Scan barcode
k8iedid's review
4.0
Very quick, objective and comprehensive history of the good and the bad of the church. Loved it.
triciatea's review
2.0
So dense. Some history books are interesting - not this one. The author could have better organized the events of the Catholic Church.
capellan's review
3.0
I was looking for an introductory narrative history, which I didn't really get, but this view of a liberal-minded insider to the Catholic church is an interesting if sometimes rather dry and technical account of the institution's development.
heirloomroses's review
3.0
The Catholic Church: A Short History should really be called The Catholic Church: Its History in Light of Papal Infallibility. The author sets out to prove that papal infallibility as set out in the First Vatican Council is not in keeping with the long history of the church. He believes that top down authority as buttressed by this dogma is stifling progress on the ordination of women, marriage for priests, contraception, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith procedures in trials, and other issues. He states that the majority of the laity have a different opinion on the above issues when it comes to the church hierarchy.
When I started reading this book I thought it would be merely informational. However, as stated above this book has a set message. So if you are looking for a quick history, I'd say you can learn a lot about the church but just be aware that is not the purpose of this book.
One quick aside, at the beginning of the book, Küng implies Nero set fire to Rome to blame it on the Christians. However, many historians agree that even Nero wouldn't set his own city ablaze or even that he blamed the Christians. ("The Myth of the Neronian Persecution")
When I started reading this book I thought it would be merely informational. However, as stated above this book has a set message. So if you are looking for a quick history, I'd say you can learn a lot about the church but just be aware that is not the purpose of this book.
One quick aside, at the beginning of the book, Küng implies Nero set fire to Rome to blame it on the Christians. However, many historians agree that even Nero wouldn't set his own city ablaze or even that he blamed the Christians. ("The Myth of the Neronian Persecution")
More...