Writing and researching books is an intricate process, but add a family and a teaching career to the mix and it becomes an even greater accomplishment.

Currently a group of Benedictine professors are in the midst of writing, and sending their works to publishers.

When professors publish books, it adds to the notoriety and academic atmosphere of the college.

While this is a very positive attribute to the college, it also requires a great deal of work and commitment on the part of the professors that often can go unrecognized.

Dr. Loyd Newton, professor of Philosophy, who previously translated Duns Scotus’s work from Latin into English, is currently working on four projects.

“I’m beginning to translate Albert the Great, who was Thomas Aquinas’s teacher,” Newton says on his recent work.

Dr. Newton has also been recruiting people who have converted to the Catholic Faith and possibly writing a book on that topic.

Of his works, the one that could possibly be seen on the shelves of Barnes & Noble one day could be a 200 page book on the hit T.V. show “Lost”, in which Dr. Newton would show the similarities between the characters and the philosophers that they are named after.

Some of these philosophers include John Locke and Rousseau, both early Enlightenment thinkers.

This summer at Benedictine, classes are also available on the show “Lost”, where students will read the political works by these philosophers and watch about two episodes each class.

Dr. Mark Zia, who teaches Theology, had his manuscript recently approved by the board and will be published by Paulist Press.

On the topic of his book Dr. Zia says “my book looks at, and enters the question, what do we mean by the doctrine of biblical inspiration.”

In the second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy, it is noted that all scripture is inspired by God.

To show a synthesis and argue this inspiration from God, Dr. Zia studied the mainline scholars in the English-speaking world who are known for their work in this field.

The book is a modified and a shortened version of Zia’s doctoral dissertation which was originally 300 pages long.

Many people have no idea how much work is put into a dissertation which can be on a topic that is given to you with no choice.

“It takes years of someone’s life, and it has to be scholarly and unique, it is also demanding and it’s a topic that you may not have any interest in at all.”

Paulist Press would like the book to be titled “What Are They Saying About Biblical Inspiration” and hopes to have the book completed in the beginning of next year.

“I would like to work on another book again this summer” Zia sayson his future writing plans.

Dr. John Rziha also wrote a book from his dissertation titled: “Perfecting Human Actions: St Thomas Aquinas on Human Participation in Eternal Law."

The book can already be seen on Amazon.com available for pre- order and is expected to be released this July.

“This book is primarily going to be used for scholars and graduate students, this book is not for your ordinary, common person,” Rziha said.

Rziha plans on using themes from his book in the classroom.

The book itself is simply a revised version of Dr. Rziha’s dissertation which took 4 years to complete.

It is 320 pages in length and will be published by the Catholic University of America Press.

“Perfecting Human Actions explores the ways humans participate in eternal law - God’s wisdom that guides and moves all things to their proper action,” Rhiza says on the description of the book.

For a birthday present to Benedictine College and to help celebrate its 150th anniversary, Dr. Edward Macierowski, professor of foreign and classical languages and philosophy, sent to the press Volume 3 of a series called “Ressourcement” a French term designating a movement of “retrieval and renewal in Catholic thought.”

“When the whole book is finished, I would like to use it to teach an interdisciplinary course on the world of knowledge in the Middle Ages. Such a study might help us today. If we see how others have incarnated the Christian message into their various cultures, we might get some ideas about how better to do so in our own.”

Volume 3 of this series in press is about 750 pages long and took nine years with many interruptions for Dr. Macierowski to finish.

The book is expected to be out this spring.