer to God, and Mary is the human closest to God. She will point to her son unfailingly.
I really recommend you look into why we believe as we do.
https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Your-Mother-Historical-Doctrines/dp/1938983807
is a good starting place.
Mary is amazing. You may be interested in Hail Holy Queen or the more detailed The Glories of Mary by St Alphonsus.
Daily rosary!
This book was also just recommended on ewtn radio yesterday: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Mary-New-Testament-Messiah/dp/0999759299/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1550799668&sr=1-4&keywords=dr+edward+sri
Luther preached that a Christian with a weak conscience could pray the first half of the Hail Mary, up until you ask her to pray for you, and a Christian with a strong conscience could pray the whole thing. He personally never abandoned his Marian piety, though he admitted that in some people, and if required, it can lead to idolatry and other "superstitions" (his favorite word).
Like Luther, I really think it's quite an individual thing. Can you hold the distinction in your mind between veneration and worship while you're doing it? If not, then you shouldn't. If so, then you could consider it.
I found the book Mary for Evangelicals really helpful. Despite not being evangelicals, we should want to honor the Scriptures, and this book examines the history of Marian doctrine and how far it should go. (According to the author, it can actually go surprisingly far.)
So Jesus Christ is King of the Universe. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Human. Every human born has a mother. A king's mother is a queen. Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ. Mary is the "Mother of God; Theotokos" and also mother of the King of the universe(heaven and earth). Therefore, Mary is queen of heaven and earth and of all of the Angels and Saints and creatures.
Here are some blog post from a very southern baptist turned Catholic about how Mary is queen of heaven and earth as well as more mariology. He also wrote a book on the biblical and historical defense of the Marian doctorine.
http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/is-there-a-queen-in-the-kingdom-of-heaven
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/hail-mary-conceived-without-sin
http://www.catholic.com/blog/tim-staples/mary-matters
https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Your-Mother-Historical-Doctrines/dp/1938983807
The title and role of Mary as Queen of Heaven can be seen as a type in 1 Kings 2:13-20 (especially those last two verses). There are other verses, such as Rev 12:1-3. You'll see those and others referenced in explanations of it, such as this and this.
Scott Hahn goes into this as well in Hail Holy Queen, which your library or local Catholic parish library may have.
> Obviously both dogmas could be true, but my question is why are they assumed to be true, why is the church so sure that they are true, why is it so important that they must be true, that they are raised to the level of dogma.
First, for an in-depth treatment of this, I definitely recommend Behold Your Mother: A Biblical And Historical Defense Of The Marian Doctrines, by Tim Staples, and Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother Of God In The Word Of God, by Scott Hahn. Both relatively affordable if you choose the "used books" option on Amazon, and highly recommended.
To give a brief overview here... we first must recognize that every Marian dogma, and any title given to the Blessed Mother, is meant to magnify or point to some reality about Jesus Christ. The dogmas you referenced can be drawn out from the Catholic beliefs about Mary and certain biblical titles she holds - The New Eve, The Ark Of The New Covenant, The Queen Of Heaven.
If I may ask, are you able to go a bit more in depth on what specifically is challenging about each doctrine, apart from not seeing their connection with other important Christian doctrines? That might help me lend a bit more guidance apart from the books I recommended. Prayers your way!
You would have experienced the same during other prayers. Getting distracted while praying is normal for most people. However, just because you're get distracted doesn't mean you stop praying. A solder, a prayer warrior, must press on.
The prayer ‘Hail Mary’ comes directly from the bible, it’s the angelic salutation give to Mary at the annunciation (Luke 1:28). The second part of the Hail Mary is from the greeting of Elizabeth, cousin of Mary. (Luke 1:42) Ask yourself this question, if an angel can say that why should you mind repeating that? If a New Testament saint can say that why should you mind repeating that?
The ‘Holy Mary’ was added later during the Middle Ages which Europe was suffering for the black plague, as a last resort for hope.
Let’s talk about praying God directly.
What is the best way to approach a king with a petition? Do you go by yourself or would you rather have some meditator present?
