A useful resource for students of Christian history and papal aficionados.
A new history of Rome through the lens of the papacy.
Readers searching for a broader history of Rome should turn to Mary Beard, but Wärnberg, a historian of the religious and political history of Europe, provides a worthwhile account examining the many “layers of legend” about this ancient city. The author begins with the mid-first-century arrival of the Apostle Peter. Dismissed as a Jewish cult for more than 200 years, Christianity hit the jackpot under Emperor Constantine, who promoted it to a quasi-state religion. Historians still debate whether this was strictly a political move but agree on its consequences; by the fifth century, Rome was the preeminent Christian city. Constantine’s transfer of his government to Constantinople began a 1,000-year decline of the city but left the bishops of Rome as its most powerful figures. During the following centuries, they persuaded other bishops that Peter’s heir must rule Christianity and, as God’s representative on Earth, guide secular leaders as well. By 1000, emperors and kings acknowledged papal influence but exerted their own, rigging elections, sending armies, and attacking Rome itself, whose citizens considered the pope one of their own even if they often treated him poorly. Wärnberg is at her best during the Renaissance period, when “the papacy and the Church had become a state-like institution: organized, largely self-sufficient, and recognized by political powers.” However, she writes, “with authority and wealth came careers, ambition and corruption, as well as lackadaisical clergy and an errant flock.” The Reformation delivered a painful blow, but perhaps worse arrived with the Enlightenment, which greatly diminished the role of religion. Most 19th-century popes took a dim view of both the scientific and democratic revolutions but have since accepted them—mostly. Wärnberg’s mildly upbeat conclusion affirms that both Rome and the papacy remain inextricably entwined despite their diminished roles and that recent popes have exerted a positive influence.
A useful resource for students of Christian history and papal aficionados.Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781639365210
Page Count: 452
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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