The Councils of the Church: A Short History

by Norman P. Tanner

The editor of the magisterial Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils provides the best overview of the councils available in English. Tanner covers the history of conciliar teaching, from the early and medieval councils to the Second Vatican Council, showing their abiding importance in the life of the church.

Genres: Church History, History, Religion

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Norman P. Tanner, SJ is a Catholic historian and priest of the Jesuit Order. He currently holds the position of Professor of Church History at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana, in the Vatican City, Rome.

Fr. Tanner entered the Jesuit Order in 1961, and achieved his S.T.L. in Church history under the renowned historian, Frederick Copleston, SJ. He then received his Ph.D at Oxford University, as a member of Campion Hall; he also holds a B.Theol from the Gregorian University.

An internationally-acclaimed expert in Church councils, Fr. Tanner is the editor of a definitive translation of the major documents of the councils: Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils (2 vols). He has a special love for the later Middle-Ages, and has written several books on popular religion in the Medieval period, as well as a plethora of books and articles on the history and practice of the historical Church councils.

Fr. Tanner taught from 1978 until 2003 at Oxford University (a University Research Lecturer from 1997 until 2003); leaving his post to take up his current place at the Gregorian University.

Reviews

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good introduction to the history of the councils, and the role that they played historically and contemporarily in the life of the Church. I don't agree with most of Fr. Tanner's conclusions regarding the way forward, though.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned some stuff, but I would have been just as happy reading a Wikipedia article.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

January

[Frederick · Rating 2 out of 5]

True to its title it is short and perhaps too short for me but as a primer to diving deeper into the details that you'll need to find elsewhere this works.