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A Concise History of the Catholic Church
by Thomas Bokenkotter
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Image (2005-08-16)
ISBN: 0385516134
EAN: 9780385516136
Dewy Decimal #: 282
Paperback: 624 pages
Edition: Rev Exp
Release Date: 2005-08-16
SKU: 07030411
Condition: New as issued no ja
Comments: New book. Trade paperback with no marks or creases. Appears unread. Beautiful book.
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Editorial Reviews
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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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Customer Reviews
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History of the modern American Catholic Church plus an introduction
Rating  (2)
Date: 2008-11-18
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I have searched far and wide for a one-volume history of the Catholic Church that meets the following criteria:
1) Readable to the Layman
2) Unapologetic about the glories of Catholicism yet unafraid to recount its shames
3) Understanding of each period in history in the context of that time, not through the lens of modern biases and beliefs
4) Treating the whole history of the Church without partiality towards those periods most favored by today's popular culture, such as the Reformation and modern times.
After reading "A Concise History of the Catholic Church," it is clear that my search continues. In regard to criteria #1 Fr. Bokenkotter succeeds - this book is an easy-to-read summary which doesn't get bogged down in tedious writing. As to criteria #2, Fr. Bokenkotter is less successful; he doesn't mind recounting the Church's shames through the ages, but he minimizes its glories, preferring to tend towards the modern idea that if the Catholic Church was involved, it probably involved corruption and abuses of power. Fr. Bokenkotter also falls short with criteria #3, as he tends to read modern presuppositions into ancient events, instead of understanding that everyone is a product of their times to some extent.
But it is with criteria #4 that Fr. Bokenkotter spectacularly fails. Just glance at the table of contents: he covers the foundational period of the Church - the years 30 A.D. to 600 A.D. - in just 120 pages, yet takes over 200 pages for the most recent century of Church history. This is breathtakingly myopic. Everything about Catholicism - practice, doctrine and prayer - burst forth from the seed of the first century during the patristic era which covers the time period up to the year 600 A.D. Yet Fr. Bokenkotter spends a scant 120 pages on it. The past century, while definitely having some important events (such as Vatican II), cannot in any objective way be considered more influential, yet this book is able to expend over 1/3 of its pages on this time period. Another example of this myopia is that Fr. Charles Curran, a recent American dissident and minor blip on the historical scene who will be forgotten in 20-30 years, is mentioned on eight separate pages, while St. John Chrysostom, a highly influential Church Father, is mentioned twice. The whole book skews modern and American.
There are other serious flaws in "The Concise History;" for example, Fr. Bokenkotter sees most events through a modern "liberal/conservative" prism. An actual chapter title: "The Resurgent Liberal Catholics Ring Down the Curtain on the Post-Trent Church at the Second Vatican Council" - remember that two of those "liberals" would later become Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI when considering the usefulness of that title. This does a serious disservice to the real issues that have impacted the church throughout the years.
My recommendation: pass on this one - it's not worth the time or the money. Alas, my search continues...
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Through the Lens of Vatican II
Rating  (3)
Date: 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."
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Flawed to the Max
Rating  (1)
Date: 2008-09-09
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
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.
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Should be titled: history of liberalism in the Catholic Church
Rating (3)
Date: 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.
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Poisonous for those seeking the real Catholic Church
Rating (1)
Date: 2008-02-14
7 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
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.
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