In Soft Garments: Classic Catholic Apologetics

by Ronald Knox

In Soft Garments: Classic Catholic Apologetics, by Msgr. Ronald A. Knox. When the Holy See gave general permission for Catholics to study again at Oxford and Cambridge, the stipulation was made that lectures be offered to provide support for their faith, as Catholics would be a minority in a rather hostile atmosphere. In the days when C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien trod the greens of Oxford, those lectures were provided by the wise and witty Msgr. Ronald Knox, himself a convert to the Catholic Church. Erudite and profound, Monsignor Knox not only helped keep the Catholic students aflame with faith, but also led many lapsed Catholics and non-Catholics into the Church. His writings continue to provide inspiration and instruction to all those confronting questions of life and faith. Some of the best talks by Knox are gathered in this volume. "If God Exists," "The Unholiness of the Church," and "Unselfishness in Marriage" are but a few of the topics he deftly discussed in a manner as entertaining and pertinent now as when they were first given at Oxford in the 1920s and 1930s. "In what Msgr. Knox calls the ‘4 a.m.’ mood, a sense of futility creeps in, a suspicion that the Christian system does not really hang together, that there are flaws in the logic . . . that there are too many unresolved contradictions. To this mood with its temptation to despair, Msgr. Knox talks with unfailing kindness . . . Those who have left their formal education far behind them will find huge solace in reading and re-reading this book. It should be at every bedside, ready to be opened at 4 a.m." – Evelyn Waugh, Author, Brideshead Revisited “Ronald Knox was the most original and eloquent writer of the century." —Fr. George Rutler , Author, A Crisis of Saints “Knox, the most learned, influential priest convert in the England of his time, brings his keen intellect and penetratin

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Christianity, Spirituality

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Monsignor Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was a Roman Catholic priest, theologian, author of detective stories, as well as a writer and a regular broadcaster for BBC Radio.

Knox had attended Eton College and won several scholarships at Balliol College, Oxford. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1912 and was appointed chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford, but he left in 1917 upon his conversion to Catholicism. In 1918 he was ordained a Catholic priest. Knox wrote many books of essays and novels. Directed by his religious superiors, he re-translated the Latin Vulgate Bible into English, using Hebrew and Greek sources, beginning in 1936.

He died on 24 August 1957 and his body was brought to Westminster Cathedral. Bishop Craven celebrated the requiem mass, at which Father Martin D'Arcy, a Jesuit, preached the panegyric. Knox was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Mells.

Reviews

[Samantha B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! It's a collection of straight-forward and common-sense homilies about the Catholic faith, given by Ronald Knox, who in addition to being smart and funny has the extra distinction of being of the same time period as Lewis & Tolkien, thus putting him in my *favorite* literary period. And it shows! He definitely has the same down-to-earth easy-to-understand-but-very-smart approach as Lewis does in his apologetics.

The essays cover a variety of topics from the existence of God to marriage and beyond...it's a good overview of the Catholic faith, and a good refresher course, if that should be the sort of thing you need.

Four stars!

[V Forr · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could rate "In Soft Garments" with six stars, I would. Absolutely superb. Excellence in thought, speech, and writing from the departed Monsignor Ronald A. Knox. My favorites are: "The Cross-word of Creation"; "'Mind' and 'Matter'"; "If God Exists-"; "The Unholiness of the Church"; "Faith Lost and Found"; "The Unconscious Catholic"; "Verbum Caro Factum Est"; "Et Habitavit In Nobis"; "Morality and Convention"; "Unselfishness in Marriage"; and "The Torch Handed On." Happy reading!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great apologetic, the "conferences" are simple, but edifying essays on being Catholic.

[Stephen Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Soft Garments is the written record of a series of lectures preached at Oxford by Father Knox. Before you stop reading there, do not fear, these are not boring. There is exciting material throughout the sermons given by Father Knox. Because these sermons were given to students in college, (as a monk I would know would say, "when college students were college students") they are on a level that most adults in our country should comprehend, even though the English from across the pond and 75 years ago is a little more stylistic than our current palate, it's a very easy read.

Fr. Knox handles his subjects with a clarity and depth that are not often seen in these days. The brevity in which he handles even the most complex subjects helps the reader to move through the lectures. He also provided me with a lot of facts that made me want to do more research. The most fascinating idea that he brought up was the Bishop of Little Rock's role in the First Vatican Council; I was stunned that a bishop so close to home was so controversial!

Not every lecture is simple, but I have confidence that most men and women could read, understand, and grow from this book. If you've never read anything deeply theological, this is a good starting point because it is the spoken word on paper, which means the number of hard words is fewer!

Taken from OurLadyandSheen.wordpress.com

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Soft Garments is a series of lectures given Fr. Knox at Oxford. I would say the subtitle (Classic Catholic Apologetics) might be slightly misleading to someone thinking they are picking up an explicitly Catholic treatise; very few of the lectures deal with uniquely Catholic ideas, such as a defense of God as prime mover, source of morality, truth, etc. Don't get me wrong, all of these ideas are very important for Catholics; however, the framework for these arguments could be shared by all theists, which, perhaps, gives an added strength to the book. Another strength is that the arguments are very well made and easy to follow, even for a reader not familiar with this kind of literature.

Knox was clearly a very witty man and there are some wonderful quotes and arguments that would be delightful to share with friends. I don't think it's quite the high caliber book that I would agree with Evelyn Waugh's remark "It should be at every bedside", but it's strong enough that I should be happy to hear of anyone who allowed it to reside there.

[Jacob Cloete]

A great read that I recommend to all Catholic undergraduates (original target in 1920s and 30s),, all other undergraduates, graduates and anyone else who wants to/ought to concern themselves with the matters that really matter.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any one who is a fan of CS Lewis and Chesterton.