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Library of St. Francis de Sales #3
The Catholic Controversy: A Defense of the Faith
Between 1594 and 1598, a preacher named Francois converted 72,000 Protestants to the Catholic Faith. These are his words.
One of the most remarkable and well-documented events in Catholic history began when a young priest, St. Francis de Sales, volunteered to re-evangelize the Calvinists of the Chablais. Finding his preaching forcefully rejected, St. Francis de Sales shrewdly switched tactics and began a written apologetics campaign, posting pamphlets on walls and slipping them beneath doors under the cover of night. His defense of the Faith was so clear and thorough that at the end of four years nearly the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith! These powerful little tracts are as relevant today as they were in the late 1500s. St. Francis de Sales draws support from Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to address questions still frequently posed by modern Protestants. Revered as some of the most cogent arguments against Protestantism ever penned; they present a defense of the Catholic Faith that has never been equaled. Now with beautiful new cover, easier to read size, updated typesetting, and the original content. 320 pps PB St. Francis de Sales was one of the most effective Catholic apologists and evangelists of the past five centuries. Undoubtedly, he is the most effective apologist to Protestant Calvinists who has ever lived.
Steve Wood (Family Life Center International)
One of the most remarkable and well-documented events in Catholic history began when a young priest, St. Francis de Sales, volunteered to re-evangelize the Calvinists of the Chablais. Finding his preaching forcefully rejected, St. Francis de Sales shrewdly switched tactics and began a written apologetics campaign, posting pamphlets on walls and slipping them beneath doors under the cover of night. His defense of the Faith was so clear and thorough that at the end of four years nearly the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith! These powerful little tracts are as relevant today as they were in the late 1500s. St. Francis de Sales draws support from Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to address questions still frequently posed by modern Protestants. Revered as some of the most cogent arguments against Protestantism ever penned; they present a defense of the Catholic Faith that has never been equaled. Now with beautiful new cover, easier to read size, updated typesetting, and the original content. 320 pps PB St. Francis de Sales was one of the most effective Catholic apologists and evangelists of the past five centuries. Undoubtedly, he is the most effective apologist to Protestant Calvinists who has ever lived.
Steve Wood (Family Life Center International)
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1598
121 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Francis de Sales
725 books238 followersFrancis de Sales, C.O., T.O.M., A.O.F.M. Cap. (French: François de Sales; Italian: Francesco di Sales) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. His father sent him to a good school when he was young, and he received spiritual formation from the Jesuits. After a disturbing spiritual fear of being condemned, he eventually resolved his problem and decided to dedicate his life to God in 1587. He became a doctor of law at the age of 24 at the Jesuit College of Clermont, Paris, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Claude de Granier and stationed in Geneva in 1593. He became bishop of Geneva in 1602.
Francis de Sales is the author of various collections of sermons on Mary, Lent, prayer and Christmastide. He was known as a spiritually understanding man as well as a friend of the poor. Though known for his great intellect and theological wisdom, he spoke with simplicity and earnestness, so that all could understand. An Introduction to the Devout Life, his best-loved work, is based on notes he wrote for a cousin for marriage, stressing that sanctity is possible in everyday life. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VII in 1665. His feast is celebrated on January 24.
Francis de Sales is the author of various collections of sermons on Mary, Lent, prayer and Christmastide. He was known as a spiritually understanding man as well as a friend of the poor. Though known for his great intellect and theological wisdom, he spoke with simplicity and earnestness, so that all could understand. An Introduction to the Devout Life, his best-loved work, is based on notes he wrote for a cousin for marriage, stressing that sanctity is possible in everyday life. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VII in 1665. His feast is celebrated on January 24.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 15, 2013
This was not an easy read, though not on account of the text. Francis de Sales' work requires a certain philosophical mindset, but it is excellently written and addresses each topic specifically for the layman. Rather, this was difficult to read because in many places, it has opposed my own beliefs; even so, I will strive not to address matters of faith except insofar as they relate to this review.
Let me start with the negative points. This book is originally a collection of letters, with numerous author's notes, ideas, and self-editing appended. As such, it does not always flow naturally. Some of the chapters seem to follow from the last, while others seem arbitrary, and occasionally, the editor will include an author's note about wanting to add such-and-such a chapter where none is included. Also, the end of the book lacks any sense of finality; there is no summation, no conclusion. In the context of a series of letters, such a conclusion would make little sense, but in the context of an argumentative book, its absence leaves the reader wishing for closure.
The only other negative quibble I can pointedly offer is an editing issue: there are easily half a dozen typographical errors throughout the book. This may seem minor, but when addressing a matter as vital to the human person as religious faith, there is no room for mistakes, no allowance for deviation. A number of grammatical errors make it easy for the opponent to avoid the tough questions of the argument and attack the weakness of the arguer. Fallacious and ridiculous it may be, but still, it's important.
Now for my praise. The book is very well written. Its argumentation is succinct, effective, reasonable, and based in Scripture. One of the shortcomings of modern debates is the disagreement on qualifications for evidence; atheists demand materialism, Protestants deny tradition and praise emotional experience, and Catholics require objective reasoning... yet when atheists, Protestants, and Catholics disagree, atheists speak entirely in materialistic terms, Protestants speak entirely in spiritual terms, and Catholics speak entirely in terms of tradition. Under this model, no one accomplishes anything.
