Synopses & Reviews
Bernhard Schimmelpfennig chronicles the institution of the papacy and its influence on the culture, politics, and economy throughout the decline of the Roman emparie, Byzantine rule, and the Middle Ages in his book, The Papacy. The full spectrum of the institutional Medieval Church is examined as Schimmelpfennig presents its evolution through liturgical, political, artistic, cultural, and economic developments, as well as social changes that occurred under the papacy's influence such as a revamping of marriage laws, housing construction, and food distribution.
Chapters cover the Roman congregation of the apostolic and post-apostolic eras (110-113 CE) through the time of Constantine the Great (r. 310-337), onto the papacy at the peak of its power (1198-1303), and finally ending with the papacy of the Renaissance (1447-1534). A salient feature of the book is the new light shed on Rome as the physical setting of the Vatican and the marked influence it has had on the papacy. For example, the vast papal construction projects of the late fifteenth century demonstrate the papal power exerted over the Roman civic administration.
Review
"The book is as learned as it is delightful to read a pleasure for the general reader as well as for the scholar who will appreciate both Schimmelpfennig's wit and style and the well-selected bibliography." Uta-Renate Blumenthal, The Catholic University of America
Review
"The virtue of Schimmelpfennig's book [is] that it presents the papacy 'as the papacy,' as a religio-political entity in its topographical, liturgical, and economic setting. This is no surprise inasmuch as the author is one of those rare historians sensitive to those issues." Roger E. Reynolds, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies Toronto
Synopsis
Bernhard Schimmelpfennig chronicles the institution of the papacy and its influence on the culture, politics, and economy throughout the decline of the Roman empire, Byzantine rule, and the Middle Ages in his book, The Papacy. The full spectrum of the institutional Medieval Church is examined as Schimmelpfennig presents its evolution through liturgical, political, artistic, cultural, and economic developments, as well as social changes that occured under the papacy's influence such as a revamping of marriage laws, housing construction, and food distribution.
About the Author
Bernhard Schimmelpfennig is Professor of Religious History at the University of Augsburg, Germany.
James Sievert, translator, is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Modern European History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has translated numerous articles and short stories.