영국 처치타임즈 선정 최고의 기독교 서적 100선

○ 그리스도교 명저 100선 선정에 붙여

_ 폴 핸들리 (Church Times Managing Editor)

 

인류는 과거 세대 지혜를 받아들이고 그 위에 새것을 만들어 가는 과정을 포함하면서 전진한다. 가장 가치 있는 교훈은 여전히 입에서 입으로 전달되지만, 이는 아주 기본적인 가르침이다. 게다가 이러한 가르침을 받으려면 그 말을 들을 수 있는 자리에 있어야 한다. 현대적인 의사소통 방식이 낳는 효과에 대해서는 여전히 논쟁 중이다. 인터넷이라는 광대한 백과사전은 그 암울하고 거슬리는 측면에도 불구하고 그 요긴함이 대체로 인정된다. 신문 편집자로서 나는 사건에 대해 사람들의 이목을 끄는 트위터의 가치를 인정한다. 사진을 마련하기 위해 많은 예산을 쓰지 못하는 신문 편집자로서 나는 인스타그램과 같은 것들이 지닌 가치를 인정하지 않을 수 없다. 그러나 지혜는 지식 이상의 것이며 어떠한 내용을 소화해내는 것은 단순히 그 내용을 접하는 행위를 넘어선다. 남다른 경험을 했고 깊은 사고를 펼쳤으며 그리하여 탁월한 이해에 도달한 이들과 시간을 보내는 것은 우리가 삶에서 누릴 수 있는 커다란 특권 중 하나다. 그리 잦지는 않지만, 이러한 소수의 사람이 저술을 남겼을 경우, 게다가 드물게 그 저술이 출간되었을 경우 그 지혜의 결실을 누릴 수 있는 다른 방법이 있다.

 

그리스도교 명저 100선을 위한 여정을 시작했을 때 우리는 우리가 심사숙고해 고른 저작들이 이미 여러 정제를 거쳤음을 알았다. 한 저작 한 저작은 이미 저자에 의해 다듬어졌고 출판사로부터 출판할 만한 가치가 있다고 여겨졌으며 당대 독자의 주목을 받았다. 무엇보다도, 이 저작들은 끊임없이 출간되었다. 서평을 써 달라며 『처치 타임스』 사무실에 날라오는 책들 수준이 천차만별이라는 점 때문에 쉽사리 잊곤 하는 사실은, 실제로 인쇄되는 저작들의 수준이 전반적으로 상당히 높다는 것이다. 게다가 서평의 대상이 되는 책 중 일부는 그냥 좋은 게 아니라 대단히 훌륭하다. 하지만 ‘명저’라면 어떨까?

 

“명저”라는 표현에는 가치 판단이 들어있다. 무엇이 ‘명저’냐는 판단은 명백히 주관적이기에 우리는 이 프로젝트를 위해 이 표현을 아껴두었다. “명저”는 단순히 한 책이 지닌 고유한 가치뿐 아니라 그 책이 무엇을 성취할 수 있는지 까지를 고려하게끔 한다. 라는 명저를 선정하기 위해 논쟁하며 우리는 각자의 기억에서 ‘명저’가 갖는 역사적인 가치를 견주어 보았다. 다른 시점에 다른 심사위원들이-아니, 설사 같은 심사위언들이라 할지라도-‘명저’를 골랐다면 분명 다른 목록이 나왔을 것이다.

 

물론, 결과가 크게 달라지지 않을 수도 있다. 영성은 차치해두고라도 문학 비평을 과학적이라 보기는 어렵지만, 우리는 과학적인 방식으로 그리스도교 명저 100선 선정 작업에 착수했다. 먼저 『처치 타임스』에 기고하는 서평자들에게 후보작들을 선정해달라고 요청했다. 그 결과 100개 이상의 답변을 받았고, 700권이 넘는 긴 목록이 만들어졌다. 이 목록에서 우리는 서평자들이 언급한 빈도에 따라 순위를 매겼고, 그 결과 나온 120권의 추려진 목록을 우리가 선정한 심사진(*심사진은 심사위원장인 마틴 퍼시 신부, 제니 몬즈, 마크 오클리 신부, 루퍼트 쇼트, 캘리 해먼드 신부, 맬컴 귀트 신부, 데이비드 윈터 신부, 제인 윌리엄스 박사로 구성되어 있다)에게 통보했다.

 

2014년 6월 20일, 선정을 위한 모임이 있기 전, 심사위원들은 도서 목록을 20권씩 여섯 그룹으로 순위에 따라 분류해 두었고, 우리는 이 분류를 활용해 100선의 예비 목록을 작성했다. 그리고 토론을 시작했다. 처음부터 주안을 둔 점은 “지속적 가치”였다. 도서 추천 작업에 함께한 서평 기고자 리처드 해리스가 이를 제안했다. 이는 도서 추천 작업에 함께한 서평 기고자 리처드 해리스의 제안이었다. 이는 우리가 고른 책들이 일정한 영향력을 가지고 있고 그 영향력은 세월에 의해 검증되어야 함을 의미했으며 또한 근래 출간된 책들의 경우 그 책들이 후세에 어떻게 읽힐지를 판단해야 함을 의미했다. 물론 존 폭스의 『순교자 열전』에 대한 심사위원들의 논평에서 볼 수 있듯 영향력이 전부는 아니다. 『(교회의)행동과 유산』으로도 불리는 폭스의 이 거대한 책은 200년이 넘는 세월 동안 존 번연(의 『천로역정』), 성서와 함께 개신교 그룹에서 가장 큰 인기를 누린 책이었다. 그러나 심사위원들은 이의를 제기했고 목록에서 제외되었다. 폭스의 책은 오늘날에는 별다른 영향을 미치지 않는다. 누구도 이 책을 진지하게 인용하지 않는다. 오늘날 이 책은 그 내용보다는 책에 수록된 목판화로 기억된다. 게다가, 이 책이 미친 영향력이 과연 긍정적이었는가?