Francis, on the other hand, acknowledges the belief structure of his audience and meets them where they are; he is "all things to all men," so that he might save some (1 Corinthians 9). He knows that he is writing to Calvinists, so he takes the Calvinists' bases of faith: Scripture, tradition only up to a point, predestination, and so on. Using that structure, even so, he efficiently and powerfully argues in favor of the Roman Catholic Church. As someone who followed Calvinism for a time, I found that Francis' argumentation left Calvin without a leg to stand on.
There were a few specific moments that I found peculiarly prophetic, given that Francis was writing very early on during the Reformation. Here I sit now, looking back on five hundred years of Protestant history, and I find these expectations more apt than ever. In discussing the notion of valid interpretation of the Scriptures, Francis writes,
As a part-time academic, I found this especially apt. Academics, particularly in the realm of literary and philosophical study, are obsessed with novelty. New is always better - and if you can tie it into some modern philosophy, some notion of feminism or liberation theology or the emergent church, all the greater is your triumph. Day to day, the "accepted" understanding of Scripture or history or philosophy is morphed into something totally unrecognizable by its progenitors. Academia is subject to the whims of cultural phenomena, and by placing Scriptural interpretation within that realm, orthodoxy becomes moot and faith becomes relative. It not only will happen, it does happen; spend a few years in the religion department of nearly any university to see it in action.
Not long after, Francis writes on the subject of accepting the Councils' authority (or, more generally, the authority of any tradition),
Here, too, we see a realty now enacted. Even within the Roman Catholic Church, which struggles so particularly with divergent liturgies and lapses among the faithful - there are even religious orders which oppose the Papacy, the Councils, and God Himself. It is the cultural milieu to allow personal opinions to influence one's understanding of religious truths, as if one's opinions could never be skewed by the sin nature which runs rampant within us. And we see among Protestants this phenomenon especially; where once there were the followers of Luther, then there were the followers of Luther and of Calvin and of Zwingli and of King Henry VIII; where once there were only these, now there are hundreds, even thousands of denominations, from Lutherans to Presbyterians to American Baptists to Southern Baptists to United Methodists to "apostle" churches to mega-churches to Jehovah's Witnesses to Latter-Day Saints. It is the modus operandi to split from one's church when it diverges from your personal opinion, and - to summarize this mathematically - as time T approaches infinity, the ratio R of persons to denominations approaches one. Eventually, if this trend continues, there will be no churches, no denominations, no religions - only people with opinions.
I will expound on one final quote: When discussing the primacy and authority of the Papacy, Francis goes into great detail explaining the difference between infallibility in cathedra (literally "in the chair," i.e., the chair of Peter, referring to the belief that Peter was given authority to speak on issues of morality and faith) and infallibility extra cathedra (literally "outside the chair," an infallibility which no one claims the Pope possesses). During this discussion, he addresses an issue which I have found to plague the writings of Protestants and Catholics alike in the centuries since the divide: ad hominem attacks. Francis writes,
In absence of good argumentation, debaters fall immediately to this option: defame your opponent, and you delegitimize his argument. Catholics, too, are guilty of this (I recently wrote a review addressing this very issue in the writings of a modern Catholic apologist and motivational speaker). Instead of addressing their opponents where they are, with reasons they will understand (as Francis does so well in this book), they simply decry their opponents as foul men. It is tantamount to a child being presented with a cogent argument and replying, "Yeah, well, you're just a meanie!" (Except that Luther's tongue is far more wicked in its verbiage.)
I do not include these things to proselytize, but to expound upon this detail: Francis was a very successful apologist for the Roman Catholic Church in his day, in no small part because he (1) knew his opponents, (2) applied reason and reasonable extrapolation to their arguments, and (3) avoided the fallacies that have plagued argumentation since the beginning of time.
In short, this is an excellent book, and a must-read for anyone trying to understand Roman Catholics and where they stand.
Let me start with the negative points. This book is originally a collection of letters, with numerous author's notes, ideas, and self-editing appended. As such, it does not always flow naturally. Some of the chapters seem to follow from the last, while others seem arbitrary, and occasionally, the editor will include an author's note about wanting to add such-and-such a chapter where none is included. Also, the end of the book lacks any sense of finality; there is no summation, no conclusion. In the context of a series of letters, such a conclusion would make little sense, but in the context of an argumentative book, its absence leaves the reader wishing for closure.
The only other negative quibble I can pointedly offer is an editing issue: there are easily half a dozen typographical errors throughout the book. This may seem minor, but when addressing a matter as vital to the human person as religious faith, there is no room for mistakes, no allowance for deviation. A number of grammatical errors make it easy for the opponent to avoid the tough questions of the argument and attack the weakness of the arguer. Fallacious and ridiculous it may be, but still, it's important.