I hope we can agree that having a meditator makes your position better. A meditator knows the rules and requirements of the royal court. The meditator knows what is lacking in you and your petition. The meditator helps in bridge the gap.
So it is with God, one can approach Him directly but having a mediator helps.
Now, in any court who would be the best mediator? The simple answer is the Queen. She is only second to the king in the royal court.
Does heaven have a queen? Revelation 12, describes a women. Heavenly imagery; sun, moon and stars; is used to describe her. She is crowned. I don’t about you but seems like a heavenly queen or Queen of heaven. But who could it be?
She gives birth to a male child who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. This male child most biblical scholar will agree is Jesus. That makes his mother the queen. Who is this queen, the mother of Jesus? It’s Mary, the mother of God. Now ask yourself, why pray with a handicap when you can have the queen on your side?
I would recommend you to read, The Secret of The Rosary by St Louis de Monfort or another of his treatise on Mary.
PS: The David Dynastic had a special office for the queen mother.
Ave Marie.
Maximus the Confessor collected many stories on Mary, including stories of her perpetual virginity. These were collected around 600 AD shortly after the Age of the Church Fathers. You can find a recent translations of the stories here
Books (both from former protestants):
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385501692/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_forRDbHKC4JST
Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938983912/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3orRDb4NBP4WJ
Videos:
Mary the Ark of the New Covenant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmNWqLSJcJI&feature=share
Hail Holy Queen, Scripture and the Mystery of Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1tWuIoZsg&feature=share
People usually follow a specific course of prayers in preparation. Most follow the formula of St. Louis Marie de Montfort or a modified version, such as 33 Days to Morning Glory.
What a great desire! I heartily fifth the recommendation to pray the rosary daily! Here is a video (I think I saw it posted here somewhat recently, but in case you didn't see it...) on the rosary by Fr. Don Calloway, MIC. It's a good video.
I recently finished total consecration to Jesus through Mary and I cannot recommend it enough. This is a link to St. Louis de Montfort's method for consecration. It also includes links to parts of True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary written by that saint which can be read for free on that site. (If you like physical books, you can also find it cheaply on Amazon)
I used 33 Days to Morning Glory for my consecration preparation. Use whichever you want.
You can also consider reading the Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics. A short compilation of several Catholic mystics relaying Mary's life as told by Mary when those mystics had visions of Mary. I was quite skeptical about this book, but my mom lent it to me and I decided to give it a try. It brought me closer to Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph. I have found this book helped me tremendously with meditating on the mysteries while praying the rosary.
There's many methods to it. The most common would be the [St. Louis de Montfort Way] (https://www.fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html), but you could also do the [33 Days to Morning Glory Way] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJDZMXK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1), which is the easier option. Both are self guided retreats and they're awesome. I did mine about 1 year ago and haven't looked back since. I did the 33 Days to Morning Glory and it was a great book and helped me understand a lot more about Mary.
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God, by Scott Hahn
I read Rome Sweet Home last week and absolutely loved it. Dr. Hahn does a great job of showing how the Old Testament points to Mary in the New Testament.
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385501692/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_n_awdm_L68DxbVP2QT4Q via @amazon
Sorry on mobile and linking is terrible.
Disclosure: Have not read but comes highly recommended. Personally I like True Devotion to Mary and Secrets of the Rosary
Hi there! Thanks for giving us a look!
The central "thing" about Catholicism is that we are the continuation of the Church that Christ founded on his Apostles/Peter. By looking at the history of Christianity, I think you'll find that statement is true (like I did).
I'm a cradle Catholic, but I never really looked into or practiced my faith that much. One day, I thought I'd have myself a go and try to disprove religion. Religion is just holding us back as a society right? So let me start at the top of the ladder. I tried to disprove theism in general.
Couldn't do it.
Ok, let me disprove Christianity then.
Couldn't do it.
Dang, can I at least prove that Catholicism isn't the true form of Christianity?
LOL, nope. I ended up having a much stronger connection to my faith. Presently, I am discerning the priesthood. I thank God every day that He allowed me to have such arrogance as to think "I can disprove God!" and travel down that rabbit hole. I came out with a profound love and trust for God. It was stressful and hair-pulling, but worth it!