 

물론, “중요성”은 측정하기 어렵다. 교회가 하느님에 대해 생각하는 방식을 바꾼 거대한 신학적 저작들은 목록에 올리기 비교적 쉬웠다. 그러나 상상 문학과 시문학은 어떠한가? 이러한 작품들은 더욱 미묘한 방식으로 교회에 영향을 미쳤으나, 더 많은 이에게 읽혔기에, 더 직접적인 영향을 미쳤을 수도 있다. 성서와 전례문헌, 이를테면 『성공회기도서』와 『고대와 현대 찬송가』의 경우에는 일찍부터 목록에서 제외했다. 이 책들은 너무나 중대하고, 그 자체로 평가되기에는 교회의 삶에 너무나 막대한 영향을 미쳤다. 이러한 책들을 뽑았다면 그 책들은 목록 최상위 부분을 독점했을 것이다. 명저 100선의 “균형” 역시 또 다른 고려사항이었다. 심사위원들은 본격적으로 논의하기 전에 먼저 “목록의 이 부분에서 충분한 시문학이 포함되었나? 동일한 저자의 다른 작품에 대해서는 어떻게 해야 하나? (각 작품은 그 고유의 가치로 평가되었다)”, 특히 “여성 저자들은 어디에 있나?”등의 질문을 제기했다. 역사적 목록은 어떤 것이든 여성이 미친 영향력에 대해 간과하기 쉽다. 심사위원들은 저작들을 그 자체의 가치로 평가하면서도 여성 저자들을 도외시하지 않고자 최선을 다했다.

 

마지막으로 고려한 것은 세부적 우수성, 즉 “이 책이 저 책보다 더 나은가?”라는 문제였다. 4시간에 달한 목록 선정 토론에서 우리는 마지막 30분을 할애해 선정된 목록을 검토했고 거슬리는 부분을 제거했으며 목록의 수정을 위해 압력을 행사하려는 목소리들을 뒤로 한 채 목록을 하나의 전체로 보고자 했다. 완성된 목록은 보기 좋았다. 다음 날에 다시 보니, 역시 보기 좋았다. 이 목록이 최종적인 목록이라 여겼다면 우리는 독자들에게 이의를 제기하도록 하지 않았을 것이다. 우리는 우리가 선정한 목록이 독자들로 하여금 논의를 촉발하기를 바란다. 찬성하는 만큼이나 반대하면서 다른 이에게 이 목록을 권하기를 바라마지 않는다.

 

글을 마치기 전에, 나는 올해 초 소천한 고(故) 데니스 잉게 박사에게 사의를 표하고자 한다. 우스터 주교의 부인이었던 잉게 박사는 우리의 서평 기고자 가운데 하나였다. 그녀가 소천한 지 일주일이 지났을 무렵, 남편 존은 100권의 명저를 선정하기 위해 그녀가 추천한 목록을 보내면서 “아내는 돌아가기 전 한 시간 전까지 이 목록을 만들었습니다. 완성되지는 않았어요. 성 토요일에, 아내의 컴퓨터 화면에 열려 있더군요. 아내에게 말했습니다. ”나에게 맡기는 게 어때?“ 하지만 아내는 자기가 스스로 하고자 했어요.” 잉게 박사가 추천한 책들 가운데 일곱 권이 100선에 포함되었다.

 2024,6.20

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영국 <처치타임즈> 선정 '최고의 기독교 서적 100선' (2014년)

 

1. 히포의 성 아우구스티누스, <고백록>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. 성 베네딕트, <베네딕트 규칙서>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. 토마스 아퀴나스, <신학대전>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. 노르위치의 줄리안, <사랑의 계시>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. 단테 알리기에리, <신곡>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. 블레즈 파스칼, <팡세>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. 존 번연, <천로역정>

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. 히포의 성 아우구스티누스, <신국론>

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. 토마스 아 켐피스, <그리스도를 본받아>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. 조지 허버트, <Complete English Poems>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. T. S. 엘리엇, <사중주>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. 존 헨리 뉴먼, <Apologia Pro Vita Sua>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. 칼 바르트, <교회교의학>

14. 십자가의 성 요한, <어둔 밤>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. Thomas Traherne, <Centuries of Meditations>

16. 존 밀턴, <실낙원>

​​

 

 

 

 

 

 

17. 제라드 맨리 홉킨스, <The Major Works>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18. 무명(Anon), <무지의 구름>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19. 리처드 니버, <그리스도와 문화>

 

20. C. S. 루이스, <순전한 기독교?>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21. 비드(The Venerable Saint Bede), <영국민의 교회사>

