Overview

Full Product Details

9781580512275

Table of Contents

Reviews

A History of the Popes has all the characteristic virtues of Father John W. O'Malley's scholarship. It is clear and straightforward, balanced and fair, lively and informative. He is quick to reveal the warts of the popes but equally quick to recognize their virtues. He is alert to demolish many myths that have grown up around papal history, but his approach is never polemical or iconoclastic. This will quickly be recognized as the work of a well-respected historian who has taught this material and reflected upon it over a period of many years, and should attract a wide readership well beyond the confines of the Catholic Church.--Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley

Fr. O' Malley is a gifted writer, and though he must by necessity move fairly quickly through the centuries, he is capable at lingering on these characters enough to give a sense of their personality and place in the historical drama around them. He is also good at showing the movement and growth of the papacy throughout the past two millennia.--Catholic Sun, November 5, 2009

Documenting fifteen hundred years of history in 300 pages is a daunting task, but one that priest and Georgetown University professor O'Malley handles with gusto and a fair hand; considering the level of emotion that the Papacy can inspire, O'Malley reserves his enthusiasm for the unexpected twists of history, rather than any particular character or school of thought. In concise but engaging prose, O'Malley manages to find virtue in popes maligned by history, and a critical approach to the frequently-lauded, while keeping an eye on the world at large....Readers eager for a breezy survey of papal history will be pleased, so long as they bring along a basic understanding of Catholic doctrine and history (or at least a capable glossary).--Publishers Weekly, December 2009

Author Information

John W. O'Malley, S.J., is a Roman Catholic priest and professor of religion at Georgetown University. He lives in Washington, D.C., and is the author of numerous books, including What Happened at Vatican II and Four Cultures of the West.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available