I, for one, am a reader. Literature is what brought me back to the Church. There area many works which I would recommend:
Finally, Catholic Answers has a YouTube channel. They have a 2 hour show every weekday in which they answer questions from Catholics and non-Catholics, and upload these questions as short videos. Any question you have should be answered here.
There are many other books you could look into, but we don't want to scare you away! We have almost 2,000 years of material to read.
Okay, so this is an Orthodox source a super-smart friend of mine recommended (so it's not going to be the same exact thing), that discusses what exactly veneration of the Theotokos entails (from a scriptural and historical standpoint) and "how far is too far?" basically. I'm sure I can find someone who has it and mail it to you if you need!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Orthodox-Veneration-Mary-Birthgiver/dp/0938635689
Perhaps read St. Louis de Monfort's book for help.
Don't give up on Our Lady or on the rosary, many important spiritual benefits await you when you have devotion to the Blessed Mother. You can even ask Her for help to understand Her role.
But yes, I understand wanting to start with things you are comfortable with. That is also how I started, since not all of the devotions were understandable to me to begin with.
I have a four-way tie for best mariology.
In no particular order:
Marian Mystery by Denis Farkasfalvy
Queen Mother by Ted Sri
Daughter Zion by Joseph Ratzinger
Mariology by Matthias Joseph Scheeben
If you're looking for books directed at a more popular audience (i.e. if you're not a theologian), then the following are very good:
Behold your Mother by Tim Staples
Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn
EDIT: Here's a great bibliography my professor made for a mariology course.
EDIT: Just as a caveat, my interest in mariology is mostly biblical. Apparitions aren't a huge interest of mine. So the above reflects that. Though there's plenty on dogmatic/systematic mariology there too.
Books that tackle this topic: Tim Staples' Behold Your Mother, Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen. I also found these two audiobooks very informative on Marian doctrines.
Those should all at least touch on this topic, though they are about Mary in general.
The super-short version is that Mary was given special graces by God because she agreed to be his Mother through Jesus. One of those graces was complete freedom from original sin (excluding even the concupiscence which we still bear as a result of that stain) and another was the free capacity not to sin (which was wrapped up in her "let it be so" and filled her entire life). This was accomplished not by her power, but by God's as a gift of grace.
The title of your post immediately reminded me of a Scott Hahn talk I heard last year, and then I saw your reference to him—so maybe you've already heard or read this story. If not, here it is from his talk, as I remember it: as a young Protestant minister gradually pulled into Catholicism, he was in much the same boat as you. His wife was dead-set against. She was very worried about him, and went behind his back to talk a mutual friend, a fellow minister, and urge him to do everything in his power to save Scott from Catholicism. So this friend started reading all the books that Scott had been reading. He and Scott's wife would look for the logical holes and plot how to undermine Scott's conversion. Much drama followed...but within two years, both Scott's wife and her co-conspirator had joined Scott in converting to Catholicism.
​
You've said your vows to your wife, before God. You are committed to her, and she to you, until death do you part, whether you like it or not. If she won't go to Catholic church with you, that's ok. If she leaves you, that's ok too—you are committed to living chastely and honoring your marriage vows even if she leaves you, and doing everything you can (short of rejecting the Truth) to win her back.
But that's getting a bit melodramatic. You have concerns about Mary? Share those with your wife, instead of trying to poorly defend Marian doctrines you don't understand. It's ok not to have the answer, and if I know anything about marital communications (married seven years), saying "I don't know" is more likely than anything to get your wife on your side talking about the challenges with you more openly.
Your wife doesn't need to convert at the same time as you. But if you have converted in your heart, get yourself in RCIA and start going to Catholic church. If you want to really live your commitment both to God and to your marriage, go to your usual Sunday church with your family for the foreseeable future, and then go alone to a Catholic mass. That might take all Sunday morning, so you could perhaps go to Catholic mass on a Saturday afternoon if it fits your schedule better.
