Pope and Bishops: Study of the Papal Monarchy in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries (The Middle Ages) [Hardcover]

Kenneth Pennington (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (August 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812279182
• ISBN-13: 978-0812279184
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,499,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an impoertant text book, compared to Ullman - fascinating!, September 8, 2002

By 

"scias" (Simi Valley, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pope and Bishops: Study of the Papal Monarchy in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries (The Middle Ages) (Hardcover)

I disagree with the former review. Pennington's description of the papal government and law is thorough and simple enough for students to comprehend. The first chapter "Innocent and the Divine Autority of the Pope" is an important source. Innocent III was the first pope to regard himself as vicar of Christ. He established an important tradition of political thought in which the pope's authority was catagorized into 2 types: those powers that were human and those that were divine. The author discusses Inoccent's view of the law and government along with the other popes of the era, and important canonists like Huguccio.
Compared to Walter Ullman's study - "The Growth of Papal Government in the Middle Ages" - Pennington's is a fresh breath of air. Want people to bang their heads and jump out the window? Let them read Ullman...

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is the Pope Catholic?, February 2, 2001

By 

Cheer Brist (An Ivy League Institution) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pope and Bishops: Study of the Papal Monarchy in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries (The Middle Ages) (Hardcover)

Pennington has fanned an arid wind over a dry topic. Heads were banging on desks when we discussed this in my senior history seminar. Nevertheless, the second chapter is comendable for its brevity.