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2000 Years of Papal History: The Popes from Peter to Benedict XVI
Beacon of truth, inspiration to Let eminent Church historian Fr. John W. O'Malley, S.J. teach you the fascinating story of the world’s single most prominent religious office
Did you know that the papacy is not only the Western world’s oldest still functioning religious institution, but indeed it's the oldest extant institution of any kind?
That in itself might be called an amazing fact. Yet more remarkable still, as Father O’Malley, explains, the papacy is not merely still around but remains as vigorous and vital today as it has ever been.
Shepherds Who Make Headlines
Popes, especially those of the past half century, have regularly made front page news and set off wide-ranging debates. They've faced totalitarian political regimes, problems of social justice, war and peace, the relationship between religious faith and modern science, and a host of intense ethical controversies.
Thus has this quintessential Roman Catholic institution come to capture the interest not only of Catholics, but of a vast global public that transcends religious boundaries.
The Amazing Story of Those Who Wear the Fisherman’s Ring
Yet do you know the tale—richer and more colorful than any Hollywood screenwriter could imagine—of how the papacy actually came to be what it is?
Father O’Malley is a Catholic priest, but this is not a course in the theology of the papal office, nor is it meant for Catholics alone. Instead, he strives to be as objective as possible, basing himself always on the best historical evidence available. Both Catholics who regard the pope as Christ’s vicar on earth and non-Catholics who want to know more about this key institution will benefit from these lectures.
The story features trouble as well as triumph, but above it tells of resiliency. You’ll listen enthralled as Fr. O’Malley explains how pope after pope has responded to threats from "barbarians," from "Christian" monarchs, from disgruntled bishops, and, above all, from the faults and failings of earlier popes in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.
Saints, Scamps, and Struggling Pilgrims
Some popes, like Gregory the Great, were saints who bestrode their times. Others were far less worthy. Most showed a more ordinary mixture of strengths and weaknesses, perhaps not unlike most of us.
You may know that in the 14th century the popes spent more than 70 years living in France, but do you know how and why that came about—and what the fallout was? Who were the scandalous "Borgia popes"? You know about Michelangelo, but would you like to hear more about his genius patron, Pope Julius II? Do you know when and why popes began to write the encyclicals for which they have become famous? How did Vatican City come to be? Was Pius XII "Hitler’s Pope" (as the title of a recent book has it) or Hitler’s enemy?
This is a small sampling of the topics the lectures will cover. Running through them will be the twin themes of the popes’ unwavering faith in the responsibilities of their office and their often quite distinct ways of fulfilling them.
Did you know that the papacy is not only the Western world’s oldest still functioning religious institution, but indeed it's the oldest extant institution of any kind?
That in itself might be called an amazing fact. Yet more remarkable still, as Father O’Malley, explains, the papacy is not merely still around but remains as vigorous and vital today as it has ever been.
Shepherds Who Make Headlines
Popes, especially those of the past half century, have regularly made front page news and set off wide-ranging debates. They've faced totalitarian political regimes, problems of social justice, war and peace, the relationship between religious faith and modern science, and a host of intense ethical controversies.
Thus has this quintessential Roman Catholic institution come to capture the interest not only of Catholics, but of a vast global public that transcends religious boundaries.
The Amazing Story of Those Who Wear the Fisherman’s Ring
Yet do you know the tale—richer and more colorful than any Hollywood screenwriter could imagine—of how the papacy actually came to be what it is?
Father O’Malley is a Catholic priest, but this is not a course in the theology of the papal office, nor is it meant for Catholics alone. Instead, he strives to be as objective as possible, basing himself always on the best historical evidence available. Both Catholics who regard the pope as Christ’s vicar on earth and non-Catholics who want to know more about this key institution will benefit from these lectures.
The story features trouble as well as triumph, but above it tells of resiliency. You’ll listen enthralled as Fr. O’Malley explains how pope after pope has responded to threats from "barbarians," from "Christian" monarchs, from disgruntled bishops, and, above all, from the faults and failings of earlier popes in order to guide Peter’s bark through the rugged seas of time.