Anyway, that's a bunch of unsolicited advice. You asked for prayer and book recommendations. Let's pray together: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
​
And here's a book recommendation, since you like Dr. Hahn, in case you haven't come across it yet: Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God.
Hi. I just wanted to update you. It's nearly 1am here, on Sunday morning, and I am just absolutely aghast at the amount of hatred and misinformation in this video. Rather than spend the next month writing a graduate level paper on Catholic Theology, I'm going to say a few things, and give you a few resources that should help you.
First - You should NEVER take a non-Catholic's definition of what Catholics believe. You shouldn't do that with any religion. This man, John MacArthur, is completely misinformed, and he has allowed this misinformation to fuel a level of vitriol that breaks my heart. It's painful to watch that video, because he is so wrong, and his congregation just eats it up. Apparently, he also enjoys being wrong, because according to Google, he's also a Young Earth Creationist.
Second - For someone who is supposed to be going through the sacraments this Easter, you are VERY poorly catechized. Not all, but a lot of his beliefs are part of a basic education in Catholicism, which you should have received as part of your RCIA classes. I don't know if your classes are poorly run, or if you just checked out because you were only doing this for your wife, but regardless, I don't think you've done even a modicum of research into the topic.
Third - You should only convert for yourself, not for anyone else. Not your wife, not your friends, not your parents. It should only be for you. Catholicism isn't just a religion. It's a culture. This isn't like most Protestant faiths, where your religion is like the color of your underwear (only those closest to you know it, and it has no bearing on your daily activities). Catholicism is a way of life. We have a liturgical calendar. We have acts we engage in outside of Mass. We have rote prayers, we have Reconciliation. Catholicism is a culture of humility and self-control, NOT self-aggrandizement. Becoming Catholic is accepting that all of creation exists, and it is not about you. This is extremely anathema to popular culture, and Protestant culture. You cannot come into Catholicism thinking that the exceptions to rules that Protestants made up for themselves are still in play. The Church is consistent, and painfully so.
Now, if you are still with me, and STILL interested in learning the truth about Catholicism, I am happy to provide you with resources.
First, if you haven't I suggest reading or watching the sermons of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.
This is a link to a video where he explains the meaning of the Mass. I recommend you watch a lot of his videos. He was a kind, loving man, and in my opinion, was the Mr. Rogers of Catholicism.
I'm also going to recommend his books, especially World's First Love. It beautifully explains why we venerate (note, I said VENERATE, not worship) the Virgin Mary.
I also recommend the following books by Scott Hahn: Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots, and The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. Not to say his other works aren't great, but I think these will help you understand Catholicism as a culture a bit better.
I'd also like to recommend Theology for Beginners by F. J. Sheed, The Feast of Faith by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (aka Pope Benedict XVI), and The Spirit of Catholicism by Karl Adam.
This is by no means a definitive list, but it is somewhere to get you started. I suggest you consider taking some time, and praying about this, and actually invest yourself in studying the Faith. I am still waiting for your list of questions, and when I see it I'll be happy to answer them.
Good Luck on your faith journey, and may God be with you.
I've been reading "Mary, Mother of Son" (which comes in three volumes in print I. Modern Myths, II. First Guardian of Faith, III. Miracles and Devotions or a single-volume kindle edition) and I really like it. It's written by a former protestant and it's an easy read.
I also absolutely love "33 Days to Morning Glory" which you may not feel willing to "do" right now (consecration to Mary might feel intimidating at the moment) but if you're willing to read through it, it might be illuminating for why Catholics love Mary... It's definitely a more emotional-level book than a head-level book.
Catholic attitudes toward Mary was perhaps the most difficult thing for me to come to terms with when I was being received into the Church. So much so, in fact, that I asked my pastor to divert our regular course of instruction to spend an entire session just on Mary.
But that didn't do it, of course. What really helped was this book, "Mary for Evangelicals: Toward an Understanding of the Mother of Our Lord"; and also Luther's own devotion to the Mother of God. (I was a Lutheran before being received into the Catholic Church.)
My experience as a Lutheran was that I had a kind of knee-jerk reaction to anything that smacked--or even smelled like--idolatry. Anything that I felt might divert my eyes from Christ was to be distrusted if not dismissed.
