By Ronald Knox

The Church is directly of divine institution.… It is directly God’s handiwork—no less directly than this visible Creation in which we find ourselves. (Ronald Knox)

The Nicene Creed professes God as the maker of all things, “visible and invisible.” Of all God’s handiworks, the Catholic Church is the one which lays claim to both traits. Invisibly, it is the Mystical Body of Christ; visibly, it is the earthly kingdom of God. The Church is a singular organization: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, seen in heaven as the totality of mankind redeemed, seen on earth as an organization which struggles and suffers, has enemies and (in its members) faults. Contemplating this mystery, Monsignor Ronald Knox offers a clear and convincing restatement of theological formulations on the Church. Admirably blending knowledge and understanding, Knox blunts the force of objections (Protestant and otherwise) to the Church with sharp and precise articulations of her nature, her four marks, and her authority to teach, bless, and bind, received from Christ himself. 

First published in 1929 as part of the expansive Treasury of the Faith series (other contributors to which included Alban Goodier, M. C. D’Arcy, and An­scar Vonier), The Church on Earth is an original pre­sentation of the nature and power of the Church, treated in the traditional framework with Knox’s typical freshness and clarity of expression.

Ronald Knox (1888–1957) was an English Catholic priest, theologian, and author, and one of the most prominent twentieth-century converts from Anglicanism to Cath­olicism. Best known for his contemporary English translation of the Scriptures (the “Knox Bible”), he wrote numerous works of apologetics and collections of ser­mons, retreat conferences, and lectures, as well as six detective novels. 

Paperback: 120pp.

ISBN: 978-1685955021