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22. 디트리히 본회퍼, <옥중서간>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23. 표토르 도스토예프스키, <카라마조프가의 형제들>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24. 로욜라의 이그나티우스, <영신수련>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25. 아빌라의 성 테레사, <내면의 성>

26. 성산의 성 니코디모스, <필로칼리아 1-5>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27. C. S. 루이스, <사자와 마녀와 옷장>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28. 존 던, <Selected Poems>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. C. S. 루이스, <스크루테이프의 편지>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30. 시몬 베유, <신을 기다리며>?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31. R. S. 토마스, <Collected Poems>

32. 라인홀드 니버, <도덕적 인간과 비도덕적 사회>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

33. 구스타보 구티에레즈, <해방신학>

 

 

 

 

 

 

34. 엘리자베스 피오렌자(Elisabeth Shuessler Fiorenza), <In Memory of her>

이 책 말고 국내에 번역된 다른 엘리자베스 쉬슬러 피오렌자의 저서들

 

 

 

 

 

35. 윌리엄 템플, <기독시민의 사회적 책임>(Christianity and Social Order)

36. 쇠얀 키에르케고어, <공포와 전율>

 

 

 

 

 

37. 캔터베리의 안셀무스, <프로슬로기온>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

38. G. K. 체스터턴, <정통>

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39. 로렌스 형제, <하나님의 임재 연습>

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40. 디트리히 본회퍼, <나를 따르라>(The Cost of Discipleship)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

41. 알베르트 슈바이처, <The Quest of the Historical Jesus>

 

 

 

 

이 책이 번역되었는지 확인이 안 된다.

 

 

 

 

 

42. 루돌프 오토, <성스러움의 의미>

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43. 마이클 램지, <The Christian Priest>

44. 알레스데어 매킨타이어, <덕의 상실>

44. 알레스데어 매킨타이어, <덕의 상실>

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45. 토마스 머튼, <칠층산>

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46. 존 헨리 뉴먼, <An Essay in Aid of Grammar of Assent>

47. W. H. 밴스톤(Vanstone), <Love's Endeavour, Love's Expense>

48. 빈센트 도노반, <Christianity Rediscovered>

 

 

 

 

 

49. 로완 윌리엄스, <상처 입은 앎>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

50. 이블린 언더힐, <Mysticism>

이블린 언더힐의 책은 번역된 게 꽤 있는데, 저 책을 번역한 것인지는 잘 모르겠다.

 

 

 

 

51. 칼 바르트, <로마서>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

52. 위르겐 몰트만, <십자가에 달리신 하나님>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

53. 존 웨슬리, <존 웨슬리의 일기>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

54. 존 지지울러스, <친교로서의 존재>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

55. 요한 23세, <영혼의 일기>

 

아주 옛날에 번역된 게 있다. 당연히 절판

 

 

 

 

 

 

56. 위 디오니시우스, <신비신학과 천상의 위계>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

57. 제레미 테일러, <The Rules and Exercises of Holy Dying>

 

58. 존 번연, <죄인의 괴수에게 넘치는 은혜>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

59. 그레고리의 성 나지안주스, <Five Theological Orations>

60. 성 프란시스 드 살레, <Introduction to the Devout Life>

61. 스탠리 하우어워스, <평화의 나라>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62. 존 헨리 뉴먼, <An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine>

63. 제라드 휴즈(Gerad Hughes), <God of Surprises>

64. C. S. 루이스, <헤아려본 슬픔>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

65. 새라 코클리, <God, Sexuality and the Self>

 

새라 코클리는 영향력 있는 현대 조직신학자이다. 리스트에 있는 이 책이 코클리의 주저인 듯한데, 국내에는 <십자가>The Cross가 비아에서 소개되었다.

 

 

 

 

66. 헨리 나우웬, <탕자의 귀향>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

67. 제라드 폰 라드, <Old Testament Theology VOl.1>

68. 쇠얀 키에르케고어, <Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing>

69. 존 오스틴 베이커, <The Foolishness of God>

70. 메릴린 로빈슨, <길리아드>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

71. 찰스 윌리암스, <The Descent of the Dove>

72. 해리 윌리암스, <The True Wilderness>

73. 도로시 세이어즈, <The Man Born to be King>

국내에 꽤 많은 책이 소개된 도로시 세이어즈인데, 아직 저 책은 번역이 되지 않았나보다.

 

 

 

 

 

74. 존 V. 테일러, <The Go-Between God>

75. W. H. 밴스톤, <The Stature of Waiting>

77. 에밀리 디킨슨, <Complete Poems>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

78. 트레버 허들스톤(Trevor Huddleston), <Naught for Your Comfort>

79. 찰스 고어, <Lux Mundi>

80. 한스 큉, <On Being a Christian>

81. N. T. 라이트, <바울과 하나님의 신실하심>

 

 

 

 

 

 

82. 프리드리히 슐라이어마허, <기독교 신앙>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

83. 존 맥쿼리, <Principles of Christian Theology>

 

국내에 소개된 맥쿼리의 책들

 

 

 

 

84. C. S. 루이스, <예기치 못한 기쁨>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

85. 폴 틸리히, <존재의 용기>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

86. 존 스토트, <기독교의 기본진리>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

87. 존 힉, <신과 인간 그리고 악의 종교철학적 이해>

 

 

 

 

 

 

88. 존 폭스, <순교자 열전>

 

 

 

 

 

 

89. Eamon Duffy, <The Stripping of the Altars>

90. 게자 베르메스, <유대인 예수의 종교>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

91. 윌리엄 템플, <Readings in St John's Gospels>

92. Helen Waddell, <Peter Abelard>

93. Austin Farrer, <Love Almighty and Ills Unlimited>

94. Lancelot Andrewes, <Ninety-Six Sermons>

95. 조르주 베르나노스, <어느 시골 신부의 이야기>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

96. Kenneth Kirk, <The Vision of God>

97. 존 밀뱅크, <신학과 사회이론>

 

 

 

 

 

98. 마이클 램지, <The Gospel and the Catholic Church>

99. Austin Farrer, <The Glass of Vision>

100. 시몬 베유, <뿌리내림>

 

 

 

================================================================================

1) 전체적으로 현대 저자들이 많고, 영국 신학자들의 비중이 더 높은 듯하다. 특히 C.S.루이스의 책은 5권이나 리스트에 이름을 올려 단일 저자로는 가장 많다. 매체 특성상 어쩔 수 없는 특징인 듯하다. 그리고 10위 안에 노르위치의 줄리안이 포함된 것도 흥미롭다. 줄리안은 영어로 글을 쓴 최초의 여성이라고 한다. 아마 그래서 영국에서 좀 더 주목받는 듯. 그런데 개인적으로는 현대 고전보다는 교부들의 저술이 더 있어야 하지 않나 싶다. 테르툴리아누스, 아타나시우스, 요한 크리소스토무스, 오리게네스 같은 이들. 현대 신학자는 많은데 또 판넨베르크는 없다.

​2) 이렇게 탑100을 뽑으면, 항상 그렇듯이 '왜 이 책은 없느냐'라는 불만이 나온다. 나도 당연히 그런 생각을 하게 되는데, 종교개혁자들의 책이 없다는 게 가장 충격적인 결과다. 알리스터 맥그래스는 기독교 역사상 중요한 신학자 10명 중에 루터, 츠빙글리히, 칼뱅을 모두 넣었던 것과 비교되는 부분. 그리고 조나단 에드워즈도.

3) 가장 놀랐던 건 100위 안에 든 책 중 과반 이상이 한국어로 번역되었다는 사실이다. 그리고 저 100위 안에 이름을 올린 저자까지 합하면, 사실상 주요 신학자 대부분의 저술은 국내에 소개된 것. 분도출판사, KIATS, 은성, 새물결플러스, 가톨릭출판사, 홍성사, 대한기독교서회, 비아, CH북스 등 한국 기독교 출판사들에 감사와 존경을!

​4) 사실 2천년 기독교 역사에서 100권을 뽑아도 늘 빠지는 책이 있기 마련이고, 순위가 높을수록 더 뛰어나고 낮으면 그렇지 않다고 생각할 수 있다는 단점이 있지만, 이런 장점은 뭐니뭐니해도 한 번에 좋은 책들을 잔뜩 추천받을 수 있다는 것이다. 나는 노르위치의 줄리안은 이번에 처음 알았고 스탠리 하우어워스의 주저 <평화의 나라>가 번역된 것도 이번에 알았다.

5) 처음에는 국내에 번역된 책만 정리했다가 리스트 목록 전체를 옮겼다. 분명 한국어로 번역되었는데 여기에 없는 책을 댓글로 알려주면 추가하겠다.

 

 

 

개인적으로 100위 안에 들어갔어야 한다고 생각하는 책들

마르틴 루터, 그리스도교인의 자유

장 칼뱅, 기독교강요

캔터베리의 안셀무스, 인간이 되신 하나님

위르겐 몰트만, 희망의 신학

아돌프 폰 하르낙, 교리사

아타나시우스, 사막의 안토니우스

오리게네스, 원리론

아우구스티누스, 삼위일체론

조너선 에드워즈, 신앙감정론

고백자 막시무스, <앰비규아 Ambigua>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

======================= 원문 출처

100 best Christian books: top 10

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/10-october/features/features/100-best-christian-books-top-10

100 best Christian books: 11-50

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/3-october/features/features/100-best-christian-books-11-50

100 best Christian books: 51-100

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2014/26-september/features/features/100-best-christian-books-51-100

 

100 best Christian books: 03 OCTOBER 2014

 

11. Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot

“Four Quartets draws into itself the whole Christian mystical tradition, from The Cloud of Unknowing onwards, and it is unrelenting in what is required of us in the way of self-knowledge.” Richard Harries

 

12. Apologia Pro Vita Sua by John Henry Newman

“This (with Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain) is one of the two greatest spiritual autobiographies in the English language. Newman’s work is a sublime piece of English prose, sometimes so touching as to make you howl.” John Pridmore 

 

13. Church Dogmatics, 31 volumes by Karl Barth

“He reaches the absolute heights of theology and expression. As you read The Doctrine of Reconciliation you can hear him preaching it. Five minutes with Barth and your faith is increased.” Toby Hole 

 

14. The Dark Night of the Soul by St John of the Cross

“This classic is written from experience; so we who find ourselves in darkness can often find words of wisdom to address our own experience.” Anne Spalding 

 

15. Centuries of Meditations by Thomas Traherne

“Essential reading. This classic of spirituality from the 17th century, discovered at the turn of the 20th, inspired such writers as C. S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Sayers, and Annie Dillard. Lewis called it ‘almost the most beautiful book written in the English language’.” Denise Inge 