But a proper understanding of the true devotion to Mary, Christ's mother and ours, leads not away from Christ but toward him. Mary ever points to her son, always leads poor sinners to him. Never to herself "Do whatever he tells you..." is what she tells us.
We must remember that if Christ is our King, then Mary is the Queen Mother, who lives to intercede for us with the King, even as Bathsheba did--as well as all the queens of Israel--with her son.
These are not mere extrapolations from Scripture; this is taking the Scriptures at face value. Jesus is the Messiah--the anointed one of Israel. If that is so, and if Christ has a mother, than she is Queen. How can it not be. If she is queen, than she is the queen of Israel--no less than Bathsheba was. And in fact more than Bathsheba because her son's throne is eternal.
God is not the God of the dead but of the living. As Christ lives, so Mary lives. So do all the saints live who lived in Christ.
This isn't a question of titles. We call judges "your honor" and "the honorable" whether they're honorable or not. We call Mary the Mother of God because she is the mother of God. We call her Queen of Heaven because she is the queen of heaven. And, finally, we call her "Mother of all the Faithful" (or "Mother of all the Living") because she is the mother of us all--the mother of the beloved disciple par excellence.
I second the LOTH. If it looks overwhelming, try out the Little Office of The Virgin Mary first.
There are several good ones. As a Protestant, I am sure you would appreciate the biblical background, so here are some I recommend:
You really can’t go wrong with any of these titles. Just check out the descriptions and reviews and see which one you like best.
The best overall is probably The True Story of Fatima by Fr. John de Marchi. Another good one is Meet the Witnesses by John Haffert. I also highly recommend Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words.
33 days to Morning Glory is an excellent book that takes a look at Marian consecration from the view of 4 great Saints. This author has also written a few other amazing books. The journaling you do with this program is life-changing. The website is pretty great too, the last I checked (a few years ago).
And then of course there is the Montefort classic True Devotion to Mary which is what many many people from laypersons to popes have used to consecrate themselves.
Give either book a read through and talk with your local priest. Also lots of prayer. Like, LOTS of prayer. Also I've been slowly feeling a call back to Catholicism and back to my Consecration, so thank you for your post.
True Devotion to Mary: with Preparation for Total Consecration by St. Louis De Montfort https://www.amazon.com/True-Devotion-Mary-Preparation-Consecration/dp/0895551543/ref=sr_1_2?crid=RLN5P9C9X903&keywords=louis+de+montfort&qid=1571623207&sprefix=louis+de%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-2
Use clauses. Scroll down to the 50th Rose, Second Method.
Read St Louis de Montfort's The Secret of the Rosary. Online, book, kindle.
Thanks for the info!
I can't find Lauds in my version (Kindle version, published by Catholic Way), Prime and Vespers are the main ones, and the little hours at the end (Terce, Sext, Nones, Compline, Matins).
On Mary, the ones I've heard often are Behold Your Mother and Hail Holy Queen. I have the latter, but it's been many many years since I last read it so I don't remember much about it. I remember thinking it was really good though so there's that. (I guess this is a hint from God and Our Mother that I should pick it up again.) Other than those two, I found this website that you might find interesting.
I hope those prove useful on your journey!
Saw another kindle version that has 3 books in one: The Secret of the Rosary, True Devotion to Mary, and Total Consecration for $0.99
http://www.amazon.com/Devotion-Secret-Consecration-Annotated-ebook/dp/B00DZXD6NW/
Also found 7-in-1 St. Louis de Montfort books for $1.99 (also Kindle)
http://www.amazon.com/Montfort-Collection-Illustrated-Classics-ebook/dp/B00BXPNTU4/
>Anything you advise or any prayer(s)/prayer books?
There's the Rosary, of course. I find it helps to visualize the event associated with each decade before beginning it. If you were standing there, what would you say to Mary? This Irish priest walks you through the prayers, and gives some framing to each decade. You might find other versions of the Rosary on YouTube that you like, too. You never have to pray it alone.
