Customer Reviews

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church: A 2,000-Year History

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Tired of seeing the Catholic Church pilloried by malcontents, defectors, and detractors? Longing for a sweeping, well-written overview of the Church's unparalleled achievements over the last two millennia? If so, you will really enjoy this book. I received it for Christmas and could not put it down.

Crocker will, predictably, be criticized by those who wish that the Church was not so wedded to the objective, immutable, hard truths preached by the Apostles and St. Paul. But the critics must ask themselves why, if the Church is really the decrepit, bankrupt institution they depict it to be, they expend so much time, effort and ink attacking it?

This is not revisionist history; Crocker readily admits that the Church is a divine, infallible institution made up of human, fallible creatures. Far from exposing the Church as a fraud, these excesses and failures of the past only reinforce its divine character. Indeed, only a Church that received the protection promised in Matthew 16:18 could endure some of the scandals to which the Barque of Peter has been subjected.

Moreover, Crocker goes a long way toward debunking some of the viciously unfair myths which have been spread about the Church, e.g., that it was complicit in the face of Nazi genocide. John Cornwell, Garry Wills and their ilk should be very uneasy about the release of this book, which does an excellent job of unmasking their shoddy research and analysis.

Critical reviews of this book rightly point out that it's not a dry, exhaustive analysis of all issues related to the Catholic Church over 2000 years. It is not written for a handful of other professional historians tucked away in academia somewhere. The book is not an autopsy.

But frankly, it's high time someone wrote a book like Crocker's.

First, by any neutral criteria, the Catholic Church is the most interesting institution that has ever existed (see below) and as such it deserves a treatment like Crocker's written with the attitude that people might actually find the subject interesting.

Second, it is remarkable how ignorant most of us are about the Catholic Church, even though it is clearly the most important human institution in the history of the world.

Third, the vast majority of stuff one hears about the role of the Church in history is complete myth. (Tiny example I hear constantly, exploded admirably by Crocker: "The Church led those nasty crusades trying to stamp out Islam"--completely wrong. The crusades (a)came along many centuries after Islam arrived on the scene--the Muslims were left in peace for 500 years, (b) were not against Islam, but against the blood-thirsy Ottoman Empire, a bunch that slaughtered babies on bayonets before their mothers' eyes and beheaded infidels for sport (and as such was completely deserving of the crudades) (c) were not all led by the Church (indeed, e.g., the ridiculous Children's Crusade was condemned by the Church).

So Crocker is right to have a somewhat polemical attitude here, as there is much to be corrected. And his lack of sympathy for certain acts and attitudes attributable to Protestantism is appropriate in the context of his historical narrative. Crocker recognizes that ideas have consequences, even religious ideas, and one cannot write history without thinking critically about ideas. He brings to life how certain Protestant institutions have strenuously endeavored to exaggerate the foibles of the Church or even create myths to justify their rejection of the Church and their own claims to authority (which can be a bit thin, depending upon the brand of Protestantism). (See, e.g., history according to the Brits: Henry VIII literally murders a whole bunch of his wives, lots of respected members of his court, thousands of Catholics, some of them, including middle-aged women, being slowly crushed alive to serve as particularly nasty examples to others who dare remain true to their beliefs . . . but it's the Pope, any Pope, that's a power-hungry despot, while the great patriot Henry is honored as the founder of the dear ol' Church of England. Talk about your revisionist history!)

Crocker's account vividly portrays an amazing story that should astound anyone with a brain, no matter what they think about God, Jesus, religion or Catholicism. The Church is the most long-lived institution the world has ever known, and there is no close second. It survived the persecution of Rome, the embrace of Rome (worse), the fall of Rome, the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment (so called), the Age of Revolution, and the Age of Totalitarianism. Almost every age was dominated by smart and powerful folks that predicted the prompt demise of the Church and worked to hasten it.

Crocker's history is all the more important in light of the current role of the Church. It might shock most Americans to know that today the Catholic Church is larger and stronger today than it has ever been. (American Catholics only make up about 6% or the Church.) It is far and away the largest religious institution in the world (with no close second). It is the largest charitable institution in the world (with no close second), the largest educator of people in the world (with no close second), the largest provider of health care in the world (with no close second), the largest and most vigorous defender of human rights in the world (with no close second)--every year dozens of nuns and priests are martyred in places like Liberian, Sierra Leone, Colombia, and East Timor for standing up to government and/or rebel thugs. The Church has fostered the most fertile intellectual tradition the world has ever known-from Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, and Bonaventure, to Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Conner, Graham Greene, Jacques Maritain, and Etienne Gilson.

Crocker is right to reflect in his narrative that this ought to astound people--if the Church were tops in only 2 of these categories, it would still be the most amazing institution around. The Church's growth, vigor, vitality and strength continue to confound those in every age who either pledge to destroy it (as did Napoleon and Hitler, for example) or confidently predict its extinction if it doesn't change with the times (i.e., lighten up and say it's okay if folks sleep around).

Regardless of what one believes, that is a truely astounding story, and an immense story. Crocker has done an very admirable job of capturing most of this story in one very readable volume. It's quite a remarkable accomplishment.

To write a history of the Roman Catholic Church over
the course of two millennia is a daunting task, but
once again, H.W. Crocker has done it. "Triumph" reads
like the great narrative histories of Sir Winston
Churchill, or Shelby Foote's Civil War masterpiece.
The reader is not bogged down in minutiae, or cheated
out of certain epochs due to an editor's pen, but
instead receives a complete and fair overview of this
fascinating topic. And perhaps most importantly,
Crocker's writing style accomplishes what has become
so elusive within academic historical circles; He
entertains. "Triumph" is a triumph.

It has been said that of the millions of people who hate Catholicism, only a handful do so for its genuine doctrine. H.W. Crocker III, in Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church, a 2000-Year History, will go a very long way toward ending pervasive ignorance of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Seemingly in the Jesuit tradition, Crocker educates the mass lay public to end misrepresentations and misconceptions of the Faith. Triumph chronicles Catholicism from its earliest establishment in the Roman Empire to the current Vicar of Christ, John Paul II. Unbelievably, the beautiful tapestry of Catholicism's historical context had not been woven in its' entirety until this dynamic text. Crocker's intelligently lucid writing style is seductive to even the most time-conscious reader. Triumph articulates the paramount occasions in religions' foundation and delightfully delves into the religious and secular relations between Popes and national leaders, the "conveniently" omitted facts behind the Protestant Reformation, and unabashedly (and truthfully) addresses the controversial topics of the inquisition, indulgences, and the pontificate of Pius XII. Triumph is a wonderful companion text, one that should be read immediately after the Bible, and the Catechism. I strongly encourage all interested in Catholicism, from those who have chosen to build their lives upon its' foundation to those slightly concerned, to read Triumph. You will be forever enlightened.

I recently "converted" to Catholicism from evangelical protestantism for theological reasons. My knowledge of church history was virtually nil, since it is virtually irrelevant to sola scriptura protestants. I was eager to read an explanation of how Christ's Church could in good conscious participate in inquisitions and crusades, and sell indulgences, etc... This book set me straight. Although errors and abuses are not overlooked, Crocker sets the context for understanding how the Church generally behaved in moderate and responsible ways -- especially compared to her enemies. I also now view with great sadness the "reformation" and establishemnt of state religions and eventual secularization of governments. Give me Christendom any day! The book is fun and engrossing (buy it!), but the language is tortuous at times (my only complaint). Consider this sentence as a worst example: "On that score Elizabeth was, in domestic matters, as opposed to the Puritans on her left -- she detested, for instance, John Knox, whose First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women could not be much enjoyed by a queen -- as she was to the Catholics on her right, despite their soundness on 'the monstrous regiment of women' question." (p.269). Lord have mercy.

As a convert from Lutheranism, I found the book most enjoyable and an eye-opener into the Catholic view of the Reformation. The text was easy to read and understand and the humor was appreciated. While the Church's leaders have never been perfect, they weren't as bad as I was led to believe during my Protestant upbringing. Finally something uplifting about The True Faith.

This sweeping history is well-written and laden with humor, which makes it an enjoyable book to read. Crocker's broadsides on Protestantism and its supposed effects on the world are, I think, a bit overblown, and he glosses over the corruption in the Church that gave fuel to the Reformation. His history is, nonetheless, probably one of the more balanced accounts to have come out in awhile. This is an excellent book to get an historic overview of what may be the most influential institution of the past two millenia.

After being force-fed books by ostensibly Catholic authors all through my ostensibly Catholic education that savaged the Church's history and traditions, it was indeed a welcome change to read this excellent history by Mr. Crocker. It would not be a stretch to call this a two-fisted history, written with flair and retaining an engaging wit throughout. Mr. Crocker obviously knows his stuff and staunchly defends episodes in Church history which are commonly mischaracterized and used as points of attack by the enemies of the Church. He even defends the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the men of the Fourth Crusade!

Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is that the author is not afraid to go after Luther, Calvin and the "reformers" with hammer and tongs. For a Catholic brought up in the "eccumenical" days of the 1970s & 80s, this section contained a great deal of information that I had never heard before--and was very amusing to boot. Who knew that Luther was so obsessed with bodily functions?

All in all, I heartily reccomend this book. It's a good antidote to the anti-Catholic "conventional wisdom" that exists in society today, and is an incredibly fast and enjoyable read.

Crocker has delivered a witty, insightful, gloriously honest account of Roman Catholicism's history in his TRIUMPH. Like many faithful to Rome, I had become disgusted with the latest wave of anti-Catholic literature recently published, such as CONSTANTINE'S SWORD and PAPAL SIN. In TRIUMPH, Crocker has furnished Catholic and non-Catholic alike with an accurate account of Church history which, while admitting the eccelesiatical history of Rome is not without stain, remains a joyous, uninhibited procession through over two millennia of the One True Faith. Kudos, Mr. Crocker, and ad multos annos!

If you need a good Catholic history in one volume, nothing compares. Having written a smashing novel (The Old Limey) and a terrific book for the aspiring business leader (Robert E. Lee on Leadership), Crocker clearly demonstrates his intellectual dexterity by taking on religion and history.

One reader in these pages finds fault for alleged misrepresentations about predestination and Luther. But when you consider the reality (predestination was mentioned in St. Augustine but aggressively promoted by the Protestants, and Luther's revolution led to rampant persecution and murder of Catholics in an atttempt to change the culture of Western civilization), the fact are clearly on Crocker's side.

Let's also not forget that the book does find time to criticize the Church. But, as someone once said more eloquently than I, those who hate the Catholic Church don't hate the Church for what it is -- they hate it for what they think it is.

Crocker's book shows that he is not a one-niche writer, and I'm looking forward to his next volume.