By Heinrich A. Rommen | Introduction by Bruce P. Frohnen, Ph.D.

The family. The Church. The economy. The environment. Freedom, education, and poverty. What is the role of the state in promoting human flourishing in light of unprecedented challenges to the very fabric of society? The State in Catholic Thought (recommended by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J., in Another Sort of Learning) is an an immense and masterful survey of the development of the Church’s teaching on the relationships between the nation-state and individuals, families, and local and international communities. Rommen examines the state as a “moral organism” and its purpose in light of the natural law. 

In this tour de force of the contributions of Augustine, Aquinas, Suarez, Bellarmine, and popes through the ages, Rommen foreshadows the encyclicals of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI and brings the light of Catholic thought to bear on today’s most pressing issues. Professor Bruce Frohnen’s Introduction sets Rommen and his work in political and intellectual context, brilliantly encapsulating Rommen’s analysis and the importance of his magnum opus in assisting readers to find the means of renewing a more just political and social order.

Dr. Rommen’s book states without ambiguity the inflexible principles that the Catholic Church has maintained throughout the ages by means of a most flexible policy. (Leo Strauss)

Heinrich A. Rommen (1897–1967) was among the most important Catholic intellectuals to emigrate from Germany to the United States in order to escape the Nazis. He taught at several Catholic colleges before joining the faculty at Georgetown University in 1953. In 1962, Georgetown named him Distinguished Professor. His best known work is The Natural Law.

Bruce P. Frohnen is the author of three books, including (with George W. Carey) Constitutional Morality and the Rise of Quasi-Law. He has edited numerous volumes and published over one hundred articles and essays in journals including the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the American Journal of Jurisprudence. He currently serves as Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University College of Law.

Paperback: 770pp.