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Book Cover for: A Year with the Classics: A Beginner's Class in Twelve Books That Have Inspired Christian Heroes, Sinners, and Saints for Centuries, Jon M. Sweeney

A Year with the Classics: A Beginner's Class in Twelve Books That Have Inspired Christian Heroes, Sinners, and Saints for Centuries

Jon M. Sweeney

A yearlong introduction to the twelve greatest classics of Christian spirituality, making timeless wisdom accessible to today's seekers

Across two millennia of Christian tradition, certain spiritual writers have shaped the soul of faith--calling believers to humility, contemplation, and love. In A Year with the Classics, award-winning author and scholar Jon M. Sweeney serves as a wise and welcoming guide through twelve of these foundational works, from Augustine and Teresa of Avila to Julian of Norwich and The Cloud of Unknowing.

Each chapter offers an approachable "beginner's class" on a spiritual masterpiece--exploring its origins, the life of its author, its impact over time, and what it can still teach us today. Alongside insightful commentary are simple daily and weekly practices drawn directly from each text, turning reflection into lived experience.

Perfect for individual use or small groups, A Year with the Classics invites readers to slow down, read deeply, and discover the enduring beauty and relevance of Christianity's most beloved spiritual teachers.

Book Details

  • Publisher: St. Martin's Essentials
  • Publish Date: Dec 1st, 2026
  • Pages: 224
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00lb
  • EAN: 9781250432650
  • Categories: Christianity - Literature & the ArtsChristian Theology - History

About the Author

Sweeney, Jon M.: - JON M. SWEENEY is an independent scholar and an award-winning writer. He is a biographer of St. Francis of Assisi and translator of his writings, and his books on Franciscan subjects have sold more than two hundred thousand copies. Jon is the author of more than forty books, including The Pope Who Quit, which was optioned by HBO. He edits the magazine Living City, and is religion editor/associate publisher of Monkfish Publishing in Rhinebeck, NY. He's appeared on CBS Saturday Morning and numerous other programs, and writes regularly for America magazine in the US, and The Tablet in the UK. Jon is married to Rabbi Michal Woll; their interfaith marriage has been profiled in national media. He's the father of four, and lives in Milwaukee.