The pope therefore claims to be the shepherd of all christians and representative vicar or vicegerent of christ. Peter, one of the original apostles of jesus christ. Norwichs book captures many of the crucial points about papal history. From its origins in saint peter, jesus chief disciple, through pope benedict xvi today, the popes have been key players in virtually all of the great dramas of the western world in the last two thousand years.
Assuming the title pontifex maximus, or chief priest, he made an important distinction between the person of the pope and his office, maintaining that the office assumed the full power bestowed on peter. History of the catholic church in the nineteenth century 17891908 vol. The author of history of the popes is the amazing john farrow. The history of the popes from the close of the middle ages. A history of the popes tells the story of the oldest living institution in the western worldthe papacy. Find out more about the history series the last pope watch exclusive trailers and more on history. A significant number of these popes have been recognized as saints, including 48 out of the first 50 consecutive popes, and others are in the sainthood process. It has also the excellent quality of all wyatt north books. He is pope by reason of being bishop of rome and thus, according to roman catholic belief, successor in the see of rome the holy see to its first bishop, st. Of the first 31 popes, 28 died as martyrs see list of murdered popes.
In 753 the pope, stephen ii, makes an unusual journey north of the alps. The pope anoints pepin at the abbey of st denis, near paris, together with his two young sons charles and carloman. The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages, volume xxxvii by ludwig pastor. Pope francis will be the fourth pope to ever visit the united states. Eamon duffy is an eminent scholar of the english reformation and professor of the history of christianity at cambridge university. I am alarmed at the trend for episcopaliansanglicans to convert to roman catholicism. A very factual history book that covers a lot of information of the popes and their historical times. Bergoglio was the son of italian immigrants to argentina. Volume 14, number 1 december 2006 january 2007 the papal office has an unparalleled record of corruption and criminality over the centuries, and the true history of the popes is one of scandals, cruelty, debauchery, reigns of terror, warfare and moral depravity.
He was the first pope from the western hemisphere, the first from south america, and the first from the jesuit order early life and career. It is a very well formatted book with an excellent table of contents that make very easy to navigate through the book. The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages. In the eyes of many easter n chris tians, western chris tian ity became therbey a papal church, that. Ludwig pastors the history of the popes from the close of the middle ages 40 vols. The original publication of the liber pontificalis stopped with pope adrian ii 867872 or pope stephen v 885891, but it was later supplemented in a different style until pope eugene iv 14311447 and then pope pius ii 14581464.
The history of the popes, from the close of the middle. The page modern popes includes the papal history of. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Sources and history of a debate oxford studies in historical. The pope is the leader of the roman catholic church, and is, according to catholic teaching, gods representative on earth the list of popes begins with st. Jesus is believed to have appointed peter as the rock on which the church will be built. In the eyes of many easter n chris tians, western chris tian ity became therbey a papal church, that is, a church that relates so predomi. Farrow was born in sydney, australia, the son of lucy villiers nee savage, a dressmaker, and joseph farrow, a tailors trimmer. John omalley, a professor at weston jesuit school of theology, and the rev. Francis, also called francis i, original name jorge mario bergoglio, born december 17, 1936, buenos aires, argentina, the bishop of rome and the leader of the roman catholic church 20. The popes shows the human aspects of the vicar of christ while reassessing the myths surrounding the person. List of books and articles about papal history online.
For the ecclesiastical framework, the teaching, the history, and the geographical distribution of the church, see roman catholic church. The history of the popes by john farrow nook book ebook. I had the opportunity to see him when i was a child. He visits the frankish king, pepin iii, to seek his help against the lombards who have recently taken the city of ravenna and who now pose a similar threat to rome. It is the punchy, proud popes gregory vii in the 11th century, innocent iii in the th, boniface viii at the cusp of the th and 14th who are always most likely to grab and sustain the readers interest. Richard mcbrien, professor at notre dame and author of. After the split, a merger occurred in which the papal of. Gill and son, 1910 read overview a short history of the. A reader not versed in the history of larger world in the covered times, or to a lesser extent, words and phrases used in catholicism would be advised to have some electronic source handy as knowing a bit about the history allowed me to put the actions of the various popes in context with what was happening in the world at the time. The most recent was blessed john paul ii, who was 58 years old when he began his papal ministry in 1978. Before pastors work on the history of the popes, the vatican archives had been closed to scholars and historians. Rather than describe each pope one by one, the book focuses on the popes that shaped pivotal moments in both church and world history. He is called saint john paul the great by some catholics.