I'm not sure what books are available to you. This is one of the best books I've read about the Rosary. Along more classical lines, you might like this book about Mary, or this one.
>thinking and praying for the intercession of the Holy Family brings me a lot of comfort. My favorite icons are the ones with the Holy Family or of the Theotokos holding Baby Jesus.
You might like some other images, e.g., L'innocence, by Bouguereau; Adoration Of The Child by Correggio. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to surround yourself with too much good Catholic art. :-)
Mystical City of God: Volume I-IV
These are the classic books on Mary and on the Rosary. Their fairly cheap too. Don't know about getting them in Portuguese but they are very popular, I assume if you look around you will find a translation.
I'd recommend reading Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen and, if you're really feeling up to it, try Scheeben's two-volume Mariology.
> I am still curious about the rationale behind & historical origin of some doctrines (e.g., some Marian dogmas, like perpetual virginity)
For this topic, I would recommend "Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines" by Tim Staples.
> I’m wondering if I could get any recommendations on authors with similar conversion experiences. Someone who began as a Protestant philosopher and became Catholic & who chronicles their experiences.
"Return to Rome: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic" by Francis Beckwith is the perfect book for you. The description of the book is the following:
 
"What does it mean to be evangelical? What does it mean to be Catholic? Can one consider oneself both simultaneously? Francis Beckwith has wrestled with these questions personally and professionally. He was baptized a Catholic, but his faith journey led him to Protestant evangelicalism. He became a philosophy professor at Baylor University and president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). And then, in 2007, after much prayer, counsel, and consideration, Beckwith decided to return to the Catholic church and step down as ETS president.
This provocative book details Beckwith's journey, focusing on his internal dialogue between the Protestant theology he embraced for most of his adult life and Catholicism. He seeks to explain what prompted his decision and offers theological reflection on whether one can be evangelical and Catholic, affirming his belief that one can be both. "
https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-City-God-Mary-Agreda/dp/0895558254
These books were written in the 1600s by a nun who is now a saint. They have been reaffirmed by Popes over the centuries. They explain that Mary was specially created by God. She is the new and perfect Eve. The woman mentioned in Genesis, I would crush the snakes head,is her
http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Virgin-Maximus-Confessor/dp/0300175043
credit where credit is due u/verdemountain posted that link elsewhere in the thread.
>If I said, "Hi, this is my mom and dad and my brothers and sisters" Would you immediately say "I BET YOUR SIBLINGS ARE FROM YOUR DAD'S PAST MARRIAGE RIGHT?"
If there is a vast age difference, as implied in early church writings, between your mother and father then yes it would be reasonable to think that. Also, James the younger was said to be the same age as Mary herself. Also, There is no record of Mary having any other children. Ever. Not even in the Gospel of John, the same John who took care of Mary, after Jesus' death. There is no reason to believe that he wouldn't have at least mentioned the children to someone if they existed, or if Mary ever remarried, the ancient form of tabloids would have been all over that in a heartbeat. records would be preserved on paper somewhere to discredit the early church. No such documents exists.
If you're looking for a book, check out Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn. Dr. Hahn has an easy-reading writing style that should be a great introduction.
Congratulations on the conversion!
> can you provide anything showing the Bishop of Rome's primacy/uniqueness in the early church?
Sure. Read Adrian Fortescue's The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451. It's all over the Patristic tradition. The Orthodox are in agreement that the Roman Bishop held a unique position.
>where in St. Luke's gospel is Mary said to be ever-virgin?
I said that I think that St. Luke's Gospel attests to her perpetual virginity. On this, I recommend Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen.
> In the gospels themselves, Jesus is said to have siblings (not cousins, not spiritual brothers and sisters, contemporary readers understood this as blood siblings)
He's said to have ἀδελφοί. You've claimed contemporary readers thought of these as His siblings - who? Nobody I know of in the Patristic tradition does. Mary's perpetual virginity is well attested and is geographically diverse (you find it in Lyons and the Persian Empire).
>Their roles are nearly identical.
Only in a very thin way. This sort of argument is used against Christianity more generally (cf. the film Zeitgeist). The look-alike fallacy is alive and well.
