Opus Dei

The History and Legacy of the Catholic Church's Famous Institution

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Scott Clem

The intentional deprivation of one's most physical and carnal needs is a concept that has existed since the beginning of time, more commonly known as "mortification". The Bible makes one of the earliest references to "mortification of the flesh", as seen in Colossians 3:5, which reads, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." As time progressed, this concept has branched out into a more extreme form - corporal mortification. These are cases of voluntary acts of agonizing self-inflicted deprivation and physical torture, acts that have aroused much contempt from the public.

Thanks to Dan Brown's best-selling novel turned blockbuster mega-hit, The Da Vinci Code, in which audiences were introduced to Silas, the villainous, self-whipping monk, corporal mortification is now a term most often associated with Opus Dei. A creepy, deranged, and blood-thirsty albino monk, Silas is most remembered for viciously whipping himself with a nail-embedded cilice.

©2017 Charles River Editors (P)2017 Charles River Editors

Garbage

Simply put, save your time and money. This hastily researched presentation is not reflective of the truth. Besides the mindnumbing mispronunciation, the book appears to be like a Wikipedia article with conspiracy theories. The references are nonexistent, and anything that may bear truth is twisted to the authors intent. That intent is total disparagement.

Poorly Researched

First the narrator: he keeps saying "Opus Diyah" when this famous group known the world over and with the most cursory knowledge of Latin would know that "Dei" is pronounced "Deh-E" How do you get a narration gig when you screw up the pronunciation of the actual subject of the narration throughout its entirety? Not one editor picked up on this?
Then the writer. It keeps referring to Opus Dei as "an order" or "the order." It is not now and never was a religious order. It is a Personal Prelature. Even the most basic background research would have unearthed that crucial ecclesiastical fact.
it begins talking about Corporal mortification, an obvious and easy target. it brings up The DaVinci Code as if they're isn't obvious problems with the fact that The DaVinci Code is a work of fiction.
it spends an inordinate amount of time talking about this subject and many other cultures and outside groups that use it. It even talks about public crucifixions in Mexico. has any Opus Dei member ever taken part in a public crucifixion? No, of course not, but this lack of delineation suggests they have. if you talk to any Opus Dei member, they would probably tell you that Corporal mortification is maybe 1% of their spirituality. And it's been around for the last Millennia at least of Catholicism.
it then charges all kinds of cozying up with Franco's regime but mentions no actual connections or historical approval by Opus Dei of Franco.
Opus Dei is a long, complicated topic unsuited for a short audio book of barely over an hour. But so much of the time of this unauthoritative treatment settled on basic facts an actual proof.