Gregory I (590-604) is often considered the first medieval pope and the first exponent of a truly medieval spirituality. Carole Straw places Gregory in his historical context and considers the many facets of his personality—monk, preacher, and pope—in order to elucidate the structure of his thought and present a unified, thematic interpretation of his spiritual concerns.

Carole Straw is Associate Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College.

"An indispensable starting point for anyone seeking the roots and basic contours of medieval spirituality."—Richard E. Sullivan, American Historical Review

"This is a remarkable work, unquestionably the most original and perceptive study of the spiritual physiognomy of Gregory the Great that has been written in the English language and perhaps in any language. I have little doubt that it will be read attentively, not only by those particularly interested in Gregory I, but also by many scholars concerned more generally with the history of patristic and medieval theology and spirituality."—Paul Meyvaert, Medieval Academy of America

"[A] most sophisticated and precise study. . . . One could hardly ask for a more subtle, detailed, or insightful interpretation of the thought of a complex figure of Christian history."—E. Ann Matter, Speculum

"Carole Straw has written what is certain to become the definitive work in English on the thought and spiritual concerns of Pope Gregory the Great."—Jeffrey Richards, The Catholic Historical Review

"This is a first rate study of the elusive character of the preoccupations and assuptions of one of the most influential of the early Popes and, after Augustine, perhaps the most important of the Western Fathers."—Journal of Theological Studies

1992 John Nicholas Brown Prize, Medieval Academy of America for an outstanding first book in the field of medieval studies