>However, the Jews did not believe in an after-life in the modern sense of it
I don't know what modern sense you mean, but Second Temple Judaism had a far more diverse take on the afterlife than a literal reading of Eccl. 9.
>. Quick examples: baptism, initially was practiced on adults and shifted to infant (primarily).
This is an assumption.
>Some early Christians (including Constantine) believed that certain sins could only be cleansed once by baptism
Why do you mention Constantine? These sorts of random mentions make me think you're just grasping for vocabulary instead of being well-read. Your mention of the Assyrian Church specifically and now Constantine are the sorts of weird, random allusions that people who don't know what they're talking about make in an attempt to seem more learned about a subject than they are. Yes, the belief of early Christianity is that baptism washed away sin.
>initially practiced in private homes, church authorities have gained the right to deny people of communion (which initially was a personal choice, see 1 Cor 11)
There's no evidence outside of the Bible for this. This is your particular read of 1 Corinthians 11 (and I don't see it as a personal choice - St. Paul straight up commands people not to receive - sure, they can still will to sin and receive unworthily). But our earliest sources attest to a Eucharistic liturgy. This makes good sense considering the earliest Christian liturgies were taken over from the synagogues.
>historians have 5,800-ish manuscripts and no 2 are exactly alike
Greek manuscripts.
>Mostly minor variations, some big.
The majority are minor. The 'big' variations are the Johannine Comma, the woman caught in adultery (Jn 7.53-8.11), and the last twelve verses in Mark. I have no idea what you think this point makes. Do you think the Catholic Church is somehow behind these textual variants? That it somehow discredits Catholicism? What are you getting at?
Aw, it's not a silly question! It's a great thing that you're curious and want to learn more.
Simply put, Marian consecration is a devotion in which an individual dedicates themselves in sacred service to God through Mary. There are many paths to Christ, and consecration to Mary is a surefire way of being brought close to Jesus, and perhaps it may even be the easiest and safest way of doing so. Mary brought Jesus into the world for all of us, and likewise devotion to her is an assurance that she will bring you and Jesus closer than ever before if you truly desire that. The consecration is like a sanctifying process in which an individual's focus is turned away from sin and self-love and instead focused towards God through Mary. Those who are devoted to her are kept close to Christ and live safely under her protective mantle. (This is not to say there aren't spiritual attacks on those who consecrate themselves because there are, and in fact, such attacks may become more forceful and desperate because one is close to Mary. The key here is trust - if you trust that you are under her protection, there is nothing to fear.)
If you're really interested in learning more, I recommend reading St. Louis de Montfort's words yourself if you have the time. There's also 33 Days to Morning Glory which summarizes the teachings and how-to's of Marian Consecration. Hope that helps. :)
This is a new rosary, but there are books on the Marian (Catholic) rosary. I bought this one, but have yet to read it: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rosary-St-Louis-Monfort/dp/0895550563
The stickied post shows the basics of how to use the new Sophian rosary.
Scott Hahn is a great author. His style is very clear and since he's an ex-protestant, he can communicate well. I'd very much recommend anything by him.
Catholic Answers has a lot of great resources that are geared towards helping protestant understand Catholic stuff. For example, this tract about why Catholics call Mary the "Mother of God".
For more "advanced" reading, I can't recommend the Summa Theologica enough. The full text can be found at newadvent.org, and I'd recommend searching it via google using searches with the following format: "site:newadvent.org summa theologica [topic]". Ex, if you wanted to know what Catholics teach about confession, you'd search "site:newadvent.org summa theologica confession" and follow the first few results.
Fr. Mike Schmitz is also a great resource for basic knowledge.
I would highly recommend Behold Your Mother - A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples in regards to specifically Marian questions.
Although, if you are caught up on praying "to Mary" you probably are struggling with praying to Saints in general, here are a couple links I'd recommend.
