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Religion » Christian

Most Recommended Books

Confessions of St Augustine by St Augustine

“What he’s making is an incredibly modern, intimate, psychological diagnosis of the human condition.”

Simon Yarrow, Historian

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Augustine of Hippo by Peter Brown

“Peter Brown’s immense strength is placing the changes in Augustine’s outlook against the changing tone and social pressures of the eras and locations in which he moved.”

Robin Lane Fox, Classicist

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Religion

  • Atheist
  • Buddhism
  • Christian
  • Islamic
  • Jewish
  • Magic & Witchcraft
  • Theology

You can use our reading lists to find the best Christian books ever written on a variety of subjects.

Our recommendations span the best history of Christianity books, the best Jesus books, books on the existence of God, and many more.

Our best Christian book recommendations are from members of the clergy, biblical scholars, church historians, and philosophers of religion. These include distinguished scholars such as Richard Harries, Diarmaid MacCulloch, Edward Feser, and Robert Morgan.

    The best books on Jesus, recommended by Robert Morgan

  • Read

    1

    Jesus and the Word
    by Rudolf Bultmann

  • Read

    2

    The Quest of the Historical Jesus
    by Albert Schweitzer

  • Read

    3

    The Shadow of the Galilean
    by Gerd Theissen

  • Read

    4

    The Birth of the Messiah
    by Raymond Brown

  • Read

    5

    Born of a Virgin?
    by Andrew Lincoln

The best books on Jesus, recommended by Robert Morgan

New Testament scholar Robert Morgan chooses his favourite books on Jesus.

    The best books on Christianity, recommended by Richard Harries

  • Read

    1

    Confessions of St Augustine
    by St Augustine

  • Read

    2

    The Cloud of Unknowing
    by Anonymous

  • Read

    3

    Moral Man and Immoral Society
    by Reinhold Niebuhr

  • Read

    4

    The Brothers Karamazov
    by Fyodor Dostoevsky

  • Read

    5

    On Christian Theology
    by Rowan Williams

The best books on Christianity, recommended by Richard Harries

The former bishop of Oxford tells us about books that explore what it means to be a Christian – from St Augustine and medieval mysticism to grappling with Dostoyevsky and more modern dilemmas. He picks the best books on Christianity.

    The Best Books on the History of Christianity, recommended by Diarmaid MacCulloch

  • Read

    1

    An Ecclesiastical History of the English People
    by the Venerable Bede

  • Read

    2

    The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
    by Edward Gibbon

  • Read

    3

    The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland
    by Margo Todd

  • Read

    4

    The Church in Africa, 1450-1950
    by Adrian Hastings

  • Read

    5

    The Church of the East
    by Christoph Baumer

The Best Books on the History of Christianity, recommended by Diarmaid MacCulloch

How can one get to grips with a subject as huge as the history of Christianity, a 2000 year-old religion with adherents in every corner of the globe? The popular and distinguished Oxford historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch, recommends books that will help you make a start.

    The best books on Arguments for the Existence of God, recommended by Edward Feser

  • Read

    1

    Summa Theologiae, Questions on God
    by (ed.) Brian Davies and Brian Leftow

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    2

    The Thought of Thomas Aquinas
    by Brian Davies

  • Read

    3

    Aquinas's Way to God: The Proof in De Ente et Essentia
    by Gaven Kerr

  • Read

    4

    The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil
    by Brian Davies

  • Read

    5

    Atheism and Theism
    by J. J. C. Smart & John Haldane

The best books on Arguments for the Existence of God, recommended by Edward Feser

Is the existence of God incompatible with evil? What is the difference between ‘classical theism’ and ‘theistic personalism’? What is the best argument against there being a God?  From Aristotle through Aquinas to the present, philosopher Edward Feser gives an in-depth look at arguments for the existence of God.

    A N Wilson recommends the best Christian Books

  • Read

    1

    Confessions of St Augustine
    by St Augustine

  • Read

    2

    The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso
    by Dante Alighieri

  • Read

    3

    Revelations of Divine Love
    by Julian of Norwich

  • Read

    4

    Waiting on God
    by Simone Weil

  • Read

    5

    The Anathemata
    by David Jones

A N Wilson recommends the best Christian Books

The British writer, A.N. Wilson, recommends books that have helped him understand what Christianity means and to truly believe.

