A History of the Popes: From Peter to the Present
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A History of the Popes tells the story of the oldest living institution in the Western world-the papacy. From its origins in Saint Peter, Jesus' chief disciple, through Pope Benedict XVI today, the popes have been key players in virtually all of the great dramas of the western world in the last two thousand years. Acclaimed church historian John W. O'Malley's engaging narrative examines the 265 individuals who have claimed to be Peter's successors. Library Journal Jesuit historian O'Malley (religion, Georgetown Univ.; What Happened at Vatican II) offers a sweeping but scholarly account of the history of the papacy, concentrating on those popes who played critical roles in the shaping of the institution, with the aim to show how the papacy came to play the part it does in the Catholic Church. O'Malley takes the time to explain concepts that would not be familiar to non-Catholics. His book is not a hagiography; at one point he questions why the eighth-century Pope Paul is listed among the saints. Libraries with significant Catholic collections will certainly want to purchase O'Malley's work, although those already owning Roger Collins's Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy may consider it an optional, though worthwhile, addition. Catholics seeking a more detailed account of papal history would be well served by Eamon Duffy's Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, in its third edition. VERDICT O'Malley's is a finely crafted one-volume history of an institution that has served in a significant capacity in world affairs.—Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ
