1. "The Confessions of St. Augustine" by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. c.400 — Augustine of Hippo's magnum opus explains how a great sinner became a great saint. Augustine astutely notes that God has made us for Himself, and that our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him. In Confessions, Augustine articulates the soulful inner search for meaning that in many ways remains a hallmark of Western literature even today.
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2. "The Book of Common Prayer" by Thomas Cranmer, 1549 — Used by devout Anglicans worldwide, there are some 300 million copies in print, according to literary agent Dan Balow. It includes familiar lines like: "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done…" The book continues to this day to undergo multiple revisions.
3. "Small Catechism for Children" by Martin Luther, 1529 — Luther's work spread Luther's Protestant interpretation of Scripture to generations of Christians, even into the 20th century. Luther credited it as one of his top literary achievements. The PBS special, "Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World" (9/12/17) said that during his lifetime, Martin Luther wrote a quarter of all books sold in Europe. Author Dr. Timothy J. Wengert says Luther became "the first living best-selling author."
4. "Institutes of the Christian Religion" by John Calvin, 1559 — It was written by the Reformation's second major leader. Calvin's influence extended to the New World, where, as scholar Loraine Boettner notes, two-thirds of Americans in the founding era were indirectly schooled by him.
5. "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan, 1678 — It's said to ..."
