Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., Ph.D. was a brilliant Christian Arab philosopher, poet, political thinker, and lifelong student of the sacred sciences.
With all four Gospels committed to memory (three in Latin and one in Greek), Brother Francis had a prodigious command of the Scriptures, which he long meditated on and assiduously studied through the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, ever faithful to the infallible Magisterium of the Supreme Pontiff.
Testimonials / More about Brother Francis / Other available lectures / Brother Francis' published volumes
Saint Paul’s Epistle to the HebrewsThe last of Saint Paul's fourteen epistles was written from Rome around the year 62, and sent to all the Jewish Christians in Palestine. The content of the letter is extremely theological. Clearly, as Brother Francis points out in these fascinating lectures, it was St. Paul’s intention to reach the unbelieving Jews with the Gospel. Those being addressed by the writer knew the old Scriptures. Brother Francis guides his listeners, chapter by chapter, on a delightful journey of “Biblical” proportions. One who has a basic knowledge of the Old Testament can read this epistle on his own and learn much, but, as the inquiring eunuch of Queen Candace said to Philip the deacon concerning the book of Isaias, “How can I [understand] unless some man show me?” Our interpreter of this mysterious epistle is Brother Francis. He seems to enter into the persona of St. Paul as he makes the inspired words come alive. One could say that Brother’s audience joins the Catholic Hebrews in spirit as it relishes the wisdom of God preparing His people by types, figures, and rituals for the advent of the Lamb of God and the Holy Mass. This epistle provides the keys by which we can discover Christ in all the figures and prophecies of the Old Law. This product is available as: You may listen to a free preview of the first lecture on either of these product pages! |
Testimonials
"I had the opportunity... to sit in on a few of Brother Francis’ conferences and was amazed at his clarity, simplicity, patience and gentle firmness in teaching the fullness of the Catholic Faith. He greatly loved his Faith and was a good, faithful and humble servant of the Lord and His Mother. I am proud to have known him and to have learned from him." —Father Carlos Casavantes, F.S.S.P. (St. Damien Catholic Church, Edmond OK)
"Brother Francis’ teaching is very much in the tradition of Saint Thomas, Saint Augustine, and, most importantly, of Our Lord Himself. His wisdom is very much of the quality necessary for our own benighted age. And I would encourage everyone interested in Catholic wisdom, natural and revealed, to take advantage of his eight courses of philosophy and his commentaries on holy scripture." —Father Lawrence Smith (Silver Cliff, Wisconsin)
"What is so attractive about this work [Philosophia Perennis] is that Brother Francis teaches the truth and the splendor of Wisdom in the manner of a wise man, without sacrificing the requisite precision and depth of knowledge. In this sapiential approach, the whole illumines each part, rendering them capable to form in the reader that same vision of God’s created order with which to judge the true from the false, to love the good from what is only apparently so, and to persuade others to be disciples of Holy Wisdom." —Father Christopher Manuele (St. Joseph Melkite Church, Scranton, PA)
"Brother Francis was an unusually fine and gifted teacher and scholar. I appreciated his tapes. They were an excellent learning experience and an invaluable aid to understanding difficult philosophical concepts." —Father Stanley McIsaac, O.S., S.T.D.
"After listening to all his philosophy tapes, each one studiously, I always felt better informed. More importantly, I always felt closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary." —Hon. Joseph Nolan (Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Professor, Suffolk University Law School)
"What my beloved German mentor, Josef Pieper, once said . . . about another man . . . applies so well to Brother Francis Maluf himself. [K] ein falscher Ton. Not a false tone! Brother Francis Maluf will help us in our combative and strategically discerning resistance to such grave desolations of despair, and to their principles of disorder. [His] clarifications and truthful affirmations, like his personal example, are fortifying and enlivening . . . an indispensable aid to our further lives in the Faith, that we may live . . . under grace, in a festive communion of deep gratitude." —Robert Hickson, Ph.D. (Former Professor and Chairman of the Literature and Latin Department at Christendom College, Former Professor in the William Simon Chair of Strategy and Culture at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Former Army Special Forces Officer)
"A political ideologue of the highest caliber. . . . He was methodical in everything he did, a labor of perfectionism and devotion. . . . Fakhri Maluf [Brother Francis] was a natural leader who stepped up to the plate in our country’s [Lebanon's] hour of need. His moral consistency and religious faith were evident to all." —Adel Beshara, Ph.D. (Fellow and teacher in the Department of History at the University of Melbourne, Austrailia; Editor-in-Chief of al-Mashriq, a Quarterly Journal of Middle East Studies; Author of Syrian Nationalism: An Inquiry into the Political Philosophy of Antun Sa'adeh)
"Thank goodness these lectures of Brother Francis are recorded. It means that beyond the many privileged to learn from him in his lifetime, a far greater number in generations to come will have the opportunity to be edified and enriched through an encounter with one of the twentieth centuries great teachers." —Gary Potter (Washington D.C., Professional Journalist, a founding editor of Triumph Magazine, author of In Reaction)
"At a time when so much of Catholic thought was infected with modernism, Brother Francis offered his students a safe harbor of Catholic sanity and orthodoxy, while never failing to confront them with the full challenge of the Faith. The teachings and writings of Brother Francis were always characterized by a profound erudition, rigorous logic, and lucid powers of expression, all animated by the theological virtues, and complemented by the humble piety of the teacher. I believe future generations will count as privileged those who received their spiritual and intellectual formation from Brother Francis." —C. Joseph Doyle (Executive Director, Catholic Action League of Massachusetts)
More about Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., Ph.D.
Brother Francis was born, in the town of Mashrah, Lebanon, about thirty miles from Beirut, in 1913. His given name was Fakhri Boutros Maluf. The Maluf family is descended from the ancient Ghassanids, Christian and Catholic Arabs who courageously kept the Faith in the face of Moslem aggression.
Though poor, Fakhri’s family saw to his education, which was provided at home, in a small school that his father operated. In 1934, Fakhri graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics. From 1934 to 1939, he taught physics at that same University.
In 1939, he moved to the United States to attend the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received first an M.A. and, in 1942, a Ph.D. in philosophy. On the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) in 1940, he became a Catholic. After receiving his Ph.D., he continued post-graduate studies at Harvard University and Saint Bonaventure University.
From 1942 to 1945, Dr. Maluf taught mathematics and science at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. From 1945 to 1949, he taught philosophy, theology, and mathematics at Boston College.
Since that time, Brother Francis continued to teach Sacred Scripture, philosophy, theology, science and mathematics at various levels.
On July 19, 2009, Brother Francis marked his 96th birthday. On September 5 of that year — a first Saturday — Brother went to his reward.
Partial List of Available Lectures
Saint Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (the same as downloadable MP3 files)
Brother Francis’ Published Books