Now for my praise. The book is very well written. Its argumentation is succinct, effective, reasonable, and based in Scripture. One of the shortcomings of modern debates is the disagreement on qualifications for evidence; atheists demand materialism, Protestants deny tradition and praise emotional experience, and Catholics require objective reasoning... yet when atheists, Protestants, and Catholics disagree, atheists speak entirely in materialistic terms, Protestants speak entirely in spiritual terms, and Catholics speak entirely in terms of tradition. Under this model, no one accomplishes anything.
Francis, on the other hand, acknowledges the belief structure of his audience and meets them where they are; he is "all things to all men," so that he might save some (1 Corinthians 9). He knows that he is writing to Calvinists, so he takes the Calvinists' bases of faith: Scripture, tradition only up to a point, predestination, and so on. Using that structure, even so, he efficiently and powerfully argues in favor of the Roman Catholic Church. As someone who followed Calvinism for a time, I found that Francis' argumentation left Calvin without a leg to stand on.
There were a few specific moments that I found peculiarly prophetic, given that Francis was writing very early on during the Reformation. Here I sit now, looking back on five hundred years of Protestant history, and I find these expectations more apt than ever. In discussing the notion of valid interpretation of the Scriptures, Francis writes,
"Who knows not how many passages the Arian brought forward? What was there to be said against him except that he understood them wrongly? But he is quite right to believe that it is you who interpret wrongly, not he, you that are mistaken, not he; that his appeal to the analogy of the Faith is more sound than yours, so long as they are but private individuals who oppose his novelties. Yes, if one deprive the Councils of supreme authority in decision and declarations necessary for the understanding of the Holy Word, this Holy Word will be as much profaned as texts of Aristotle, and our articles of religion will be subject to never-ending revision, and from being safe and steady Christians we shall become wretched academics." (pp164-65)
As a part-time academic, I found this especially apt. Academics, particularly in the realm of literary and philosophical study, are obsessed with novelty. New is always better - and if you can tie it into some modern philosophy, some notion of feminism or liberation theology or the emergent church, all the greater is your triumph. Day to day, the "accepted" understanding of Scripture or history or philosophy is morphed into something totally unrecognizable by its progenitors. Academia is subject to the whims of cultural phenomena, and by placing Scriptural interpretation within that realm, orthodoxy becomes moot and faith becomes relative. It not only will happen, it does happen; spend a few years in the religion department of nearly any university to see it in action.
Not long after, Francis writes on the subject of accepting the Councils' authority (or, more generally, the authority of any tradition),
"We are not hesitating as to whether we should receive a doctrine at haphazard or should test it by the application of God's Word. But what we say is that when a Council has applied this test, our brains have not now to revise but to believe. Once let the canons of Councils be submitted to the test of private individuals, as many persons, so many tastes, so many opinions." (p167)
Here, too, we see a realty now enacted. Even within the Roman Catholic Church, which struggles so particularly with divergent liturgies and lapses among the faithful - there are even religious orders which oppose the Papacy, the Councils, and God Himself. It is the cultural milieu to allow personal opinions to influence one's understanding of religious truths, as if one's opinions could never be skewed by the sin nature which runs rampant within us. And we see among Protestants this phenomenon especially; where once there were the followers of Luther, then there were the followers of Luther and of Calvin and of Zwingli and of King Henry VIII; where once there were only these, now there are hundreds, even thousands of denominations, from Lutherans to Presbyterians to American Baptists to Southern Baptists to United Methodists to "apostle" churches to mega-churches to Jehovah's Witnesses to Latter-Day Saints. It is the modus operandi to split from one's church when it diverges from your personal opinion, and - to summarize this mathematically - as time T approaches infinity, the ratio R of persons to denominations approaches one. Eventually, if this trend continues, there will be no churches, no denominations, no religions - only people with opinions.
I will expound on one final quote: When discussing the primacy and authority of the Papacy, Francis goes into great detail explaining the difference between infallibility in cathedra (literally "in the chair," i.e., the chair of Peter, referring to the belief that Peter was given authority to speak on issues of morality and faith) and infallibility extra cathedra (literally "outside the chair," an infallibility which no one claims the Pope possesses). During this discussion, he addresses an issue which I have found to plague the writings of Protestants and Catholics alike in the centuries since the divide: ad hominem attacks. Francis writes,
"You read the writings of Calvin, of Zwingle [sic], of Luther. Take out of these, I beg you, the railings, calumnies, insults, detraction, ridicule, and buffoonery which they contain against the Pope and the Holy See of Rome, and you will find that nothing will remain. You listen to your ministers; impose silence upon them as regards railings, detraction, calumnies against the Holy See and you will have your sermons half their length. They utter a thousand calumnies on this point; this is the general rendezvous of all your ministers." (p229)
In absence of good argumentation, debaters fall immediately to this option: defame your opponent, and you delegitimize his argument. Catholics, too, are guilty of this (I recently wrote a review addressing this very issue in the writings of a modern Catholic apologist and motivational speaker). Instead of addressing their opponents where they are, with reasons they will understand (as Francis does so well in this book), they simply decry their opponents as foul men. It is tantamount to a child being presented with a cogent argument and replying, "Yeah, well, you're just a meanie!" (Except that Luther's tongue is far more wicked in its verbiage.)