Saints, Scamps, and Struggling Pilgrims
Some popes, like Gregory the Great, were saints who bestrode their times. Others were far less worthy. Most showed a more ordinary mixture of strengths and weaknesses, perhaps not unlike most of us.
You may know that in the 14th century the popes spent more than 70 years living in France, but do you know how and why that came about—and what the fallout was? Who were the scandalous "Borgia popes"? You know about Michelangelo, but would you like to hear more about his genius patron, Pope Julius II? Do you know when and why popes began to write the encyclicals for which they have become famous? How did Vatican City come to be? Was Pius XII "Hitler’s Pope" (as the title of a recent book has it) or Hitler’s enemy?
This is a small sampling of the topics the lectures will cover. Running through them will be the twin themes of the popes’ unwavering faith in the responsibilities of their office and their often quite distinct ways of fulfilling them.
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About the author
John W. O'Malley
49 books48 followersRev. Father John W. O’Malley, SJ, PhD was a professor of theology at the University of Detroit, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and Georgetown University. His specialty was the history of religious culture in early modern Europe, especially Italy. He received best-book prizes from the American Historical Association, the American Philosophical Society, the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, the American Catholic Historical Association, and from the Alpha Sigma Nu fraternity. His best known books are The First Jesuits (Harvard University Press, 1993), which has been translated into twelve languages, What Happened at Vatican II (Harvard, 2008), now in six languages, and The Jesuits: A History from Ignatius to the Present (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), now in seven languages. A companion to the book on Vatican II is his Trent: What Happened at the Council (Harvard, 2012), in five languages. He has edited or co-edited a number of volumes, including three in the Collected Works of Erasmus series, University of Toronto Press. Of special significance is The Jesuits and the Arts, (Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2005), co-edited with Gauvin Alexander Bailey, and Art, Culture, and the Jesuits: The Imago primi saeculi, 1640) (Saint Joseph's University Press, 2015). In 2015 he also published Catholic History for Today's Church: How Our Past Illuminates Our Present (Rowman & Littlefield). He edited a series with Saint Joseph's University Press entitled Early Modern Catholicism and the Visual Arts, in which thirteen titles have appeared to date.
John O’Malley lectured widely in North America and Europe to both professional and general audiences. He held a number of fellowships, from the American Academy in Rome (Prix de Rome), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other academic organizations. He was a past president of the Renaissance Society of America and of the American Catholic Historical Association. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. He held the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished achievement in Religious Studies, and he holds a number of honorary degrees. In 2002 he received the lifetime achievement award from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, in 2005 the corresponding award from the Renaissance Society of America, and in 2012 the corresponding award from the American Catholic Historical Association. He was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus.
John O’Malley lectured widely in North America and Europe to both professional and general audiences. He held a number of fellowships, from the American Academy in Rome (Prix de Rome), the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other academic organizations. He was a past president of the Renaissance Society of America and of the American Catholic Historical Association. In 1995 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1997 to the American Philosophical Society, and in 2001 to the Accademia di san Carlo, Ambrosian Library, Milan, Italy. He held the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished achievement in Religious Studies, and he holds a number of honorary degrees. In 2002 he received the lifetime achievement award from the Society for Italian Historical Studies, in 2005 the corresponding award from the Renaissance Society of America, and in 2012 the corresponding award from the American Catholic Historical Association. He was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 7, 2022
This book wasn’t quite what I expected. I think I thought we would walk through the reigns of most popes, starting with what we know of Peter and moving forward. In doing so, we would watch the Roman Catholic Church, the government’s it interacted with, and the people it serves evolve toward the modern day. That isn’t really what we got. Instead, we covered briefly only two of the first 31 popes, getting glimpses into what life was like in the early church. Then we took a long look at Emperor Constantine and his important contributions to establishing fourth century Catholicism. And then we started jumping forward again, taking a quick look at Charlemagne, exploring the Nadir of the papacy when popes (mostly unqualified for the office) were murdered and deposed with regularity, and continuing to leap frog throughout history until the modern day.
I was disappointed in O’Malley’s coverage of the Investiture Controversy. It struck me that, despite his promises in the beginning of the book, he really couldn’t throw off his own understanding of what is proper for the church to explore this important church-state struggle. While Catholics today agree that the state should not have a role in appointing bishops, it was a traditional function of secular rulers at the time. Gregory’s attempt to exclude Henry IV from appointing his own bishops was a radical act. Instead of making this point and exploring how the understanding of the papacy and Christian society changed as a result of the Investiture Controversy, O’Malley spends a lot of time talking about Henry IV’s arrogance. While it is true that he was arrogant, it is also true that he was fighting for the traditional rights of his office. After all, his father was the one who ended the Nadir of the Papacy and started the Gregorian Reform movement by throwing a corrupt pope and antipope out of office and appointing his own pope.
On the other hand, his coverage of the first French pope, Clement V, shows in admirable detail how he was under the thumb of the French king, Clement V, and how his corrupt policies (making five of his relatives cardinals) helped to make the Avignon Papacy last for decades. (This is something that often gets only passing reference in many overviews.)
So there’s a mixture of strong and weak coverage and lots of gaps, but it’s still an interesting read. If you’re interested in what happened at major church councils, matters like the papal states, the pope’s actions during the French Revolution and World War II, and in general how the office of the papacy evolved over time, O’Malley gives a pretty good overview.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
I was disappointed in O’Malley’s coverage of the Investiture Controversy. It struck me that, despite his promises in the beginning of the book, he really couldn’t throw off his own understanding of what is proper for the church to explore this important church-state struggle. While Catholics today agree that the state should not have a role in appointing bishops, it was a traditional function of secular rulers at the time. Gregory’s attempt to exclude Henry IV from appointing his own bishops was a radical act. Instead of making this point and exploring how the understanding of the papacy and Christian society changed as a result of the Investiture Controversy, O’Malley spends a lot of time talking about Henry IV’s arrogance. While it is true that he was arrogant, it is also true that he was fighting for the traditional rights of his office. After all, his father was the one who ended the Nadir of the Papacy and started the Gregorian Reform movement by throwing a corrupt pope and antipope out of office and appointing his own pope.
On the other hand, his coverage of the first French pope, Clement V, shows in admirable detail how he was under the thumb of the French king, Clement V, and how his corrupt policies (making five of his relatives cardinals) helped to make the Avignon Papacy last for decades. (This is something that often gets only passing reference in many overviews.)
So there’s a mixture of strong and weak coverage and lots of gaps, but it’s still an interesting read. If you’re interested in what happened at major church councils, matters like the papal states, the pope’s actions during the French Revolution and World War II, and in general how the office of the papacy evolved over time, O’Malley gives a pretty good overview.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
December 14, 2023
I read a little over half of this book. I was only really interested in the Popes in the middles ages, during renaissance, reformation and counter reformation .i.e when they held the most sway and significiantly influenced politics, art and the way of life. It's a very indepth record of the papal history and might be of little interest to anyone who isn't studying history or theology or is generally selectively obessesive like me. I was thoroughly engrossed, religious history is fasinating.
March 5, 2021
Very thorough and interesting. I recommend.
January 24, 2022
O'Malley is a Modernist so he has some takes that one should be wary of, but otherwise this is a generally helpful survey of the Papacy.
November 16, 2024
Good summary from someone who knows, though his opinions are still opinions.
January 31, 2021
The speaker indicates there were 260 popes over the past 2000 years; depending on how one counts (remember the Schism and various anti-popes). Before listening to this series, I thought popes were elected without much difficulty. It was eye-opening to learn that between 1201 and 1300 CE, there were 7 anti-popes!
