Verbum Now trial subscriptions for Faithlife TV for the month of May are about to end! Enjoy free Bible teaching, family entertainment, and community video streamed to your TV, computer, or mobile device.
Also, the Verbum Now exclusive coupon code for $50 off any purchase of $100 or more ends soon. Take advantage of it before the end of May. Just select the products you wish to purchase, make sure your cart total is over $100, and enter coupon code 50NOW at checkout.
On May 26 the Advanced Academic Training will begin shipping. Take advantage of the 50% pre-pub discount before time is out!
Verbum’s Advanced Academic Training builds on the Verbum 360 Training videos by taking a deeper look at an academic application of the software. Fr. Devin Roza, LC, is visiting Professor of New Testament at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, and Fr. Andrew Dalton, LC, is Professor assistant of New Testament at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. They guide you through the software—showing you where the tools live, how to use them, and examples of how they can be useful in your academic application.
You’ll learn advanced research techniques for studying Scripture in its original languages and historical context, and in the light of the rich Tradition of the Catholic Church. Dig deeper into the original languages, and investigate differences between translations. By the time you finish this video, you’ll feel comfortable finding scholarly answers to academic questions.
Get 50% off before it ships May 26!
We are well on our way into the Easter season. This period of extraordinary grace gives our minds adequate time to reflect on the Eternal Sunday that we will enjoy when we meet the Lord face to face in the beatific vision of heaven. Hopefully you have been able find a new way to delve deeper into this awesome mystery.
Embracing the spirit of the Easter season, we are still in the midst of offering an extended sale throughout these 50 holy days.
Through June 4 you can get deep discounts on some of our top resources. We really hope that you will find time to embrace the grace that was won for us through the Resurrection, and we trust that studying something new can help stir up the living waters for you.
On Mother’s Day we all take time to think a little more about the mothers or mother figures in our lives. What better time is there to re-focus your devotion to the mother of all mothers—the Mother of God? Mary has the privilege of being the one who brought our Savior into the world through her efforts of pregnancy and child birth—and raising Jesus. Take some extra time in your studies to deepen your understanding of this great mystery.
For just this weekend we are offering a special discount on our Mariology collection. Take advantage of this deal before the weekend is over!
This collection includes a wide range of texts, from classics by St. Louis de Montfort and St. Alphonsus Ligouri to contemporary works by Scott Hahn and Edward Sri. Enjoy spiritual insights on the rosary, learn the theological significance of the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Birth, and the Assumption, and study the mystery behind the Theotokos—the Mother of God.
Was $139.99 Now $79.99
And Verbum has a booth at the World Meeting of Families! Please stop by our booth (# 1423) for special offers on English and Spanish products!
Not attending the World Meeting of Families? Don’t worry—we have special online deals for you, too!
Take advantage of these offers before they expire on September 30th!
Today’s guest post is by Brandon Rappuhn, a Logos copywriter.
Verbum makes it easy to compare texts and perform theological and ecclesiological studies across the history of the Church. Since today is the Feast of St. Augustine, let’s take a journey through the history of our faith by way of his writings. In this journey, I’m curious to see how the “sacrifice of praise” from our Mass is echoed throughout Augustinian ideas. Let’s stick with his City of God or we could easily be here all day.
Therefore, this short and simple and soul-saving expression of faith, ‘Put me, I beseech thee, to somewhat of thy priestly office, that I may eat a morsel of bread,’ is itself the ‘piece of silver,’ [read: praise] because it is brief and is the word of the Lord Himself dwelling in the believer’s heart. Earlier in the text He had said that He had given the house of Aaron food from the Old Testament victims: ‘I gave to thy father’s house for food of all the fiery sacrifices of the children of Israel’—that is, of the Jewish sacrifices. Accordingly, at this point, He said: ‘That I may eat a morsel of bread,’ for this is the sacrifice of Christians in the New Testament.
In the previous paragraphs, Augustine mentions that the order of Aaron has dissolved away and the order of Melchisedech has been perfected and translated into Christ’s priesthood, culminating in the consecration of himself as the Eucharist. In fact, his whole argument is to the fulfillment of the prophecy in 1 Kings 2:27-36 of the ending of the priesthood of Aaron while yet retaining a priesthood of an eternal order.
The Prophet’s concluding clause, ‘that I may eat a morsel of bread,’ (1 Kings 2:27-36) succinctly depicts the very species of the sacrifice in question, the same of which the Priest Himself said: ‘The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.’ (John 6:51) It is this sacrifice and no other. Let the reader understand, then, the sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech, not any sacrifice according to the order of Aaron.
Let’s be clear: the “morsel of bread” is indeed a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, but the sentiment, “Put me, I beseech thee, to … thy priestly office, that I may eat…” is the foreshadowing of our sacrifice of praise, our desire to commune with God and to join with him in his Paschal sacrifice. Did Augustine come up with this idea on his own? I wouldn’t think so. Origen echoed this sentiment barely a few centuries before Augustine.
Hear what Peter says about the faithful: You are ‘an elect race, royal, priestly, a holy nation, a chosen people.’ Therefore, you have a priesthood because you are ‘a priestly nation,’ and for this reason ‘you ought to offer an offering of praise to God,’ an offering of prayers, an offering of mercy, an offering of purity, an offering of justice, an offering of holiness. (Homilies on Leviticus 1-16, Hom. 9.1.3)
And well over a thousand years later, Vatican II brings it full-circle:
[The people] should be instructed by God’s word and be nourished at the table of the Lord’s body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all. (Sancrosanctum Concilium 48, emphasis mine)
This is why, in the Mass, sometimes referred to as the “sacrifice of praise,” the priest prays in the Eucharistic prayers, “Remember, Lord, your servants, N. and N., and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you. For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them…”
For a short time, you can get a library of St. Augustine’s writings on sale with coupon code AUGUSTINE14. This offer ends September 1, so don’t miss out!
Today’s guest post is by Robert Klesko, Verbum’s Catholic Educational Resources Product Manager
It is zeal for your house that has consumed me – Psalm 69:9
The above quote from the Psalmist seems especially appropriate to the life and ministry of St. Cyril, Pope of Alexandria (c. 376-444). He was zealous. Zealous for the authentic Christian faith. But zeal without a bridle can lead to failures. Cyril certainly made mistakes in regard to his dealings with the city’s Jewish population and Orestes, the Roman Governor in Alexandria. He was prone to be hotheaded and unflinching in what he viewed to be unjust persecution against his flock from rival religious and political authority. However, Cyril is not honored as a saint and doctor of the Church for his political savvy. In fact, I believe it was precisely these early failures which caused him to refocus his ministry on the Christological questions of his time.
Cyril of course is known for his dispute with Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. This dispute produced some of the most prodigious theology of the Patristic Age. His theology is available from Verbum as part of our special monthly sale. Our six-volume set of the Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria will introduce you to the zealous champion of the orthodox faith. Included in this collection are the Five Tomes against Nestorius, which set the groundwork for the Council of Ephesus (431AD) and Chalcedon (451AD). In Tome II, Cyril makes the following affirmation of the dual nature of the human and divine in Jesus:
Yet how is it not obvious to all that the Only-Begotten being God by Nature has been made man, not by connection simply […] considered as external or accidental, but by true union, ineffable and passing understanding. And thus He is conceived of as One and Only, and everything said befits Him and all will be said of One Person.
This statement, and others like it, heavily influenced the Church’s doctrine of hypostasis, the understanding that Christ is one person with two natures, human and divine. The “hypostatic union” articulated by St. Cyril would become one of the key doctrines of Christological and Trinitarian theology.
Beyond his Christological writings, this six-volume set will introduce you to St. Cyril as a Biblical scholar. Included are his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke and the companion two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John. Composed of sermons delivered by St. Cyril on themes in the Gospels, these commentaries offer a rich exposition of the Alexandrian school of theology. Anyone interested in Patristics or Biblical theology would benefit greatly by making these resources part of their Verbum library.
Verbum’s sale on the Works of St. Cyril of Alexandria is for a limited time, so don’t let this opportunity pass by. Studying Cyril’s theology will give you a clear understanding of the development of the Church’s doctrine on the divinity and humanity of Christ. What a great opportunity to look at Christ through the eyes of one who was among the first to grapple with the classic theological question, “What do you think of the Christ?” (Mt. 22:42). Let the study of St. Cyril’s work ignite the zeal for Christ in your own life. Order today and take advantage of the savings!
For just a little while, you can pre-order the Catholic University of America Studies in Early Christianity collection for 24% off!
The collection delves into the history of language, literature, social context, and patristic thought to bring you a rich overview of the ancient Church and its development over time.
These seven volumes give you brilliant original translations of key ancient texts, as well as dozens of critical essays on important historical documents like the Book of Steps, Liber Graduum,and more.
Discover the context and influence of Syriac texts in Christian thought. Examine how Christianity was spread by writers, readers, and translators in the second through seventh centuries. Analyze how the early Church Fathers dealt with ethical dilemmas, and apply their methods to twenty-first-century problems.
What makes this collection special is its brilliant historical scholarship. If you’re serious about exploring Church history, this collection is one you won’t want to pass up.
Deepen your understanding of history, language, patristics, and more. Pre-order the Catholic University of America Studies in Early Christianity collection for 24% off!
This is your last chance to lock in the very best price on the biggest, most important patristic resource we’ve ever offered: The Fathers of the Church Series.
All discounts totaled, you’ll get over 65% off the total print price of this landmark series when you pre-order it right now—but hurry! This huge discount will only last for two more days: it ships this Friday!
With the tools and functionality that Verbum provides, this collection is hands-down the most powerful patristic study tool available anywhere.
A few people have had questions regarding what’s included in this collection compared to our early Church Fathers Collection. Here are the facts:
What makes this collection so valuable isn’t just the sheer immensity of text (at less $.04 per page, the absolute best value anywhere): it’s the brilliant scholarship and translation that this series is renowned for in the English-speaking world. The English translations of both Greek and Latin texts are clear and easy to read, and the scholarship behind them is unsurpassed both in scope and in scale.
For anyone working in or studying patristics or early church history, this comprehensive exposition of the development of Christianity from its early years to post-Nicene maturity is invaluable.
And for those looking to study a particular patristic era, the Fathers of The Church series is broken into five different collections available for purchase on Pre-Pub:
But you save the most, by far, when you get the full 127-volume set.
Take advantage of this Pre-Pub opportunity while it lasts. Pre-order the Church Fathers Series today and gain a solid foundation for your study of the early church.
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Black Friday Sales on Verbum.com!
Verbum is having a Black Friday Sale from Black Friday to Cyber Monday!
Save up to 30% on our most popular collections for four days only, from November 28 through December 1!
Get the popular Navarre Bible New Testament Standard Edition, regularly $184.95, for $142.95.
But you can save even more—
Add any Verbum library, crossgrade, or upgrade to unlock bigger, exclusive discounts.
With any library, upgrade, or crossgrade, your price for this valuable scholarly resource is only $129.95!
For extensive savings on your favorite Catholic resources, be sure to take advantage of this four-day sale!
Sale items include:
Fathers of the Church Series (127 vols.)
Catholic Scripture Study International Studies (30 vols.)
Catholic Answers Collection (21 vols.)
Peter Kreeft Bundle (27 vols.)
Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (9 vols.)
…and more. See all deals here.