    The best books on God, recommended by Anthony Gottlieb

  • Read

    1

    Tractatus Theologico-Politicus
    by Spinoza

  • Read

    2

    Dialogues and Natural History of Religion
    by David Hume

  • Read

    3

    Society without God
    by Phil Zuckerman

  • Read

    4

    Sacred and Secular
    by Pippa Norris, Ronald Inglehart

  • Read

    5

    God Is Back
    by John Micklethwait, Adrian Wooldridge

The best books on God, recommended by Anthony Gottlieb

The philosopher and former executive editor of The Economist, Anthony Gottlieb, discusses religion and suggests that belief in God only truly declines in a society when economic development brings existential security.

    Versions of the Bible, recommended by Timothy Beal

  • Read

    1

    The Bible
    The New Oxford Annotated Bible

  • Read

    2

    The Jewish Study Bible (TANAKH Translation)
    by Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, Michael Fishbane

  • Read

    3

    The Green Bible
    by Harper Bibles

  • Read

    4

    Bible Illuminated
    by Forlaget Illuminated Sweden (Editor)

  • Read

    5

    The Woman’s Bible
    by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Editor)

Versions of the Bible, recommended by Timothy Beal

Religion professor Timothy Beal introduces five different versions of the Bible — from the New Oxford Annotated edition to less traditional “green” and feminist takes

    The best books on Sin, recommended by Paula Fredriksen

  • Read

    1

    God: A Biography
    by Jack Miles

  • Read

    2

    Augustine of Hippo
    by Peter Brown

  • Read

    3

    Confessions of St Augustine
    by St Augustine

  • Read

    4

    War and Remembrance
    by Herman Woulk

  • Read

    5

    Christ Stopped at Eboli
    by Carlo Levi

The best books on Sin, recommended by Paula Fredriksen

Tortured by the sins of your past? Or contemplating new ones? The historian of ancient Christianity recommends five books you to understand the role of sin in Christian thought.

    The best books on The Saints, recommended by Simon Yarrow

  • Read

    1

    Confessions of St Augustine
    by St Augustine

  • Read

    2

    The Cult of the Saints Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity
    by Peter Brown

  • Read

    3

    Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary
    by Miri Rubin

  • Read

    4

    Mohawk Saint: Catherine Tekakwitha and the Jesuits
    by Allan Greer

  • Read

    5

    Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them
    by Robert Orsi

The best books on The Saints, recommended by Simon Yarrow

Heroes are universal to human culture and, in Christian culture, they manifested themselves as saints. Historian Simon Yarrow recommends the best books to understand the saints, from their widespread appearance in late antiquity to their continuing influence in modern America.

    The best books on Religious and Social History in the Ancient World, recommended by Robin Lane Fox

  • Read

    1

    The World of Late Antiquity
    by Peter Brown

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    2

    Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety
    by E R Dodds

  • Read

    3

    Augustine of Hippo
    by Peter Brown

  • Read

    4

    The Inner Citadel
    by Pierre Hadot

  • Read

    5

    The Jews In The Greek Age
    by Elias J Bickerman

The best books on Religious and Social History in the Ancient World, recommended by Robin Lane Fox

Cultural and philosophical changes that occurred in late antiquity are essential to our understanding of the world today, but few us know much about that period. Historian Robin Lane Fox recommends the best books to read to get a good sense of late antiquity.

    The best books on Christmas, recommended by Bruce Forbes

  • Read

    1

    4000 Years of Christmas
    by Earl Count and Alice Count

  • Read

    2

    The Origins of Christmas
    by Joseph Kelly

  • Read

    3

    The Annotated Christmas Carol
    by Charles Dickens

  • Read

    4

    The Battle for Christmas
    by Stephen Nissenbaum

  • Read

    5

    Encyclopedia of Christmas
    by Tanya Gulevich

The best books on Christmas, recommended by Bruce Forbes

Did you know that Santa Claus was a 4th century bishop in what is now Turkey? That Puritans tried to outlaw Christmas? Or Tiny Tim was originally Little Fred? Religious scholar Bruce Forbes sheds light on Christmas’s pagan past and consumerist present.