 

16. Paradise Lost by John Milton

“A riveting account of the creation and the Fall, culminating in an almost cinematographic summary of biblical history. . . Its stately diction and wealth of classical and scriptural allusion do not make it easy reading for modern audiences, but it is remarkable and vivid narrative.” Bridget Nichols 

 

17. Gerard Manley Hopkins: The Major Works by Gerard Manley Hopkins

“His prosody, imagery, and theological innovation that think and shift around in metaphors and rhythm makes for a breathless dive into the deep.” Mark Oakley 

 

18. The Cloud of Unknowing Anon

“I read [The Cloud of Unknowing and Revelations of Divine Love] over and over again because of their extraordinary language and mystic ‘purpose’.” Ronald Blythe 

 

19. Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr

“Taking a typological approach, this still topical study explores how Christian truth claims can accommodate diversity, and modernity, without colluding with relativism or reductionism.” John Saxbee 

 

20. Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

“A graceful reaffirmation of the intrinsic reasonableness of faith, which continues to engage and enthral. Based on a series of BBC wartime talks, this book shows Lewis’s apologetic skills at their best.” Alister McGrath

 

21. Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede

“Bede was a monk and a genius. This not only tells us . . . about a period that we would otherwise struggle to understand, but also encourages anyone who wants to combine a life of faith with the life of the mind.” William Whyte 

 

22. Letters and Papers from Prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“His call to Christians to be more humble, his suspicion of those who can think theologically but not live as Christians, and his passion ‘to not just bandage victims under the wheel but put a spoke in the wheel itself’ are as timely for us all as ever.” Mark Oakley

 

23. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Just as Schubert with his ‘Unfinished Symphony’ produced a perfect work of art, so Dostoevsky, with this truncated torso, wrote the best Christian novel ever, one which reads the reader like the word of God itself.” John Arnold 

 

24. The Spiritual Exercises by St Ignatius of Loyola

“A short, sinewy book, which demands not to be read but to be put into practice. Ignatius’s insight is rigorous discipline and a creative imagination which can work together in prayer to profound effect.” Alec Ryrie

 

25. Interior Castle by St Teresa of Avila

“A classic of spiritual writing, which can still guide those seeking to enrich their inner life.” Jenny Monds 

 

26. The Philokalia Anon

A collection of texts written between the fourth and 15th centuries by spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition. “An inexhaustible treasury of spiritual wisdom. . . At its heart are very powerful and simple insights into the quest for God in the Eastern tradition. Nick Papadopulos 

 

27. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis 

“The Narnia stories are not allegorical. Rather, they reflect the truth at the heart of things, ‘the deeper magic from before the dawn of time’, that sacrificial love atones, by whatever name we give to those who love like that.” John Pridmore 

 

28. The Holy Sonnets by John Donne

“I know that Donne’s brain can sometimes go to his head, but The Holy Sonnets are beautiful, compelling, restless hymns from a riddle of a man to a God who can see exactly whom he’s dealing with.” Mark Oakley 

 

29. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

“It is psychologically acute and insightful, especially about how human relationships. . . Its most important message is that only God can makes real and lasting pleasures.” Gwen Adshead 

 

30. Waiting for God by Simone Weil

“Simone Weil teaches us ‘to face the terror of God’s reality and the awful burden of his love’. So long as the Church remains hungry for power, so long we shall need the testimony of this wraith of a woman.” John Pridmore 

 

31. Collected Poems by R. S. Thomas

“I’m not sure I would have survived ordained life so far without the poems of R. S. Thomas. You can never paraphrase a poem, nor faith in God. Thomas’s God, like an enormous owl that brushes him with his wing in the dark, is not to be played with.” Mark Oakley 

 

32. Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr

“I took to heart the basic thesis of the book: that while we might learn to be unselfish in our individual lives, confronting the selfishness of the groups to which we belong . . . was infinitely more difficult. In these cases, power had to be met with power. I have been a Niebuhrian Christian realist ever since.” Alan Billings 

 

33. A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez

“Gutierrez reconsiders the great themes of Christian faith ? especially salvation ? and an approach to the Bible, from the perspective of the poor and the oppressed.” David Atkinson 

 

34. In Memory of Her by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza 

“This remains a key text, combining combining rigorous scholarship with controlled polemic in challenging patriarchal attitudes and structures.” John Saxbee

 

35. Christianity and Social Order by William Temple 

“Crisis in the welfare state, education, family life, work and unemployment, health, inequalities, foodbanks ? and what should churches do about it? Temple addresses these questions not now, but in 1942. His book remains a great classic of Christian social thought and practice.” John Atherton

 

36. Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard

“Kierkegaard opposed institutional religion and underlined the subjectivity of truth, and that authentic Christianity is the individual’s ‘leap of faith’ in response to God. Fear and Trembling uses the paradox in the story of Abraham’s call to sacrifice Isaac to illustrate how truth is perceived through anguished struggle, and authentic decision.” David Atkinson

 

37. The Proslogion by St Anselm of Canterbury

“In The Proslogion, St Anselm set out the ‘ontological argument’ for God’s existence. It has vexed, teased, and delighted philosophers of religion ever since, and had a particular influence on Karl Barth.” Peter Forster