Praying to Mary and the Saints
Praying to Mary - A Biblical Defense
Why Praying To Saints Is Not Like Praying To Other Gods
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0895550563/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E4WMBPCF7CV9GGMKA5T9&dpPl=1&dpID=71SQFRxZzyL
St. Louis de Montfort has everything you need in this 100 page book and it’s cheap and even cheaper if you get a digital version ($.99)
Here is the mobile version of your link
Well, I don't know what happened with you and your friend. Maybe they overreacted, you said something wrong, or both.
The Bible never said that they ever had a marital union. The Church has always taught she stayed a virgin. The Church from the very start, while there was still people alive that knew Mary, was teaching that she stayed a virgin. Therefore, the question really is, what reason is there to believe that she didn't stay a virgin?
The verse you refer to uses the word "until", but that that doesn't signify that Mary's virginity only remained for a certain time. Until doesn't always mean a limited amount of time.
ps 71(72):7 "In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more."
Does that mean that, we won't have peace after the end of days?
1 cor 15:25 "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. "
Does that mean Christ won't rule after his enemies have been defeated?
ps 122(123):2 "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us."
Should we look towards God, only till gives us mercy, and then we can stop paying attention to him?
If you want to understand her better, look into getting The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God, it really helped me.
Here is my list. Some might say that it is a bit antiquated, but I prefer things that have stood the test of time and borne a great deal of good fruit, as well as those things which I know to be very reliable. I am a convert as well and it has been very frustrating for me figuring out what is good and what has bad mixed in with it. So after a little while of struggling to figure that out I just decided that I will stick mainly to the classics of Catholicism. I figure if it worked for centuries and has been heavily scrutinized for all of that time and is still treasured, I can't go wrong with that. And then also Chesterton, who is from the first half of the 1900s, because I love him and he played a big role in my conversion. I cannot recommend any of these books highly enough, they are all fantastic. If you go through all of these (particularly, the Liturgical year), you will probably not need RCIA apart from out of obedience.
"The Everlasting Man" by GK Chesterton.
"Orthodoxy" by GK Chesterton
"Mystical City of God" by Maria Agreda -- Fantastic, thoug at times very baroque explanation of so much. There is one seemingly scandalous/incorrect thing in it that has a footnote in the first volume, however, with the understanding that we now are gaining of epigenetics in developmental biology, it makes more sense and is actually interestingly illuminating, though it is complicated. Dont trouble your head about this point unless you are a biologist/dr/etc, then it is really cool to dive into the weeds about.
The Duay-Rheims Bible with Rev. Leo Haydock's commentaries (collected from the fathers of the Church)
"The Liturgical Year" By Dom Gueranger
or, if you cant shell out the $250 for all of the volumes (if you want to go more expensive and get the hardback copies, which would be more durable and therefore better for this type of book, which will be useful for centuries to come, do that), then get (or also get) "The Church's Year" by Leonard Goffine, which is a single volume and is very informative and simple and solid, with one possible exception regarding baptism of desire that I am not too sure about and have had trouble resolving thus far. (This sets it way beyond most things)
"The Catechism of the Council of Trent" It won't have quite everything since it is from the late 1500s but it will have pretty much everything (worth noting since then: Don't use nuclear weapons, mary is definitely the immaculate conception, no cloning people, no IVF). It definitely wont lead you astray, and it is incredibly clear.
"Spiritual Combat and a treatise on the Peace of the Soul" by Lorenzo Scupoli and also probably the collected efforts of a monastery over a long period. Great short book that you can flip into anywhere.
All of his books are great. He used to be a Protestant, so he understand where many Protestants are coming from in their understanding of Scripture and theology. It makes him really relate-able without coming off as high-brow or overly theological. Rome Sweet Home and Hail, Holy Queen are also excellent.
I also recommend Fr. Dwight Longenecker as another Evangelical-turned-Catholic. He has a most excellent blog on Patheos called Standing on my Head and has written a couple of "debate" style books on varying Catholic topics, such as Mary: An Evangelical-Catholic Debate and Challenging Catholics: An Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue
The Secret of the Rosary
I'm currently reading it right now. It's an easy read and it will help you understand how much the rosary is necessary in our lives to bring us closer to her and her Son.
Learn the rosary! Read this book!