    The best books on The Role of Religion, recommended by Selina O'Grady

  • Read

    1

    The Aeneid
    by Sarah Ruden (translator) & Virgil

  • Read

    2

    The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
    by Philip Pullman

  • Read

    3

    Our Church: A Personal History of the Church of England
    by Roger Scruton

  • Read

    4

    The Human Stain
    by Philip Roth

  • Read

    5

    The Children Act
    by Ian McEwan

The best books on The Role of Religion, recommended by Selina O'Grady

Religion has an ability to create groups and communities that has yet to be surpassed, argues Selina O’Grady, author of And Man Created God: A History of the World at the Time of Jesus.

    The best books on Faith in Politics, recommended by Richard Harries

  • Read

    1

    Ill Fares the Land
    by Tony Judt

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    2

    An Awareness of What is Missing
    by Jürgen Habermas

  • Read

    3

    The General
    by Jonathan Fenby

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    4

    Climbing the Bookshelves
    by Shirley Williams

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    5

    Dishonest to God
    by Mary Warnock

The best books on Faith in Politics, recommended by Richard Harries

Former Anglican Bishop and House of Lords crossbencher says that the moral vision we need to recover in politics has its roots in faith. He chooses five books to combat political cynicism

    The best books on English Church Music, recommended by Andrew Gant

  • Read

    1

    A History of Christianity
    by Diarmaid MacCulloch

  • Read

    2

    Music and the Reformation in England
    by Peter Le Huray

  • Read

    3

    The Stripping of the Altars
    by Eamon Duffy

  • Read

    4

    The English Carol
    by Erik Routley

  • Read

    5

    The Music of the English Parish Church
    by Nicholas Temperley

The best books on English Church Music, recommended by Andrew Gant

Think you’re not interested in church music? Think again. Read this interview and you’ll soon find yourself ordering some books about it too. And a Happy Christmas from your editors at Five Books.

    The best books on Jerusalem, City of Peace?, recommended by James Carroll

  • Read

    1

    How to Read the Bible
    by James L Kugel

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    2

    God and Empire
    by John Dominic Crossan

  • Read

    3

    The Iron Cage
    by Rashi Khalidi

  • Read

    4

    The Seventh Million
    by Tom Segev

  • Read

    5

    The Hebrew Republic
    by Bernard Avishai

The best books on Jerusalem, City of Peace?, recommended by James Carroll

Jerusalem has been at the center of conflict for millennia and its current problems cannot be blamed on Israelis and Palestinians alone, says bestselling author and former Catholic priest James Carroll.  He picks the best books to understand Jerusalem’s complex history and its message of peace which still gives him hope.

    The best books on The Christmas Story, recommended by Brent Landau

  • Read

    1

    Christmas: A Candid History
    by Bruce Forbes

  • Read

    2

    The Birth of the Messiah
    by Raymond Brown

  • Read

    3

    Born Divine
    by Robert Miller

  • Read

    4

    The Sacred Santa
    by Dell deChant

  • Read

    5

    Journey of the Magi
    by Richard Trexler

The best books on The Christmas Story, recommended by Brent Landau

The story of the birth of Jesus is the part of the Gospels that is least based on history, explains religious studies scholar Brent Landau. Jesus was probably not born in Bethlehem and he may have been visited by as many as 12 wise men. He picks books to help understand the real Christmas story.

    Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism

  • Read

    1

    The Blind Watchmaker
    by Richard Dawkins

  • Read

    2

    Endless Forms Most Beautiful
    by Sean B Carroll

  • Read

    3

    Evolution
    by Carl Zimmer

  • Read

    4

    Creationism's Trojan Horse
    by Barbara Forrest and Paul R Gross

  • Read

    5

    The Devil in Dover
    by Lauri Lebo

Kenneth Miller recommends the best Arguments against Creationism

Biology professor—and Catholic—Kenneth Miller tells us what we should read to understand the battle being fought between scientists and creationists.

    The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science, recommended by Jerry Coyne

  • Read

    1

    The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God
    by Carl Sagan

  • Read

    2

    The Atheist's Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life without Illusions
    by Alex Rosenberg

  • Read

    3

    God in the Age of Science?: A Critique of Religious Reason
    by Herman Philipse

  • Read

    4

    Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
    by Daniel C Dennett

  • Read

    5

    A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom
    by Andrew Dickson White

The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science, recommended by Jerry Coyne

Embracing a scientific worldview excludes the possibility of also believing in God, says evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. He picks five non-accommodationist books.

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