Customer Reviews

Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes; Third Edition (Yale Nota Bene)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As one who has long reveled in papal history (I have read all 40 volumes of Ludwig von Pastor's magnificent and magisterial History of the Popes and all 19 volumes of Horace K. Mann's very readable and informative work on the medieval popes)I found that this book, despite its provocative title, does a good job telling the history of the Popes in 317 pages. When I first saw the book I expected to merely browse thru it but it caught me up and I read it all. I am giving it five stars not because I agree with all the author's judgments but because it is so well-written that there is not a dull page in the book. He tilts some to the "liberal" side, but that is to be expected, and I liked the fact, e.g., that he spent more time on Nicholas V than on Alexander VI. Incidentally, I did not have any trouble knowing which Leo or Gregory was being discussed, since they are all pretty individual persons one is not likely to confuse. An attention-holding and eminently readable work.

Eamon Duffy's small tome - a contradiction in terms, admittedly, but such a contradiction aptly fits its subject matter - is probably about as detailed a history as one could have in slightly less than 400 pages. Duffy aims towards a fair, balanced view not only of the papacy's history, but of individual popes. The title of the book itself describes not only those that make up the history of the papacy, but the conflicting tendencies that existed within individual popes as well.

Part of the benefit of reading this book is that one not only learns the socio-historical elements of the papacy - and it should be remembered that the papacy is the most administrative and political element of the Roman Catholic church - but the development of the theology behind the papacy. The primacy of the bishop of Rome emerges as the most historically contentious issue. Duffy notes that the 2nd century Church Father Irenaeus gives the Church of Rome a place of primacy in his writings, but that the idea of the pope being successor of St. Peter the apostle is not documented until the 3rd century. The tensions between the bishop of Rome and the bishop of Constantinople begin to develop more after Constantine moves the center of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, wedding politics to religion in Constantinople in a new way.

Duffy writes that until Charlemagne, the Church of the East was not only the hotbed of the heresy, but also the hotbed of political dissidents; that such political-religious friction should exist in the capital of the Roman Empire, given the new union of religion to politics, is not surprising. Duffy tries to sort through the various political-religious controversies of this time period, but it becomes obvious that splitting religion from politics in the ancient Roman empire is difficult, if not impossible to do. The history of the papacy between 1054 (the Great Schism between the East and the West) through Napoleon is largely corrupt, however. Once the empire split in two, Rome becomes the political-religious center of the West and the papacy's spirituality degenerates as it is continually thrown to the highest bidder. The Reformation and the religious wars of the 17th century appear to be inevitable. The fragmentation of Europe into nation-states, although largely political, was not without theological ramifications.

Interestingly enough, the distance between the spiritual and secular-political elements of the papacy happens with the theological development of papal infallibility during Vatican I. The official teaching steered clear of the radical views of the Ultramontanists, who held that everything the pope taught was infallible - that revelation was "on tap", as Duffy puts it. Vatican I still gave to the papacy (the office, not the pope as an individual) a level of primacy and honor that has long been claimed by the bishop of Rome, but it rendered the pope's "infallibility" only in matters pertaining to faith and morals (therefore, not politics, science, art, etc.), of concern to the whole church and in consultation with other bishops; the pope will be guided by God should he speak "ex cathedra" - from the chair of Peter. Duffy immediately notes that this has only happened one time, on the issue of the assumption of Mary into heaven (which the vast majority of Christians have believed since at least the second century). Despite the controversy that this doctrine has brought about, Duffy's coverage of it causes it to seem rather anti-climactic.

The book may end seeming a bit dated to some, as the last chapter only goes through 1997 (with a passing reference, oddly enough, to 2002). Duffy covers the highly controversial papacy of Pius XII with a good bit of critical sympathy and then proceeds to discuss the period of Vatican II and what a watershed event it was. He notes the theological changes, the political tensions and the changes that occurred between popes John XXIII and Paul VI as the latter continued to convene the council. He concludes with the current pope, John Paul II, noting his philosophical brilliance, his desire for reunion with the Eastern Orthodox Church and his conservativism regarding the theology of the papacy. He notes that John Paul II is a complex figure, at once a humanist and theologically conservative, defying the simple labels of "liberal" or "conservative". Although John Paul II's full history has yet to be written, Duffy provides an excellent trajectory from where he has gone to where he is likely to go by the end of his life.

