Depending on religious affiliation (or lack thereof) some might say that the Catholic church has been around since the first century. Others would claim that it was really born in the fourth century with the reign of Constantine. The author of this book gives the reader no doubt that he is of the former persuasion, with the first sentence of the introduction eluding to this very fact. Constantine takes his place in the book as someone who led the "decisive victory" over paganism. But give or take four hundred years, it is actually quite amazing that an institution, with such a tainted history like the Catholic church, could last for so long. There are no doubt many reasons for this, and the author discusses a few of them throughout the book. However one views the Catholic church, morally, theologically, or philosophically, it is readily apparent that it is not likely to go away in the near future.

There are many interesting facts that arise from the study of this book, and for readers (such as this reviewer), who hunger for an in-depth view of the history of Catholicism, this book gives a good start. The reader is easily convinced of the author's objectivity, and considering the troubling state of historical analysis these days, it is indeed refreshing to find an author who distances himself from political and institutional pressures. Too many historians today engage in blatant sycophancy to their host institutions or political parties. This has the affect of alienating readers, instigating extreme skepticism among the genuinely curious, and raising the general level of truculence among historians themselves.

The Catholic church has had a major influence on Western society, this influence at many times extremely brutal, and at others constructive. Some of the more important facts and discussions that appear in the book include:

1. The role of Pope Pius XII in the Nazi regime. This has been a hotly debated issue in recent years, and the author is sympathetic with Pius and frames him as holding to a position of neutrality against the Nazis. Pius did however attempt to counter the Nazi hostility towards the Catholic church as it was rising to power in the 1930's.

2. The Second Vatican Council and the origins of "Catholic liberalism". The Council is characterized by the author as the most important religious event of the twentieth century up to the time it took place. Catholic liberalism has found much sympathy of late, and even the secular community has found common ground with some of its doctrines and political stances (there is still a "cold war" however between the secularists and the Catholic church at the present time, due in part to issues in biotechnology and genetic engineering). The doctrinal stands of the Council have no doubt contributed greatly to the survival of the Catholic church as it faces rapidly accelerating advances in science and technology. The author argues also however that many "average" Catholics were troubled by the stand of the Council and the new `liturgy', which was no longer to be read in Latin. This removed the "mystery" behind it, and made it more "common", with the effect that many "average" Catholics left the church.

3. Augustine, and his doctrine of a "just war." Augustine apparently had no qualms about persecuting the Donatists, a Christian sect at the time, and he wrote the first document in the history of the Catholic church that attempted to justify state suppression of non-Catholics (the Inquisition took up this justification with enthusiasm centuries later).

4. St. Gregory the Great, who is characterized by the author as giving the papacy direction throughout the Middle Ages. It was Gregory who was responsible for linking the Spanish church to Rome. In addition, his ability to deal with the Lombards set the stage for the military campaigns of Charlemagne later on. The empire of Charlemagne however is described by the author as being a somewhat loose association of geographical areas, and should therefore not be thought of as a continuation of the Roman Empire. He does describe it however as encapsulating the concept of a Christian commonwealth, its inhabitants to later succumb to feudalism and the Crusades. Church and state, pope and emperor, were to become one after the death of Charlemagne, but as the author outlines in some detail, this union was not to last very long.

5. The Crusades, which were certainly the most horrifying part of the history of the Catholic church. The author describes the Catholic church as attempting to exploit the war-like spirit of the times to its own ends. Thus originated the Catholic version of `holy war', based in part on the writings of Augustine. Its results were brutal, with the First Crusade resulting in the slaughter of thousands of Moslem and Jewish residents of Jerusalem. It is difficult to understand how the participants of the Crusades could reconcile their Christian beliefs with this brutality. The author asks this question in the book, but he declares it to be outside the bounds of historical science.

These and many other fascinating facts will be found while perusing this book. One can only wonder what the state of the world would have been without the Catholic church. Certainly it has alleviated much suffering, through its proliferation of charities and has contributed at least indirectly to modern science. But if all Catholics at the present time were to stop praying, stop attending mass, or to literally depart from religious practices completely, the world would not suffer too much. The Catholic church will survive for centuries to come no doubt, but it will not be able to compete with the ability of twenty-first century technology to alleviate suffering and improve dramatically the state of the world. It will be around but only as a spectator: as an institution that offers hope for an afterlife as it always has, but as human intelligence evolves will find itself to be a purely ancillary and superfluous one.

This book was a disappointment and is shallow in the way it treats the Church's history. It deflates the Church's role as the guardian of moral values. It seems to have an underlying lack of Faith, as it implies errors in the Church's teachings. For a truthful and spiritually uplifting book, I recommend Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church (Paperback)
by H. W. Crocker III.