Overview

""Alas, it is shameful to speak of it! It is shameful to relate such a disgusting scandal to sacred ears! But if the doctor fears the virus of the plague, who will apply the cauterization? If he is nauseated by those whom he is to cure, who will lead sick souls back to the state of health?"" With these words, St. Peter Damian introduces the Book of Gomorrah, undoubtedly the most stirringly eloquent and impassioned denunciation of sexual perversion ever penned by a Catholic saint. Although it was written almost a thousand years ago, the Book of Gomorrah in many ways seems addressed to our own times, associating the phenomena of clerical homosexual behavior and pederasty, and endorsing the imprisonment of clergy who are a danger to youth. The Book of Gomorrah offers a scathing analysis of the evil of sodomy, while also expressing compassion for those who have fallen into such vice and the possibility of their redemption by the aid of divine grace. It explains the devastating effects of the vice both spiritually and psychologically, and warns that such behavior, particularly among the clergy, will bring down the wrath of God. It also urges the permanent defrocking of clerics who are habituated to homosexual behavior and endorses the permanent confinement those guilty of child sex abuse. This new translation by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman is the most accurate and faithful available in English, and carries a foreword by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara. It also includes a 10,000-word biographical introduction recounting Damian's struggle against corruption in the Catholic Church, and a translator's preface that breaks new scholarly ground and resolves old controversies about the text.

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9780996704205

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Reviews

"Praise for the Book of Gomorrah: ""It should be certainly known to all that everything that this little book contains has been pleasing to our judgment, being as opposed to diabolical fire as is water."" -from the preface by Pope St. Leo IX Praise for the English translation by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman: ""The Book of Gomorrah has recently been translated from the original Latin into English, with copious introductory material, by an erudite Catholic who is faithful to Christ and his Church: Matthew Cullinan Hoffman. I have accepted with pleasure the task of writing this brief presentation of a book which, upon its reading, brings us to the realization that a thousand years ago sexual vices were being practiced by various sons of the Church that lamentably are present today and have been the occasion of scandal, discredit, and apostasy."" -from the Foreword by Cardinal Juan Sandoval I�iguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara ""Hoffman has produced a highly readable translation of St Peter Damian's most famous work, with a scholarly and helpful commentary placing it into its historical context. As the Church once again confronts the consequences of a collapse of clerical sexual discipline, we do well to read St Peter's insistence on taking seriously the Church's early penitential tradition, and the Scriptural references which formed the foundation for this, as well as his zeal for the souls of both sinners and the victims of abuse. Hoffman has done a great service to his readers in preparing this edition."" -Dr. Joseph Shaw, Research Fellow at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford ""At a time when there is a tragic effort in our societies on both sides of the ocean, to consider normal what it is against nature, Matthew Hoffman has to be strongly congratulated for making accessible the Liber Gomorrhianus of St. Peter Damian, an important Doctor of the Church...The translation is clear and well-articulated, rendering the book in elegant English."" -Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro, J.D., STD., Chaplain to His Holiness, and Executive Director of the Rome Office of Human Life International ""Peter Damian's Liber Gomorrhianus tackles sexual immorality among Christians, especially clergy and religious, with shocking frankness. Yet his unwavering condemnation of sexual impurity appears alongside Peter's laments over the souls of those who have fallen into impurity and exhortations that they rise again. Scholars of ecclesiastical history and a more general audience comprised of those who wonder how today's struggles with sexual purity may be illuminated by a preeminent reformer of the Medieval period will appreciate this readily accessible and faithful translation of the Liber Gomorrhianus."" -Dr. Daniel Van Slyke, S.T.L, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Theology at Holy Apostles College ""An excellent and accurate translation, and the most reliable English Version of the Liber Gomorrhianus of Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072). The work of Matthew Hoffman in translating Damian's from Latin into English shows on the technical side a deep study and an intense commitment to this book and to the language of its author - who lived during the High Middle Ages - and on the conceptual side the will to restore to the English speaking world a book that is a fundamental to the history of our Church. Thanks to Matthew Hoffman we can listen to the voice of Peter Damian against sodomy through this masterpiece that is the Book of Gomorrah."" -Dr. Michela Ferri, Professor of Philosophy at Holy Apostles College"