I do not include these things to proselytize, but to expound upon this detail: Francis was a very successful apologist for the Roman Catholic Church in his day, in no small part because he (1) knew his opponents, (2) applied reason and reasonable extrapolation to their arguments, and (3) avoided the fallacies that have plagued argumentation since the beginning of time.
In short, this is an excellent book, and a must-read for anyone trying to understand Roman Catholics and where they stand.
December 19, 2019
9/10
A book which is a compilation of good-to-excellent articles on everything from Tradition and church authority, church history, ecclesiology, the place of the pope and ecumenical councils, religious epistemology, the biblical canon, biblical hermeneutics and interpretation, to miracles and salvation. Touching on most of these subjects, S Francis gives a precise overview, targeting specifically Reformed objections (which have remained largely constant for today's conservative Reformed) to the doctrines believed and methods historically used by and in the RCC.
However, St Francis engages in an attempted defense of libarbitrist nonsense beginning in Article 8, Chapter 1 (and thankfully not continuing much beyond that) using standard semi-Pelagian arguments such as 'humans must be able to obey that which is commanded or God is unjust in commanding it', 'if you don't have libertarian free will you're not responsible morally', 'God is not God if he controls everything, including evil' (obviously, nor is he an omnipotent God if he doesn't), and similar double binds - in the process jettisoning the Thomistic, Dominican Tradition of anthropology and soteriology.
I suspect these positions are assayed as an overreaction against the (in this aspect, true) Augustinian, predestinarian, determinist retrieval of Luther and Calvin. Such is also taught by St Thomas Aquinas in his Summa theologiae, and his quaestiones on salvation teach single predestinationism, and others logically entail outright determinism with compatible will (that is, the latter follow logically from the former; the answers in the ST are necessary and sufficient premises from which to draw those conclusions).
A book which is a compilation of good-to-excellent articles on everything from Tradition and church authority, church history, ecclesiology, the place of the pope and ecumenical councils, religious epistemology, the biblical canon, biblical hermeneutics and interpretation, to miracles and salvation. Touching on most of these subjects, S Francis gives a precise overview, targeting specifically Reformed objections (which have remained largely constant for today's conservative Reformed) to the doctrines believed and methods historically used by and in the RCC.
However, St Francis engages in an attempted defense of libarbitrist nonsense beginning in Article 8, Chapter 1 (and thankfully not continuing much beyond that) using standard semi-Pelagian arguments such as 'humans must be able to obey that which is commanded or God is unjust in commanding it', 'if you don't have libertarian free will you're not responsible morally', 'God is not God if he controls everything, including evil' (obviously, nor is he an omnipotent God if he doesn't), and similar double binds - in the process jettisoning the Thomistic, Dominican Tradition of anthropology and soteriology.
I suspect these positions are assayed as an overreaction against the (in this aspect, true) Augustinian, predestinarian, determinist retrieval of Luther and Calvin. Such is also taught by St Thomas Aquinas in his Summa theologiae, and his quaestiones on salvation teach single predestinationism, and others logically entail outright determinism with compatible will (that is, the latter follow logically from the former; the answers in the ST are necessary and sufficient premises from which to draw those conclusions).
January 29, 2022
I just finished "The Catholic Controversy" by St. Francis de Sales. This is a collection of the tracts he wrote in a time period not long after he was ordained.
He takes some interesting approaches in addressing the fact that the "reformers" were not sent and had no authority. The lack of miracles regarding their authority and disagreed substantially among each other. At one point he compares this to the Tower of Babel.
> "On the contrary, gentlemen, your first ministers had no sooner got on their feet, they had no sooner begun to build a tower of doctrine and science which was visibly to reach the heavens, and to acquire them the great and magnificent reputation of reformers, than God, wishing to traverse this ambitious design, permitted among them such a diversity of language and belief, that they began to contradict one another so violently that all their undertaking became a miserable Babel and confusion."
He goes to the root of the various problems, the concept of the invisible church, and where they outright denied doctrine. He uses scripture masterly and has such a command of the faith.
Frankly, if I did not know the author ahead of time I would have been surprised to find the answer. You can really tell this is the writings of a young man as he is so much more adversarial than in later years. For the time, in comparison, rather tame compared to Luther or St. Thomas More.
>"But I detain you too long on a subject which does not require great examination. You read the writings of Calvin, of Zwingle, of Luther. Take out of these, I beg you, the railings, calumnies, insults, detraction, ridicule and buffoonery which they contain against the Pope and the Holy See of Rome, and you will find that nothing will remain."
Russell Shaw says of this book in the introduction.
"He can, and does, write with strenuous indignation about those he blames for fracturing Christendom and leading souls away from the true Church. But by the standards of the time, even his polemics are gentle—an exercise in wit and the rhetoric of argumentation rather than a violent verbal assault on his adversaries."
His tracts though were extremely effective in bringing people back to the faith.
He takes some interesting approaches in addressing the fact that the "reformers" were not sent and had no authority. The lack of miracles regarding their authority and disagreed substantially among each other. At one point he compares this to the Tower of Babel.