Apr 14, 2011 it is the punchy, proud popes gregory vii in the 11th century, innocent iii in the th, boniface viii at the cusp of the th and 14th who are always most likely to grab and sustain the readers interest. Theological evaluations are avoided to give readers a more realistic view of these men and the part they played in the shaping of history. Craven this comment provides readers with a note of caution in dealing with papal history, but in this biographical history the holy see did not think it prudent to publish. After the fall of the western roman empire the middle ages, about 476, the papacy was influenced by the temporal rulers of. John julius norwich has an equally troubling sentence in the opening paragraph of his stylish and enjoyably opinionated history of the popes. Chamberlin documenting the lives of eight of the most controversial popes papal years in parentheses. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A few fun facts about popes in history national catholic.
I highly recommend this book to christians of all denominations. Npr a pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanitys fate. Peter founded the christian church in rome in the days of the pagan roman empire. The pope is the leader of the roman catholic church, and is, according to catholic teaching, gods representative on earth. Pope stephen vi 896897, who had his predecessor pope formosus exhumed, tried, defingered, briefly reburied, and thrown in the tiber 19 pope john xii 955964, who gave land to a mistress, murdered several people, and was killed by a man who. The institution has endured through the defining moments of european history, including the split of the roman empire, the bloodbath of the crusades and the rise of the italian. Much of this is the result of the absolute moral confusion which presently exists among anglicans. This book is a chronological compilation of all the men who have received the title of bishop of rome and the part each played in the evolution of the catholic church and in impacting the history of the world. The first thing he did when landed here was to lay straight on.
The darkness of the papal history the papacy is the longestlasting elected office in the world, and the vast majority of popes have been good and honest christians. He was the first pope from the western hemisphere, the first from south america, and the first from the jesuit order. The third edition includes an extended final chapter covering the last. It was on that rock the catholic church was built and a legacy of 263 popes would follow st. Farrow began writing while working as a sailor in the 1920s. The name derives from a greek word pappas, meaning father, and romes bishop is seen as the father figure of the early church because of the link with st peter. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. Popes of the roman catholic church catholic online.
A history of the popes by eamon duffy first published in 1997, 3rd edition published 2006 an all encompassing history of the papacy from its beginnings nearly 2000 years ago. From saint peter, the first bishop, to pius the ninth, the present pope, including the history of saints, martyrs, fathers, of the church, religious orders, cardinals, inquisitions, schisms, and the great reformers. About the mosquito the instant new york times bestseller an international bestseller hugely impressive, a major work. This chronological list of all popes begins with peter, and it uses a. With the recent election of pope francis, its a fitting time to look back on the history of popes in the catholic church.
The roman question, arising from italian unification, resulted in the loss of the papal states and the creation of vatican city. The popes during the age of revolution witnessed the largest expropriation of wealth in the churchs history, during the french revolution and those that followed throughout europe. When the united states came into existence, 249 popes had come and gone, and the church had seen huge empires rise and falla deep history that. This abundantly illustrated book encompasses the extraordinary history of the papacy, from its beginnings nearly two thousand years ago to the reign of pope john paul ii. She has reached this high degree of civilization and knowledge because the universities were at first schools of theology, and because all the sciences, grafted upon this. In 1834 36 ranke published the popes of rome, their church and state in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries3 vols. All popes are considered symbolic descendants of peter and are thought to hold peters chair since then, there have been more than 260 occupants of the papal office. For a chronological list of popes and antipopes see the table entitled popes of the roman catholic church. Duffy offers a comprehensive overview of the 2,000year history of the papacy. Modern popes 1800 to present the popes contains biographical data of the popes in recent history.
Full text of the book of the popes liber pontificalis. He came here to my country in 1989 and its now 30 years. Facing the truth about papal history uk apologetics. The liber pontificalis latin for pontifical book or book of the popes is a book of biographies of popes from saint peter until the 15th century. In a succinct volume, ten popes who shook the world, he explains how each of these popes met the. What cannot be denied is that roman catholicism began with christianity itself. Gill and son, 1910 read overview a short history of the papacy in the middle ages by walter ullmann routledge, 2003.
Ranke set the standards for much of later historical writing, introducing such ideas as reliance on primary sources empiricism, an emphasis on narrative history and especially international politics. List of popes through history timeline infographic. Omalleys engaging narrative examines the 265 individuals who have claimed to be peters successors. Sep 22, 2015 when the united states came into existence, 249 popes had come and gone, and the church had seen huge empires rise and falla deep history that helps explain the longstanding mutual ambivalence. The history of the popes by ludwig pastor and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In a succinct volume, ten popes who shook the world, he explains how each of these popes met the challenges posed by the historical circumstances, pastoral problems and. Pope stephen vi 896897, who had his predecessor pope formosus exhumed, tried, defingered, briefly reburied, and thrown in the tiber. The page modern popes includes the papal history of the modern era, from the treaty of vienna 1815 to the present.