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.

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