> "On the contrary, gentlemen, your first ministers had no sooner got on their feet, they had no sooner begun to build a tower of doctrine and science which was visibly to reach the heavens, and to acquire them the great and magnificent reputation of reformers, than God, wishing to traverse this ambitious design, permitted among them such a diversity of language and belief, that they began to contradict one another so violently that all their undertaking became a miserable Babel and confusion."
He goes to the root of the various problems, the concept of the invisible church, and where they outright denied doctrine. He uses scripture masterly and has such a command of the faith.
Frankly, if I did not know the author ahead of time I would have been surprised to find the answer. You can really tell this is the writings of a young man as he is so much more adversarial than in later years. For the time, in comparison, rather tame compared to Luther or St. Thomas More.
>"But I detain you too long on a subject which does not require great examination. You read the writings of Calvin, of Zwingle, of Luther. Take out of these, I beg you, the railings, calumnies, insults, detraction, ridicule and buffoonery which they contain against the Pope and the Holy See of Rome, and you will find that nothing will remain."
Russell Shaw says of this book in the introduction.
"He can, and does, write with strenuous indignation about those he blames for fracturing Christendom and leading souls away from the true Church. But by the standards of the time, even his polemics are gentle—an exercise in wit and the rhetoric of argumentation rather than a violent verbal assault on his adversaries."
His tracts though were extremely effective in bringing people back to the faith.
April 12, 2011
not death to heretics---conversion!!! protestant are wrong in everything---see it for yourself, they have no defence, but to go back to mama Church
February 16, 2012
This book definitely makes you think.
April 11, 2025
De Sales' "Catholic Controversy" earns 2 stars - clear and well-organized, yet biblically unsound. His portrayal of the Pope as "Vicar of Christ" directly contradicts Ephesians 5:23, which names Christ alone as head of the church with no intermediary. Rome's interpretation of Matthew 16:18-19 requires such theological gymnastics that even Catholic theologian Newman admitted the papacy developed later like an "acorn," not established in Scripture.
On the Eucharist, de Sales strawmans Protestant beliefs, attacking only the most symbolic interpretations while ignoring that most Protestants do believe in some form of real presence, just not transubstantiation.
The problem with papal authority is evident in history - the posthumous trial of Pope Formosus exposes these were fallible men entangled in politics, not divine voices. Peter himself claimed no supremacy, calling himself merely a "fellow elder" (1 Peter 5:1-3) and warning against lording authority over others.
Those convinced by de Sales typically lack knowledge of biblical counterarguments or church history, or are drawn to tradition's comfort rather than biblical accuracy. While his presentation is admirable, his case fails biblical scrutiny. Scripture alone reveals Christ's Church with Christ as its only head - earning this book 2 stars.
Read
August 9, 2011A classic.
June 6, 2013
Brilliant critique of Protestantism, many parts of which remain unanswered (and, frankly, unanswerable).
August 16, 2018
Quite possibly the greatest work of Catholic apologetics ever written.
February 17, 2019
I always find it hard to rate/review books arguing for things I disagree with because I don't want to review them negatively just because I disagree with them (I prefer to review based on the quality of their arguments), but it's hard to be unbiased when rating their arguments since I think they're flawed. Hence why I don't hold that position. :P
Taken as a whole, De Sales gives a bunch of arguments for Catholicism, some of which are quite reasonable, some of which are quite unreasonable. The thing I most disliked about his arguments was the lengths he went to in discrediting the value of the Scriptures in order to argue for the necessity of tradition. There are ways to argue for Catholicism that don't discredit the value of the Word, but De Sales often ended up attacking Scripture anyways for this purpose. (He would argue that he isn't attacking Scripture in what he says... but that's what he's doing, functionally.)
I initially read this book since a friend considering Catholicism was also reading it and I wanted to dialogue with him more on that. As a result, I ended up writing a point-by-point rebuttal to De Sales that I'm linking to here for those who want to see my complete thoughts on De Sales' arguments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F...
Overall, I'm glad I read this book since it gave me a useful understanding of Catholic apologetics. I don't quite see how this book managed to convert 70,000-some Protestants at the time since the arguments really aren't that good. But he does make some decent points, despite my disagreement with him.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Okay).
Taken as a whole, De Sales gives a bunch of arguments for Catholicism, some of which are quite reasonable, some of which are quite unreasonable. The thing I most disliked about his arguments was the lengths he went to in discrediting the value of the Scriptures in order to argue for the necessity of tradition. There are ways to argue for Catholicism that don't discredit the value of the Word, but De Sales often ended up attacking Scripture anyways for this purpose. (He would argue that he isn't attacking Scripture in what he says... but that's what he's doing, functionally.)
I initially read this book since a friend considering Catholicism was also reading it and I wanted to dialogue with him more on that. As a result, I ended up writing a point-by-point rebuttal to De Sales that I'm linking to here for those who want to see my complete thoughts on De Sales' arguments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F...
Overall, I'm glad I read this book since it gave me a useful understanding of Catholic apologetics. I don't quite see how this book managed to convert 70,000-some Protestants at the time since the arguments really aren't that good. But he does make some decent points, despite my disagreement with him.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Okay).
