Preface

This book originated in a series of thirty-six audio-lectures I recorded that were published in 2006 by Now You Know Media. My intention in reworking the lectures for the book has been to provide a history of the papacy that would make clear the basic story line in a way accessible to the general reader. Papal history stretches over a period of two thousand years, which means there are lots of players on a field where lots of complicated games were being played. It is easy to get lost and befuddled. The relationship of the popes to “the emperors,” for instance, was so volatile and shifting over such a long stretch of time that sometimes it is hard even for professional historians to keep track of what was going on at any given point.

I have tried, therefore, to tell the story in as straightforward a way as possible, which means I have had to pass over much that I would have liked to include. My hope is that the leaner narrative will provide a recognizable path through complicated terrain and ensure readers can keep their bearings. I have, however, spiced the narrative with details that enliven it and at the same time illuminate the bigger issues. My further hope is that the book will spark interest in this fascinating institution and lead readers to pick up other works that treat aspects of it at greater length.

In that regard I recommend the “Bibliographical Essay” that concludes Eamon Duffy’s admirable Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes (third edition, Yale, 2006), a book similar to mine but more ample by far. For detailed bibliographies on the popes and every aspect of the institution (including such items as popes’ animals and barbers), I recommend the three volumes for which I was the English language editor, Philippe Levillain’s, The Papacy: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2002). To learn about individual popes a handy guide is still J. N. D. Kelly’s The Oxford Dictionary of the Popes (Oxford, 1986). For more general background the volumes in The Penguin History of the Church, beginning with Henry Chadwick’s The Early Church (revised edition, Penguin, 1993), are by first-rate scholars and of reasonable length. Even modest libraries will have all these works on their shelves.

Several people have made the production of this book possible, and to them I want to express my gratitude. Ross Miller, formerly senior editor at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers invited me to write the book, encouraged me through the process, and provided me with transcripts of my lectures for Now You Know Media. Sarah Stanton, who took over after Ross Miller, and Krista Sprecher, guided me through the final stages of publication. By reviewing my text with sharp eyes, James P. M. Walsh and Sara Singho saved me from many errors. Michael T. Bloom, chief executive officer of Now You Know Media invited me to undertake the lectures and kept up a gentle pressure until I finally agreed to do so. He then graciously granted permission for use of them by Rowman & Littlefield in producing this book. Although the text I ended up producing differs considerably from the original lectures, the basic outline and development of argument remain the same.