Memorize the Faith! (and Most Anything Else): Using the Methods of the Great Catholic Medieval Memory Masters (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: mnemonic house, computer armoire, mnemonic images, Holy Spirit, Thomas Aquinas, Old Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"They laughed when I said I could name all 27 books of the New Testament ...but after I named them all in order, plus the 46 books of the Old Testament, they begged me to show them how I did it." Yes, I know that memorizing the Faith is no substitute for living a holy life, but even devout people can't live by truths and precepts they don't remember. That's why, over 700 years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas perfected an easy method for his students to memorize most any information, but especially the truths taught by Christ and His Church. As the years passed, our need for this ancient art of memorization grew, yet somehow our culture largely forgot it . . . which is why today, when you and I try to remember a list of things, we have to repeat their names over and over. Or, to remember to call the dentist, we tie a string on our finger. And we clutch at any means whatsoever to recall our passwords for ATMs, credit cards, and voicemail, our login names for Yahoo, eBay, and Amazon, and the host of other names and numbers that clog our minds and clutter our days. Now, thanks to the delightful pages of Memorize the Faith!, you can easily keep all these in mind - and learn the Faith! - by tapping into the power of the classical memory system that helped St. Thomas become the Church's preeminent theologian, and made it easier for him to become one of its greatest saints. Here, Catholic scholar Kevin Vost makes available again Aquinas's easy-to-learn method - the method Dr. Vost himself has used for decades to recall names, dates, phone numbers, the first dozen digits of pi (3.141592653589) and even whether, when his wife called him at work today, she asked him to bring home ice cream and toffee . . . or was it truffles and coffee? Indeed, Dr. Vost will teach you to remember virtually anything, but he devotes most of his book to showing you how to improve your memory of Catholic truths so you can live the Faith better. By the time you finish this book, you will have memorized dozens of key teachings of the Church, along with hundreds of precepts, traditions, theological terms, Scripture verses, and other elements of the Faith that every good Catholic needs to know by heart. Memory is the foundation of wisdom. It makes holiness easier. To grow wiser in the Faith . . . and holier . . . turn to Memorize the Faith! today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Sophia Institute Press (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933184175
• ISBN-13: 978-1933184173
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgettable book!, July 27, 2006

By	Rhett Brotherton (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was somewhat skeptical this book could deliver the claims it made. I had read other memory books in the past and was unimpressed with the methods they proposed. There seemed to be something missing that kept me from fully realizing my potential. This book provided that missing part. I don't want to give away what it is but, I can assure, if you apply the methods the author outlines in this book you will definitely increase your ability to retain and recall at will almost anything you can imagine. It took only two, 45 minutes sessions for me to memorize all 73 books of the Bible, in order, and backwards!

Mr. Vost writes in a breezy style that entertains while informing. His book will be especially useful to anyone tasked with teaching others be they child or adult. If as a teacher you have struggled for a way to make a dry list or technical term memorable, this book will give you everything you need to make that happen. I plan on stealing...err... using (wouldn't want to violate the seventh commandment) the vivid memory anchors described in this book when teaching adult religion classes.

Some might be turned away by the content Mr. Vost concentrates on, namely the basic tenants of the Catholic faith. Don't let it. Even if you are not Christian, you should read and apply the methods taught in this book.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Edifying, September 11, 2006

By	M. Campbell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being fairly new to the Catholic faith, I love this book. It's not a substitute for the Bible and Catechism, but certainly helps with learning the faith.

I had never heard of the Method Loci and think it is great for memorizing lists. It can be applied to any list, whether studying for an exam, going grocery shopping, or making a to do list while talking with your boss.

I agree with another review in that may not be so great with poetry or prose. However, he does provide 30 "memory master tips and facts" on the art of memorization, which may transfer over to poetry and prose.

This book is fun to read. The author comes across as brilliant, but has a wonderful ability to bring it down to my level. It's the best book I've purchased in a long time.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!, August 22, 2007

By	bookscdsdvdsandcoolstuff "bookscdsdvdsandcool... (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is quite possibly one of the MOST important I have ever read. The book has literally helped change my life in the two areas of intellectual endeavor most important to me: my faith and music.

I am a working jazz musician (no one important that you would know... just a local guy) and music teacher and have long struggled to memorize tunes (an ESSENTIAL skill if one wants to play jazz). For those of you who may not know, if one shows up on the bandstand with tons of "fake books" in tow, one immediately betrays oneself as a poorly informed and uneducated musician. Jazz musicians are expected to know hundreds of tunes, with chord changes and common substitutions, and be able to recall them in the heat of battle as it were: on a bandstand in front of an audience with other informed musicians on the stage with you judging your every move. Jazz musicians are expected to read perfectly as well, especially in the big-band setting. But don't show up at a small group jam session in New York with a fake book. Not if you want to be given respect or a chance to play.

I have also been a student of my faith since reverting/converting about five years ago. I have read voraciously: the Navarre Bible Commentary, The Theology of the Body, the ENTIRE Bible, popular theological works, academic works, and the writings of the saints and mystics. Several people I know consider me an informed Catholic.

People who knew me started coming to me with questions about the faith, because I seemed to know so much. I found myself patting myself on the back because I "knew my faith so well." Then someone asked me a basic question: what's the Fifth Commandment? I came up short. Of course I knew the commandments... didn't I? In order? Well... no. Could I get them all right out of order? Most of the time... maybe.

What about the Beatitudes? What about the Seven Deadly Sins? What about the Four Marks of the Church? What about the Seven Cardinal Virtues? What about the mysteries of the Rosary? What about naming all the books in the Bible? What about memorizing chapter and verse so I could debate my evangelical friends more easily rather than always relying on the standard: "The Bible says somewhere that....."

Well. A couple of weeks ago I happened across a review of this book in a publication. I received it last week and just finished it. It WORKS! I have memorized the faith that is for sure. (At least the portion of the faith covered in this book!) Everything covered by the book I know by HEART. I can recite the mysteries of the Rosary, forward and backward, the 10 Commandments forward and backward. All of it. Memorized!

Does it transfer to other areas? OH YEAH! I transcribed a Lester Young Solo called "Ad Lib Blues" and have been taking it through all twelve keys. I invented little mnemonic devices based on this book to help me remember some of the more complex intervallic relationships so I could get it through the keys more quickly. Yep... it worked.

AABA tunes? How about make them two rooms of the Mnemonic house? Place the II V I progressions in a single location (like the bench), and take the rest of the changes and put them in the other locations in order. Boom.... Cherokee.... memorized. All twelve keys. Done. In 15 minutes. WOW! (This is of course when combined with other musical knowledge and tricks I have acquired over the years)

A MUST BUY book for Catholics, and for ANYONE interested in committing important things to memory. I wish someone taught me this stuff years ago!