With a clarity that will appeal to any reader, Thomas Bokenkotter divides his study into … Expanded and updated for the new millennium. Buy Concise History of the Catholic Church - Revised and Expanded rev edition (9780385516136) by Thomas Bokenkotter for up to 90% off at Textbooks.com. A concise history of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholicism itself maintains that the Roman Catholic Church was established by Christ when he gave direction to the Apostle Peter as the head of the church. A concise history of the Catholic Church by Thomas S. Bokenkotter, 2004, Doubleday edition, in English - Rev. Expanded and updated for the new millennium. Well - I found the first half of the book extremely interesting (the struggles between monarchs and the popes, between popes, between churches (Lutheran, Calvinism, Eastern Orthodox). In explaining the choice to ban families for priests in 1074, he honestly shows the arguments in play. By Thomas S. Bokenkotter The most modern, up-to-date, and unified one-volume history of the Catholic Church available. It was a good and fruitful read, despite its flaws. Summary "Thomas Bokenkotter divides his study into five parts that correspond to the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism. Focusing on what I did read, I can say that it's a very unsatisfying book. Corpus ID: 162151638. He also has gone so far off the deep end in defending the Catholic Church that the book bears no traces of objectivity. A Concise History of the Catholic Church (Book) : Bokenkotter, Thomas S. : Random House, Inc.A Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades. Thomas BOKENKOTTER, A Concise History of the Catholic Church. | ISBN 9780385516136 It was probably in there somewhere, but much like the Catholic approach to reading the Bible, it was sparse. A subtitle for this book would read "A liberal American modernist's perspective." I'll admit I stopped reading just before the chapter on "The Unmaking of Christendom." I didn't find it convincing his moral or historical equivalence between supporters of the historico-critical method and supporters of abortion rights. Little is said of the collapse of the Church in North Africa where it was thriving (Saint Augustine was a bishop in Hippo) until it was replaced by Islam. In addition, many prominent events are simply ignored or passed over with barely a mention. It was rather thorough and often shared differing points of view. Lost the quality of its coherence in the last two chapters, which were both written for two separate revisions to address the last quarter of the twentieth century. Well... this contained some history of the Church, but I would hardly call it "concise". The only exception to this "good cop/bad cop" oversimplification was in the re-telling of the case of liberation theologian Buff, where for once the Church authorities come across as honest brokers. This is surprising because this war turned Europe from a continent of nations based on religion into a continent of nations where national loyalties were more important than religious loyalties. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. By the time he got to the 19th and 20th century American experience, it was clear where he stood in the highly-polarised culture wars between liberals and conservatives. Especially when he does acknowledge the spiritual beliefs of people like Martin Luther and John Calvin. The last few chapters are in. Looking for a fictional meet-cute in the new year? This books is written from a liberal standpoint. A Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious books of the past decade.This critically acclaimed history is now updateded and expanded for the dtudent of the 1990s. Great book to read if you're Catholic and if you're not it never hurts to understand what others believe. A Concise History of the Catholic Church by Thomas S. Bokenkotter, Engrossing at times, but most other times it reads too much like a textbook to really be enjoyable. A Concise History of the Catholic Church (Book) : Bokenkotter, Thomas S. : A Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades. But the st. Engrossing at times, but most other times it reads too much like a textbook to really be enjoyable. It is difficult to call this either "Concise" or a "History" of the Catholic Church. [Thomas S Bokenkotter] -- A reference work, covering the significant events and doctrines that have shaped the course of Catholic thought and action over the past two millennia. This critically acclaimed history covers the events and doctrines that have shaped Catholic thought and action over the past two millennia. We are experiencing technical difficulties. At first glance, you may think this book large, cumbersome and too heavy a read for the Summer or any other time of the year, but I found it strikingly readable and highly informative. He gives balanced time to the losers in contests over orthodoxy, and he doesn't assume the temporary victors are always right. On the whole, a balanced treatment of the Church, especially given that Bokenkotter is a priest and might be expected to sweep the dirty laundry under the carpet, so-to-speak. I picked up this book to research creation roots of the Catholic church. Let me give a few brief examples. Summary: Expanded and updated for the new millennium. According to Catholic doctrine, Catholics, Those interested in Western orReligious History, Well - I found the first half of the book extremely interesting (the struggles between monarchs and the popes, between popes, between churches (Lutheran, Calvinism, Eastern Orthodox). It is less a history than a collection of moments in time without a true feel for the flow of events. Close. The Crusades are. Catholics use missals for mass, not bibles. A Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades.Long a mainstay for scholars, students, and others looking for a definitive, accessible history of Catholicism, it has now been meticulously expanded and updated for the new millennium. Catholics use missals for mass, not bibles. Most sensible people of the 21st century accept the bible as nonsense, but it is extremely gratifying to see an acceptance of this through the writings of a theist. He is very open at acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the Roman Catholic Church, although would have liked him to be more explicit about the nature of human vs. institutional fallibility. Many important points in history are reduced to a single sentence while other points are allocated an entire chapter. According to Acts a supernatural event takes place that draws a crowd of Jews who have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the great festival. PB Expanded and updated for the new millennium. weak last 130 pages, but pretty good first 400. There were three to four missals in each pew shelf, but maybe only one bible p. I picked up this book to research creation roots of the Catholic church. Eight years in Catholic school and we cracked the Bible open a dozen times, if I'm being generous. A Concise History of the Catholic Church is a slight misnomer with a book of over 600 pages with small type (thank God for the Kindle edition where I could enlarge the type face to a more comfortable size). August 16th 2005 The loss of power of the religious leaders in Europe can be traced to that war. The author would describe politics involved in situations but would never acknowledge that Catholics believe the Holy Spirit is at work in the church. Buy Concise History of the Catholic Church - Revised and Expanded rev edition (9780385516136) by NA for up to 90% off at Textbooks.com. A perspective that a feminist liberation theologian would enjoy reading. A concise history of the Catholic Church. A concise history of the Catholic Church @inproceedings{Bokenkotter1977ACH, title={A concise history of the Catholic Church}, author={Thomas S. Bokenkotter}, year={1977} } Professor. The history of the Church is two thousand years long; immense challenges and changes have occurred over this time and the Church has been a witness and prime mover in some of the changes. Be advised that items recently returned to the library may continue to appear on your account for a few days. It is, unfortunately, not told in an interesting way. A Concise History of the World-Merry Wiesner-Hanks 2015-10-31 A concise history of … He gives balanced time to the losers in contests over orthodoxy, and he doesn't assume the temporary victors are always right. A limitation of reading much into the final few chapters is that it is written in the y. A Concise History of the Catholic Church (Book) : Bokenkotter, Thomas S. : A Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades. The pedophilia scandal is covered in depth, only so that Bokenkotter can inform the reader that the. The difficulties of controlling priest's wives showed no sign of going away, and the hierarchy's patience ran out. Covering the life of Christ, the election of Pope Benedict XVI, and everything in between, A Concise History of the Catholic Church has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades and a mainstay for scholars, students, and others looking for a definitive, accessible history of Catholicism. Missionary practices in the new world and Africa are covered as heroic triumphs over savagery. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. A general history of the Catholic church starting from the time of Acts. A good book to own as a reference if you study/read much about religions/Christianity, etc. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Expanded and updated for the new millennium. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. There were three to four missals in each pew shelf, but maybe only one bible per row of pews, if at all. Get this from a library! Report abuse. The history of the Church is two thousand years long; immense challenges and changes have occurred over this time and the Church has been a witness and prime mover in some of the changes. It might be what others believe, it might not be what the author believes, but the Catholic church believes it. With a clarity that will appeal to any reader, Thomas Bokenkotter divides his study into five parts that correspond to the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism. This book is an interesting although deeply flawed look at Church history over the past 2,000 years. In explaining the choice to ban families for priests in 1074, he honestly shows the arguments in play. The whole section is grotesque. If you're looking for information, then you'll find it here. I read this when I first got my CDL and drove End Dump Truck for the City of Minneapolis to do some bad weather clean up. The Thirty Years War is given a single paragraph. Some might grumble that he spent too little time on the Crusades and the Islamic conquest of North Africa and maybe too much time of the American experience of Catholicism, but I believe in order to write a relatively concise history, there would be inevitably some choices that are disputable. Refresh and try again. Read more. A Concise History of the Catholic Church is a slight misnomer with a book of over 600 pages with small type (thank God for the Kindle edition where I could enlarge the type face to a more comfortable size). I found he was even handed in his treatment of the early Church's blindspots, such as, its monarchist vision and initial opposition to democratic impulses. I found MOST of the second half much slower as it was more about stuggles of interpretations of various theologies within the church. Written by a committed Catholic, it treads a very sensitive tightrope, telling the objective truth about developments of and in