Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary : Latin Expressions Commonly Found in Theological Writings (Reference Works)

Rating:
Summary: Pre-Vatican II phrases with post-Vatican II explanation
Review: Although the many phrases in the book are translated well, I find that some of the explanations are a bit too conciliaratory and modern. If the author would have cut down on the explanations and cross-references and added more phrases, it would have been a much better book.

Rating:
Summary: Little Book Does What It Was Designed to Do
Review: Bretzke's Consecrated Phrases may not be comprehensive or exhaustive, but it gets the job done. What I like about this work is that it contains a number of Latin theological phrases that are then succinctly defined in a clear and relatively precise manner. The work is 140+pp. in length including the bibliography. I think the author has done his homework here, but don't buy it if you want depth and exhaustiveness. Some examples of phrases defined are as follows:

Deus semper maior-"God is always greater" (than human attempts at understanding).

Lex valet ut in pluribus-"The law holds in most cases."

Summa Theologiae-"Sum of theology."

I also like the way that Bretzke provides a historical context to a number of the definitions. That is very helpful to those of us who are not Catholics.