Praise for the Book of Gomorrah: It should be certainly known to all that everything that this little book contains has been pleasing to our judgment, being as opposed to diabolical fire as is water. -from the preface by Pope St. Leo IX Praise for the English translation by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman: The Book of Gomorrah has recently been translated from the original Latin into English, with copious introductory material, by an erudite Catholic who is faithful to Christ and his Church: Matthew Cullinan Hoffman. I have accepted with pleasure the task of writing this brief presentation of a book which, upon its reading, brings us to the realization that a thousand years ago sexual vices were being practiced by various sons of the Church that lamentably are present today and have been the occasion of scandal, discredit, and apostasy. -from the Foreword by Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara Hoffman has produced a highly readable translation of St Peter Damian's most famous work, with a scholarly and helpful commentary placing it into its historical context. As the Church once again confronts the consequences of a collapse of clerical sexual discipline, we do well to read St Peter's insistence on taking seriously the Church's early penitential tradition, and the Scriptural references which formed the foundation for this, as well as his zeal for the souls of both sinners and the victims of abuse. Hoffman has done a great service to his readers in preparing this edition. -Dr. Joseph Shaw, Research Fellow at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford At a time when there is a tragic effort in our societies on both sides of the ocean, to consider normal what it is against nature, Matthew Hoffman has to be strongly congratulated for making accessible the Liber Gomorrhianus of St. Peter Damian, an important Doctor of the Church...The translation is clear and well-articulated, rendering the book in elegant English. -Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro, J.D., STD., Chaplain to His Holiness, and Executive Director of the Rome Office of Human Life International Peter Damian's Liber Gomorrhianus tackles sexual immorality among Christians, especially clergy and religious, with shocking frankness. Yet his unwavering condemnation of sexual impurity appears alongside Peter's laments over the souls of those who have fallen into impurity and exhortations that they rise again. Scholars of ecclesiastical history and a more general audience comprised of those who wonder how today's struggles with sexual purity may be illuminated by a preeminent reformer of the Medieval period will appreciate this readily accessible and faithful translation of the Liber Gomorrhianus. -Dr. Daniel Van Slyke, S.T.L, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Theology at Holy Apostles College An excellent and accurate translation, and the most reliable English Version of the Liber Gomorrhianus of Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072). The work of Matthew Hoffman in translating Damian's from Latin into English shows on the technical side a deep study and an intense commitment to this book and to the language of its author - who lived during the High Middle Ages - and on the conceptual side the will to restore to the English speaking world a book that is a fundamental to the history of our Church. Thanks to Matthew Hoffman we can listen to the voice of Peter Damian against sodomy through this masterpiece that is the Book of Gomorrah. -Dr. Michela Ferri, Professor of Philosophy at Holy Apostles College

Author Information

St. Peter Damian (1007-1072) was an Italian eremitic monk and ecclesiastical reformer whose writings were among the most influential of the 11th century. Damian battled relentlessly against the ecclesiastical corruption of his day, speaking the truth fearlessly to popes, bishops, and clergy. His corpus of works include dozens of books, sermons, and letters, which focus on the monastic life, the doctrines of the faith, and the correction of abuses that were rife in the Catholic Church at the time. He was given title of Doctor of the Catholic Church by Pope Leo XII in 1823. Matthew Cullinan Hoffman's award-winning articles have appeared hundreds of times in dozens of major newspapers, magazines, and news services, including the Wall Street Journal, London Sunday Times, Detroit News, LifeSite News, Catholic World Report, and the National Catholic Register. He was the principal Latin America correspondent with LifeSite News from 2007 to 2020, and oversaw the creation and initial direction of Notifam, LSN's Spanish and Portuguese language service. He holds an M.A. in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, where he is also certified for proficiency in Latin, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.

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