A History of the Popes: Volume I

Origins to the Middle Ages

De: Wyatt North

Narrado por: David Glass

The office of the bishop of Rome is one of the most powerful positions in the world. As an ancient institution stretching back for centuries, the papacy has a history that is marked by archaic and modern customs alike. The history of the men who have held this position is fraught with villainous and heroic actions that have left a profound impact on the development of civilization as we know it, both in the West and East. The popes led the early church through persecution, acquired temporal power through the actions of Constantine, oversaw the universal church in the early middle ages, were steeped in various scandals in the late middle ages, saw their secular power stripped in the modern period, and were instrumental in the rise and fall of various kingdoms and nations.

©2015 Wyatt North Publishing, LLC (P)2015 Wyatt North Publishing, LLC

Narrator’s Voice hard to listen to

I do not care for the narrators voice. It’s like he’s reading a story book to children.

more of a timeline than the history

I found this book to be very disappointing. While I was hoping to get a better understanding of the role that the Pope's played in the early divisions of Christianity, to include the Byzantine Empire and the other Patriarchs, I found this book instead was mostly a recitations of who became Pope when, when they died, and what their feast day was. For example, there was little to no meaningful discussion on the nicean council, which I found to be disappointing. I do not recommend this book for anyone looking for a meaningful history that discusses the reasons for decisions, and how those decisions affected the world around them.