Aidan Nichols attempts something not done by Catholic writers for several centuries.  He revives the once classical approach to the Rosary which takes various ‘mysteries’ of this popular Roman Catholic prayer-form as a starting point for a wide-ranging exploration of theological as well as spiritual themes.

 Though this book can certainly be used as a stimulus to spiritual meditation, rooted in the experience of giving Retreat Conferences on the Mystery of the Rosary over many years, it is also something more.  Interwoven with the mysteries are reflections on the whole gamut of Christian doctrine, from the Trinity to morals.  Some of the author’s favourite topics are highlighted, notably the Liturgy, sacred art, and the role of the Church in civil society.  And, naturally enough, he returns time and again to Mariology as the lens through which the Rosary looks at revelation.  Lessons in a Rose-Garden seeks to show that there can be no better place in which to study Catholic teaching than the Garden of the Mother of God.

 Each mystery is introduced with a glorious colour plate.

Aidan Nichols, a Dominican of Blackfriars Cambridge, is surely the most prolific Catholic theologian writing in English today.  His work has covered all aspects of Catholic doctrine, and includes comprehensive accounts of the great masters of the tradition, from Maximus the Confessor to von Balthasar, not excluding such literary giants as Hopkins, Claudel, and Chesterton.  His many books on a variety of aspects of theology, liturgy and the arts, as well as on topics of ecumenical interest, are all in pursuit of a rich Catholic identity for the thought and culture of the Church. Other titles from Gracewing include Catholic Thought Since the Enlightenment, From Hermes to Benedict XVI, co-authored The Council in Question: A Dialogue with Traditional Traditionalism.  Aidan Nichols is a member of the Faculty of Divinity of theUniversity ofCambridge.