One thing that Dr. O'Malley said that I thought was profoundly appropriate was in reference to the Crusades. He said that Pope Urban II unleashed the 'Law of Unforeseen Circumstances.' He used this term in relation to the events that occurred during the Catholic Crusades. The blood lust must have been truly horrible when most of the Muslims and Jews were murdered when the Crusaders took the Holy Cities. Dr. O'Malley mentions that ONLY the First Crusade was successful, in relation to recapturing the Holy Lands.
The presenter picks-and-chooses the important/infamous popes over the years and centuries. The PDF book that comes with these lessons is important reading to reinforce the points made. He also asks 3 questions after each lesson, to cement the important points into the reader's mind. I liked Dr. O'Malley's style of speaking and his clear narration. I walked away with a genuine understanding of the popes and their times.
The presenter explained that the early leaders of the Church were more likely to be the erudite Bishops (St. Augustine and St. Ambrose), or later, the Abbots of Cluny. The pope, as the undisputed leader of the Catholic Church, is a fairly recent emergence. With world travel and worldwide communication, the papacy has become more acknowledged than ever before. 2000 years of the papacy has provided us with continuity and change at the same time.
One thing that Dr. O'Malley said that I thought was profoundly appropriate was in reference to the Crusades. He said that Pope Urban II unleashed the 'Law of Unforeseen Circumstances.' He used this term in relation to the events that occurred during the Catholic Crusades. The blood lust must have been truly horrible when most of the Muslims and Jews were murdered when the Crusaders took the Holy Cities. Dr. O'Malley mentions that ONLY the First Crusade was successful, in relation to recapturing the Holy Lands.
The presenter picks-and-chooses the important/infamous popes over the years and centuries. The PDF book that comes with these lessons is important reading to reinforce the points made. He also asks 3 questions after each lesson, to cement the important points into the reader's mind. I liked Dr. O'Malley's style of speaking and his clear narration. I walked away with a genuine understanding of the popes and their times.
The presenter explained that the early leaders of the Church were more likely to be the erudite Bishops (St. Augustine and St. Ambrose), or later, the Abbots of Cluny. The pope, as the undisputed leader of the Catholic Church, is a fairly recent emergence. With world travel and worldwide communication, the papacy has become more acknowledged than ever before. 2000 years of the papacy has provided us with continuity and change at the same time.
September 9, 2021
O'Malley is clearly an expert with a lots of information however his meandering speaking style and monotone voice make him extremely hard to listen to. I recommend looking at the suggested reading on the back and doing that instead.
July 2, 2021
Drier than a roman road and more ideological than Fr. O'Malley would want you to believe but it'll do
April 23, 2025
"Steven makes this very rhetorical question to Pope Zachary, “Who should be the king, those who wear the crown, or those who do the work?” And Pope Zachary replies, “Well, those who do the work”. And that was the establishment of this family of kings of the Frankish realm, so Pepin was much indebted to the Pope for that and he was anointed king by St. Boniface, the great apostle to Germany.”
"As he said about himself in relation to the custom of lay investiture, “Jesus said ‘I am the truth’ he did not say ‘I am custom’”.
(Concerning Pope Gregory VII)
"As he said about himself in relation to the custom of lay investiture, “Jesus said ‘I am the truth’ he did not say ‘I am custom’”.
(Concerning Pope Gregory VII)
June 2, 2025
It is what it says on the cover. 2000 Years of Popes and the Papacy.
March 7, 2024
I wish he had gone a bit more in depth on some pivotal points in history, but 2000 years is a lot to cover in one book. Overall, it was a good overview, and I appreciated his approach of discussing papal history rather than theology. There’s a time and place for both, but I enjoyed the pure focus on history. It definitely inspired me to read more from this author.
February 5, 2024
Very interesting. Never a dull moment. I repeat the author's warning- this is a book about the papacy and not a history of the Catholic Church. Of course they are intertwined through history but you have to read it to see. Enjoy.
March 18, 2024
Good primer on popes from the last 2,000 years. Good overview of accompanying history. Author sometime tows the party line.... No surprise. Recommend.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews