The Medieval Church: A Brief History, 2nd edition
Professor Joseph Lynch and I seek to explain the history of the Church as an institution, and to explore its all-pervasive role in medieval life. In the course of the thousand years covered in this book, we see the members and leaders of the Western Church struggle with questions that are still relevant today: What is the nature of God? How does a church keep beliefs from becoming diluted in a diverse society? What role should the state play in religion?
This is a project I inherited from Joe Lynch, my grad school adviser, who died before he could finish the 2nd edition. Writing it was an act of love.
"The book is readable, wise in its judgments and broader statements, written with an eye on students who know little of the topic and not much more about the Middle Ages in general, and outstanding for its presentation of a tale of change and transition and the interplay of faith and practice: Christianity as a religion and the church as an institution. Pithy statements, often with a touch of humor and irony, enhance its readability. Lynch's first edition (of 1992) was very good and this new version more than matches the original standard."
—Joel T. Rosenthal, emeritus, Stony Brook University, The Medieval Review
Professor Joseph Lynch and I seek to explain the history of the Church as an institution, and to explore its all-pervasive role in medieval life. In the course of the thousand years covered in this book, we see the members and leaders of the Western Church struggle with questions that are still relevant today: What is the nature of God? How does a church keep beliefs from becoming diluted in a diverse society? What role should the state play in religion?
This is a project I inherited from Joe Lynch, my grad school adviser, who died before he could finish the 2nd edition. Writing it was an act of love.
"The book is readable, wise in its judgments and broader statements, written with an eye on students who know little of the topic and not much more about the Middle Ages in general, and outstanding for its presentation of a tale of change and transition and the interplay of faith and practice: Christianity as a religion and the church as an institution. Pithy statements, often with a touch of humor and irony, enhance its readability. Lynch's first edition (of 1992) was very good and this new version more than matches the original standard."
—Joel T. Rosenthal, emeritus, Stony Brook University, The Medieval Review