Katastrophe (Spoils of War)

Here is Monsignor Knox's most important work, next to his translation of the Bible. This typological survey of numerous movements in the history of the Church, including those of the Montanists, the Donatists, Anabaptists, Quakers, Methodists, and Jansenists, was hailed from many quarters when first published in 1950 and is still regarded as a masterpiece of religious history and sociology. One reviewer wisely commented on the book: ''The remarkable feature is the charity [Knox] brings to all his judgments. The chapter on Wesley might have been written by a candid but deeply admiring follower, and that on the Jansenists is a really beautiful piece of work'' (The Manchester Guardian). And in compiling his Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List, Presbyterian pastor and author Eugene Peterson included this book, commenting that ''spurious forms of spirituality bedevil our best intentions. Knox tackles one especially persistent deviation from sanity and holiness and holds it down long enough for us to take a look that is both critical and sympathetic.''