Contents
List of Abbreviations for Works Cited xiii
Introduction xxiii

The Life of Christ
Part One

Prologue 3

CHAPTER 1
The Eternal, Divine Generation of Christ (John 1:1-5) 26
CHAPTER 2
The Remedy of Human Salvation; the Birth of Mary 39
CHAPTER 3
The Blessed Virgin's Marriage 55
CHAPTER 4
The Conception of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25) 66
CHAPTER 5
The Savior's Conception (Luke 1:26-38) 77
CHAPTER 6
The Birth and Circumcision of the Lord's Forerunner (Luke 1:39-80) 116
CHAPTER 7
The Savior's Genealogy (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38) 134
CHAPTER 8
Joseph's Wish to Send Mary Away (Matt 1:18-25) 145
CHAPTER 9
The Birth of the Savior (Luke 2:1-20) 158
CHAPTER 10
The Lord's Circumcision (Luke 2:21) 191
CHAPTER 11
The Epiphany of the Lord to the Three Magi (Matt 2:1-12) 203
CHAPTER 12
The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple (Luke 2:22-39) 229
CHAPTER 13
The Flight into Egypt and the Slaughter of the Innocents (Matt 2:13-18) 264
CHAPTER 14
The Lord's Return from Egypt and the Beginning of John the Baptist's Penance (Matt 2:19-23) 283
CHAPTER 15
The Boy Jesus Remains Behind in Jerusalem and Is Found in the Temple (Luke 2:40-52) 295
CHAPTER 16
What the Lord Jesus Did between the Years of Twelve and Thirty (Luke 2:51-52) 314
CHAPTER 17
The Mission and Life of John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-10; Luke 3:1-4) 330
CHAPTER 18
John's Mission Is from God, Not Himself (John 1:6-18) 356
CHAPTER 19
John States That He Is Not the Messiah but His Forerunner (Matt 3:11-12; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:15-17; John 1:19-28) 373
CHAPTER 20
The Need to Do Penance 392
CHAPTER 21
The Lord's Baptism (Matt 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22) 418
CHAPTER 22
The Lord's Fast and Temptation (Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-14; Luke 4:1-13) 444
CHAPTER 23
John Announces That Christ Is the Lamb of God (John 1:29-34) 481
CHAPTER 24
John's Further Testimony and the Calling of the First Disciples (John 1:35-51) 490
CHAPTER 25
Water Changed into Wine (John 2:1-11) 505
CHAPTER 26
The First Cleansing of the Temple and the Visit of Nicodemus (John 2:12-3:21) 524
CHAPTER 27
John Is Imprisoned (Matt 14:1-9; Mark 6:24-29; Luke 3:19-20; John 3:22-30) 538
CHAPTER 28
The Lord Jesus Begins His Public Ministry (Matt 4:12-17) 547
CHAPTER 29
The Second and Third Calls of the Disciples (Luke 5:1-11; Mark 1:16-20) 555
CHAPTER 30
Conclusion of the Call of the Disciples; Christ's Zeal to Preach 568
CHAPTER 31
The Call of Matthew and His Feast (Matt 9:9-17; Mark 2:14-22; Luke 5:27-39) 579
CHAPTER 32
The Choosing of the Twelve Apostles (Matt 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16) 594
CHAPTER 33
The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12; Luke 6:17-26) 604
CHAPTER 34
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Pastors Should Enlighten by Preaching and Works; Christ Has Come to Fulfill the Law (Matt 5:13-37) 630
CHAPTER 35
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Love of Enemies (Matt 5:39-48; Luke 6:27-36) 654
CHAPTER 36
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Do Not Seek Human Praise for Good Works (Matt 6:1-8, 16-18) 675
CHAPTER 37
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: The Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:9-15; Luke 11:2-4) 688
CHAPTER 38
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: Treasure in Heaven (Matt 6:19-34; Luke 12:22-34) 711
CHAPTER 39
The Sermon on the Mount, Continued: The Need to Be Merciful; the Importance of Prayer (Matt 7:1-12; Luke 6:36-49; 11:5-13) 734
CHAPTER 40
The Sermon on the Mount: Conclusion (Matt 7:13-29; Luke 6:46-49; 13:24) 757

A cumulative index to the four volumes of Ludolph of Saxony's The Life of Jesus Christ will appear in the fourth volume,
The Life of Jesus Christ: Part Two; Volume 4, Chapters 58-59, Cistercian Studies Series 284.

The Vita Christi of the fourteenth century Carthusian, Ludolph of Saxony, is the most comprehensive series of meditations on the life of Christ of the late Middle Ages. Ludolph assembles a wealth of commentary from the fathers of the church and the great medieval spiritual writers and weaves them into a seamless exposition on the Gospel. This is the first English translation of this classic work, and it also is the first edition in any language to identify the thousands of sources used by Ludolph, both those he quotes and the many he cites without attribution. It will be of great interest to students of Christian spirituality, but it is intended, as was the original text, for ordinary believers seeking to enter more deeply into the meaning of the life of Christ. When complete, there will be 4 volumes.