 

38. Orthodoxy by G. K Chesterton

“Chesterton piles piercing paradox on piercing paradox, not as a firework display, but to serve his entirely serious argument that Christian orthodoxy makes sense ? just as fairy tales do.” John Pridmore

 

39. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

“The words of an obscure Carmelite lay Brother, who spent his life in a community in Paris, mostly working in the hospital kitchen. After his death, friends brought together his writings and conversations. The book has been a spiritual classic for more than 300 years.” David Winter

 

40. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The influence of Dietrich Bonhoeffer on contemporary Christianity has yet to be fully appreciated or evaluated. . . But if Christianity is to get out of the boondocks it is currently in, Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship is essential reading.” Peter Price

 

41. The Quest of the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer

“The abiding importance of this . . . lies in Schweitzer’s recognition that ? ironically ? the identity of Jesus is not to be discovered by historical investigation at all, but only in obedience to the demands that Jesus makes on us.” John Pridmore

 

42. The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto

“Feelings matter when it comes to what we believe, and why. Otto’s book countered the image of theology as somewhat dry and clinical, by invoking the revelatory potential of everyday experience. He reached parts other theologians seldom reached ? and he still does.” John Saxbee

 

43. The Christian Priest Today by Michael Ramsey

“A classic work on the theology of priesthood which is still of great value to those discerning a vocation today.” Simon Jones

 

44. After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre

A landmark work in contemporary moral philosophy. MacIntyre sought to address a crisis in moral language which he traced back to a European Enlightenment that had made the formulation of moral principles increasingly difficult. “After Virtue is an astonishing book that has had a profound effect upon ethical thought, secular and religious.” Robin Gill

 

45. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

“This work of spiritual autobiography, by a Cistercian from Kentucky, inspired a whole generation of monastics. He was a pioneer of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.” Denise Inge

 

46. An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman

“An exemplar of High Victorian prose, this summation of Newman’s thought postulates ‘illative sense’ as a subtle and intriguing challenge to Hume’s epistemological scepticism, so giving to God-talk a new lease of life.” John Saxbee

 

47. Love’s Endeavour, Love’s Expense by W. H. Vanstone

“A real prophet who was a priest in the Established Church, constantly challenging it to be what it is supposed to be. His voice, now occluded, is needed now more than ever.” Peter McGreary

 

48. Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent Donovan

“An amazing book, written by a Roman Catholic missionary priest who worked among the Masai in Tanzania. . . The principles that Donovan outlines apply as much to mission among the unchurched in our own country as among the Masai people in Africa.” Dominic Walker

 

49. The Wound of Knowledge by Rowan Williams

“Christian spirituality from the New Testament to St John of the Cross . . . [which] will remain a spiritual classic. It grounds so many of our trivial and superficial questions within a tradition that puts much ground between the ego, the self, and the soul.” James Woodward

 

50. Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill

“Underhill . . . quoted and told stories about dozens of writers whom I would never have discovered otherwise. . . Underhill excerpted the good bits and commented. Even if I had found them on their own, I doubt that I could have read them raw.” Harriet Baber

 

51. The Epistle to the Romans by Karl Barth

“It was so refreshing to read a commentary that moved from the text and the first century, to contemporary issues, with such boldness and coherence . . . It was a revelation and a shock, [and] set question marks against my own liberal theology.” Alan Billing

 

52. The Crucified God by Jurgen Moltmann

The Crucified God relates death, despair, and the dark side of the human condition to a liberating hope of redemption through divine agony and suffering.

“If I had to single out the work of 20th-century theology that has had most influence on me, this would be it.” Ian Bradley

 

53. Being as Communion by John Zizioulas

“This seminal text sets out a vision of creation, and human beings in particular, as intrinsically related to the Trinitarian God, drawing on classic patristic theology, but cast in a modern quasi-existential light.” Peter Forster

 

54. The Journal of John Wesley by John Wesley

“Wesley’s Journal is rich in detail, and the story of the evolving of a new and radical force in Christianity. As well as being an in- sight into his theology, pastoral priorities, and social concerns, this is by any standards an impressive record of human endeavour.” David Winter

 

55. Journal of a Soul by Pope by John XXIII 

From the age of 14 until his death at the age of 82, Pope John XXIII kept a record of his growth in holiness.

“One of my true spiritual heroes is Angelo Roncalli, the beloved Pope John XXIII, who died when I was on a visit to Venice with my parents. . . I recall walking across a wet St Mark’s Square, and pausing, as my father, seeing a black-edged newspaper and reading the front cover, started to cry.” Charles Middleburgh

 

56. Mystical Theology and Celestial Hierarchies by Dionysius the Areopagite

“Not as readable as The Cloud of Unknowing, though very short ? but . . . has affected the whole subsequent tradition, and is today among the most frequently discussed of Patristic works by philosophers, as well as theologians.” George Pattison

 

57. The Rules and Exercises of Holy Dying by Jeremy Taylor

“His book . . . brought a small-c ‘catholic’ style of piety to a 17th-century English Church that was hungry for such nurture. His spirituality was essentially practical and plain-speaking, not overloaded with learning and references. . . I’d have it in my personal top ten.” Cally Hammond

 

58. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan

Grace Abounding is a sprituality autobiography ? a genre which flourished in 17th century England, as anxiety over one’s spiritual state encouraged rigorous self-scrutiny and the sharing of spiritual experiences. “I have chosen Grace Abounding . . . in place of the more popular Pilgrim’s Progress. A comparison of the two shows the superiority of autobiography... over allegory in spiritual writing.” John Arnold

 

59. Five Theological Orations by St Gregory of Nazianzus

“The best representation of fine theological reasoning, combined ? using intellectual rigour ? with intense devotion and spirituainsight. It expresses the full understanding of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity as classically understood later.” Cally Hammond

 

60. Introduction to the Devout Life by St Francis de Sales

“St Frances de Sales was one of the most pastorally sensitive and empathetic writers ever; he doesn’t suffer from the clericalism that infects the writers of so many spiritual ‘classics’ and makes lay people feel guilty and inferior for having other things on their mind than God.” Alison Shell

 

61. The Peaceable Kingdom by Stanley Hauerwas

“The Peaceable Kingdom brings together the tradition of virtue ethics with a theological commitment to non-violence, showing why Jesus is foundational to both. It is perhaps the most accessible work in the field of ecclesial ethics.” Sam Wells

 

62. An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Newman

“The first work by an Englishman ? at least since the day of William of Ockham ? to shake the theological schools of Europe.” John Court

 

63. God of Surprises by Gerard Hughes

“An introduction to Ignatian spirituality that changed my prayer life.” Simon Jones

 

64. A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

“Here [Lewis] reveals his vulnerable side, in reflections on the death of his wife, Joy. Many bereaved people have found this among his most attractive works.” John Barton

 

65. God, Sexuality and the Self by Sarah Coakley

“Coakley argues that desire is the most fundamental and telling facet of human identity, and that the Christian God... calls us to desire the vision of ourselves as we are drawn into participation with the divine life. . . This searching book refuses to see theology as a purely cerebral activity.” Jane Williams

 

66. The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

“This is a powerful reflection on the parable of the Prodigal Son, especially as depicted in the painting by Rembrandt. We are encouraged to see ourselves as each of the protagonists and onlookers.” Jenny Monds

 

67. Old Testament Theology, Vol. I by Gerhard von Rad

“Von Rad injected new life into the study of Old Testament theology by using the tools of biblical criticism to identify not one, but several theologies in Israel’s salvation history ? and ours.” John Saxbee

 

68. Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing by Søren Kierkegaard

“Kierkegaard’s brief but moving book can stand as a commentary on T. S. Eliot’s famous lines ‘a condition of complete simplicity (costing not less than everything)’. He describes the Christian life as focused on total attention to God.” John Barton

 

69. The Foolishness of God by John Austin Baker

“A comprehensive, very readable guide which deals with all the main aspects of Christian doctrine. It is hard to find a better book than this as an introduction to the Christian faith.” Barry Morgan Dr Barry Morgan is the Archbishop of Wales.

 

70. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

“The first-person story of the life of a Congregationalist minister in a small American town, told while he is dying. It is a subtle patchwork of ordinary life with all its small griefs, disasters, missteps, selfishnesses and generosities, and its pattern of human interdependence and unintended consequences.” Bernice Martin

 

71. The Descent of the Dove by Charles Williams

“It courses out the history of the Holy Spirit and the Church, but one of the most interesting things it does is say that the Holy Spirit is operating outside the Church, and teaching the Church. Malcolm Guite

 

72. The True Wilderness by Harry Williams

“Williams was one of the most original Christian thinkers since the war. He wrote at a certain stage in his life that he would only write about the truth about God as he had experienced it. . . The result . . . was a masterpiece, The True Wilderness, that rarest of things ? a collection of sermons that became a bestseller.” Robin Baird-Smith

 

73. The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers

“It had a big influence in making people think about the humanity of Christ without losing track of the divinity. Very controversial in its time.” Malcolm Guite

 

74. The Go-Between God by John V. Taylor

“A masterly account . . . of the necessary presence of the Holy Spirit; fluent, grounded, intelligent, and measured. It caught the incoming tide of the Charismatic movement while balancing brain against the over-excitement that repelled some thoughtful people.” Martyn Halsall

 

75. The Stature of Waiting by W. H. Vanstone

“He describes Christ as a waiting figure, who, in his waiting, discloses the deepest dimension of the glory of God. This truth I experienced day by day at the bedside of those vulnerable people who became my theological teachers.” James Woodward

 

76. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

“Greene’s ‘whisky priest’, who knew at the end that ‘there was only one thing that counted ? to be a saint’, is not only one of the most memorable characters in modern literature, he also gives all of us who know that we are failures the courage to go on.” John Pridmore

 

77. Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson

“Always the spider and never the fly, Dickinson’s poems ? untitled, unsettling, and often undervalued ? jump the heart back into pace.” Mark Oakley

 

78. Naught for Your Comfort by Trevor Huddleston

“[This was] the first book that made me aware of the cruelty of the practice of apartheid in South Africa. It also made me think about the religious life. Here was a priest, a member of a religious order, who had given his life to God, the Church, and the world.” Jonathan Ewer

 

79. Lux Mundi Charles Gore, editor

“If you look at the arguments of the day, it’s essentially that Lux Mundi was in a different key. . . It was huge; there were sort of violent riots and things. . . The phrase ‘liberal Catholicism’, which we now use a lot, finds its heart in Lux Mundi. Rupert Shortt

