A Popular History of the Catholic Church (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The history of the church is a story of people: popes and peasants, heretics and apostates, saints and martyrs. Mostly the story shows how commom people throughtout the ages have passed on the faith and tried to live the life of Christ. the story of the church is also about the spirit of God who has not left us orphans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Saint Mary's Press (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884893952
• ISBN-13: 978-0884893950
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview, February 5, 2003

By	A. Max König (Tromso Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was an extremely good introduction to the history of the church. Especially the early church history was written very lively, giving me a new understanding and appreciation for this period in time. The layout and structure of the book, including interesting maps and charts, made the reading very nice too.

I enjoyed the balanced treatment of this topic, neither blaming the church for all negative that ever happened, nor white-washing and excusing dark areas in history. The author mentioned very nicely the conditions of the times leading to new developments, be they negative or good.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Bland, February 13, 2006

By	Brad Shorr "Word Sell, Inc." (Geneva, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is an historical primer that summarizes 2000 years of Church history in about 270 pages. If you're looking for a basic timeline and a general understanding of key events, the book is ok. However, the author bends over backwards to present a balanced interpretation of these key events. Unfortunately, when every side of every issue is presented as equally reasonable, the cumulative effect is that of a very unreasonable point of view. Case in point: I thought portraying Martin Luther as a reasonable middle-of-the roader was a rather peculiar choice, considering Luther is one of the most extreme and controversial characters in all of religious history. I can imagine someone thinking Luther was the greatest thing that ever happened to Christianity. I can imagine someone thinking Luther was the worst thing that ever happened to Christianity. What I have a hard time imagining is someone thinking, "Oh well. The Reformation was just one of those things." But that is exactly the impression I got of how Mr. Koch feels about it. I would look elsewhere for Church history.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview, February 5, 2003

By	A. Max König (Tromso Norway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was an extremely good introduction to the history of the church. Especially the early church history was written very lively, giving me a new understanding and appreciation for this period in time. The layout and structure of the book, including interesting maps and charts, made the reading very nice too.

I enjoyed the balanced treatment of this topic, neither blaming the church for all negative that ever happened, nor white-washing and excusing dark areas in history. The author mentioned very nicely the conditions of the times leading to new developments, be they negative or good.