The Roman Catholic Church
An Illustrated History
$34.95, hardcover
978-0-520-25251-6
Available Now
192 pages, 7-7/8 x 10-1/8 inches, 58 color illustrations, 94 b/w photographs
April 2007, Only available in Include US and Territories, Canada, Philippines
Categories: Religion; History; Christianity
April 2007, Only available in Include US and Territories, Canada, Philippines
Categories: Religion; History; Christianity
"Lushly conceived and illustrated . . . a strength of Norman's book is the spinning out church history against the background of secular society, to show how the church influenced that society and was influenced by it. He visits church leaders from St. Augustine to Mother Teresa, and his glossy photographs picture the church in the world -- not merely studies of St. Peter's Basilica, for instance, but the pillaging of churches in such places as Buenos Aires."—History Wire
The history of the Roman Catholic Church is a gateway to understanding two thousand years of Western—and at times world—civilization. Edward Norman's lavishly illustrated, incisive account, sure to become a classic, tells the story of the multifarious ways in which the Church has shaped the lives and beliefs of Christians and non-Christians alike.
It is partly a story of remarkable people, from the greatest theologian of the early Church, St. Augustine, to one of the greatest figures of the modern age, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is also a story rich in symbols, not least the awe-inspiring basilica built over the tomb of St. Peter in Rome, the most recognizable church in the world. But the focus of the book is a historical account of epic proportions. Here we discover how Rome became the heart of the Roman Catholic religion and played a role in transforming Western Europe into Christendom. We gain a view of the Crusades undistorted by today's agendas, explore the Counter-Reformation as the fruit of the venerable Catholic reforming tradition, and witness the beginning of a new 500-year history, in which missionaries took their message to Latin America and the East. And, in this boldly uplifting account, we come to see how the Church, reflecting the vision of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, today embodies Christ's own injunction to "teach all nations."
Copub: Thames & Hudson
It is partly a story of remarkable people, from the greatest theologian of the early Church, St. Augustine, to one of the greatest figures of the modern age, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It is also a story rich in symbols, not least the awe-inspiring basilica built over the tomb of St. Peter in Rome, the most recognizable church in the world. But the focus of the book is a historical account of epic proportions. Here we discover how Rome became the heart of the Roman Catholic religion and played a role in transforming Western Europe into Christendom. We gain a view of the Crusades undistorted by today's agendas, explore the Counter-Reformation as the fruit of the venerable Catholic reforming tradition, and witness the beginning of a new 500-year history, in which missionaries took their message to Latin America and the East. And, in this boldly uplifting account, we come to see how the Church, reflecting the vision of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, today embodies Christ's own injunction to "teach all nations."
Copub: Thames & Hudson
The Catholic Revolution: New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council, by Andrew Greeley
The Catholic Imagination, by Andrew Greeley
The Frontiers of Catholicism: The Politics of Ideology in a Liberal World, by Gene Burns
China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society, by Richard Madsen
Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity: The Nature of Christian Leadership in an Age of Transition, by Claudia Rapp
Passionate Uncertainty: Inside the American Jesuits, by Peter McDonough and Eugene C. Bianchi
The Catholic Imagination, by Andrew Greeley
The Frontiers of Catholicism: The Politics of Ideology in a Liberal World, by Gene Burns
China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society, by Richard Madsen
Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity: The Nature of Christian Leadership in an Age of Transition, by Claudia Rapp
Passionate Uncertainty: Inside the American Jesuits, by Peter McDonough and Eugene C. Bianchi