My only complaint with the book is that Duffy shows something of an ambivalent attachment style to most of the popes after 1054. While a "liberal" such as John XXIII garners heavy praise from him, other popes less conducive to the modern era are denigrated. The question is, "what makes the modern era so great and why should modernizing trends be seen as necessary and/or good?" In many ways, I agree with Duffy, but would also prefer to not have a pope praised at one point and then berated only a few pages later; at points Duffy sounds like a broken record as he oscillates between the two for one pope after another.

In the end, though, this is a very well written book. The appendices - a list of the popes, a glossary and how a pope is made today - are helpful. The history of the papacy is a thick one and Duffy does not make light of this, including at the end of his book a bibliographical essay that details secondary and primary sources that further illuminate each time period he covers. For a fuller understanding of Western political and/or religious history, historical theology and/or Roman Catholicism, this is a find edition to include in one's library.

A well researched, matter of fact history of the papacy. While not refraining from the good, the bad, or the appalling facts of papal history, this respected Roman Catholic historian does not present history in an unbalanced or tabloid manner, as someone with a denominational axe to grind perhaps would. In fact, relative to other histories I have read, he does not dwell as much on the negative details as one might expect, especially given the name of the book.

Beautiful full color photos support the text nicely and are placed appropriately and conveniently near the relevant body copy in the page layout.

I would give this five stars if not for two faults. One, the text would be more easily read if broken up into a two column format on each page. This book is too wide for one column of type and the eye has to work unnecessarily hard to follow that many text characters across the entire width of the page and then down to the next line. This was, unfortunately, a bad design decision.

The other problem is that the author has a tendency, after initially referring to the chosen name of a pope and his number, to not always subsequently include that number after the pope's name. One has to continually refer back to the paragraph where the pope's name and accompanying Roman numerals are originally mentioned, and then back again. This may be an overly harsh criticism, but with so many names being mentioned, one can easily become confused (which "Leo" or "Gregory" is being referred to again?). The literary taboos inhibiting redundancy should have been waived for the sakes of clarity and memory reinforcement.

The book also includes a useful glossary and chronological listing of the popes.

Despite my rather cosmetic criticisms, overall I am very pleased to own this book as an educational and reference resource.

Saints & Sinners is a companion volume to a television series on the popes - but the book is much better than TV! And a bargain at Amazon's $24.50 price! Just the photography is stunning: inside and outside St. Peter's and the Vatican, historic frescoes, statues, paintings, remarkably clear maps and charts; S&S could take its place in art history. But there is much more. Eamon Duffy's narrative is engaging, never stuffy or dull, bringing to life a long but never dry story of the papacy. The popes mirror it all: exemplary holiness and disgusting corruption - which makes the very survival and resilience of the office all the more amazing. Duffy unfolds not just a chronicle of pope after pope, but the very broad sweep of Western history, always careful to explain behavior and events in terms of the cultural context of the day. We hear Urban II summon Europeans to a bloody Crusade against the Muslims; we see Innocent III's dream of a poor man of peace, who turns out to be St. Francis. Gregory the Great truly was; the Julius II, dubbed "il terribile," was aptly named as well. Our own century has seen a couple of the greatest of popes, including the beloved John XXIII and our current John Paul II. And Duffy even is exacting in his defense of Pius XII, too often demeaned as having done too little to protect the Jews in World War II. Saints & Sinners is really too good for the coffee-table; I'll put mine on my "favorites" shelf.

Eamon Duffy manages somehow or other to fit two thousand years of papal history into less than 300 lavishly illustrated and very readable pages. He captures our attention with his opening description of the first century rather unpapal Roman church, and holds it as he paints with broad brush the great movements and epochs of the papacy and of western Christianity, adoring it throughout with wonderful stories illumining the all too human nature of the popes. He knows his subject, chooses well among the masses of available materials, and treats the popes - be they saint or sinner -- with fairness and understanding; he describes with even hand the enormous good and the lamentable damage this one institution has accomplished. Those who consider the papacy a monolith will be surprised by the variety of forms it has taken in the past and is capable of in years to come, by the many ways it has sought for greater power, and the many opposing forces that have held its excesses in check. It is an enjoyable, insightful and informative romp through history.

Eamon Duffy has provided an outstanding service to any and all readers eager to learn about the fascinating history of the papacy and, indeed, of Catholicism itself. Magnificently and painstakingly researched, and chock-full of informed and intelligent opinions, "Saints & Sinners" is one of the most admirably readable books ever to grace my hands: Bravo, Mr. Duffy!

Only one negative comment. This is not a coffee-table book; it's meant to be read. I would suggest, therefore, that future editions should be of a more manageable size. Don't wait, though: Buy it now.

I did not see the TV series for which this text is a companion, but it is hard to imagine that anything on television could be as satisfying as this short history of the papacy. Highly recommended.

Saints and Sinners is lavishly and splendidly illustrated. Spectacular photography and reproductions of countless major works of art relating to the Papacy. This is prefectly appropriate as one of the major themes of the text is the Papacy's support for the arts and beautification of Rome.

Yet, of course, the text is what matters. Eamon Duffy is an important British historian, but this is no dry scholarly treatise. Instead, it is a highly intelligent but eminently accessible narrative. A comprehensive history of a 2000 year old institution, of course, must skimp on some details. Yet, Duffy consistently makes wise choices as to coverage. The chapter on Renaissance popes, for example, focuses not on the big names like Julius II but on the relatively obscure Nicholas V. Yet, as the first of the Humanist popes, Nicholas' story arguably is more important for understanding Catholicism than would be another rehashing of the Sistine Chapel ceiling story.

For the reader that would delve into the history of the popes and their relationship to secular authority, this book is by far the most informative and reads like a good novel.

Duffy, a Roman Catholic historian, carefully depicts the strengths and weaknesses of each of the popes and their successes and failures of their pontificates. One is often left amazed how dependent the popes were on secular powers and how they strongly needed them to succeed in their objectives and to maintain their position in the papacy.

Often their personal lives did not reflect the character and integrity of their office as Duffy has pointed out, most of the popes having mistresses from whom they begot illegitimate children, or having committed major crimes against their enemies. Some exploited their office for their own personal gain or that of their families. Many of the popes left the papacy in near bankruptcy with heavy debts acquired to achieve their political objectives or in their attempt to build large cathedrals to their glory.

One theme constantly heard in the various reigns of the popes in the demand for continual reform with some of the popes being obvious sinners bringing the papacy into dispute. Very few of the popes were people of high moral integrity or saints, as we would conceive of them. Some, however, were outstanding and brought the papacy to great heights.

Definitely a five star master production, this book is very readable and structured for most students that would do research on the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Documentation is good with references to key events. This book is clearly a good reliable reference and a must for the library of the student of church history.

Not sure I liked this as much as I 'should have,' given the reviews, many by people I admire. The appendices are highly useful, but at under 400 pages the text could have easily been twice as long. The book focuses so intently on the papacy that too much of the wider world remains off stage. Persons of whom I have read, like Hildebrand or Urban II, this didn't add anything, and persons with whom I was unfamiliar, remain just names. The book doesn't really slow down and attempt to bring a pope to life until Pius IX (1846), and the last fourth of the text is the best. If, however, you are most interested in the middle ages, either bring a solid grasp of general history, or consider this a point of departure for further study.

The author's view here is fairly steely-eyed, and I wonder if he hasn't set the bar a bit high. At the end I am left wondering just what in the author's mind would constitute a 'good' pope. Paul VI, executor of Vatican II, appears to come close, affirming Duffy's 'liberal' credentials. To be fair, the author resists any urge to pile on Alexander VI and the renaissance popes, but then, the first 3/4 of the book concerns the papacy, not the popes. I found the section on John Paul II to be overly negative / contrarian / skeptical (take your pick). Neutral on the renaissance popes, Duffy is openly rooting for modernism here. It's always amusing when commentators seem surprised that the pope really is catholic.

For all this, the book is eminently readable, and some sections kept me up late into the night. It left me wanting more, just not all in a good way.

Eamon Duffy provides a balanced account of the origins and tradition of the papacy accompanied with useful and engaging illustrations.

Mistakes are kept to a minimum. (Constantine did not die in 347, but in 337. But hey, who's being picky?).