August 21, 2024
This book is a collection of St Francis de Sales' arguments he made in the late 16th century of the truths of the Catholic faith against Calvinism. Through these arguments - and of course the Holy Spirit - 72,000 Calvinists in eastern France returned to the faith over the course of 4 years.
The arguments and proofs are the same now as they were then. His apologetic style was direct and without compromise - nowadays it might be termed "non-PC." Regardless, it worked, and his rhetorical style did not seem to impede his being declared a Saint and Doctor of the Church.
I especially liked the last section of the book, on the reality of Purgatory. He mentioned quite a few scriptural proofs that I hadn't known before.
The arguments and proofs are the same now as they were then. His apologetic style was direct and without compromise - nowadays it might be termed "non-PC." Regardless, it worked, and his rhetorical style did not seem to impede his being declared a Saint and Doctor of the Church.
I especially liked the last section of the book, on the reality of Purgatory. He mentioned quite a few scriptural proofs that I hadn't known before.
March 20, 2022
This was an amazing defense of Catholicism by St. Francis de Sales. It was originally written as pamphlets and later compiled into one book. Through these pamphlets and St. Francis de Sales' preaching, he converted over 70,000 Calvinists back to Catholicism.
The brief biography of Francis de Sales added to this edition is worth reading alone. In the actual writings, I have never read such a complete defense of the Catholic faith. St. Francis was able to quote the Fathers and Church councils at length while only having three books in his possession at the time. While he could not go in-depth on every topic because entire books could be written on one aspect of the faith alone, he discusses almost every aspect of the Faith.
The brief biography of Francis de Sales added to this edition is worth reading alone. In the actual writings, I have never read such a complete defense of the Catholic faith. St. Francis was able to quote the Fathers and Church councils at length while only having three books in his possession at the time. While he could not go in-depth on every topic because entire books could be written on one aspect of the faith alone, he discusses almost every aspect of the Faith.
July 24, 2017
A must read for anyone interested in Catholic apologetics.
Read
October 5, 2012nice book
January 1, 2025
I am a new convert to Catholicism, and have thus explored many arguments for and against the Faith. St. Francis De Sales clearly makes an excellent case for the faith by individually addressing various errors and objections of the Protestants of his day, whilst also showcasing the Catholic faith. I am sure other reviews on this app and beyond have sufficiently sung his praises, so I will simply highlight what I found most interesting or compelling in the various sections.
Part I: Mission
Here, St. Francis touches on the subjects of succession, ordination, and the nature of the Church. I had found previously that many Catholic apologists would make very rigid cases for the necessity of Apostolic succession and the visible Church, describing it as merely a corporate authority structure. I can see how this comes across as legalistic to many, potentially repelling them from the Church. St. Francis resolves this misconception in light of Scripture and the mystical Body of Christ.
A central claim of the Reformers was to a private, special mission from God that fell outside the ordination of the Church militant. Addressing this, St. Francis uses Scripture to show that even in cases of extraordinary mission, such as those made to Samuel and St. Paul, both humbly still pursue proper ordination. This appeal to Scripture properly addresses the schism caused by completely rejecting legitimate ordination and succession.
Regarding the visibility of the Church, St. Francis distinguishes between the visible structure of the Church militant, with the clergy and laity housing both sinners and Saints, and the Church triumphant who run the race and are united in the mystical body of Christ. This reconciles the mystery of the Church with its apparent perspicuity found in Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
I would highly recommend this section, as Catholics and Protestants differ vastly in their conceptions of the Church in her nature. I find it both explains the Catholic position well, and handily rebuts the Lutheran claims of an invisible Church, and the Calvinist claims of a wholly corrupted one.
Part II: The Rule of Faith
St. Francis offers a solid case for the perspicuity and universality of the Church, along with the sacramental nature of the faith. However, I actually found his historical claims and Scriptural exegesis regarding the primacy of St. Peter and the Bishop of Rome most impactful. His history of Peter’s pontificate was fascinating and unbeknownst to me. Equally surprising were the patristic and ancient titles granted to the Bishop of Rome, detailed very nicely on pg. 213 onward. Pages 198-199 look exclusively at St. Peter in Scripture, providing details I had never before noticed. Symbolic elements, such as Peter being the first Apostle to raise the dead, refute heresy, administer justice against liars in the case of Ananias and Saphira, and many others, were very interesting as well. If you decide to skim the book, make sure to read these sections.
Part III: Church Doctrines and Institutions
This section mainly argues for seven sacraments, and the orthodox belief in purgatory. Again, I was surprised by the patristic evidence for purgatory found in very early commentaries on Scripture from Saints the likes of Jerome and Augustine.
The most compelling part of this section, and perhaps of the whole collection, is St. Francis’ breakdown of the Nicene Creed. Pages 237 onward go line-by-line through the Nicene Creed, displaying the fullness of truth found in each statement. Francis does this quite beautifully. He shows the perfection found in orthodox Christianity that comes through the traditional understanding of the faith. He shows that, while Protestant communities nominally submit to the Creed, the Reformed context unfortunately alters how each assertion is understood, largely altering the faith.