 

80. On Being a Christian by Hans Kung

“Hans Kung argues that, notwithstanding Christianity’s pre-modern origins, it is possible to be a Christian in the modern world. This is probably his most influential book: his sympathetic approach to current doctrinal dilemmas helped many Vatican II-type Roman Catholics ? and others ? to keep the faith.” John Saxbee

 

81. Paul and the Faithfulness of God by N. T. Wright

“A massive work by one of this generation’s outstanding biblical scholars. [He] sets out to marry history and theology in the teaching of St Paul, as he maps out the divine purpose in Jesus for Israel and for humanity. This is a readable but masterly work of scholarship.” David Winter

 

82. The Christian Faith by Friedrich Schleiermacher

“In Schleiermacher, Pietism met Romanticism, and bred a new approach to religion as a sense and taste for the infinite. Religious experience is more important than dogma, and Christianity is only the purest form of a range of religions. Schleiermacher had a huge influence on 19th-century theology.” Peter Forster

 

83. Principles of Christian Theology by John Macquarrie

“His achievement centres on a capacity to frame Christian orthodoxy as the answer to the deepest philosophical questions, and thus as both credible and relevant to the contemporary enquirer.” Rupert Shortt

 

84. Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

“Lewis describes his journey of resistance to the inexorable force of God’s love, through bereavement, atheism, and military service.” Dana Delap

 

85. The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich

“I was very influenced by Tillich’s method of correlation . . . and inspired by his taking of art seriously, theologically. Though highly criticised by today’s academic trends, this book’s exploration of our deepest anxieties still stands.” Mark Oakley

 

86. Basic Christianity by John Stott

“The thing about John Stott. . . is he was a sea change for Evangelicals . . . in broadening their approach to social issues.” David Winter

 

87. Evil and the God of Love by John Hick

“Hick’s arguments have been deemed to be flawed by many critics, but many readers, myself among them, have found his affirmation of an Irenaean rather than an Augustinian theodicy both revelatory and liberating.” John Pridmore

 

88. Actes and Monuments by John Foxe (Book of Martyrs)

“This is not a good book; it’s a bad one ? indeed, it’s a terrible book, in every sense. But it’s also incredibly important. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was, of course, a foundational text for English Protestants in the 17th and 18th centuries, helping to shape their view and their fears of Roman Catholics.” William Whyte

 

89. The Stripping of the Altars by Eamon Duffy

“Written with both heart and head, this book laments the spiritual vandalism of the Reformation, and lovingly records practices of faith in an era supposedly free of dispute over the truths of faith.” Cally Hammond

 

90. Jesus the Jew by Geza Vermes

“There are problems with this book; indeed, virtually a whole industry exists to prove just that. Yet it is important precisely because it sparked such a critical debate. It also remains a wonderful introduction not just to Jesus the Jew, but Jesus the man.” William Whyte

 

91. Readings in St John’s Gospels by William Temple

“I have to confess that I venerate it, almost like the Gospel itself. Nothing else has ever brought St John to such vivid life, and I turn to it again and again for preaching, and for inspiration.” Stephen Cottrell

 

92. Peter Abelard by Helen Waddell

“Helen Waddell’s great novel, harrowing and heartbreaking, is a story of human and divine love. Her achievement . . . is to recover for us the recognition that the love of God and our human passions flow from a single fountain.” John Pridmore

 

93.Love Almighty and Ills Unlimited by Austin Farrer

“This is, quite simply, the best attempt yet at trying to hold together God’s love with the evil of the world. Farrer never forgets that God has given the world a genuine autonomy, and he never tries to draw easy consolation from suffering. On the contrary, the good things in life give rise to far more good than the ills ever can.” Richard Harries

 

94. Ninety-Six Sermons by Lancelot Andrewes

“Beautiful prose. Andrewes’s biblical exegesis draws the most out of every word, and makes the familiar illuminating.” Denise Inge

 

95. The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos

“The Diary of a Country Priest is about the trials faced by a rural pastor. His life is not easy: the congregation do not respect him; he confronts one melancholy experience after another. Yet the story still feels uplifting when viewed with the eye of faith.” Rupert Shortt

 

96. The Vision of God by Kenneth E. Kirk

“The greatest account of Anglican moral theology in the 20th century.” Nick Holtam

 

97. Theology and Social Theory by John Milbank

“Milbank’s chief argument . . . is that the social sciences are themselves haunted by unacknowledged ? and deeply questionable ? theological assumptions. Although this thesis proved contentious, few doubt that it was a game-changer.” Rupert Shortt

 

98. The Gospel and the Catholic Church by Michael Ramsey

“This is very much a book of its time, reflecting the biblical theology that was in vogue in British universities in the 1930s. Nevertheless, it remains a classic piece of Anglican theological reflection.” Christopher Irvine

 

99. The Glass of Vision by Austin Farrer

“This book . . . says something utterly original about how we learn of God through scripture and the tradition, and, as with all of Farrer’s work, it is beautifully written.” Stephen Platten

 

100. The Need for Roots by Simone Weil

“This dense book was written by the French philosopher Simone Weil in 1943, looking for a regeneration of society after the War. She sees society as having been ‘uprooted’ from its real foundations, and shows how new roots could be established, politically, spiritually, and socially.” Robert Jeffery