by Thomas Bokenkotter
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Product Description
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. 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. His authoritative, thorough approach takes readers from the Church’s triumph over paganism, through "the sound and fury of renewal," to a new section devoted to such topics as dissent and current developments in the ecumenical movement. 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.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Through the Lens of Vatican II, 2008-10-05
This book is a fairly comprehensive history of the Church over the last 2,000 years. However, Mr. Bokenkotter seems quite happy to gloss over many important events in the history of the Church to devote a great deal of time to the discussion of the liberalization of the Church over the last hundred or so years. Favorite liberal bishops and theologians are discussed ad nauseum. Clearly, following the mistake so many make, Bokenkotter is viewing 2,000 years of Church history through the prism of his own experience and his own prejudices. It's as if Vatican II, in his eyes, is practically a second coming. Then, as if watching his beautiful balloon fall to earth as the air slips out, Bokenkotter devotes a terse afterthought of a chapter to the death of John Paul II and subsequent election of Benedict XVI. He obviously views the election Ratzinger as a blow to the "Spirit of Vatican II."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Flawed to the Max, 2008-09-09
I ordered this book and was excited to begin reading it. Never again will I buy a book without first reading the comments. Most reviews were on the money. This book is entirely fiction, with a few historical facts sandwiched in between. I began reading it and by page 28 the red flags were brightly waving, but maybe I was ignorant of Catholic Tradition. So I had the pastor of my church read it. He believes the author shows great ignorance of Greek as well as the Aramaic languages as some of the definitions were erroneous. If there is anyonelooking for the truths of the Catholic Church stay clear of this book. The only reason I gave this one star was the review would not go through without a rating.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Should be titled: history of liberalism in the Catholic Church, 2008-06-12
As other reviewers said, the first three parts of the book are all right and maybe even worth reading. Unfortunately, the coverage of the 19th, and especially 20th century is very biased and one-sided. Last two parts of the book should be subtitled "history of leftist and liberal trends in the church and why you should agree with them".
The position of "progressive" bishops and theologians is always described in great detail, their arguments explained and elaborated. Views of "traditionalists", on the other hand, are only briefly mentioned, and their arguments ignored. The story of Archbishop Lefebvre and Society of St. Piux X is presented in particularly biased and unfair fashion.
Some omissions are so glaring that I found them hard to believe. For example, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand, considered by many "20-th century doctor of the church" is not even mentioned!
Another example: the role of latin language and consequences of its disappearance from the post-councillar liturgy are not even touched. I would think that such topics would be impossible to omit in a book of this scope - well, I was wrong...
To summarize: if you are looking for a balanced, objective treatment of Church history, look elsewhere.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Poisonous for those seeking the real Catholic Church, 2008-02-14
This book is, in many ways, very good and an incredible feat of historical scholarship within the Church, today.
However, the sections surrounding the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II are poisoned with a heterodox agenda that is certainly causing a great deal of scandal to the faithful today. Especially distressing are his calls to "reform" the priesthood and the teachings on sexual morality.
Gratefully, his opinions are falling more and more into the minority of Catholics today. Regardless, TRUTH IS NEVER DETERMINED BY A MAJORITY VOTE. Truth is what it is. What I consider to be his major issue undermining a great deal of his disagreement is the structure of the teaching authority of the Church. We believe, as Catholics, that the Holy Spirit (GOD HIMSELF) continues to teach us through the college of bishops, the true successors of the first apostles chosen by Jesus Christ. Our Lord Himself promised us this in the Gospels. Since Bokenkotter seems to have lost his faith in this, it can be of no surprise to read these sections of his book.
I cannot, in good (and true) conscience, recommend this book due to the fact that it leads the faithful away from our Lord's Church as it really is.
May Jesus Christ be praised, now and forever! Amen.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 An open, non-defensive account, 2008-02-09
Bokenkotter reviews the issues and decisions of Catholic church history in a fair, non-defensive way. He gives balanced time to the losers in contests over orthodoxy, and doesn't assume the temporary victors are always right. In explaining the choice to ban families for priests in 1074, he honestly shows the arguments in play. The difficulties of controlling priest's wives showed no sign of going away, and the hierarchy's patience ran out. 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) 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.
--author of "Different Visions of Love"
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