Overall, reading this gave me valuable insight into the age-old arguments for Catholicism. It really showcases the insanity of Zwingli and many of the Lutheran claims, contrasting them with the purity of the ancient Faith. Francis’ case for the faith is simply more compelling than Luther’s, and is construed with much greater eloquence and charity. This is definitely a must-read for any new or inquiring Catholics.
Part I: Mission
Here, St. Francis touches on the subjects of succession, ordination, and the nature of the Church. I had found previously that many Catholic apologists would make very rigid cases for the necessity of Apostolic succession and the visible Church, describing it as merely a corporate authority structure. I can see how this comes across as legalistic to many, potentially repelling them from the Church. St. Francis resolves this misconception in light of Scripture and the mystical Body of Christ.
A central claim of the Reformers was to a private, special mission from God that fell outside the ordination of the Church militant. Addressing this, St. Francis uses Scripture to show that even in cases of extraordinary mission, such as those made to Samuel and St. Paul, both humbly still pursue proper ordination. This appeal to Scripture properly addresses the schism caused by completely rejecting legitimate ordination and succession.
Regarding the visibility of the Church, St. Francis distinguishes between the visible structure of the Church militant, with the clergy and laity housing both sinners and Saints, and the Church triumphant who run the race and are united in the mystical body of Christ. This reconciles the mystery of the Church with its apparent perspicuity found in Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
I would highly recommend this section, as Catholics and Protestants differ vastly in their conceptions of the Church in her nature. I find it both explains the Catholic position well, and handily rebuts the Lutheran claims of an invisible Church, and the Calvinist claims of a wholly corrupted one.
Part II: The Rule of Faith
St. Francis offers a solid case for the perspicuity and universality of the Church, along with the sacramental nature of the faith. However, I actually found his historical claims and Scriptural exegesis regarding the primacy of St. Peter and the Bishop of Rome most impactful. His history of Peter’s pontificate was fascinating and unbeknownst to me. Equally surprising were the patristic and ancient titles granted to the Bishop of Rome, detailed very nicely on pg. 213 onward. Pages 198-199 look exclusively at St. Peter in Scripture, providing details I had never before noticed. Symbolic elements, such as Peter being the first Apostle to raise the dead, refute heresy, administer justice against liars in the case of Ananias and Saphira, and many others, were very interesting as well. If you decide to skim the book, make sure to read these sections.
Part III: Church Doctrines and Institutions
This section mainly argues for seven sacraments, and the orthodox belief in purgatory. Again, I was surprised by the patristic evidence for purgatory found in very early commentaries on Scripture from Saints the likes of Jerome and Augustine.
The most compelling part of this section, and perhaps of the whole collection, is St. Francis’ breakdown of the Nicene Creed. Pages 237 onward go line-by-line through the Nicene Creed, displaying the fullness of truth found in each statement. Francis does this quite beautifully. He shows the perfection found in orthodox Christianity that comes through the traditional understanding of the faith. He shows that, while Protestant communities nominally submit to the Creed, the Reformed context unfortunately alters how each assertion is understood, largely altering the faith.
Overall, reading this gave me valuable insight into the age-old arguments for Catholicism. It really showcases the insanity of Zwingli and many of the Lutheran claims, contrasting them with the purity of the ancient Faith. Francis’ case for the faith is simply more compelling than Luther’s, and is construed with much greater eloquence and charity. This is definitely a must-read for any new or inquiring Catholics.
March 20, 2017
As a young priest, St. Francis de Sales, the son of a noble French family, was sent to the south of France and Switzerland, to the Chablais, an area that was dominated at the time by Calvinists. A visiting Catholic priest in such a place would not be well received, and to the chagrin of St. Francis, the local Calvinist ministers forbade their congregations to listen or converse with St. Francis or any other Catholic missionaries. So St. Francis had to resort to "plan B", which was to set his arguments for Catholic teaching to writing. But St. Francis's misfortune was our benefit, since now we have these wonderful writings available to us in the 21st Century!
St. Francis de Sales is the writer of such excellent works as "The Introduction to the Devout Life" and the "Treatise on Divine Love", and he applied his excellent thought to the defense of the Catholic faith in "The Catholic Controversy". St. Francis reduced his defense to three key areas. First, he addressed the issue of "what is the true Church?" The Calvinists taught, as many Protestants still teach today, that the Catholic Church became apostate at some point in its history, the most often cited period being the age of the emperor Constantine. St. Francis explains that this teaching is not only insulting to Catholics, but to God Himself, who supposedly broke his promise to his Church when he promised that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age. In part II of this work, St. Francis goes addresses the eight articles of faith that the Calvinist teachers violate in their attacks on the Catholic Church. Finally, in part III, St. Francis defends Catholic teachings and institutions like Purgatory and the Papacy.
The objections that St. Francis addresses in this work were not exclusive to the 16th Century. Even today we hear these same objections made against the truth of the Catholic faith. And even though St. Francis decisively defeated these arguments 500 years ago, we still see Catholics leaving the faith because they can't answer these objectives. It is my firm belief that St. Francis de Sales is one of the most effective Doctors of the Church, and a serious study of his writings can bring tremendous revival to the Church. If Catholic laymen, priests and religious were to study "The Catholic Controversy", they could virtually end the exodus of Catholics to Protestant Churches that prey on them. It bewilders me why more Catholics don't read and study St. Francis de Sales.
I would highly recommend "The Catholic Controversy" to all Catholics, but especially for priests and religious!
St. Francis de Sales is the writer of such excellent works as "The Introduction to the Devout Life" and the "Treatise on Divine Love", and he applied his excellent thought to the defense of the Catholic faith in "The Catholic Controversy". St. Francis reduced his defense to three key areas. First, he addressed the issue of "what is the true Church?" The Calvinists taught, as many Protestants still teach today, that the Catholic Church became apostate at some point in its history, the most often cited period being the age of the emperor Constantine. St. Francis explains that this teaching is not only insulting to Catholics, but to God Himself, who supposedly broke his promise to his Church when he promised that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age. In part II of this work, St. Francis goes addresses the eight articles of faith that the Calvinist teachers violate in their attacks on the Catholic Church. Finally, in part III, St. Francis defends Catholic teachings and institutions like Purgatory and the Papacy.
The objections that St. Francis addresses in this work were not exclusive to the 16th Century. Even today we hear these same objections made against the truth of the Catholic faith. And even though St. Francis decisively defeated these arguments 500 years ago, we still see Catholics leaving the faith because they can't answer these objectives. It is my firm belief that St. Francis de Sales is one of the most effective Doctors of the Church, and a serious study of his writings can bring tremendous revival to the Church. If Catholic laymen, priests and religious were to study "The Catholic Controversy", they could virtually end the exodus of Catholics to Protestant Churches that prey on them. It bewilders me why more Catholics don't read and study St. Francis de Sales.
I would highly recommend "The Catholic Controversy" to all Catholics, but especially for priests and religious!
September 30, 2023
In a word, what has the Church more grand, more certain, more solid, for the overthrow of heresy, than the judgment of general councils? The Scripture, Beza will say. But I have already shown that "heresy is of the understanding not of the Scripture, the fault lies in the meaning, not in the words." Who knows not how many passages Arian brought forward? What was there to be said against him except that he understood them wrongly? But he is quite right to believe that it is you who interpret wrongly, not he, you that are mistaken, no he; that his appeal to the analogy of Faith is more sound that yours, so long as they are but private individuals who oppose his novelties. Yes, if one deprive the Councils of supreme authority in decision and declarations necessary for the understanding of the Holy Word, this Holy Word will be as much profaned as texts of Aristotle, and our articles of religion will be subject to never-ending revision, and from being safe and steady Christians we shall become wretched academics. - St. Francis de Sales
June 30, 2023
In this work St. Francis De Sales puts his eloquence and intelligence on full display as he uses historical, logical, and scriptural arguments for the Truth of the Catholic faith and against Protestant objections. It's pretty crazy to see how such well grounded answers to Protestant objections to Catholicism have existed since the century of the Reformation and yet it seems so few Catholics are aware of them. This books is a must read for Catholics who are looking to strengthen their knowledge of the faith and be informed enough to intelligently discuss their theological differences with Protestants.
February 4, 2020
If you have questions about Catholic faith and need to find prompt answers, this book is certainly for you. St Francis de Sales gave sound and cogent arguments, defending Catholic Church and its teachings with proofs of Scriptures. His explanation about Purgatory is the most convincing argument I’ve ever seen. I will definitely read it again and again to drill his arguments in my memory for further debates with others. Highly recommended!
November 11, 2018
A book that covers many of the standard Roman Catholic apologetical points against Protestantism. Not as rigorous as it could have been, but a good gateway source for looking into the various issues under contention.
March 17, 2023
Excellent!
Saint Francis DeSales defends the Catholic faith from contemporaries who split from the church during the 16th century. His explanations are well thought out and very succinctly presented highly recommended!
Saint Francis DeSales defends the Catholic faith from contemporaries who split from the church during the 16th century. His explanations are well thought out and very succinctly presented highly recommended!
September 7, 2024
S. Francis De Sales is a beast and a master at appealing to what each person needs to hear. To the Calvinists, he appeals to God’s sovereignty and to the Lutherans, he shows the errors by Scripture. Masterclass in apologetics.
October 7, 2024
Really enjoyed reading the words of a priest who was experiencing the effects of the reformation first hand. I am Anglican but it clarified a lot of the thoughts I too had about the chaos the reformation caused.
February 1, 2025
It is a useful condensation of both some of the Catholic views in contrast with the 16th century Protestant ones (in particular, but not exclusively, Calvinists), as well as of the main problems of Protestantism itself, all in the usual personable language of St. Francis de Sales.
June 18, 2021
St Francis de Sales is erudite thorough and very kind with his opponents, although his frustration showed through. This book was very enlightening and amazing in its scope and depth.
July 25, 2024
My patron saint because of this book. This book was instrumental in my conversion.
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