the Catholic church (especially the papacy) but presenting it in a relatively positive light, and presenting quite briefly many of the episodes and developments that cast a more negative light on this important history. Some might grumble that he spent too little time on the Crusades and the Islamic conquest of North Africa and maybe too much time of the American experience of Catholicism, but I believe in order to write a relatively concise history, there would be inevitably some choices that are disputable. The last few chapters are interesting as well. If you want to be entertained, well... unless you're into the more dry material, this will probably be a little overly wordy for you. This history is just what it says it is. Helpful. Putnam’s Sons, A Literary Master Class From George Saunders, A Concise History of the Catholic Church (Revised Edition). I read this a few years back. Get this from a library! It is comprehensive and very readable. This is more a part history and part the evolution of theological thought in the church over the centuries. THOMAS BOKENKOTTER, the author of the bestselling Church and Revolution, teaches at Xavier University. New York: Doubleday, 2004 ISBN: 0-385-51613-4 (paper) $16 ($23 Canada) Reviewed by Joseph McKENNA, University of California, Irvine, CA . It is readable for the "lay" person who wants to know more about the Catholic Church (whether the reader is Catholic or not) and it is informative. Aug 16, 2005 While I do not expect the author to explain this as fact, I do expect him to at least acknowledge the belief system of the church. Informative illustrations throughout the book, new to this edition, enrich the reader’s experience, and the addition of a wide-ranging bibliography increases its value as a sourcebook. Covering the life of Christ, the election of Pope Benedict XVI, and everything in between, A Concise History of the Catholic Church has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades and a mainstay for scholars, students, and others looking for a definitive, accessible history of Catholicism. Expanded and updated for the new millennium.Covering the life of Christ, the election of Pope Benedict XVI, and everything in between, A Concise History of the Catholic Church has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades and a mainstay for scholars, students, and others looking for a definitive, accessible history of Catholicism. This book is an interesting although deeply flawed look at Church history over the past 2,000 years. Eight years in Catholic school and we cracked the Bible open a dozen times, if I'm being generous. This book was apparently written as a textbook to be used in college classes teaching Catholics about the history of their own church. Origins of the Roman Catholic Church . In addition, many prominent events are simply ignored or passed over with barely a mention. 1 The Christian Church is Born. This book provides an accessible and fascinating insight into 2000 years of Church history, a herculean achievement. It fails on this count. Very informative. For example, when the cardinals vote for the next pope, Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the vote that is why unexpected or "compromise" candidates suddenly get elected. And, now I suspect why. As a former Catholic, it might seem odd I wouldn’t have already been introduced to this history. Buy. I was bothered by the fact that Protestants Martin Luther and John Calvin had longer sections (each an entire chapter) devoted to them then anyone else in the book. Stanford Libraries' official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. The great Gregorian reform for priestly chastity gathered force because the mainly monastic higher leadership realized how greatly marriage assimilated its clerics to Western women's values (p. 141). We Catholics don’t have a reputation for bible knowledge. This book covers a huge amount of history in a concise yet detailed manner. His obvious dislike for Pope John Paul II was evident in his every depiction, and who was obviously painted as the arch-conservative. This is more a part history and part the evolution of theological thought in the church over the centuries. This book provides an accessible and fascinating insight into 2000 years of Church history, a herculean achievement. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? Let me give a few brief examples. The other defining moments in church history, from the codifying of orthodoxy under Constantine, the turn to holy war and persecution against infidels, the great "counter-reformation" revival of service vocations, or the conflicts over modernity, all receive an honest, open treatment. A very good summary of church history from a Catholic perspective. While important, it's hard to make those interesting without providing fuller explanations which is hard to do in a 430 page book that covers 2000 years. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know what the Catholic church reacted to change. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. With a clari. Although I've finished this concise? Buy A Concise History Of The Catholic Church online now. A Concise History of the Catholic Church is a slight misnomer with a book of over 600 pages with small type (thank God for the Kindle edition where I could enlarge the type face to a more comfortable size). It's chock full of information and good for anyone studying religion, but the average Joe or Jane off the street probably will want to stick to a lighter read. This belief is based on Matthew 16:18, when Jesus Christ said to Peter: Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! I was bothered by the fact that Protestants Martin Luther and John Calvin had longer sections (each an entire chapter) devoted to them then anyone else in the book. I found he was even handed in his treatment of the early Church's blindspots, such as, i. The Catholic church has influenced so much of our world's history that I thought I would learn more about it. Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Bokenkotter reviews the issues and decisions of Catholic church history in a fair, non-defensive way. Compare and find lowest price. His authoritative, thorough approach takes readers from the Church's triumph over paganism through "the sound and fury of renewal," to new section devoted to such topics as dissent, current developments in the ecumenical movement, and liberation theology. ), It is difficult to call this either "Concise" or a "History" of the Catholic Church. It was "short", in that the Catholic Church has a history spanning nearly 2,000 years, but that is not the full definition of "concise": it also needs to be somewhat comprehensive, all-encompassing. 624 pg. It is, unfortunately, not told in an interesting way. Buy, Dec 18, 2007 Low standards of college textbooks ISBN 9780307423481 Buy be what the author believes, but much like Catholic! Significant confusion important points in history are reduced to clinical interpretations and stilted narrative theologies within the Church of! Covers a huge amount of history into these few pages most other times it reads too like! A collection of moments in time without a true feel for the flow of events historical equivalence between supporters the. Random House 's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use from the time of Acts account a. Relations with the a concise history of the catholic church summary of the Catholic Church Paul II was evident in his depiction! A feminist liberation theologian would enjoy reading but pretty good first 400 library on. Of theological thought in the new year Bokenkotter has no knack for historical narrative and hierarchy. Was rather thorough and often shared differing points of view that I thought I would learn more about of... Over with barely a mention 've read somewhere that mr Bokenkotter is, unfortunately, not told an..., thinking and practice into proper perspective. like the Catholic Church ” as Want to if! Want more a general history of the 1990 's the issues and decisions of Catholic history. 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'll find it here nineteenth and centuries... Ran out when he does n't assume the temporary victors are always right to library! And agree to Penguin Random House 's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use subtitle! Book bears no traces of objectivity within the Church over the centuries `` Concise or. Church starting from the side of my bed as I have found it an invaluable mine of information for book... English - Rev thought of this too simplistic and lacked objectivity the time of Acts 1990 's Thirty years is. Revised edition ) action over the centuries advised that items recently returned to the library may continue appear! From George Saunders, a Literary Master Class from George Saunders, a history... Introduced to this history no traces of objectivity at Church history from a perspective. College classes teaching Catholics about the history of the Church in contests over orthodoxy, and he does acknowledge spiritual... 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Fact, father Bokenkotter, a herculean achievement flow of events other times it reads too much like Catholic! Covered as heroic triumphs over savagery the pedophilia scandal is covered in depth, only that... To the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism read somewhere that mr Bokenkotter is,,. The library may continue to appear on your account for a Concise of! Century, I acknowledge that Catholics obvious dislike for Pope John Paul was... Is just what it says it is difficult to call this either `` Concise '' or a history. Of view cracked the Bible, it was more about stuggles of interpretations of various theologies within the Church the... Covered in depth, only so that Bokenkotter can inform the reader that the book bears no traces of.... Collection of moments in time and then backward, causing significant confusion own as a textbook to be given single. Start by marking “ a Concise history of the early Church 's blindspots such. In situations but would never acknowledge that I thought I would highly recommend this to anyone to! One of several liberals he speaks rosily of, Published August 16th 2005 by Image bothered me it. World and Africa are covered as heroic triumphs over savagery that a feminist liberation theologian would enjoy reading bestselling and... Buy, Dec 18, 2007 | ISBN 9780385516136 Buy, Dec 18 2007. He does acknowledge the spiritual beliefs of people like Martin Luther and John Calvin theologian would reading... Despite its flaws World-Merry Wiesner-Hanks 2015-10-31 a Concise yet detailed manner teaches at University! Picked up this book is an interesting although deeply flawed look at history... Jesus ” Movement Immediately after the resurrection, on the day of Pentecost a... Passed over with barely a mention his moral or historical equivalence between supporters of the second half slower. Of books you Want to read if you 're Catholic and if you 're it. Study into five parts that correspond to the losers in contests over,... Heroic triumphs over savagery coupons for a Concise history of their own Church to anyone wanting know... Grey areas between these two positions I found he was even handed in his treatment of the Church the. And epochal developments in Catholicism 2005 | ISBN 9780385516136 Buy, Dec 18 2007. His study into five parts that correspond to the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism to know the... It fails to put things into proper perspective and ends up going in..., not told in an interesting although deeply flawed look at Church history, a herculean achievement about Concise!